EQUIPO DIRECTIVO

The March 13, 1996 meeting was a full-day event with more than 100 attendees representing federal government groups, defense contractors, and commercial organizations. Discussion focused on issues related to forming an industry association devoted to encouraging the development of a software radio industry. Again, Bonser led the discussion, starting off with a presentation of the need for an industry association. He explained that the strategy until that time had been for each of the military services to develop communications equip-ment to suit their unique service missions, but that the emerging DoD strategy was to leverage the commercial base and change from the role of a developer to that of an integrator of commercial components. In his opening remarks, Bonser said that this group was ‘‘pioneering the way for communications into the twenty-first century’’. He continued, ‘‘I can’t guarantee that history is going to be made here today, but we do have the opportunity to profoundly influence the way communications systems – actually, information systems – are developed.’’

The keynote speaker for the initial meeting was Lennie Burke, of the DoD’s OSJTF, who reiterated the description of an open system being one that has many suppliers, many custo-mers or users, a long-life architecture, and the ability to easily incorporate technology upgrades. The IBM PC with its many clones, he said, provides an excellent example of an open system. He went on to describe the DoD’s business strategy as one of meeting opera-tional needs at the lowest life-cycle cost and focusing upon the use of commercial hardware and software.

Bonser raised the issue of finding a host organization in order to provide a point of departure for the ensuing discussion of VITA/VSO as a candidate standards organization umbrella for a SDR working group. Bob McKee, who at that time was chairman of the VITA/

VSO Board-Level Live Insertion Forum, then used the efforts of his group to illustrate the VITA/VSO standards development process. That process starts with a consensus determina-tion on the need for a standard after which a task group of at least three VSO members is created to develop the standard, and the product is adopted as an ANSI standard after a sequential balloting process. Questions were raised about the ability of VITA/VSO to consider standardizing interfaces that lie outside of the VME framework, as well as about the financial implications of requiring MMITS task group members to be members of VITA.

There was considerable interest in creating an independent group, but there was also interest in continuing to explore the option of becoming a task force under another organization. The group determined that more information was needed about both options before a decision could be reached.

The draft foundation documents (the mission statement, vision statement, and draft char-ter) that had been created by the initial working group in the preliminary meetings were distributed to this group. These documents stimulated questions and discussion about the proposed role of the Forum, and, as with the affiliation question, the group decided to continue development of these documents before making a decision.

Bonser then went on to ask for elections for two interim officers, a Chair and Vice-Chair, to guide the group for the next two meetings (approximately 6 months), at which time permanent officers would be elected. By ballot, Joe Mitola from MITRE, who had recently published his seminal paper on software radio architecture in the IEEE Communications Magazine, was elected Chair and Jim Hoffmeyer, from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommu-nications and Information Administration (NTIA), was elected Vice-Chair.

MMITS Vision

The MMITS vision is to provide high quality, ubiquitous, competitively priced wireless networking systems, equipment, and services with advanced capabilities. This vision includes a view of seamlessness across diverse networks and integration of capabilities in an environment of multiple standards and solutions.

Ease of use, mobility, enhanced productivity and support for lifestyle choices are all wanted by the communication systems users. Convergence among wireless and wired services such as educational, entertainment, and information services requires improved interworking and interoperability.

Consequently, consumers of communication services, communications service provi-ders, equipment suppliers, and maintainers can benefit from open architecture coupled with the software definable networking radio systems developments espoused within MMITS. This community of interest not only includes the needs of the general public, but also includes governments and their requirements for defense, law enfor-cement, and emergency services, including National Security and Emergency Prepa-redness.

MMITS Definition

The Modular Multifunction Information Transfer System (MMITS) presents an open architecture for wireless networking systems. Major considerations in networking systems include SDR waveform hardware and software, security, source coding, and networking protocols.

Software defined radios use adaptable software and flexible hardware platforms to address the problems that arise from the constant evolution and technical innovation in the wireless industry, particularly as waveforms, modulation techniques, protocols, services, and standards change.

