The ACTS FIRST project and its approach to software radio design

Software radio has been recognised as the next major leap forward in mobile communications, particularly in the light of the many existing worldwide air interface standards and wide range of future proposals for UMTS. The European Commission has recognised that fact and a major international project has been underway to explore the many issues involved in making a practical terminal. The ACTS FIRST (Flexible Integrated Radio System Technology) project involves both multimedia service provision and RF/DSP hardware and software development in an attempt to demonstrate many of the key requirements of a multi-band multi-mode programmable radio architecture.