Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

The data communication infrastructure in the developed world has experienced tremendous modernization and expansion over the past decade to provide fast access to the global Internet almost everywhere and anytime. However, trends and forecasts suggest that the current communication networks need to continue to substantially improve their transport capabilities to keep pace with the explosive growth of data traffic. One key component of the communication infrastructure are fixed wireless transmission networks, which provide broadband wireless links for fixed access networks and the backhaul (and since recently also fronthaul) for mobile communication networks. These networks use point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave transmission and achieve gigabit-per-second data rates. Against the backdrop of growing traffic load, significant efforts have been dedicated to further increase the data throughput of fixed microwave links. To this end, different forms of data multiplexing, bundling of frequency bands and the use of new frequency spectrum have been considered. In this project, we take a somewhat different and in fact complementary approach, which is based on the observation that adjacent frequency channels are unlikely to be used for the same transmission link, even in high density deployments of fixed microwave systems in the world. This opens the door to also transmit data in so-called spectrum skirts of frequency bands, and thus to increase the link capacity without changes to the frequency channel allocation and without increasing the spectrum fee for leaseholders. We have developed a research plan that foresees the development of data modulation and detection methods suited to realize transmission in spectrum skirts. We will explore the communication- theoretic limits and consider the practical constraints of microwave links to provide advanced solutions directly applicable in practice. This project has been stimulated by discussions with an industrial partner who is a worldwide market leader in the fixed microwave communication system domain. It will train students to become experts in the latest communications technology and has excellent prospects for technology transfer. *