Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology

Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Department of Telecommunications

Chapter 0
Introduction to Wireless
Communications
Lectured by Ha Hoang Kha, Ph.D.
Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
Email: hahoangkha@gmail.com
 Grading

HW: 20% (3 persons/group)

Project: 30% (1person/project)
Final exam: 50%

Introduction 2
 References

T.S. Rappaport ,Wireless Communications, Prentice Hall

PTR, 1996.

A. Goldsmith, Wireless Communications, Cambridge

University Press, 2005.
J. G. Proakis , M. Salehi , G. Bauch Contemporary
Communication Systems Using MATLAB, Cengage
Learning, 2012.
Slides here are adapted from several sources on the
Internet.

Introduction 3
 Content

1. Introduction to communication systems

Block diagram

2. Overview of wireless communication

Generations of wireless communication
Current wireless networks

3. Design challenges

4. Fundamental concepts

Introduction 4
 Introduction

Introduction 5
 1. Introduction to communication system

The purpose of a communication system is to

transport an information bearing signal from a source
to a user destination.

Analog communication systems: the information

bearing signal is continuously varying in both amplitude
and time.
The performance metric: SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio)

Digital communication system: the information bearing

signal is represented by a sequence of discrete
messages.
The performance metric: BER (Bit Error Rate)

Introduction 6
 Block diagram of digital
communication systems

Introduction 7
 Basic signal processing blocks

Transmitter:
Source coding: eliminate or reduce redundancy so as to provide an
efficient representation of the source output.
Channel coding: introduce redundancy to provide reliable
communication over a noisy channel.
Modulation: to provide the efficient transmission of the signal over
the channel.
Channel: wired (telephone channels, coaxial cables,
optical fibers) or wireless (microwave radio, satellite
channels).
Receiver: demodulation, channel decoder, and source
decoder.

Our ultimate goal is to communicate with any time of

information with anyone at any time from anywhere. This is
possible with aid of wireless technology.

.
Introduction 8
 2. Radio Communication

Radio or radio communication means any

transmission, emission, or reception of signs, signals,
writing, images, sounds by means of electromagnetic
waves of the radio frequency range, from about 3 kHz
to 300 GHz propagated in space without artificial
guide.

Examples of radio communication systems:

Radio broadcasting.
TV broadcasting.
Satellite communication.
Mobile cellular telephony.
Wireless LAN.

Introduction 9
Classification of radio spectrum

10
30-300

-1 mm

EHF
GHz

Frequency assaignments up 60 GHz

10

Fixed services, Fixed statelite

-1 cm
3-30
GHz

SHF

services, Mobile serivces, Remote

10

sensing
300-3000

Broadcasting TV, satelites, Personal

-10 cm

UHF

telephone systems, radar systems,

100
MHz

fixed and mobile satelite services

Broadcasting, TV, FM, Mobile
30-300

VHF
-1 m

services for maritime, aeronautical

MHz

10

and land, Wireless microphones,

Meteor burst communicaiton
Fixed point to point communication,
-10 m
MHz
3-30

Mobile maritime aeronautical, land

HF
services, military communication, 100
amateur radio and broadcasting
300-3000

-100 m
AM broadcasting, naviation, radio

MF
1000
KHz
beacons, distress frequencies.
30-300
Long distance communication (fixed

-1 km

LF
and marite), Broadcasting,

kHz

10
Naviagation, Radio beacons

-10 km
3-30

VLF
kHz

100
Time and Frequency Normals,
Navigation, Underwater
Communication, Remote sensing

300-3000

-100 km
under ground, Maritme telegraphy

ELF
1000
Hz

Wavelength
Application

Frequency

Introduction
Term
 The Radio Spectrum

The frequency spectrum is a shared resource.

Radio propagation does not recognize geopolitical
boundaries.
International cooperation and regulations are required
for an efficient use of the radio spectrum.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is an
agency, within the UN, that takes care of this resource.
Frequency assignment.
Standardization.
Coordination and planning of the international
telecommunication services.

