Georgia Tech Joins New Industry Alliance to Help Build the Mobile Internet

This multi-resolution spectrum sensing (MRSS) integrated circuit, a joint project of the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) and its research partner Samsung Electro-Mechanics, could help advance the mobile Internet using cognitive-radio (CR) technology.

Atlanta (February 19, 2009) -- True mobile Internet capability for wireless devices – including high-definition TV, movies and video-conferencing – has taken a step closer to reality.
     The Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at Georgia Tech is allying with several major corporations and an international standards group to promote a new worldwide cognitive radio (CR) standard that would allow new levels of performance in portable devices such as cellular phones and computers.
     The new alliance – called the Cognitive Networking Alliance (CogNeA) -- is comprised of top players in the consumer electronics, personal computing, home entertainment, semiconductor and digital imaging fields.
     CogNeA members include ETRI, GEDC, HP, Motorola, Philips, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Texas Instruments.
     “CogNeA brings together a number of influential international companies and groups, in order to develop a wireless standard and platform for multimedia networking in the home as well as for broadband Internet access," said CogNeA Chairman Kiran Challapali.
     The new CR standard would utilize the ultra-high-frequency (UHF) band –so-called “white-space” – currently used for television broadcasting. Use of this white space for wireless applications could enable the broad bandwidth demanded by wireless video, while also providing extended range, improved coverage and superior penetration through walls.
     The CogNeA standard is aimed at a broad range of applications, including Internet access for communities and in-home High Definition Multi-Media networking and distribution.
     “GEDC is extremely pleased to be named the university-based member of this important alliance,” said Joy Laskar, director of GEDC. “We believe this effort can make an important contribution to the development of the mobile Internet.”
     GEDC is an internationally known center at Georgia Tech dedicated to the design of mixed-signal chips as well as the education of analog electrical engineers. It has 13 faculty research leaders, more than 150 graduate and undergraduate researchers and some 50 industry and government members and research partners. For more information visit www.gedcenter.org.