Private communications inside large vehicles such as ships may be effectively provided using standard cellular systems. In this paper we propose a new solution based on software-defined radio with electromagnetic sensing support. Software-defined radio allows low-cost developments and, potentially, added-value services not available in commercial cellular networks. The platform of reference, OpenBTS, only supports single-channel cells. Our proposal, however, has the ability of changing BTS channel frequency without disrupting ongoing communications. This ability should be mandatory in vehicular environments, where neighbouring cell configurations may change rapidly, so a moving cell must be reconfigured in real-time to avoid interferences. Full details about frequency occupancy sensing and the channel reselection procedure are provided in this paper. Moreover, a procedure for fast terminal detection is proposed. This may be decisive in emergency situations, e.g., if someone falls overboard. Different tests confirm the feasibility of our proposal and its compatibility with commercial GSM terminals.
References
[1]
Hong, M.X.; Hui, L.Y.; Chong, N.B. Study of Propagation over Two Ends of a Vessel in VHF Band. Proceeding of 2010 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference Proceedings (APMC), Yokohama, Japan, 7–10 December 2010; pp. 1946–1949.
[2]
Estes, D.R.J.; Welch, T.B.; Sarkady, A.A.; Whitesel, H. Shipboard Radio Frequency Propagation Measurements for Wireless Networks. Proceeding of IEEE Military Communications Conference 2001, MILCOM 2001, Washington, DC, USA, 6 August 2002; pp. 247–251.
[3]
Redl, S.; Weber, M.; Oliphant, M. An Introduction to GSM; Artech House: Norwood, MA, USA, 1995.
[4]
Smith, D.R.; Shah, S.A.; Held, M.S.; Krause, C.F. Shipboard Applications of Wireless Personal Communication Services (PCS). Proceeding of IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM 1996), Virginia, VA, USA, 24 October 1996. Volume 2; pp. 379–383.
[5]
Zhou, M.T.; Harada, H.; Pathmasuntharam, J.S. An Analysis Model of DoA in Maritime Environment for Ship-to-Ship/Shore Wireless Communications. Proceeding of 9th International Conference on Intelligent Transport Systems Telecommunications (ITST 2009), Lille, France, 20–22 October 2009; pp. 376–380.
[6]
Du, W.; Zheng, X.M.; Bai, Y.; Shen, C.; Chen, B.; Zhou, Y. Integrated Wireless Networking Architecture for Maritime Communications. Proceeding of 11th ACIS International Conference on Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Parallel/Distributed Computing (SNPD), London, UK, 9–11 June 2010; pp. 134–138.
[7]
Wang, H.; Jia, W.; Min, G. Effective Channel Exploitation in IEEE 802.16j Networks for Maritime Communications. Proceeding of 31st International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS), Minneapolis, MN, USA, 20–24 June 2011; pp. 162–171.
[8]
Bekkadal, F. Innovative Maritime Communications Technologies. Proceeding of 18th International Conference on Microwave Radar and Wireless Communications (MIKON), Vilnius, Lithuania, 14–16 June 2010.
[9]
Mitola, J.; Maguire, G.Q. Cognitive radio: Making software radios more personal. IEEE Personal Commun 1999, 6, 13–18.
[10]
Jondral, F.K. Software-defined radio: Basics and evolution to cognitive radio. EURASIP J. Wirel. Commun. Netw. 2005, 3, 275–283.
[11]
Alemdar, H.; Ersoy, C. Wireless sensor networks for healthcare: A survey. J. Comput. Netw. 2010, 54, 2688–2710.
[12]
Wireless Innovation Forum. Available online: http://www.wirelessinnovation.org/ (accessed on 6 November 2012).
[13]
Uhlirz, M. Concept of a GSM-Based Communication System for High-Speed Trains. Proceeding of IEEE 44th Vehicular Technology Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 8–10 June 1994. Volume 2; pp. 1130–1134.
[14]
Seo, J.; Chen, Y.-H.; De Lorenzo, D.S.; Lo, S.; Enge, P.; Akos, D.; Lee, J.A. Real-time capable software-defined receiver using GPU for adaptive anti-jam GPS sensors. Sensors 2011, 11, 8966–8991.
[15]
Ryu, N.; Yun, Y.; Choi, S.; Palat, R.C.; Reed, J.H. Smart antenna base station open architecture for SDR networks. IEEE Wirel. Commun. 2006, 13, 58–69.
[16]
Ramos, R.E.; Madani, K. A Novel Generic Distributed Intelligent Re-Configurable Mobile Network Architecture. Proceeding of IEEE VTS 53rd Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC 2001 Spring), Rhodes, Greece, 6–9 May 2001. Volume 3; pp. 1927–1931.
[17]
Anand, A.; Pejovic, V.; Belding, E.; Johnson, D. VillageCell: Cellular Connectivity in Rural Areas. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, Atlanta, GA, USA, 12–15 March 2012.
