Sbir phase I: adaptable ad hoc network architecture for rapid infrastructure development in disaster zones

The National Science Foundation awarded $270,928 under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships federal grant program (CFDA 47.084) to Beamlink, Inc. of Pasadena, California. The project grant will support the development of small, portable cellular base stations to provide connectivity in disaster zones and hard to reach areas. Specifically, the funding will allow Beamlink to research and implement a base station utilizing 2G and 2.5G radio for communicating with high densities of cell phones, while leveraging WiFi for local applications. Algorithms will be developed to interconnect large numbers of base stations in an ad hoc mesh network. The project will also finalize the mechanical design to enable manufacturability at scale. The funding period is from March 15, 2022 through February 28, 2023. If successful, the technology aims to reduce the cost of connectivity in emergencies and expand access to underserved regions, in line with the goals of the TIP program.

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this small business innovation research (SBIR) phase I project is reducing the cost of getting people online and connecting people in emergency situations such as natural disasters. Natural disasters often destroy cellular networks, exactly when people need communication the most. The influx of users on the limited remaining infrastructure often overwhelms existing resources, making IT impossible for first responders to coordinate, for families to call their loved ones, and for volunteers to help. In other potential markets, the technology seeks to provide cellular phone access to parts of the world where IT is now prohibitively expensive. This project seeks to develop small, portable cellular base stations that can provide access in both emergency and hard to reach and poorly resourced locations. This small business innovation research (SBIR) phase I project researches and implements a small, portable cellular base station. The technological focus for the base station utilizes global system for mobile communications (GSM) / general packet radio service (GPRS) (or 2G and 2.5G) radio for communicating with a high density of cell phones in a computationally cheap manner while utilizing wifi for local, high bandwidth applications. The technology implements many ?micro-cells? In lieu of the current macro cell approach to cellular coverage, blanketing the area with a high number of towers. This decentralized approach provides high reliability even if one or several nodes fail. This project will develop the algorithms necessary for interconnecting large numbers of base stations together and mesh the networking capabilities that provide radio links between each base station. Finally, this project will finalize the mechanical design and make the base station manufacturable at large scale. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.