Mobile Wireless Communication
Systems
Part 1- Introduction & Principles
Dr Murali M
Professor ,
Dept of ECE
CUTM,AP
Contents
• Introduction
• Frequency Band
• History
• Principles
• Transmission Properties
• Cellular Concept
• Traffic Engineering
• Propagation
• Modulation
• Performance
Wireless Communications
• Introduced in the 19th century and developed over the
subsequent years.
• One of the most important mediums of transmission of
information between devices.
• The information is transmitted through the air using
electromagnetic waves with no cables or wires or other
electronic conductors.
• In the present days, the wireless communication
technology refers to a range of wireless communication
devices and technologies ranging from smart phones to
computers, tabs, laptops, Bluetooth Technology, printers.
• Many devices are used for wireless communication like
mobiles, Cordless telephones, Zigbee wireless technology, https://www.elprocus.com/types-of-
wireless-communication-
GPS, Wi-Fi, satellite television and wireless computer parts. applications/
• Current wireless phones include 3 and 4G networks,
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies.
Frequency Bands
VHF (30 MHz - 300 MHz)
– VHF Mid Band (70 - 87.5 MHz)
– VHF High Band (148 - 174 MHz)
UHF (300 MHz - 3 GHz)
– UHF Band (403 - 420 MHz)
– UHF Band (450 - 520 MHz)
– UHF Band 900 MHz (820 - 960 MHz)
– UHF Band 1.9 GHz (1880 - 1900 MHz)
Mobile Communications - History
1934- AM based: 1st Generation Analogue Cellular Systems
USA - For public safety
- 5000 mobiles
- Vehicle ignition noise a major problem
1935 FM based: - Frequency bands:
USA - 800 - 900 MHz and 400 - 500 MHz
Europe - 120 kHz RF bandwidth, channel spacing of 30 kHz
Asia - Data rate 5 - 10 kbps
- No of channels 400 – 1000, half-duplex
1946- First Generation Public Mobile Telephone Service:
USA - Coverage distance: 50 km, 60 kHz bandwidth
- Single powerful transmitter
History - 1st Generation (1G) Systems
1960 Cellular Radio, developed by Bell Labs.
1970 Cellular Mobile System (USA)
1980 First Generation Analogue Cellular Systems
- Advanced Mobile Telephone Systems (AMPS)
- Frequency bands: 800 - 900 MHz and 400 - 500
MHz
- Channel spacing 30 kHz and no of channels 400
– 1000
- Data rate 5 - 10 kbps
-FM for speech, FSK for signalling, FDM
History - 2nd Generation (2G) Systems (1991-
4)
Systems:
- 1991 First Group Special Mobile (GSM) network, Finland
- 1992 Commercial GSM, all major European operators
- 1992 Japanese Digital Cellular (JDC) system
- 1993 GSM1800 system in commercial operation, UK
- 1994 Commercial operation of D-AMPS (IS-54), US
- U.S. Digital Cellular (USDC) and CDMA
• Technology: TDMA, TDMA hybrid FDMA
• Characteristics:
• Digital voice and low speed data
• Frequency band @ 900 MHz, RF channel spacing 200 kHz
• Modulation: GMSK, DPSK, Fixed frequency assignment
1. NEC Cellstar 500 series (1992)
• Speech rate 13 kbps, Speech coding, TDMA 2. Nokia 2110 series (1994)
• High security and higher capacity, 3. Nokia 5120 (1998)
• Improved speech Quality of service (QoS) 4. Kyocera 2135 (2002)
5. Audiovox CDM8300 (2002)
6. Samsung SCH-A650 (2004)
• GSM 1.8 GHz, and 1.9 GHz – Circuit switching
• USDC 1.9 GHz
• Digital Cordless Systems (DCS) 1.8 GHz
Current - 3rd Generation (3G) Systems (1995 -
)
Support Multimedia Services:
– Especially Internet Service, 144kb/s (Outdoor and higher velocity ),
– 384kb/s(from outdoor to indoor) and 2Mb/s (indoor);
– Speech of QoS and other services
– Packet switching
First Transitional System: 2 GHz
2000 - 2nd Transitional Systems: 2.5 GHz
2001 - 1st CDMA Network @ 144 k bps
2002- Handover between GSM and WCDMA by Nokia and Vodafone
2003 World's 1st IPv6 over 3G UMTS/WCDMA network, Ericsson
2003 World's 1st CDMA2000 high-speed packet data phone call ( 3.09
Mbps), Nokia
2004, World's 1st Enhanced Datarate for Global Evolution
EDGE-WCDMA 3G packet data handover, Nokia and TeliaSonera
2005, 9 Mbps with WCDMA, HSDPA phase 2, Ericsson
2005, 1.5 Mbps enhanced uplink WCDMA system, Ericsson
Current - 4G System
• Did not have a significant market share in 2010 from a
global perspective.
