Functional Architecture of End-to-End Reconfigurable Systems

Adaptive networks are envisaged to play a significant part in the future, where the time and space variations in the traffic pattern will necessitate the ability to continuously amend the Radio Access Technologies' (RATs') operating parameters. Reconfiguration of communications systems is a facilitator towards this convergence and enables the dynamic adaptation and optimization of the access characteristics. However, such far ranging optimization concept involves many different mechanisms and work areas. Each of these areas provides an answer to a different optimization problem; Dynamic Network Planning and Management (DNPM) provides a load and demand driven optimization of the radio planning of multiple different networks within a given area. Advanced Spectrum Management (ASM) enables short term use of spectrum for services with higher demand. Finally Joint Radio Resource Management (JRRM) coordinates different access schemes and facilitates a more centralized approach to allocation of radio resource. Each of the schemes optimizes spectrum and radio resource usage on a different time scale. ARRM deals with the rather short term allocation, ASM with more medium term spectrum assignments while DNPM assumes time scales up to the range of weeks or months. Consequently, there is need of combining all working areas in the form of a Functional Architecture (FA), where each module represents a concept, aiming at forming part of the global end-to-end reconfigurability architecture. This paper includes a detailed analysis of the Reconfigurability FA, along with a description of the functionality of each of the modules included therein.