An optimal architecture for a multi-standard reconfigurable radio: Cost-minimising common operators under latency constraints

We build a mathematical model to determine an optimal architecture for a multi-standard reconfigurable radio. We examine the trade-off between (a) building complex dedicated functional modules providing high performance at a high cost (as well as size and weight) (“Velcro approach”), versus (b) relying on simpler lower-level components, which reduces cost but increases system latency. On the foundation of the “common operators” approach, we describe a procedure that identifies an architecture that minimises the cost of the radio, while keeping its latency under specified limits.