23rd February , 2004

Europe France: PA Consulting Group will announce at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, 23-26 February 2004, the successful completion of the World's first 3G Interference Test System using software-defined radio (SDR) technology.

The Interference Test System was developed for a major 3G operator and is designed to evaluate interference scenarios between different types of 3G mobile communication systems over a wide band of frequencies. Experiments of this type are needed to evaluate and compare possible future allocations of the available frequency spectrum to different 3G cellular systems. As spectrum become ever more crowded, the importance of this work is growing, as is the sophistication of the equipment needed to carry it out.

Alan Carr, a Member of PA's Management Group comments:

"PA has pioneered SDR technology for 3G and this development project will provide our client with an important tool with which to assess future interference scenarios. There are many other applications of SDR and PA will be at the forefront in taking these forward."

To evaluate a wide range of interference scenarios, the Interference Test System needed to be very flexible in terms of the 3G modes it could support and the range of frequencies covered. To achieve this flexibility required the development of SDR technology - an approach pioneered by PA.

The entire base band section of the system is implemented in software using state-of-the-art digital signal processors (DSPs). In this way, it is possible to change the functionality of the system by simply changing the software loaded into it. It is even possible to change to a completely different 3G mode by means of a software reload.

The radio transceiver is also based on the SDR approach and is both highly flexible and software controllable. Up and down link frequency allocations can be set in the range 700MHz to 2.6GHz. Achieving such a broad range of operation, whilst maintaining radio performance within specifications, calls for a very advanced design, including the use of wideband tuneable filters.

The Interference Test System can make a variety of measurements and can be configured as either a mobile terminal or a base-station. Several systems can be combined to evaluate specific interference scenarios and the equipment will be used in laboratory testing and for field trials.

PA at 3GSM World Congress - Stand G49, Hall 2. www.3gsmworldcongress.com

Through its wireless technology expertise PA Consulting Group is the leading supplier of end-to-end solutions for the wireless industry. PA's technology-led consultancy solutions for 3G operators range from strategy development and business planning through to services creation, network design and rollout management. PA supports vendors directly through the provision of contract design of infrastructure and handset products, marketing and bidding support and infrastructure element design. www.paconsulting.com/wireless

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