The Emerging Networks team is currently carrying out a wide range of research projects in the area of fixed and wireless network architectures. The projects are interdisciplinary in nature and draw on all of the expertise in the CTVR. There is an emphasis on distributed and disaggregated networks. A list of the current projects is given here. Details of each project can be found by following the relevant links.

1. Reconfigurable Networks - The Reconfigurable Node (The Plastic Project)
This involves the design of a completely flexible platform that can be reconfigured from application layer to physical layer. The platform facilitates all our research into reconfigurable networks and dynamic spectrum applications by allowing us to implement our ideas. Details can be found here.

2. Dynamic Spectrum - Test & Experimenation
A large part of our work involves test and experimentation of ideas and concepts relating to software radio and dynamic spectrum access. Our platform makes use of 50 MHz of dedicated test spectrum (the CTVR license) obtained via the ComReg test license scheme. We have help organise a test and experimentation session for DySPAN 2007, details of which are found here.

3. Dynamic Spectrum - Interference Temperature & its Reliability in Interference Management
This involves exploring interference temperature, modeling its spatio-tempoaral behaviour and evaluating its role in interference management. Details can be found here.

4. Dynamic Spectrum - Cylostationary Signatures
Cylcostationary signatures in OFDM based communication systems and their use for such things as frequency rendezvous and feature detection are the focus of this work. Details can be found here.

5. Dynamic Spectrum - Frameworks for Resource Allocation
This works looks at creating a unified approach to the dynamic management of resources in distributed networks. Details can be found here.

6. Dynamic Spectrum - Policy Based Management of DSA Networks
Policy based management is the accepted management approach. Community based policy management is the focus of this work. Details can be found here.

7. Dynamic Spectrum - Exclusive Usage-Rights Markets
This work focuses on exploring market structures for the trading of exclusive usage-rights to spectrum and works towards very fluid approaches to spectrum trading. Details can be found here.

8. ÆTHER: Flexible Authorization Management for Dynamic Environments
ÆTHER is an authorization management framework designed specifically to address trust establishment and access control in computing environments where a priori knowledge of the complete set of participating entities and global centralized trust registers cannot be assumed. Details can be found here.

9. The Cost of Authentication
This research project investigates the trade-offs between risks and infrastructure costs related to the various existing authentication models. The goal is to enhance the design and deployment of security solutions using economic considerations. More details can be found here.

10. Policy-driven Trading of Access Rights
The purpose of this project is to design and develop a policy-driven trading framework for the assignment of access rights and authorizations through payment of a fee. Our first application domain is market-based spectrum assignment. More details can be found here.

11. Next Generation Naming System
This research project investigates the design principles and operational properties behind next generation naming systems. Next generation naming will enable interoperability between the various existing naming systems (such as DNS(sec), fixed and mobile telecommunication networks, ENUM, as well as proprietary naming systems like Skype). More details are available here.

12. Optical Networks - Dynamic Path Establishment
This project focuses on what we call optical IP switching and involves the design of all-optical networks that facilitate dynamic path provisioning on an as needed basis. Details of the project can be found here.