Radio Access Technologies (RAT)

Introduction

The telecommunications industry is growing fast. Increase both in the number of users and data rates poses serious challenges to the energy efficiency and overall architecture of wireless networks. At the same time ever increasing share of Internet access has become wireless, which sets new requirements to the structures and management policies for future Internet. Cellular network topologies are being diversified. Full coverage backbone network can be supplemented with various short range local connectivity options (e.g., device-to-device links, sensor networks, relays, femtocells) to improve spectral plus energy efficiency and coverage and to reduce costs. Intelligent context aware network control is needed to manage these dynamic and heterogeneous environments. Thorough understanding of the radio access networks and their impact on other layers and segments of the network is imperative and therefore a mission of this research group.

Goal

The Radio Access Technologies Group (RAT) implements the strategy of CWC in the broad area of future access network development. The group’s research goal is to gain fundamental knowledge on how to optimize wireless networks for different settings:

  • macrocellular, femtocells and relay based topologies
  • opportunistic spectrum use concepts
  • self-organizing networks
  • future Internet driven access networks
  • energy and cost effective networks

and to keep supporting local industry in IMT-A (and beyond) further development within the group’s expertise areas. Application areas of RAT group’s research results are mainly broadband cellular systems, heterogeneous wireless networks and smart wireless devices. Interests groups for the application areas include network and device manufacturers, operators and semiconductor vendors.

Focus areas

Group’s focus areas are cognitive radio networks, energy efficient networking technologies, femtocell concepts for capacity boosting, local connectivity in mobile cellular systems, fundamental networking research (e.g., crosslayer optimization and network coding), mobile wireless driven future Internet architecture, evolution of mobile cellular networks, position assisted network(s) management and experimental networking research using WARP platforms.

Teams

Currently, RAT group consists of 4 teams each concentrating on their specific expertise areas

  • Mobile Cellular Systems
  • Radio Access Networks
  • Cognitive Radio Systems
  • Broadband Short-range Access

Contact:

Prof. Matti Latva-aho
e-mail: matti.latva-aho at ee.oulu.fi
tel. +358 8 553 2847
mobile: +358 40 588 9655