Mobile telephony without base stations
The new generation of mobile phone technology could make it possible to communicate directly from one telephone to another without having to rely on base stations.
The new generation of mobile phone technology could make it possible to communicate directly from one telephone to another without having to rely on base stations.
Experts at Linköping University in Sweden are researching a program that runs on telephones and can deliver messages even when the infrastructure for telecommunication has been knocked out.
The research, Disconnected discoveries: Availability studies in partitioned networks, highlights how vulnerable society is to unforeseen and disruptive events and how for rescue operations to work, telecommunications need to be up-and-running.
Mobile telephone base stations and satellite telephones are of major importance, but they have their limitations in terms of cost, construction time and access on a large scale.
Mikael Asplund, a doctoral candidate in computer science, is now presenting, among other things, a complement to existing communication channels in a crisis.
The idea is to use the new generation of mobile phones to send messages directly from one phone to another. He says the advantage of this type of spontaneous network is that it can be used by first responders without any special equipment, and it can be set up virtually instantly to solve problems that arise in a specific place.
However, such networks bring not only great potential but also challenges, as gaps and network partitions can arise, so that nobody can forward a message. At the same time the use of batteries necessitates great energy efficiency.
Mr Asplund and his associates believe they have designed a program that overcomes these difficulties when it is run on telephones, making it possible to deliver messages under extremely severe conditions.