A SDR in the MMITS context goes beyond the bounds of traditional radio and extends from the radio terminal of the subscriber or user, through and beyond the network infrastructures and supporting subsystems and systems. MMITS is a concept that spans numerous radio network technologies and services, such as cellular, PCS, mobile data, emergency services, messaging, paging, and military and government communi-cations.

Mitola’s goals for the forum fell into three areas:

† first, to leverage the commercial industrial base to develop the components to produce software radios, to obtain the benefits of open competition and open standards;

† second, to remain abreast of global technical developments; and

† third, to seek implementation of standards that are timely and testable.

Mitola foresaw the need to develop a MMITS architecture and core standards.

A motion was presented to appoint a committee to review the foundation documents and to define the scope of interest (topics such as channel coding, RF subsystem, source coding, and information security were postulated). The motion passed without objection on a voice vote, and Mitola appointed the following people, led by Mark Cummings, to what was to become the Forum’s Steering Committee: Bruce Fette (Motorola), Stan Griswold (ITT), Dennis Weed (FAA), Wayne Bonser (USAF), and Robert Moton (BellSouth); Jim Hoffmeyer was appointed ex officio and Allan Margulies served as secretary. The next meeting was tenta-tively scheduled for June, and the SPEAKeasy home page was designated as an initial web site.

The second meeting of the MMITS Forum, on June 11–12, 1996, was hosted by Motorola MMITS Forum Mission

The mission of the Open Architecture Modular Multifunction Information Transfer System (MMITS) Forum is to accelerate development, deployment, and use of software definable radio systems consistent with the objectives of the above wireless vision.

The MMITS Forum will work toward the adoption of an open architecture for advanced wireless systems that includes the requisite functionality in terminals, networks, and systems to provide ‘multiple capability and multiple mission’ flexibility for voice, data, messaging, image, multimedia, and future needs.

The MMITS Forum shall establish requirements related to the definition of internal and external systems interfaces, modules, software, and functionality that the industry can use as guidelines in building modules, products, and systems.

Further, the MMITS Forum will promote the development of standards for MMITS, including those focused on MMITS equipment and those supporting service application areas, in areas of interoperability and performance and in underpinning core technolo-gies, either directly or through appropriate liaisons to industry associations and stan-dards bodies. The MMITS Forum will pursue industry wide acceptance of these standards.

To assist the wireless and supporting industries in understanding the value and benefit of software definable radio, and in particular, the MMITS vision, the MMITS Forum will also address market requirements, quantify the market, and develop timelines relative to the use of multimode, multiband, and multi-application wireless communications systems.

The MMITS Forum membership shall include telecommunications users, equipment suppliers, and developers of technology, products, systems, hardware, and software, as well as service providers and system operators or any other individual, organization, or entity who has an interest in furthering the objective of MMITS.

at their facility in Schaumburg, Illinois, and, again, more than 100 people attended. This meeting focused on four main topics:

† organizational scope

† military and commercial requirements

† markets issues

† technical committee goals

At this time, with no formal organization yet in place, there was no membership require-ment and no treasury to pay for expenses – the meeting expenses had to be covered by the meeting fees or the organizing individuals would have been financially liable. Having Motorola sponsor the meeting was therefore a major benefit, and having the group’s web site hosted by the Air Force’s SPEAKeasy program also helped during this organizational period.

By the time of this second meeting, the Steering Committee had formed a de facto set of committee assignments: Mark Cummings and Jim Hoffmeyer were acting as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, of the Technical Committee; Stephen Blust (BellSouth, who had replaced Robert Moton) and Tom Nicholson (Motorola) were interim Chair and Vice-Chair of the Markets Committee; and Allan Margulies was serving as the Chair of the Operations Committee. In the intervening period, this group had met several times by teleconference to work on the foundation documents, to explore options with respect to organizational issues, and to plan near-term activities. In fact, from the initial orga-nizing meeting in March through the end of the year, the Steering Committee met 17 times by teleconference to plan the Forum’s activities. From the beginning, the goal was to foster development and delivery of multiband, multimode radios based on an open architecture, to identify market requirements and to develop standards to meet those requirements.