[18]
Mondin, M.; Dovis, F.; Mulassano, P. On the use of HALE platforms as GSM base stations. IEEE Personal Commun. 2001, 8, 37–44.
[19]
Wypych, T.; Angelo, R.; Kuester, F. AirGSM: An Unmanned, Flying GSM Cellular Base Station for Flexible Field Communications. Proceedings of 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, USA, 3–10 March 2012.
[20]
Zorn, S.; Maser, M.; Goetz, A.; Rose, R.; Weigel, R. A Power Saving Jamming System for E-GSM900 and DCS1800 Cellular Phone Networks for Search and Rescue Applications. Proceedings of 2011 IEEE Topical Conference on Wireless Sensors and Sensor Networks (WiSNet), Phoenix, AZ, USA, 16–19 January 2011; pp. 33–36.
[21]
Vales-Alonso, J.; de Vicente, F.I.; González-Casta？o, F.J.; Pousada-Carballo, J.M. Real-time detector of GSM terminals. IEEE Commun. Lett. 2001, 5, 275–276.
[22]
OpenBTS Project Home Page. Available online: http://openbts.sourceforge.net/ (accessed on 6 November 2012).
[23]
Ettus Research. Available online: http://www.ettus.com/home/ (accessed on 6 November 2012).
[24]
Azad, A. Open BTS Implementation with Universal Software Radio Peripheral; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic and State University: Virginia, VA, USA, 2011.
[25]
Kemetuller, C.; Seeger, M.; Baier, H.; Busch, C. Manipulating Mobile Devices with a private GSM Base Station—A Case Study. Proceedings of Eighth International Network Conference (INC 2010), Heidelberg, Germany, 6–8 July 2010.
[26]
Natalizio, E.; Loscri, V.; Aloi, G.; Paoli, N.; Barbara, N. The Practical Experience of Implementing a GSM BTS Through Open Software/Hardware. Proceedings of 2010 3rd International Symposium on Applied Sciences in Biomedical and Communication Technologies (ISABEL), Rome, Italy, 7–10 November 2010.
[27]
Cooper, T. Integration of Open-Source GSM Networks. M.Sc. Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, VA, 27 April 2012.
[28]
Fahnle, M.; Derr, F. Software-Defined Radio with GNU Radio and USRP/2 Hardware Frontend: Setup and FM/GSM Applications; Hochschule Ulm University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Communication Technology: Ulm, Germany, 2010.
[29]
Unctad Secretariat United Nations. Review of Maritime Transport 2012; United Nations: Geneva, Switzerland, 2012.
[30]
Yucek, T.; Arslan, H. A survey of spectrum sensing algorithms for cognitive radio applications. IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutor. 2009, 11, 116–130.
[31]
Marques, P.; Marques, H.; Ribeiro, J.; Gameiro, A. Coexistence Analysis and Cognitive Opportunities Selection in GSM Bands. Proceedings of IEEE 69th Vehicular Technology Conference (2009 VTC Spring), Barcelona, Spain, 26–29 April 2009; pp. 1–5.
[32]
3GPP TSG GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network, Radio Subsystem Link Control. TS 05.08 v8.23.0; 2005.
[33]
3GPP TSG Core Network and Terminals, Mobile Radio Interface Layer 3 Specification. TS 04.08 v7.21.0; 2004.
[34]
RXQUAL and Voice Quality; Ascom White Paper Series Issue No. 102/96, Technical White Paper Series; ASCOM Infrasys AG: Solothurn, Switzerland, 1999. Available online: http://es.scribd.com/doc/39674686/Rxqual-and-Voice-Quality (accessed on 6 November 2012).
[35]
European Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2); Multiplexing and Multiple Access on the Radio Path. GSM 05.02 (ETS 300 574); 2003.
[36]
Asterisk Home Page. Available online: http://www.asterisk.org/ (accessed on 6 November 2012).
[37]
GNU Radio Home Page. Available online: http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio (accessed on 6 November 2012).
[38]
Yates, R.; Lyons, R. DC blocker algorithms. IEEE Signal Process. Mag. 2008, 25, 132–134.
[39]
Hars, L. Frequency response compensation with DSP. IEEE Signal Process. Mag. 2003, 20, 91–95.
[40]
Cabric, D.; Tkachenko, A.; Brodersen, R.W. Experimental Study of Spectrum Sensing Based on Energy Detection and Network Cooperation. Proceeding of First International Workshop on Technology and Policy for Accessing Spectrum (TAPAS '06), Boston, MA, USA, 5 August 2006.
[41]
Tandra, R.; Sahai, A. SNR walls for signal detection. IEEE J. Sel. Top. Signal Process. 2008, 2, 4–17.
[42]
3GPP TSG GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network, Radio Transmission and Reception (Release 9). TS 45.005 V9.5.0; 2010.
[43]
Lawand, A.M.; Carson, J.S. A sequential procedure for determining the length of a steady-state simulation. Oper. Res. 1979, 27, 1011–1025.