• LTE (Long Term Evolution) is known as a new 4G mobile
phone standard:
– Higher data speed (100 Mbps – 1 Gbps)
– Shorter latency
– Better energy efficiency
– Packet transmission
– Improved security
– Low cost per bits
xG - Comparison
• 1G 2G 3G 4G
• Analogue
First used in Europe in Support both voice Support both voice and
• Poor voice quality
1990s and video high quality video
• Poor battery life
• Big phone size Digital narrowband Broadband capacity Packet transmission
• No security technology – More All IP - IPv6 (128 bits)
Uses W-CDMA and
• Frequent call drop spectrally efficient High throughput (3-5
EVDO, EDGE (i-phone
• Limited capacity Two standards: GSM, used it) Mbps for moving
and range TDMA and CDMA devices)
• Poor hand-over Reduced complexity
Improved battery life IEEE 802.16m
• Different systems Higher data rates: 384
Smaller phone size LTE, WiMAX, WiFi
• Deployed in 1980s kbps – 3 Mbps
Improved security Reduced complexity
Improved spectral
Improved data rate: Up Higher data rates: 20 –
efficiency: 5 MHz
to 9.6 kbps-270 kbps 300 Mbps WiFi
Improved hand-over
Higher bandwidth is
Reduced cost
still required
Low transmission quality Faster and more
High cost of spectrum
Spotty coverage reliable
Not supporting video
Huge capacity Higher bandwidth is
Abrupt drop calls still required
xG - Comparison
5G - The new frontier of mobile
technology
•Telecommunications operators and
industry experts are already engaged
in the research and development of
5G.
•The technological infrastructure can
further enhance data throughput of
existing networks to support the
growing number of users and services
accessible from mobile network.
•A theoretical maximum speed of 20
Gbps, up to 20 times faster than the
maximum speed theorized for 4G (1
Gbps).
http://www.sicomtesting.com/blog/en/dal-1g-al-5g-il-passato-e-il-futuro-degli-
standard-gsm-umts-hspa-ed-lte/
Future Wireless - 5G System
Prof. Z. Ghssemlooy
Mobile Communications – Spectrum Allocation
• As today's cellular providers attempt to deliver
high quality, low latency video and multimedia
applications for wireless devices, they are limited
to a carrier frequency spectrum ranging between
700 MHz and 2.6 GHz.
• As shown in Table, the global spectrum bandwidth
allocation for all cellular technologies does not
exceed 780 MHz, where each major wireless
provider has approximately 200 MHz across all of
the different cellular bands of spectrum available
to them.
Fixed Wireless Access – WiFi and WiMax
• Use specific frequencies of the radio spectrum
• Is a low power wireless communication, which is used by various
electronic devices like smart phones, laptops, etc.
• Most only offer very limited coverage
• In this setup, a router works as a communication hub wirelessly.
• These networks allow users to connect only within close proximity to a
router.
• Is very common in networking applications, which offers portability
wirelessly.
• The networks are protected with passwords for security.
• Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) - Used in home networks, indoor business
environments and Hotspots
• WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) - has been specifically designed for wider area high-
speed networking and can even extend to Mobile Broadband operators
(802.16e)
Fixed Wireless Access
• Common Wireless Standards (Speed in Megabits)
o Wi-Fi 802.11a (up to 2Mbps) - Frequency: 2.4GHz or 5GHz
o Wi-Fi 802.11b (up to 11Mbps) - Frequency: 2.4GHz
o Wi-Fi 802.11g (up to 54Mbps) - Frequency: 2.4GHz
o Wi-Fi 802.11n (up to 600Mbps) - Frequency: 2.4GHz or 5GHz
o Wi-Fi 802.11ac (up to 1700Mbps) - Frequency: 5GHz
o Wi-Fi 802.11ac-2013 (up to 7000Mbps) - Frequency: 5GHz
o Wi-Fi 802.11ad (up to 7000Mbps) - Frequency: 60GHz (short range)
o WiMAX 802.16/d (up to 1Gbps+) - Frequency: 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz,
2.6GHz, 3.5GHz
o 4G TD LTE (up to 1000Mbps+) - Frequency: 3.5GHz, 3.6GHz
Bluetooth Technology
• The main function is to allow the
users to connect a range electronic
devices wirelessly to a system for
the data transfer.
• Cell phones are connected to hands
free earphones, mouse, wireless
keyboard.
• It has many functions and it is used
commonly in the wireless
communication market.
Mobile Technology- Applications
• Transport
– transmission of news, road condition, weather, music via DAB
– personal communication using GSM
– position and tracking via GPS
– local ad-hoc network with vehicles close-by to prevent accidents,
guidance system, redundancy
– vehicle data (e.g., from buses, high-speed trains) can be transmitted
in advance for maintenance
• Emergencies
– early transmission of patient data to the hospital, current status,
first diagnosis
– replacement of a fixed infrastructure in case of earthquakes,
hurricanes, fire etc.
– crisis, war, ...
Mobile Technology- Applications
• Business - Traveling salesmen
– direct access to customer files stored in a central
location
– consistent databases for all agents/clients
– mobile office
• Entertainment, education
– outdoor Internet access
– intelligent travel guide with up-to-date
location dependent information
– ad-hoc networks for multi user games
• Healthcare
– Health Care Support
Mobile Communications - Definition
Designed to operate over a very large area with a
limited bandwidth
A cellular mobile comms. system uses a large number
of low-power wireless transmitters (100 W oe less)
Offers larger capacity through cell splitting
Variable power levels allow cells to be sized according
to subscriber density& demand within a particular region
As mobile users travel from cell to cell, their
conversations are handed off between cells
Channels (frequencies) used in one cell can be reused
in another cell some distance away
Mobile Communications - Principles
Wave propagation mechanism is closely affected by the
wavelengths of the propagating frequency
Uses a separate radio channel to talk to the cell site
Cell site talks to many mobiles at once, using one
channel per mobile
Channels use a pair of frequencies for:
• forward link for transmitting from the cell site
• reverse link for the cell site to receive calls from the users
Radio energy dissipates over distance, so mobiles must
stay near the base station to maintain communications
Basic structure of mobile networks includes telephone
systems and radio services
Advantages/Disadvantages of Wireless
Communication
Advantages
•Data or information can be transmitted without using any
physical connections at a fast speed
•Low maintenance and installation cost of the networks for the
service providers.
•Flexibility, convenience, Accessibility - Access to the internet
from anywhere
Disadvantages
•Low level of security at the physical level.
