Chapter 1

Overview of Wireless Communication

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Outline
• Introduction
• Wireless impact
• Merits and challenges
• Electromagnetic Radiation Spectrum
• Wireless overview
• Why wireless?
• Wireless History
• Block Diagram of a Communication System
• Cellular System Standards
• Types of Wireless Technology
• Duplexing and Multiplexing

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Introduction to wireless communication

• Wireless Communication is the fastest growing and most vibrant technological

areas in the communication field. Wireless Communication is a method of
transmitting information from one point to other, without using any connection like
wires, cables or any physical medium.
• Generally, in a communication system, information is transmitted from transmitter
to receiver that are placed over a limited distance. With the help of Wireless
Communication, the transmitter and receiver can be placed anywhere between few
meters (like a T.V. Remote Control) to thousand kilometers (Satellite
Communication).
• We live in a World of communication and Wireless Communication, in particular,
is a key part of our lives. Some of the commonly used Wireless Communication
Systems in our day – to – day life are: Mobile Phones, GPS Receivers, Remote
Controls, Bluetooth Audio and Wi-Fi etc.

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Introduction cont.
Wireless communication is realized due to electromagnetic wave. An Electromagnetic Wave consists
of both electric and magnetic fields in the form of time varying sinusoidal waves. Both these fields are
oscillating perpendicular to each other and to the direction of propagation of the Electromagnetic
Wave.

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Wireless Impact
• Profound impact on the working habit and the economy
• Shrinks the world
• Always on
• Always connected
• Changes the way of people communication
• Social networking
• Converged global wireless network

Introduction 1-5
Merits and challenges
Advantages of Wireless Communication
Following are the advantages of Wireless Communication:
Flexibility: As wireless frequency penetrates the walls, wireless networks are easy to
install anywhere based on choice. This flexibility is one of the great benefits of
wireless network where wired cable can not be installed.
Easy Installation: Wireless networks are easy to install and easy to maintain compare
to messy wired counterparts. This will help when network grows and will have
hundreds to thousands of customers.
Network Planning: Wireless network planning is very easy compare to wired network
due to wireless software configuration of frequency, power and other parameters.
Location: Wireless communication helps in connecting remote inaccessible areas
behind the walls or buildings or hilly terrains.
Mobility: The great benefit of wireless communication is mobility of usage unlike
wired communication.
Price: The wireless communication end devices are available at very low cost due to
competition in handset manufacturing segment.
Merits and challenges, cont.
Disadvantages of Wireless Communication
Following are the disadvantages of Wireless Communication:
• Wireless signals can be easily hacked and hence it will hamper
privacy. To avoid this, security and modulation techniques (FHSS,
DSSS) are employed in wireless networks.
• The earlier wireless networks were slower. Now-a-days wireless
LANs with advanced standards such as IEEE 802.11ac and 802.11ad
are available which provides same performance as traditional Ethernet
based LANs.
• Wireless networks require careful radio frequency planning at the
beginning of the installation.
• Wireless communication is subject to interference. There are various
receiver techniques and modulation techniques which make wireless
system robust against any kind of interference.
Radio Frequency
Electromagnetic Radiation Spectrum
Frequency and Approximate Scale of Wavelength
Frequency allocation (specific example)
Why wireless?
• Serving everywhere!

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Cont..

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Wireless History
• The modern wireless communication networks was concept of 1960s
and 1970s and become much more popular in 1990’s.
• Radio Spectrum licenses for personal communication service(PCS) in the
1800-2000 MHz frequency bands.
• The rapid growth in cellular telephone subscribers has demonstrated
conclusively that wireless communications are:
• Robust
• Viable voice and data transport mechanism.
• Next generations are being designed to facilitate high speed data communications traffic
in addition to voice calls.
• New standards and technology are being implemented to replace fiber optic or copper
lines.

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Wireless History, cont..

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Cont..

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Wireless History, cont..

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Wireless History, cont..

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Wireless History, cont..

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Wireless History, cont..

