Ian Ferrell

Abstract

The Often Forgotten Layer 8

The technological challenges within a software-defined radio are as varied and daunting as the many definitions of a “software-defined radio”. As a result, it is very easy to lose sight of the “future” forest because of all the “today” trees. In this talk, we will look above the acronyms and the algorithms, the physics and the FFTs to the fundamental promise of software-defined radio: devices that communicate with each other and the Internet anytime, anywhere.

What are the Layer 8 implications of universal connectivity? Will software-defined radios deliver that connectivity? What is the impact of SDR technology in products we use every day? We’ll look at past technological shifts and review current challenges in policy and technology to glimpse a future fuelled by software-defined radios.

Biography

As Director of Wireless Incubation in Microsoft’s Office of Research & Strategy, Mr. Ferrell leads a team creating an environment of universal broadband connectivity where all intelligent devices have Internet access. This environment spans both the physical and software layers of networking, from the public policy impact of extending spectrum rules to support connectivity in unused television broadcast spectrum (commonly called the “whitespaces”), to the low-level design for self-forming and self-managing mesh networks. The team is working with the US Federal Communications Commission to demonstrate the viability of TV whitespace networking, and shipped a resource toolkit for Microsoft’s mesh networking solution.

Mr. Ferrell joined Microsoft in 1990 to work on Microsoft Word for the Macintosh. He later designed and shipped Schedule+ as part of the Microsoft Exchange 4.0 and Microsoft Office 95 releases and joined the Mobile Devices division in 1997 to develop the Handheld PC. Ian most recently led the team that designed Microsoft Smartphone 2002 and 2003. Before joining Microsoft, Ian worked for Ontario Hydro’s Nuclear Power Generation division as a fuelling engineer. Mr. Ferrell received a B.S. in Physics from Walla Walla College and enjoys collecting books ranging from the media theories of Marshall McLuhan through original editions of The Hardy Boys.