•Low data rates since two many people are using the network
Mobile Comms. - System
• Mobile Unit
• Mobile Base Station
• Mobile Switching Centre
Mobile telecommunications
switching office (MTSO)
Mobile Comms. - Components
Mobile Base Station (MBS): – includes
– an antenna
– a controller
– a number of receivers
Mobile telecommunications switching office (MTSO)
– connects calls between mobile units
Channels between mobile unit and MBS
– Control channels: to exchange information related to setting up
and maintaining calls
– Traffic channels: to carry voice or data connection between
users
MTSO Controlled Call between Mobile Users
Steps:-
• Mobile unit initialization
• Mobile-originated call
• Paging
• Call accepted
• Ongoing call Functions:-
• Handoff Call blocking
Call termination
Call dropping
Calls to/from fixed and remote
mobile subscriber
Mobile Radio Environment
Propagation Path Loss
Multipath Fading
Frequency-Selective Fading
Doppler Shift
Co-Channel Interference
Adjacent Channel Interference
Man-Made Noise
Urban Environment
Suburban Environment
Rural Environment
System Characteristics
Frequency sharing amongst users
Multipath interference environment
Line-of sight coverage (UHF)
High base station antenna (30m)
Low mobile antenna (1.5m - 3m)
Beyond Line-of-sight (VHF)
Long distance (HF)
Wireless Communications - System Block
Diagram
Early Mobile Systems
Traditional mobile similar to TV broadcasting
One very powerful transmitter
located at the highest spot
would cover an area with a
radius of up to 50 km
Cellular concept re-structured the mobile telephone
network in a different way:
• Using low power transmitters to cover larger area.
E.g. dividing a metropolitan region into 100 different cells
12 channels each
Digital Cellular- what does it offers?
Best quality compared with analogue system
Improved bandwidth efficiency
- Reduced from 30 kHz to 10 kHz, and then to 5 kHz.
This is achieved via 3-time-slot Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) (i.e. three pairs of people using a 30 kHz radio
channel simultaneously)
Use of micro-cellular technology to accommodate smaller and
smaller cells particularly around the new frequency band
of 2 GHz
Improved frequency reuse
Transmission Types
Simplex
f1 f1
Tx : f1
f2
Rx : f2
f2
f1
Tx : f1
Tx Rx
f2 f1 Rx : f2
Half Duplex
Tx Rx
f1 f1
Tx : f1, Rx : f1
Transmission Types - Full Duplex
f1 f3
f1 f2 f3 f4
Tx : f1 Tx : f3
Rx : f2 f2 f4 Rx : f4
Tx Rx
Rx Tx
Transmission - Duplex Operation
f1 f2
Rx
(f1) Antenna
Dup
Tx
M
(f2)
Tx Reception Load
Load
Tx
Antenna Transmission Antenna Rx
Rx
Typical Wide-Area System
Dispatcher
2
Digital
Switch
Dispatcher
1
- Dispatcher: Communicates with the vehicles.
- Communication mode: Half Duplex.
- Mobile-to-mobile communication is possible using a Talk-Through Repeater (half-duplex) or
direct using Simplex mode.
Mobile Transmission Environment
Deep Radio Shadow + Radio Horizon
Reflection, Refraction and Scattering
Fading
– Frequency-Selective
– Multipath
Propagation Path Loss (Attenuation)
Doppler Shift
Delay Distortion
Noise and Interference
Urban, Suburban, and Rural Environments
Transm. Pro. - Deep Radio Shadow
Radio waves at low frequencies can diffract (bend) around object
quit well
In high-frequency wireless communications, wave diffraction does
not
take place well, therefore a deep radio shadow occurs on the un-
illuminated side of the obstruction (e.g., building, hill, truck, or even
human being)
It results in deviation of the power of the received electromagnetic
signal from an average value.
shadow
Rx Rx
Tx
Transm. Env. - Radio Horizon (1/2)
• Is 30% farther from the transmitting antenna than the
equivalent visible horizon due to the reduction of the
refraction in the upper atmosphere as compared to that
at ground level.
Beyond radio horizon, the signal strength falls very rapidly
so that in areas well beyond the horizon the same frequency
can be reused without causing interference.
• The higher the transmitter antenna, the further away is
its radio horizon.
Transm. Env. - Radio Horizon (2/2)
• The coverage area (not the radius) is approximately
proportional to the antenna heights of both transmitter
and receiver.
• With a higher transmitter tower, the far flung horizon
prevents close reuse of the same frequency.
• Between the transmitter and horizon, in open, flat
country, the received power reduces approximately as
the inverse fourth power of distance from the transmitter
(as we see later on).
Transmission Env. – contd.