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Wireless History, cont..
• Many sophisticated military radio systems were developed during and after WW2
 Ignited the wireless revolution
 Voice, data, and multimedia ubiquitous
 Use in 3rd world countries growing rapidly
 WiFi also enjoying tremendous success and growth
 Bluetooth pervasive, satellites also widespread
 Exponential growth in cellular use since 1988: approx. 8B worldwide users today

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Wireless Communication?
• Transfer of data between 2 plus points that aren’t connected by an electrical
conductor
• Typically uses electromagnetic waves

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Wireless Services

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Block Diagram of a Communication System

• Source – a source of information (e.g. voice, data file, video)

• Tx – a transmitter that changes the message signal to radio
frequency form
• Channel – a path (link) from the Tx to the Rx (e.g. cable, wireless
medium, etc.)
• Rx – a receiver that converts the incoming radio wave signal to
the original transmitted signal
• Destination – a place where the information has to be delivered 24
Transmitter (Tx) incorporating the following
• Source coder – encodes the message to remove redundancy
• Channel coder – encodes the input to protect against errors introduced by the channel
• Local oscillator (LO) – generates the carrier spectrum/frequency to modulate the
message signal.
• Modulator – modulates the carrier frequency using the encoded message
• Power amplifier (PA) – amplifies the modulated signal to required power level
• Antenna (A) – radiates the modulated signal as an electromagnetic wave

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Receiver(RX) incorporating the following
• Source decoder – decodes the source-encoded message
• Channel decoder – decodes the channel code
• Local oscillator (LO) – generates the carrier frequency to demodulate the incoming signal.
• Mixer – down-converts the RF signal to IF frequencies
• IF amplifier (IFA): amplifies the IF signal significantly and rejects adjacent channel signals
and interference (frequency selectivity). Its bandwidth is the same as the signal bandwidth.
• Demodulator: demodulates the modulated signal to extract the original message information
• Low-noise amplifier (LNA): amplifies a weak RF signal coming out of the antenna. Rejects the
image frequency. Bandwidth: much wider than the signal bandwidth.
• Antenna (A) – receives an incoming electromagnetic wave carrying the message

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Examples of Wireless Systems and Range Comparison

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Cellular System Standards and evolution
• 1st generation (1G): FDMA + Analog FM. Developed in early
1980s. Japan-NTT (1979), Europe-NMT-900 (1981), US-AMPS
(AT&T), 1983
• Narrowband, low-quality, voice only, no additional services.
• 2𝑛𝑑generation (2G): Various systems all over the globe
• Europe: GSM (TDMA, low-rate data services (up to 9.6 kb/s), deployed in
1992), uses GMSK; spectrum:800-900MHz, Δf (channel width) =200KHz ,
8 users/channel.
• North America: IS-54/136 and IS-95 (TDMA and CDMA), DQPSK for IS-
54/136 (IS-54/136: 800/1800/1900 MHz, DQPSK, Δf = 30KHz, 4
users/channel), and PN- CDMA for IS95, adopted and deployed in 1990-
1992 ( Δf =1.25MHz, 64 users, 800/900MHz, 1900/ 1900MHz BPSK)
• Japan: PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) similar to IS-54/136.
Important—Mobile Station (MS) antenna diversity is possible.
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Cellular System Standards
• 2.5G system: improvement of 2G system to allow for better data services (faster,
email, internet). 2G systems were developed before internet - do not fit in well. IS-
95B for 2.5G CDMA: medium data rate, up to 115.2kb/s design capacity(in practice,
up to 64kb/s)
• 3G systems:
• Evolution of 2G, with enhanced data services: Internet access, voice over IP (VoIP), higher
link capacity.
• Two major standards: Universal Mobile Telecommunication System(UMTS) and CDMA2000.
• Downlink rate: 0.3-2 Mb/s; uplink: 200kb/s
• 4G systems:
• Data rates: 10 x 3G (peak at 50-100 Mb/s, less in practice, e.g. average 5-10 Mb/s)
• Fully-integrated Internet/data services
• Optimized for high-speed data service (Internet), VoIP.
• Two major standards:
• LTE (Long Term Evolution) and WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access).
• LTE Standard Modulation: OFDM + QPSK/16QAM/64QAM, up to 20MHz
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bandwidth.
Cellular System Standards 2G and 3G

