Page 17 - DECT Today - Issue 1 - April 2014

TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT DECT has its own protected, dedicated developed towards the real and supportable based on low-power wireless technologies in licence-exempt spectrum. The frequency band market requirements of service providers. order to increase user revenues or reduce reserved in Europe is 1880–1900MHz. In the customer churn, as separate gateways do not USA, Japan and many other countries, DECT have to be deployed. Higher performance, frequency bands are used with slight country- "For example, in the emerging home lower power specific frequency shifts, although due to the control market, today many operators rely on underlying modularity of the chipset systems, With ULE, DECT has undergone a number of separate gateways which connect to an the same devices can cover the frequency developments at the MAC level to deliver existing home network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi; shift by a simple change in control substantially better performance with regard instead, this functionality could be enabled in parameters. to low power and reaction time, yet re-uses existing DECT gateways with a simple European DECT provides for 10 carrier the DECT physical layer specification. To firmware update, reducing the cost of frequencies, spaced at intervals of 1728MHz. achieve this, the period for time and deployment. Residential home control Each band is modulated with a physical bit frequency synchronisations has been represents a major market for ULE rate of 1152Mbps in the GFSK process, and drastically cut on connection setup. This technology: according to the latest research supports access to 12 duplex channels using means that the MAC layer can, for example, from IHS, over 30 million DECT gateways will time division multiplexing. Enjoying the set up a connection, send check and/or be shipped with, or remotely upgraded to benefit of an interference-free spectrum control data, and shut down the connection support ULE technology and offered as part of provides a significant advantage over other again, all within 50ms. In addition, the home control platforms within the next four competitive technologies, most of which have protocol has been functionally extended by a to five years. This then drives the market for to share open and crowded frequency bands Sleep Mode, which allows for a rapid and ULE-enabled peripheral devices, such as home such as 2.4GHz or 900MHz. efficient change between the sleep periods monitoring devices, smart plugs or HVAC and radio transmissions. A ULE module for a controls." smoke alarm, for example, which must send a ULE – The enhanced data path “Stay Alive“ message to the central unit every ULE – Advantages at seven minutes, if fitted with a CR123 battery a glance (1500mAh), can be operated for about 18 years. All ULE communication is encoded and authenticated on the basis of the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) using AES CCM. What could be more natural than the wish to Analysts see compatibility with the proven make use of the excellent physical DECT standard as ULE's greatest advantage transmission properties of DECT for the for the system installation of ULE products. configuration and controlling of sensors and With a straightforward firmware update, an actuators in the sector of home, building existing base station can be enabled to host automation and security? Against this and manage several hundred ULE sensors. background, the ULE Alliance has been formed This means that millions of installed base by the DECT Forum, in order to forge ahead stations worldwide have the best possible There are many advantages to using ULE with development of the existing DECT preconditions for implementing a DECT-ULE technology, but the key benefits can be clearly standard. On one hand, compatibility is network rapidly and cost-effectively. identified. maintained with existing DECT networks, while on the other, the new standard has • Global Standardisation: Unlike some of its been designed to be entirely suitable for the competitive technologies, ULE benefits special technical requirements in these from being an open standard. The application areas. The long-term partnership standardisation of ULE was initiated by the between the DECT Forum and ETSI is key, and DECT Forum, in conjunction with ETSI, has developed industry standards that have focusing initially on the transport layer, resulted in true market value and many which has now been published by ETSI. The applications. responsibility for application layer The ULE Alliance and ETSI will continue to standardisation is now taken care of by the build on this foundation and continue to ULE Alliance, which continues to work develop the ULE standard. Another significant closely with ETSI to enhance the ULE part of the ecosystem is the close co- standard. The ULE Alliance will also be Lisa Arrowsmith, IHS operation between the DECT Forum and the responsible for the ULE certification HGI, an organisation which primarily brings According to Lisa Arrowsmith, Associate program, which will ensure conformity to together the key requirements of BSPs around Director for Connectivity at IHS: "The ability of the standard, enabling full interoperability, the home gateway proposition, and which is traditional DECT gateways that are already quality and consistent user experience for driving significant work in the development of deployed in the field today to support DECT- end products deploying ULE. requirements for smart home. The expectation ULE products with only a firmware update is a is that the ULE Alliance will engage in significant driving force behind the ULE • Interference Free Band: A protected supporting and deepening this relationship technology. This can be a major advantage to frequency band guarantees that DECT and with HGI to ensure the technology is operators looking to offer additional services ULE products installed today will still be ➔ DECT Today - The Success Story Continues · www.dect.org 17