Introduction 11
 History

1864: Maxwell describes radio wave

mathematically
1888: Hertz generates radio waves
1890: Detection of radio waves
1896: Marconi makes the first radio transmission
1915: Radio tubes are invented
1948: Shannons law
1948: Transistor
1960: Communication Satellites
1981: Cellular technology

Introduction 12
 Evolution of Wireless Systems

Introduction 13
 Current Wireless Networks

Cellular Systems Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)

Satellite Systems
Wireless broadband access (WiMax-compatible)
Metropolitan Area
Paging Systems (one way, two way) Networks MAN
Radio broadcast (analog/digital audio/video)
Cordless phone, personal handyphone system
Wireless LANs
Bluetooth
Ultra-wideband radios
Local Area Network LAN
Zigbee radios Personal Area Networks PAN
Infrared wireless optical (IrDa)
Remote control (toy, garage door)
Special purpose: radar, sonar, missile guidance,,etc

Introduction 14
 3. Mobile wireless technology

Introduction 15
 1G First generation wireless

Developed in 1980s
Analog transmission technology
Focus on voice
Data service almost non-existence
Incompatible standards:
Different frequencies and signalling
International roaming impossible

Introduction 16
 2G second generation wireless

2 G wireless
Its was invented and developed in 1990-91.
Digital transmission technology
Increased quality of service
Possible for wireless data services
2.5 G wireless
General packet radio service (GPRS)
Data rates: 56 kb/s to 115 kb/s
Services: WAP, MMS and SMS, Search and directory
2.75 G wireless
Maximum data rate: 384 kbps.

Introduction 17
 3G third generation wireless

3 G wireless
Introduced in 2004-05
Applications: mobile TV, video on demand, video
conferencing, location based serviced services.
3.5 G wireless
Known as HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access)
Data transmission up to 8-10 Mbps (and 20 Mbps for
some systems)
3.75 G wireless
Refereed to HSUPA (high-speed uplink packet access)
Speed: 1.4 Mbps-5 Mbps
Real-time person to person gaming

Introduction 18
 4G Fourth generation wireless

A collection of technology creating fully packet-

switched networks optimized for data.
Provide speed of 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps.
Provide wireless alternative for broadband access to
residential and business customers.

5 G Wireless (coming?)
Data rate: ~10 Gbps

Introduction 19
 Comparison between 1G-4G

Introduction 20
 Mobile broadband landscape

Cellular wireless law of speed vs decade

time
Introduction 21
 Satellite Systems

Cover very large areas

Different orbit heights
GEOs (39000 Km) versus LEOs (2000 Km)
Optimized for one-way transmission
Radio (XM, Sirius) and
movie (SatTV, DVB/S) broadcasts
Most two-way systems struggling or bankrupt
Global Positioning System (GPS) use growing
Satellite signals used to pinpoint location
Popular in cell phones, PDAs, and navigation devices

Introduction 22
 Wireless LAN Standards
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)
01011011 0101 1011

Internet
Access
Point

WLANs connect local computers (100m range)

Breaks data into packets
Channel access is shared (random access)
Backbone Internet provides best-effort service
Poor performance in some apps (e.g. video)
Introduction 23
 Wireless LAN Standards

802.11b (Old 1990s)

Standard for 2.4GHz ISM band (24002480 MHz) (80 MHz)
Direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS)
Speeds of 11 Mbps, approx. 500 ft range Many WLAN
cards have
802.11a/g (Middle Age mid-late 1990s) all 3 (a/b/g)
Standard for 5GHz NII band (300 MHz)
OFDM in 20 MHz with adaptive rate/codes
Speeds of 54 Mbps, approx. 100-200 ft range

802.11n (Hot stuff, standard close to finalization)

