Chapter-1

Overview of Wireless
Communication
Session -1 History, Basic Terminologies and
Examples

Date: 22-12-2020
Contents
• History of Wireless Communication
• Basic Terminologies
• Examples of Wireless communication systems

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History of Wireless
Communications
History of Wireless Communication
Wireless Communication:
• One of the medium of
communication
• Information transfer without
any electrical conductor
• Used for both long & short
distances
• Radio frequency, Infrared light,
Laser light etc. is used.

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History of Wireless Communication
History :
• The first wireless networks developed in the pre-industrial age. Information
transmitted over line-of-sight distances using:
• Smoke signals
• Torch signaling
• Flashing mirrors etc.
• In 1838, early communication networks were replaced first by the telegraph
network
• In 1895, Marconi demonstrated the first radio transmission and radio
communications was born with better quality, less power, and smaller, cheaper
devices, thereby enabling public and private radio communications, television, and
wireless networking.
• In 1990, Packet radio networks found commercial application in supporting wide
area wireless data services with enabled wireless data access (including email, file
transfer, and Web browsing) at fairly low speeds of 20 kbps.
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History of Wireless Communication
History :
• In 1970, The introduction of wired Ethernet technology steered many commercial companies away
from radio-based networking.
• In 1985 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enabled the commercial development of
wireless LANs by authorizing the public use of the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM)
frequency bands for wireless LAN products.
• In 1915, cellular telephone system introduced. The wireless voice transmission between NewYork
and San Francisco was first established. In 1946, public mobile telephone service was introduced in
25 cities across the United States.
• In 1945, The concept of using geosynchronous satellites for communications was first suggested by
the science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke in 1945. The first GEO satellite was launched by Hughes
and NASA in 1963
• In 1983, the first analog cellular system, deployed in Chicago which was already saturated by 1984,
when the FCC increased the cellular spectral allocation from 40 MHz to 50 MHz.
• In 1990, the second generation of cellular systems deployed and it was based on digital
communications. The shift from analog to digital was driven by its higher capacity and the
improved cost, speed, and power efficiency of digital hardware.
• Moreover, some countries have initiated service for third-generation systems, for which there are
also multiple incompatible standards.
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Basic Terminologies
 Basic Terminologies
• Signal - Any audio or video or audio-visual
generated cannot be directly transmitted. It first
needs to be converted into an electronic
form. This electronic form is a ‘Signal’. Since
electronics operate in the binary system i.e.
a combination of 1s and 0s only (generally 1
denotes ‘on’ or ‘high’ and 0 denotes ‘off’ or ‘low’),
the entire audio-visual is converted into a binary
form. This binary form in the electrical medium is
a ‘Signal’.

• Amplitude - Consider a sinusoidal wave

transmitting energy in space with the wave
passing through a series of particles which
oscillate about a mean position and transmit the
energy. The maximum displacement of a particle
from its mean position is an ‘Amplitude‘ of the
sinusoidal wave.
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Basic Terminologies
• Wavelength - The wavelength of a
sinusoidal wave is the distance
between two particles having the
same amount of displacement and
both are in phase with each other.
• Frequency - The frequency of
a wave is the number of waves
passing a point in space per unit time.
It is basically the reciprocal of the
time period required by a wave to
cover a unit distance.
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Basic Terminologies
• Bandwidth - The bandwidth of a
signal is the difference between the
highest and the lowest frequencies
carried by the signal.
• Modulation - Any signal to be
transmitted consists of a number of
varying frequencies and cannot be
directly transmitted by the
transmitter and is therefore
superimposed with a carrier signal
before being transmitted.
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Basic Terminologies
• Demodulation - The modulated signal sent by the transmitter is
received by the receiver and needs to be converted to its original
format before it can be studied.
• Attenuation - When a signal is transmitted through the electronic
medium over long distances it loses its quality and strength due to
dissipation and wastage of energy naturally. This is the ‘attenuation’ of
the signal.

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Basic Terminologies
• Transducer - A transducer is any device that converts any physical
variable like force, movement etc to an electronic signal and thus gives a
suitable output for the same. For example, whenever you use your
smartphone and select a value on its screen the processor of the phone
converts the pressure on the screen due to your touch into a signal.
• Amplification - The process of increasing the amplitude of a signal is
“amplification”. For example, whenever you speak on a mic, your voice is
both amplified and audible at a farther distance. In this process, only the
amplitude of the signal increases. There is no fundamental change to the
original content of the signal.

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Examples of Wireless
Communications
Examples of Wireless Communication System
• Television and Radio Broadcasting
• Satellite Communication
• Mobile Telephone System (Cellular
Communication)
• Global Positioning System (GPS)
• WLAN (Wi-Fi)
• Bluetooth
• Paging
• Infrared Communication

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Examples of Wireless Communication System
• Television and Radio Broadcasting - Radio is considered to be the first wireless
service to be broadcast. It is an example of a Simplex Communication System where
the information is transmitted only in one direction and all the users receiving the
same data.
• Satellite Communication - Satellite Communication Systems offer
telecommunication (Satellite Phones), positioning and navigation (GPS),
broadcasting, internet, etc. Other wireless services like mobile, television
broadcasting and other radio systems are dependent of Satellite Communication
Systems.
• Mobile Telephone System (Cellular Communication) - mobile phones are not limited
to just making calls but are integrated with numerous other features like Bluetooth,
Wi-Fi, GPS, and FM Radio.
• Global Positioning System (GPS) - GPS is solely a subcategory of satellite
communication. GPS provides different wireless services like navigation, positioning,
location, speed etc. with the help of dedicated GPS receivers and satellites.

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Examples of Wireless Communication System
• WLAN (Wi-Fi) - is an internet related wireless service. Using WLAN, different
devices like laptops and mobile phones can connect to an access point and
access internet.
• Bluetooth - Bluetooth is another important low range wireless
communication system. It provides data, voice and audio transmission with a
transmission range of 10 meters. Almost all mobile phones, tablets and
laptops are equipped with Bluetooth devices.
• Paging - Paging provides information in the form of messages and it is a
simplex system i.e. the user can only receive the messages.
• Infrared Communication - Infrared Communication is another commonly
used wireless communication in our daily lives. It uses the infrared waves of
the Electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. Infrared (IR) Communication is used in
remote controls of Televisions, cars, audio equipment etc.

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References
1. Wireless Communications by Andrea Goldsmith (z-lib.org)
2. https://www.toppr.com/guides/physics/communication-
systems/basic-terminology-used-in-communication-systems/
3. Wireless Communication Networks and Systems by Cory Beard,
William Stallings
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_phone_generations

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