Addressing of software downloads to reconfigurable terminals in third-generation mobile networks

Over-the-air software download is a key enabler for many aspects related to the reconfiguration of terminals based on software-defined radio (SDK). In this contribution, mechanisms for advertising the availability of a software upgrade to a group of SDR terminals are evaluated. In order to exploit efficiencies in terms of transmission and processing, addressing strategies that allow the subsequent download to be performed in a multicast fashion are considered. A novel scheme for advertising a software download to only those terminals that are targeted by the download is introduced. Based on a cost analysis, it is shown that the proposed scheme performs favourably compared with other viable schemes for performing software upgrade announcements.