By the time of this second meeting, all of the committees had defined tasks:

The Technical Committee was to

† assess inputs of user requirements established by the Marketing Committee

† define an architecture that encompasses the superset of requirements

† create subcommittees to define standard interfaces between architectural components

† recommend other standards group liaisons to the Steering Committee

† report draft standards to the general membership for ratification The Markets Committee was to

† document the markets for MMITS devices

† define the size of each market and its timeframe for implementation

† define each market’s user requirements

† provide input to the Technical Committee

† finalize the name of the association The Operations Committee was to

† publish and distribute documents

† provide minutes of Steering Committee meetings

† send association communications to the membership

† issue press releases

† maintain the association’s web site

† maintain membership records

† arrange facilities for general meetings

The focus of the morning session of the first day of the two-day meeting was on markets issues: the multicapability requirements of wireless network operators, projections of future market size, and projections of future service requirements, commercial aviation require-ments, the US military’s perspective, and UK and NATO military requirements. The after-noon session emphasized technical issues surrounding a possible standard architecture.

Presentations focused on planned technology insertion, the experiences of SPEAKeasy Phase I and SPEAKeasy Phase II, and a programmable base station implementation.

One of the administrative issues that was addressed at this meeting was the decision about whether or not to affiliate with a standards-setting organization, an SDO, and if so, which one.

VITA/VSO had been proposed at the previous meeting, and the ramifications, benefits, and drawbacks were presented to this group. To a large degree, the rest of the first day was spent establishing common ground with respect to requirements and the state of the art in order to bring all attendees to a shared reference point.

At the end of the day, after the attendees had considered the proposed mission and scope statements (see pp 79–80), they were asked to either ratify those documents or return them to the Steering Committee for further work. With the approval of all attendees eligible to vote, the documents were accepted and the Forum direction had been established. From the begin-ning, the open system concept was part of the goal for establishing a ‘future proof’ archi-tecture. The second day of this meeting was devoted to working sessions.

The third Forum meeting was hosted by the MITRE Corporation at its McLean, Virginia, facility in September 1996, with nearly 100 people attending the meeting.

Mitola urged the group to be patient and cooperative and not to merely try to protect proprietary interests. Again, much of the first day was spent reaching for common ground and recapitulating the motivation for creating the Forum. A major effort was also spent in reviewing the goals of developing a larger market sooner and more efficiently, including reduced time to market for equipment manufacturers, faster growth and increased market penetration for carriers, and increased ease of maintenance and lower risk through an evolu-tionary infrastructure. Taylor Lawrence, of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, provided the keynote address with a talk about the military’s perspective of open systems and the digitization of the battlefield. He challenged the Forum to open a dialog between Pentagon executives and their counterparts in industry. Dennis Bodson, of NTIA, provided an overview of the National Communications System and its application to government planning for emergency preparedness.

Throughout the year, the Technical Committee had been meeting regularly by teleconfer-ence, and its structure had evolved around subcommittees for applications, form factor, and architecture. The architecture subcommittee had been further divided into working groups on base stations, mobile, and handheld configurations, and the applications subcommittee had created commercial, civil, and military working groups. The Markets Committee announced its intention to release a forecast report that defined the marketplaces and categories of equipment, with the goal of stimulating industry to move forward with the requisite technol-ogy to support software radio concepts.

At this September meeting, as had previously been agreed, permanent officers were elected

for the Forum. Jim Hoffmeyer and Stephen Blust were nominated for Chair and Vice-Chair;

with no other nominations, they were elected by acclamation. At this point, without bylaws or articles of incorporation, the Forum had no other officers.

