This vision from the user perspective can be implemented by integration of these different evolving and emerging wireless access technologies in a common flexible and expandable platform to provide a multiplicity of possibilities for current and future services and applications to users in a single terminal. Systems of fourth generation mobile will mainly be characterized by a horizontal communication model, where different access technologies as cellular, cordless, WLAN type systems, short range wireless connectivity and wired systems will be combined on a common platform to complement each other in an optimum way for different service requirements and radio environments which is technically called "Converged Broadband Wireless Platform, or Open Wireless Architecture (OWA)".
OWA defines the open interfaces in wireless networks and systems, including base-band signal processing parts, RF parts, networking parts, and OS and application parts, so that the system can support different industrial standards and integrate the various wireless networks into an open broadband platform. For comparison, Software Defined Radio (SDR) is only a radio in which the operating parameters including inter alia frequency range, modulation type, and/or output power limitations can be set or altered by software. Therefore, SDR is just one of the implemental modules of the OWA system.
OWA will eventually become the global industry leading solution to integrate various wireless air-interfaces into one wireless open terminal where the same end equipment can flexibly work in the wireless access domain as well as in the mobile cellular networks. As mobile terminal (rather than wireline phone) will become the most important communicator in future, this single equipment with single number and multiple air-interfaces (powered by OWA) will definitely dominate the wireless communication industries.
Fourth Generation (4G) mobile communication will basically focus on the Open Wireless Architecture, and Cost-effective and Spectrum-efficient High-speed wireless mobile transmission. The 3G system suffers tremendously worldwide because it did not fundamentally improve the wireless architecture, and making the architecture open is the final solution in the wireless industry. Since 2002, OWA has become one of the hottest research topics in the field. The objective of this special issue is to gather the research and development papers in this field and present an overview of the-state-of-the-art of this open wireless architecture technologies - globally or locally, as well as perspectives on future development in order to promote future research and educational activities.
Original contributions are invited on recent research and development of OWA systems and networks such as converged wireless platform, common base-band processing, common transceiver system, open antenna array, software defined modules, common air-interface, integrated wireless terminal, etc. The topics of interest within the scope of this issue include (but are not limited to) the following:
SCHEDULE FOR SUBMISSIONS
Manuscript Submission Deadline: October 30, 2005
Acceptance Notification: January 30 2006
Final Manuscript Due: March 30, 2006
Publication: July 2006
Authors must follow the IEEE Communications Magazine guidelines regarding the manuscript and its format. For details, please refer to the "Submission Guidelines" at the Magazine's website. Submission is through Manuscript Central (http://commag-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com/). Please select "July 2006/Open Wireless Architecture and Wireless Convergence," from the drop down menu on the submissions page.
SPECIAL ISSUE GUEST EDITORS
Prof. Willie W. Lu, Principal Editor
Director, "Mission 2020" R&D Plan in Wireless & Mobile
U.S. Center for Wireless Communications, USA
E-mail: wwlu@ieee.org
Prof. Xiao-Hu You
Southeast University, China
E-mail: xhyu@seu.edu.cn
Dr. Young Kyun Kim
Samsung Electronics, Korea
E-mail: youngkyunkim@samsung.com
Prof. Bernhard Walke
Aachen University of Technology, Germany