Improved mobility and QoS in tactical wireless IP networks

In the spring of 2001 the US Army CECOM initiated the Multifunctional On-the-move Secure Adaptive Integrated Communications (MOSAIC) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program. This program was conceived to address the need for secure, seamless, multimedia, on-the-move communications across heterogeneous ad-hoc and infrastructure-based wireless/wireline networks in a highly dynamic environment. In the target environment the communicating entities are moving, and the infrastructure itself is also mobile. This dictates the need to provide continuous and uninterrupted communications services through smooth handoffs among multiple wireless networks with similar characteristics on the ground (called horizontal handoff) and through smooth handoffs among multiple near-ground and space networks with widely varying characteristics (called vertical handoff). In support of this program, Rockwell Collins is extending and integrating current commercial and DoD ad hoc networking technologies to provide new capabilities to support improved mobility and quality of service for the next generation Tactical Internet (TI). This paper describes the system concepts, the advanced networking technologies, and the wideband Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) prototype that is used to demonstrate them.