Future wireless systems have been evolving toward a broadband and open architecture for efficient multi-service operation, which will have a great impact on the terminal and infrastructure component design methodology for supporting multiple radio schemes. Cooperation in wireless networks, requiring cognitive radio implementations, will facilitate a new dimension in the evolution of multimedia communications. The growing price pressure requires ever increasing high levels of integration efficiency, of flexibility and of future proofness at the same time, setting out in the digital baseband domain. In this communication, the authors will illustrate a platform based prototyping process, setting out from the paradigm developed in the IST-27960 STREP URANUS (UNIVERSAL RADIO-LINK PLATFORM FOR EFFICIENT USER-CENTRIC ACCESS). URANUS investigates the design of a universal radio link platform able to be incorporated in any existing proprietary and standardized wireless system in a seamless way, to ease the introduction of future personalized communications and reconfigurable air interfaces.