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FLO Forum Improving FLO SpecificationsBy Susan J. Campbell
For consumers enjoying the ability to use their mobile handsets for high quality video and audio, the FLO Forum is working to be sure that technology is available and that it has a standard to adhere to. The Forum has just announced the ratification of the FLO™ (Forward Link-Only) Air Interface Specification (AIS), which details the protocols that are used between the FLO network and a FLO device over air.
FLO technology is designed to increase capacity while maintaining cost efficiencies for consumers. It is a new air interface with multicasting capabilities that enables mobile users to access high quality video and audio, browse news, sports and weather updates at any time and any place without delays. Designed specifically to provide wireless operators with the ability to cost-effectively deliver news, entertainment and informational programming in clips and streaming video to millions of mobile users at once, FLO technology was designed to multicast considerable volumes of rich multimedia content. FLO provides the ability to distribute this content efficiently and economically without impacting current networks.
Standardization for FLO based terrestrial mobile media multicast systems has a firm foundation in the technology requirements captured in the AIS. A complete description of the physical layer is described in the AIS. The physical layer uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and advanced forward error-correction techniques. The AIS also includes a complete description of the Stream/Control and MAC layers, which multiplex a variety of simultaneous multimedia services into logical units that can be distinguishable at the radio interface or physical layer.
The AIS is the first technical specification produced by the FLO Forum and utilizes standard television channel allocation bandwidths to deliver multiple multimedia streams. This process is designed to ensure fast service acquisition, strong performance in mobile fading links and low receiver power consumption.
The Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) will receive the AIS for inclusion in new standards that address the delivery of terrestrial mobile multimedia multicast services to mobile devices.
The FLO Forum is composed of wireless industry leaders dedicated to advancing the standardization for global FLO technology. The association works to promote global standardization of FLO technology including compliance and certification benchmarks for the technology. Each member is a stakeholder in establishing FLO as an internationally supported technology standard.
As global adoption is the goal for all FLO-based providers, open access has to become a reality. It is of course in the best interest of all FLO Forum members to standardize FLO technology throughout the world. After all, that will only mean larger opportunities and increased revenues for the Forum companies. This does provide some benefit to the consumer as well. As we demand more and more technology offerings at lower prices, standardization will ensure that we can have both and not have to choose between options and affordability.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.
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