Multimedia applications are driving future wireless networks toward supporting data bearing services. Digital data transfer requires a much lower target BER and higher throughput than does a voice only application. In a wireless network, the communication environment is changing continuously. It is difficult to design a communication link that performs well under all possible conditions. Frequency hopping systems have been shown to be a feasible solution in multiple access systems while providing advantages against jamming/interference. Other strategies can be employed in conjunction with FH to improve system performance. However, these strategies typically sacrifice throughput and spectral efficiency. Under the conventional design paradigm, the link design is usually fixed a priori. Because channel conditions can change, the effectiveness of a combined spreading, coding, and modulation scheme can be improved if the transmitted waveform can adapt to channel conditions and achieve the most efficient use of channel capacity. LinCom proposes the development of a multi-adaptive protocol in which channel measurements are employed to adapt the FH spreading strategy, modulation, and coding to dynamically maximize throughput.
Benefits: The development of MASSCoM will enable the deployment of a robust wireless communication system, which could support digital data transport. This would enable fixed and mobile terminals in military battlefield applications and in commercial applications such as PCS to provide multimedia capability.
