IIT Mandi Professor Fine-Tunes 'Cognitive Radio' For Wireless Communication

With the increase in the use of wireless communication, arises a severe shortage of available channels in the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum for interference-free communication. Cognitive Radio (CR) is an emerging intelligent technology that seeks to expand the use of the RF to alleviate the problem of spectral paucity. Professor Rahul Shrestha and his research scholar Mr. Rohit Chaurasiya, at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, along with Mr. Mahesh Murty, from International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad, work in this cutting-edge field of technology and have developed methods to improve hardware efficiency of CR devices, according to a statement from IIT Mandi.

The work has recently been published in IEEE Transactions of Circuits and Systems.

The radiowave is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum, that lies beyond the red end of the visible rainbow, and has been used for decades now, to carry information through space over long distances.  A fixed band of frequencies within the radiofrequency region has been allotted for communication, throughout the world.  

In India, the National Radio Regulatory Authority, a wing of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, is responsible for the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) by which radiofrequencies are allotted for communication purposes.  

Even within the allotted band of frequencies, at any point of time, there are empty channels that are not used. With the burgeoning use of wireless telecommunication, this underutilization of portions of the licensed spectrum causes a bottleneck. 

"Cognititive Radio, a term coined by Joe Mitola in 1999, allows a transmitter/receiver of information ("transceiver") to detect the unused or "white" channels to piggy-back on them and avoids the occupied channels", says Dr. Shrestha, about the basics of his field.  In other words, a transceiver uses the best available wireless communication channel for communication, without interference from others.

Cognitive radio is a good route to affordable broadband connectivity in India especially to rural areas and large-scale Wi-Fi's in public locations. 

Dr. Shrestha's study could hasten the introduction of CR systems in India, according to the statement.

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