Software Defined Radio and Dynamic Spectrum Access Communities to Converge in Dublin

The week of April 16 will see the worlds of software defined radio
(SDR) and dynamic spectrum access networks (DySPAN) converge at the
Burlington Hotel in Dublin, as the SDR Forum (www.sdrforum.org) holds
its general meeting (April 16-17) and the IEEE Communications Society
(www.comsoc.org) its DySPAN 2007 symposium (April 17-20). SDR is a
collection of hardware and software technologies that allows
reconfigurable system architectures for wireless networks and user
terminals; DySPAN is a breakthrough architecture that enables the use
of any spectrum band to change moment to moment.

"There is great synergy between SDR and DySPAN," said William
Webb, senior technologist and head of research and development for
Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the
U.K. communications industries. "The concepts developed in dynamic
spectrum access will be easier to implement on a software defined
radio system, while the applications made possible by the DySPAN
concepts will provide a strong driver for SDR devices."

The SDR Forum is a nonprofit international industry association,
and its general meeting will bring together SDR development leaders
from all over the world to discuss key issues relating to the
technology and its deployment. The meeting will entail focused plenary
sessions addressing both the business and technical aspects of the
Forum, including public safety, SDR security, space and avionics,
cognitive radio, and R&D. Webb will keynote the closing plenary
session.

At the DySPAN symposium, a global gathering that includes
scientists, engineers, economists and policymakers will share and
discuss innovative technology and research that could revolutionize
the way governments assign rights to use the world's radio spectrum
resources. There will be demonstrations of working systems plus more
than 50 sessions and papers exploring technology developments. Among
the keynote presenters will be SDR pioneer Joseph Mitola III,
consulting scientist for the MITRE Corporation, and Bruce Fette, chief
scientist at General Dynamics C4 Systems and board member and
Technical Committee chair of the SDR Forum.

"The combination of the SDR Forum general meeting and the DySPAN
symposium - addressing a related set of opportunities - is an
important occasion for the communications industry," said Webb. "It
presents a rare chance to get up-to-date information on progress and
key issues, see working demonstrations, meet the world's leading
experts, and network together across a range of social events."

The Forum general meeting is open to anyone interested in SDR and
cognitive radio technologies; additional details and registration
information are available on the web at
www.sdrforum.org/pages/whatsNew/whatsNewDetails.asp?id=379&news_cat=
Forum+Meetings. DySPAN 2007 is also open to the public, with
registration required at the symposium website: www.ieee-DySPAN.org.