Free space line of sight Tx Rx
Ei
Reflection at large obstacles
Object size >>
Er= Ei, where is the absorption coefficient < 1
Ei
Scattering at small obstacles Er1= Ei
Object size >> Er2= Ei
Erk= Ei
Er1= Ei
Ei
Er2= Ei
Diffraction at edges
- Makes possible to go round corners
Transm. Env. – Multipath
Dispersion
Distortion
signal at Tx
signal at receiver
Dispersion: signal is dispersed over time, thus interfering with
“neighbor” symbols --> Inter Symbol Interference
Distortion: signal reaches a receiver directly and phase
shifted:- distorted signal depending on the phases of the
different parts
Transm. Pro. – Multipath Fading
In a multipath propagation environment signal are:
- Generally added to strengthen the received signal
- At some point they subtract from one another, thus causing
fading, (at approximately half wavelength intervals).
- The fade power level is typically 20 dB weaker than the local
average field strength. Fades that are 40 dB weaker are not
uncommon.
- The combination of shadowing and multipath fading results
in a radio field that varies wildly over a short ranges (up to
60 or 70 dB difference between the maximum and minimum
street level value within a 100 m2).
Transm. Env. - Attenuation
• The strength (amplitude) of the signals reduces as it
propagate through the channel. This is called signal
attenuation or loss, which is due to:
• Absorption of energy
• Scattering of energy
• Limits the maximum coverage distance.
• Can be overcome by in line amplification.
High frequencies penetrates building fairly well, mostly
through doors, windows, and thin non-metallic roofs.
Typical mean building penetration losses are 10 to 20
dB, but penetration losses as high as 40 dB have been
encountered.
Transm. Env. - Bandwidth
• All real channels have a limited bandwidth.
• Not all the frequency components of transmitted signal
will pass through the channel.
• At the receiver, exact regeneration of the original signal
becomes quite difficult.
• Resulting in the received signal distortion
Transm. Pro. - Delay Distortion
• Critical in complex waveform transmission, such as Digital
Signals, where different frequency components of the
same signal travel at slightly different speeds.
• As the propagation link increases, fast components of one
bit (edges) may eventually catch up the proceeding slow
moving components of the bit (flat top). Thus resulting in
distortion.
Transm. Pro. - Noise & Interference
. Thermal noise
. Amplifier noise
RF
signal
Receiver RF + Noise
. Man made noise
. Inter-modulation: noise from other transmitters at different
frequencies
. Co-channel interference: noise from other transmitter at the same
frequency
. Electromagnetic interference in a vehicle
Mobile Phones Technology - Disadvantages
Although the development of mobile phones brought convenient and
advantages to the world. But the disadvantages brought along with the
fast grown technology cannot be ignored. These problems not only
influenced people personally but also the society at large.
• Symptoms caused by the radiation of mobile phones are:
– headache, earaches, blurring of vision and even causing cancer
Though, these problems are still under research. Mobile phone users
are advice to reduce the usage on mobile phones if it is possible.
• Mobile phone addiction.
– Mobile phone addiction is becoming one of the biggest non-drug addictions
in the 21st century in particular among the teenagers.
– New models of mobile phones are released almost everyday. In order to get
up-to-date, people tend to change their mobile phones once in a while.
These became habits among the mobile phone users causing them to spend
unnecessary cost on mobile bills and
Mobile Phone Technology - Future
Development
• Mobile phones are getting more and more sophisticated, just like
computer
• The technology is growing everyday with different functions and
usage
• From the network system from mobile phones, it is still
developing.
– The new 3G system had just been launched not long ago,
– 4G system expected in 2010. It is expected that the 4G system will
be able to deliver
• a much faster speed up to 100Mb per second during connection,
• tighter network security
• High quality during communication no matter on voice or video calls.
• security system, and surveillance on certain items. The 4G system will be
expected to be launched in 2010.
Mobile Phone Technology - Future
Development
• Mobile phone, the piece of communication
device itself is also becoming a multi
functioned device. Smartphones and PDA
phones are already launched in the market.
• Mobile phone with computing functions
replacing lap-tops
Summary
• History
• Mobile technologies
• Principle
• Characteristics
• Transmission properties
Next Lecture
Cellular Concept