Broadband wireless access and future communication networks

This paper presents a vision for wireless communication systems beyond the third generation, which comprises a combination of several optimized access systems on a common IP-based medium-access and core network platform. These different access systems will interwork via horizontal and vertical handover, service negotiation, and global roaming. The different access systems are allocated to different cell layers in the sense of hierarchical cells with respect to cell size, coverage, and mobility to provide globally optimized seamless services to all users. This vision requires extensive international research and standardization activities to solve many technical challenges. Key issues are the global interworking of different access systems on a common platform, the implementation of multimode and multiband terminals and base stations by software-defined radio concepts as well as advanced antenna concepts.