Learning objectives
The goals of the course, in terms of knowledge and comprehension, are the following:
- to give to the students an overview of main communication systems, with particular attention to wireless systems.
The abilities to use the knowledge and comprehension skills outline above can be summarized as follows:
- to understand the operational principles of a communication system from its architecture.
Course unit content
Introduction to communication systems. The ISO-OSI model. Characterization of the wireless propagation medium. Contention access methods (with fixed resource assignment and with random access). Communication noise. Cellular network plannin. Personal area networks (PAN). Evolution of cellular systems from 2G to 3G: GSM, GPRS, UMTS. Wireles local area networks (WLAN): 802.11 protocols and real cases. 4G cellular systems: Long Term Evolution (LTE).
Full programme
LECTURE 1: Introduction to the course. Overview on the propagation characteristics: power gain, transmission loss and use of repeaters.
LECTURE 2: Principles of radio transmission: propagation modes, Friis formula, and fading.
LECTURE 3: The ISO-OSI model: the 7 layers (application, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, physical), the duties of the various layers, the protocols at the various layers.
LECTURE 4: The ISO-OSI model: TCP/IP stack protocol (with 5 layers: application, transport, network, data link, physical).
Physical layer: general structure of a communication system; analog modulation (AM, FM, PM); digital modulation (ASK, FSK, PSK); QPSK, discrete representation and constellation.
LECTURE 5: Physical layer: distortions, spectral efficiency; AWGN communication system and detection of the transmitted symbol with decision regions; BER computation in the BPSK case.
LECTURE 6: MAC layer: fixed resource assignment: TDMA, FDMA, and CDMA.
Spread spectrum modulation (idea, PN sequences and autocorrelation). Direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS): general formulation, transmitter/receiver structure, impact of narrowband interference. CDMA systems with multiple access intereference.
LECTURE 7: MAC layer: fixed resource assignment: FDD e TDD. Limitations of FDMA (interference from adjacent channels) and TDMA systems (sync). Limitations, from multiple access, in CDMA systems and computation of the maximum sustainable number of users per cell.
LECTURE 8: MAC layer: fixed resource assignment. Thermal noise. Equivalent noise temperature. Noise figure. Sensitivity of a receiver.
LECTURE 9: MAC layer: fixed resource assignment: comparison between FDMA, TDMA, CDMA: format flexibility, robustness to frequency selective fading, system capacity (ex., AMPS and GSM), and hand-over.
MAC layer: random access: ideal MAC protocol; operational principles of Aloha and slotted Aloha.
LECTURE 10: MAC layer: random access: throughput of Aloha and slotted Aloha (simplified calculation and calculation with Poisson processes); CSMA (vulnerability interval, retransmission strategies, hidden and exposed node problems, time details on the collision avoidance (CA) mechanism in IEEE 802.11 networks).
LECTURE 11: MAC layer: random access: Ethernet (CSMA/CD).
MAC layer: random access: WiFi-1/2 (CSMA/CA).
LECTURE 12: MAC layer: random access: WiFi-2/2 (CSMA/CA).
Personal Area Networks (PAN): Bluetooth & Zigbee.
LECTURE 13: Cellular network dimensioning: introduction, concept of cell cluster, geographical user density, reuse distance.
LECTURE 14: Cellular network dimensioning: rapporto segnale-interferenti in downlink e uplink.
LECTURE 15: Cellular networks from GSM (2G) to UMTS (3G): The GSM standard. GSM network architecture and organization: MSS, BSS, NSS, call procedures.
LECTURE 16: Cellular networks from GSM (2G) to UMTS (3G): The GSM signal: overview on used frequency bands and physical layers. FDMA/TDMA access format, with details on multiframe/frame structure.
LECTURE 17: Wi-Fi systems: IEEE 802.11 protocols, WLAN implementation and troubleshooting.
LECTURE 18: Wi-Fi systems: advanced scenarios and the real case of a Wireless internet service provider (WISP).
LECTURE 19: Cellular networks from GSM (2G) to UMTS (3G): GSM channel models. Evolution of GSM: GPRS and EDGE. Introduction to UMTS systems.
LECTURE 20: Cellular networks from GSM (2G) to UMTS (3G): Differences between 3G and 2G technologies. UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) scheme and some details on the core network (CN).
Cellular networks LTE (4G): standardization, motivations for LTE, performance requirements.
LECTURE 21: Cellular networks LTE (4G): design challenges; LTE/SAE system characteristics; basic technologies; OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA, MIMO.
LECTURE 22: Cellular networks LTE (4G): protocol overview, overview of LTE.
The telecommunications of the future @ UniPR.
Bibliography
- A. B. Carlson e P. B. Crilly, Communication Systems: an Introduction to Signals and Noise in Electrical Communication, Mcgraw Hill Higher Education, 5th edition, 2009. ISBN-13: 978-0071263320.
- P. M. Shankar, Introduction to Wireless Systems, Wiley, 2001, ISBN-13: 978-0471321675.
- K. Pahlavan e Prashant Krishnamurthy, Principles of Wireless Networks: a Unified Approach, Prentice Hall (Communications Engineering and Emerging Technologies Series), 2001. ISBN-13: 978-0130930033.
- S. Haykin e M. Moher, Modern Wireless Communications, Prentice Hall, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0130224729.
- F. Muratore (Ed.), UMTS: Mobile Communications for the Future, Wiley, 2001, ISBN: 0-471-49829-7.
- Rysay Research/3G Americas, HSPA to LTE-Advanced: 3GPP Broadband Evolution to IMT-Advanced (4G), September 2009.
Teaching methods
During the lectures various topics related to performance analysis of communication systems, as detailed in the program, will be covered.
Assessment methods and criteria
During the teaching period there will be a midterm (relative to the topics covered in the first half of the course) following by a final (relative to the topics covered in the second part of the course).
The regular exams will be written, with possible oral exams in particular cases.
Other information
The teaching and support material will be provided in part by the teacher.