Standard in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band
Adaptive OFDM /MIMO in 20/40 MHz (2-4 antennas)
Speeds up to 600Mbps, approx. 200 ft range
Other advances in packetization, antenna use, etc.
Introduction 24
 WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access) (802.16)
Wide area wireless network standard
System architecture similar to cellular
Hopes to compete with cellular
OFDM/MIMO is core link technology
A physical layer operating in the 2 to 66 GHz range
Different for different countries.
Bandwidth is 3.5-10 MHz
Fixed (802.16d) vs. Mobile (802.16e) WiMAX
Fixed: 75 Mbps max, up to 50 mile cell radius
Mobile: 15 Mbps max, up to 1-2 mile cell radius

Introduction 25
 Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for

exchanging data over short distances (using short-
wavelength radio transmissions in the ISM band from
24002480 MHz) from fixed and mobile devices,
creating personal area networks (PANs) with high levels
of security
Short range (10m, extendable to 100m)
1 Data (700 Kbps) and 3 voice channels, up to 3 Mbps
Widely supported by telecommunications, PC, and
consumer electronics companies

Introduction 26
 Ultrawideband Radio (UWB)
UWB is an impulse radio: sends pulses of tens of
picoseconds(10-12) to nanoseconds (10-9)
Duty cycle of only a fraction of a percent
A carrier is not necessarily needed
Uses a lot of bandwidth (GHz)
High data rates, up to 500 Mbps
7.5 GHz of free spectrum in the U.S. (underlay)
New UWB proposals (802.15.3): OFDM-based or
CDMA-based
Limited commercial success to date

Introduction 27
 IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee Radios

Wireless personal area networks built from small, low-

power digital radios.
ZigBee operates in the industrial, scientific and medical
(ISM) radio bands; 868 MHz in Europe, 915 MHz in the
USA and Australia and 2.4 GHz in most jurisdictions
worldwide.
Data rates of 20, 40, 250 Kbps
The low cost allows the technology to be widely deployed in
wireless control and monitoring applications
Very low power consumption

Focus is primarily on low power sensor networks

Introduction 28
 Tradeoffs

802.11n

3G
Rate
802.11g/a

Power
802.11b

UWB

Bluetooth
ZigBee
Range

Introduction 29
 Backbone infrastructures: PSTN,
Internet, and HFC

Introduction 30
 3. Requirements and Design Challenges

Voice Data Video

Delay <100ms - <100ms

Packet Loss <1% 0 <1%
BER 10-3 10-6 10-6
Data Rate 8-32 Kbps 1-100 Mbps 1-20 Mbps
Traffic Continuous Bursty Continuous

Introduction 31
 Future Generations

Other Tradeoffs:
Rate Rate vs. Coverage
802.11n Rate vs. Delay
4G
Rate vs. Cost
Rate vs. Energy
802.11b WLAN
3G

2G Wimax/3G

2G Cellular

Mobility

Fundamental Design Breakthroughs Needed

Introduction 32
 Radio Communication

Three main problems:

The path loss
Noise
Sharing the radio spectrum

Introduction 33
 4. Fundamental concepts

Simplex
Half-duplex
Full-duplex
The 2 channels can be separated in frequency
Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)
The 2 channels can be separated in time to share a
single physical channel Time Division Duplex (TDD)

Introduction 34
 FDD vs TDD

Introduction 35
 Multiple Access

Introduction 36
 Multiple Access

Multiple access
FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access)
TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)
SDMA (Space Division Multiple Access)
SSMA (Spread Spectrum Multiple Access)
- FHMA (Frequency Hopped Multiple Access)
- CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)

Introduction 37
 Multiple Access

Introduction 38
 Multiple Access

Introduction 39
 The Cellular Concept

Introduction 40
 Before Cellular Systems

Introduction 41
 One call per channel

Introduction 42
 The Cellular Concept

Why cellular?
Radio spectrum is a finite resource.
How to accommodate a large number of users over a
large geographic area within a limited radio spectrum?
The solution is the use of cellular structure which allows
frequency reuse.

