SBIR Phase I: Adaptive Filter Bank Modulation for Ubiquitous Landline-Based Broadband Access

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的目标是显著提高城市和郊区/农村环境中固定电话基础设施宽带接入的吞吐量和距离。对于许多服务不足的地区，它将提供唯一的低成本宽带接入，以替代昂贵而低效的卫星覆盖。在正在开发的物理层通信系统中，传统的基于傅立叶变换（FT）的离散多音（DMT）技术被频谱效率更高的基于小波的自适应滤波器组调制（AFBM）专利技术所取代。这项创新的一个关键方面是其调制方法的自适应特性，优化了可用信道容量的使用。该项目将包括算法层面的深入理论分析，以及实现挑战，其中架构层面的创新有望最大限度地降低系统成本和功耗。理论研究的目标是在受限的铜线信道中实现频谱利用率最大化，这是通过该技术的自适应特性结合小波基选择及其在调制中的应用的新方法实现的。根据初步分析和实验，与竞争的铜线解决方案相比，预计该项目将使区域覆盖范围增加一倍，或使固定距离的吞吐量增加一倍。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是为美国大约2000万家庭提供宽带服务，主要是农村家庭，这些家庭无法通过现有的基础设施获得宽带服务，除了昂贵、低效的卫星服务。有了这个系统解决方案，这些家庭中的绝大多数都可以获得支持afbm的宽带接入。此外，AFBM将使电信供应商能够更好地在有线电视存在的地区竞争。部署将通过一种商业模式，即成为多家电信设备制造商的无晶圆厂半导体供应商，这些电信设备制造商已经表达了对该技术提供的吞吐量和范围性能增强的迫切需求。服务提供商表示，除了对农村远程解决方案的需求外，对高数据速率“三重播放”服务的需求强劲，这是对VDSL2的改进，也是对蜂窝回程基础设施中的T1替换的需求。社会效益包括为以前无法到达的家庭提供宽带服务。此外，AFBM受多项专利保护，可以作为无线、同轴电缆和电力线应用的平台技术。与本地大学的合作研究，将有助引导该领域的学术研究朝向服务提供者的实际需求和利益，从而推动传播理论相关领域的发展。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project targets significantly increased throughputs and distances for broadband access over landline infrastructure in both urban and suburban/rural environments. For many underserved areas, it will offer the only low-cost broadband access alternative to costly, inefficient satellite coverage. In the physical-layer communication system being developed, conventional Fourier Transform (FT) based Discrete-Multi-Tone (DMT) techniques are replaced with the more spectrally efficient Wavelet-based Adaptive Filter Bank Modulation (AFBM) patented technology. A key aspect of this innovation is in the adaptive nature of its modulation method, optimizing use of available channel capacity. The project will comprise both in-depth theoretical analysis, at the algorithmic level, as well as implementation challenges, where innovation at the architectural level is expected to minimize system cost and power consumption. The theoretical research will target spectrum utilization maximization in the constrained copper-wire channels, which is enabled by the adaptive features of the technology combined with a novel approach to the wavelet-basis selection and its use in the modulation. Based on preliminary analysis and experimentation, it is anticipated that this project will result in the doubling of areal coverage, or doubling of throughput at fixed distances, compared to competing copper-wire solutions. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be to enable broadband service to the approximately 20 million households in the US, primarily rural, which cannot receive broadband service over existing infrastructure, other than expensive, inefficient satellite service. With this system solution, a large majority of those households could be provided with AFBM-enabled broadband access. Furthermore, AFBM will enable telco providers to better compete in areas where cable exists. Deployment will be via a business model that is to be a fabless semiconductor supplier to multiple telco equipment manufacturers, who have conveyed their pressing need for the throughput and range performance enhancements offered by this technology. Service providers indicate strong demand for high-data-rate "triple-play" service as an improvement over VDSL2, and also for T1 replacement in the cellular backhaul infrastructure, in addition to the need for rural long-reach solutions. Societal benefits include providing broadband service to previously-unreachable homes. In addition, AFBM, protected by several patents, can serve as a platform technology in wireless, coax, and power-line applications. Collaborative research with local universities will serve to steer academic research in this field towards the actual needs and interests expressed by service providers, thus advancing the related fields in communication theory.