Polo Marconi Broadband Radio Software-Defined Broadband Radio for 4×4 MIMO Communications in Tactical IP Networks

The Polo Marconi Broadband Radio is the wideband SDR radio designed for the high-capacity tactical data link where conventional VHF/UHF voice radios lack the bandwidth to carry the data volume generated by the modern digital battlefield — real-time HD video from UAV cameras, COP (Common Operating Picture) streams updated every second with GPS position of each force element, ISR sensor data transmission — and where satellite data links have too high latency for real-time fire control and tactical coordination applications.

The 4×4 MIMO architecture (4 transmitting antennas, 4 receiving antennas) uses signal spatial multiplexing to transmit 4 independent data streams simultaneously on the same frequency channel, quadrupling link capacity compared to a conventional SISO radio in the same bandwidth. At 20 MHz bandwidth in the 5.8 GHz band with 256-QAM modulation, the point-to-point link reaches 100 Mbps effective throughput at 15 km range under direct line-of-sight (LOS) conditions, sufficient to simultaneously transmit 4 H.264 1080p/30fps video streams, the COP map feed, and VoIP voice communications for 12 channels.

Software band selection in the 1.4 to 6 GHz range allows field reconfiguration to operate in the band offering the best propagation-capacity tradeoff for the tactical environment: 1.4 GHz band for propagation over terrain obstructions and vegetation in jungle operations (higher diffraction, lower capacity); 5.8 GHz band for maximum capacity in LOS in open field or UAV-to-ground; intermediate 2.4 GHz or 3.5 GHz bands for semi-urban environments with partial obstacles.