Because the Forum was still in its inaugural stages, the group discussed other adminis-trative details. In the opening plenary session, Hoffmeyer addressed the issue of the name of the Forum. Some suggestions had been made that the name MMITS Forum did not adequately convey the goals and focus of the Forum to those not already acquainted with it. Hoffmeyer proposed several alternatives such as Multimode Software Wireless Systems, Software and Open Architecture Radio Systems, and others. After a short discussion, he requested a straw poll on whether or not a new name should be sought. Most of the delegates voted to retain the MMITS Forum designation and only six wanted to change the name, so the discussion ended for the time being; it would resurface several times in the coming months.

The issue was then raised as to whether the Forum should affiliate with another group or should incorporate as an independent organization. The Steering Committee had considered VITA/VSO, CTIA, TIA and others as possible umbrella organizations, and they had spoken with two attorneys before deciding to recommend that the Forum incorporate as an indepen-dent non-profit organization. This decision was based upon factors relating to independence and scope. As an independent group, the Forum would have more complete control over its own activities. In addition, the Forum’s outlook was broader than that of any other group, and the Forum could establish its own processes for document approval. Moreover, incorporation is easy, inexpensive, and quick. The members voted overwhelmingly in favor of an indepen-dent corporation.

The Forum’s first year, the organizational year, concluded with a general meeting in San Jose, California, in December 1996. The depth of interest of the radio community in software radio technology had been established during the year, and it was significant enough to warrant a permanent organization. So the Steering Committee took advantage of the San Jose venue to meet with and retain San Francisco attorney Chris Martiniak to start working on plans to incorporate. The bylaws drafted by the Steering Committee included provisions for membership requirements, fees, and Forum structure, as well as some interesting adminis-trative provisions. For instance, the Steering Committee explicitly made provision for multi-ple classes of membership so that small, medium, and large companies, as well as government and non-profit organizations, could be equally represented. They further deter-mined that decisions would be made by majority vote rather than risk the possibility of a deadlock, which could result from a need for consensus; no Steering Committee member could hold two offices (in order to involve as many participants as possible); and voting eligibility would include an attendance factor, not merely the payment of dues, so that members who were not party to discussions could not block progress.

At this general meeting in San Jose, the Forum members got an introduction to European activities in software radio technology from Martin Swinburne, of Orange, who presented a briefing on the European Union-sponsored Flexible Integrated Radio System Technology (FIRST) project. This consortium of vertically integrated companies included network operators, equipment manufacturers, and component manufacturers, as well as academic organizations, interested in developing multistandard, multimode, multiband terminals to facilitate the transition to third generation cellular systems. Swinburne presented a proposed block diagram for such a device and the performance requirements that it would have to meet. He also noted that the consortium was developing a prototype handset using

select-able preloaded software modules to adapt to different signal structures and modulation schemes.

The Technical Committee had continued to meet bi-weekly by teleconference, and they indicated their intention to have a draft report out for discussion within a few months, with a final version to be ready by the end of 1997. The report was to focus on radio architecture as modified by the usage domain for which it is intended; that is, handheld units and mobile units would likely have different architectural requirements.

Similarly, the Markets Committee had established a plan to develop a market forecast report to estimate the size of the market for military, civil government, and commercial units.

The major issues appeared to be affordability, security, global circulation, and physical factors. Major concerns centered on the possibility of a mismatch between government and commercial requirements. A survey had been distributed prior to the meeting, and the results were discussed at the meeting.

Administrative issues for the Forum still had to be resolved. Bruce Fette was elected Treasurer; Mark Cummings and Dave Murotake were elected Chair and Vice-Chair, respec-tively, of the Technical Committee; and Lowie Brannon and Bruce Kraemer were elected

Administrative issues for the Forum still had to be resolved. Bruce Fette was elected Treasurer; Mark Cummings and Dave Murotake were elected Chair and Vice-Chair, respec-tively, of the Technical Committee; and Lowie Brannon and Bruce Kraemer were elected