A software defined radio architecture with power control for 3G W-CDMA systems

Software radio (SWR) has past become one of the focal points for research and development in mobile communication systems. The great promise of SWR is the ability to adapt to changing environments. This applies equally to the need for multiple standards compliance as well as the need to adapt to the ever-changing mobile environment. The objective of this paper is to compare various power control (PC) techniques in the framework of a third generation (3G) mobile communication system utilizing SWR technology. Firstly, an introduction is given into 3G systems, specifically the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Secondly, different implementation architectures for SWR are described and compared on the basis of their reconfigurability. Thirdly, the performance of different PC techniques are compared and discussed in terms of their use in 3G systems. Lastly, it is shown that SWR, even in its more realistic form referred to as software defined radio (SDR), provides an excellent technology for the implementation of reconfigurable system parameters such as the PC technique required by the system.