Final report – High capacity techniques for tactical mobile networks

Authors:

  • Sara Linder
  • Kia Wiklundh
  • Jouni Rantakokko
  • Ulf Sterner

Publish date: 2011-12-31

Report number: FOI-R--3348--SE

Pages: 41

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • capacity-enhancing techniques
  • ad hoc network
  • multiple-input multiple- output
  • MIMO
  • adaptive coding and modulation
  • ACM
  • variable data rate

Abstract

The project Kapacitetshöjande tekniker för taktiska mobila nät (Kapten) is a three-year research project which started in January 2009 and will end in December 2011. The project is specifically focused on capacity-enhancing techniques in mobile ad hoc networks, as well as in urban soldier radio. This report is a summary of the results produced in the project. One can see a great need for much higher data rates in future tactical radio networks. To cope with this type of services, new technology solutions are required to provide higher data rates than can be offered in today's tactical networks. On the commercial side there are several systems that use capacity-enhancing techniques. Since there are fundamental differences in the base assumptions for military tactical radio compared to civilian systems, the techniques need to be evaluated in typical military conditions. The project has proposed link technologies that can provide a significantly increased capacity. Especially interesting is the adaptive coding and modulation, and multi-antenna systems, called MIMO technology. It is shown that the gain in environments typical of military operations is about 70 % of the optimal MIMO gain. The project has also developed strategies for how these link technologies can be used for network traffic that are provided to many users, so-called multicast services. MIMO technology has also been demonstrated on a hardware platform and visualized its profits in network simulations. We show that MIMO technique substantially increases the connectivity in the network. The project has led to other projects including a transfer project.