Introduction 43
 The Cellular Concept

Introduction 44
 The Cellular Concept

The large geographic area is divided into smaller

areas cells.
Each cell has its own base station providing
coverage only for that cell.
Each base station is allocated a portion of the
total number of channels available to the entire
system.
Neighboring base stations are assigned different
groups of channels to minimize interference.
The same group of channels can be reused by
another base station located sufficiently far away
to keep co-channel interference levels within
tolerable limits.

Introduction 45
 The Cellular Concept

Introduction 46
 The Cellular Concept

Introduction 47
 Cellular Systems
Reuse channels to maximize capacity
Geographic region divided into cells
Frequency/timeslots/codes/ reused at spatially-separated locations.
Co-channel interference between same color cells.
Base stations/MTSOs (Mobile Telephone Switching Office ) coordinate
handoff and control functions
Shrinking cell size increases capacity, as well as networking burden

BASE
STATION
MTSO

Introduction 48
 Cellular Phone Networks

San Francisco

BS
BS

Internet
New York
MTSO MTSO
PSTN

BS

Introduction 49
 3G: ITU-developed,
UMTS/IMT-2000

Global
Satellite

Suburban Urban
In-Building

Picocell
Microcell
Macrocell

Basic Terminal
PDA Terminal
Audio/Visual Terminal

Introduction 50
 Spectrum Regulation

Spectral Allocation in Vietnam controlled by the

ARFM (Authority of Radio Frequency Management)
ARMF auctions spectral blocks for set applications.
Some spectrum set aside for universal use
Worldwide spectrum controlled by ITU-R
Regulation is a necessary evil.

Innovations in regulation being considered worldwide,

including underlays, overlays, and cognitive radios

Introduction 51
 US Spectrum allocation today

Introduction 52
 Coexistence Challenge:
Many devices use the same radio band

Technical Solutions:
Interference Cancellation
Smart/Cognitive Radios

Introduction 53
 Standards

Interacting systems require standardization

Companies want their systems adopted as
standard
Alternatively try for de-facto standards

Standards determined by TIA/CTIA in US

IEEE standards often adopted
Process fraught with inefficiencies and conflicts

Worldwide standards determined by ITU-T

In Europe, ETSI is equivalent of IEEE

Introduction 54
 Emerging Systems

4th generation cellular (4G)

OFDMA will be PHY layer (like Wimax)
Other new features and bandwidth still in flux

Ad hoc/mesh wireless networks

Cognitive radios
Sensor networks
Distributed control networks

Introduction 55
 Cognitive Radio Paradigms

Cognitive radio of a
spectrum hole and
opportunistic
spectrum sharing

Introduction 56
 Cognitive Radio Networks

Introduction 57
 Key Techniques

Adaptive Techniques
Link, MAC, network, and application adaptation
Resource management and allocation (power
control)
Diversity techniques
Link diversity (space, time, frequency)
Access diversity
Route diversity
Multiplexing
Spatial multiplexing (MIMO, beamforming)
Frequency multiplexing (OFDM, multi-carrier)

Introduction 58
 Subject contents

Chapter 1: Channel models

Chapter 2: Channel Capacity
Chapter 3: Diversity
Chapter 4: Equalizer
Chapter 5: OFDM
Chapter 6: MIMO
Chapter 7: Cooperative wireless networks:
Cognitive radio/relay networks

Introduction 59
 Projects

1) Channel simulation: Flat/frequency selective

fading, time-varying channels, small/large fading

2) OFDM: spectrum, BER, ICI cancellation

3) MIMO: space-time code, multiplexing,

beamforming.

4) Cognitive Radio: underlay, overlay

5) Wireless Relay Networks: AF, DF relay,

single/multiple hops

Introduction 60
 References

Textbook:
[1] A. Goldsmith, Wireless Communications, Cambridge University
Press, 2005

References:
[2] T.S. Rappaport ,Wireless Communications, Prentice Hall PTR,
1996
[3] J. G. Proakis , M. Salehi , G. Bauch Contemporary
Communication Systems Using MATLAB, Cengage Learning, 2012.
[4] DSPlog Signal Processing for Communication
http://www.dsplog.com/

Introduction 61