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Cont..
Cont..
Cellular System Standards, cont..
• 5G Systems (under commissioning)
• 5G: the latest wireless system standard (cellular), still under
development
• Significant improvement over 4G (current)
• significantly higher data rates (peak: 10 Gb/s, cell edge 100 Mb/s,
almost everywhere 10Mb/s)
• better QoS (latency < 1ms, high reliability)
• more services (like internet of things)
• Several key new technologies: Millimeter waves Hybrid networks, small
cells, aggressive frequency re-use Massive MIMO (multi-antenna)

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Types of Wireless Technology
There are various devices used for wireless communication from which some are to be
mentioned like mobiles, GPS, Cordless telephones, Zigbee wireless technology, Wi-Fi,
satellite television, IR wireless communication, and other wireless computer parts.
1. Satellite Communication
• Satellite communication is a crucial form of wireless communication. By means of
satellites, people all over the earth can communicate with each other.
• It mitigated the difficulties of other terrestrial communication due to the curvature of
the earth
2. Infrared Communication
• Infrared communication is present in most homes in the form of a television remote
control. How does it work?
• IR transmits information by means of invisible light. This means that on the
electromagnetic spectrum it lies between microwaves and visible light.
• It requires a transmitter and a photo-receiver to receive the light beam. Since any
disruption to the light will blocked, IR will only functional in a line of sight.
Types of Wireless Technology, cont..
3. Broadcast AM/FM Radios
• The first wireless technological communications is the open radio communication to seek out widespread use, and it still
serving.
• There are many types of users of radio communication. Radio stations that send out informative and entertaining
programs. Maritime radio channels allow ships to communicate with each other and the shore.
4. Wi-Fi
• Wi-Fi is a wireless communication used by various electronic devices like smart phones, laptops, Ipads etc. In this
particular setup, a router works as a communication hub wirelessly. These networks allow users to be connected only
within close proximity to a router. Wi-Fi is very common in networking applications which affords portability without a
wire. These networks require to be protected with passwords for the purpose of its security, otherwise it will be accessed
by other people.
5. Microwave Communication
• It is an effective communication that mainly uses radio waves. The wavelengths of radio waves are measured in
centimeters(cm). In this communication, the information can be transferred using two methods. One is the terrestrial
method and the other one is the satellite method .
• Satellite method, the data can be transmitted through a satellite that orbits above this earth. Stations on the earth receive
and send data signals from the satellite.
• It has a frequency ranging from 11GHz-14GHz and with a transmission speed of 1Mbps to 10Mbps.The main
disadvantage of microwave signals is, they can be sometimes highly affected by bad weather, especially when the
weather is rainy.
Types of Wireless Technology, cont..
6. Cellular network
• Cellular networks use encrypted radio links, modulated to allow many different users to
communicate across a single frequency band. Because individual handsets lack significant
broadcasting power, the system relies on a network of cellular towers, capable of
triangulating the source of any signal and handing reception duties off to the most suitable
antenna. Data transmission over cellular networks capable of speeds approaching that of
wired DSL or cable connections.
• Cellular providers typically meter their service, charging customers by the minute for
voice and by the megabyte for data.
7. Bluetooth
• The Bluetooth technology is used for exchanging data between mobile and other
devices wirelessly to a system for the transferring of data. Cellphones are connected to
hands free earphones, mouse, wireless keyboard.
Types of Wireless Technology, cont..
Duplexing and Multiplexing
Duplexing
Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD)
• Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) – Multiplexes the Tx and Rx
in one time slot in which transmission and reception is on two
different frequencies – It provides simultaneous transmission
channels for mobile/base station
• i.e. each channel has a Forward and a Reverse frequency
• At the base station, separate transmit and receive antennas are used
to accommodate the two separate channels
• At the mobile unit, a single antenna (with duplexer) is used to
enable transmission and reception
• To facilitate FDD, sufficient frequency isolation of the transmit and
receive frequencies is necessary
• FDD is used exclusively in analog mobile radio systems
Time Division Duplexing (TDD)
Multiplexes the Tx & Rx in one frequency at different time slots

• A portion of the time is used to transmit and a portion is used to receive

• TDD is used, for example, in a simple two-way radio where a button is pressed to talk and
released to listen
• If the data rate from the base station > the end-user’s data rate, it is possible to use buffer-
and-burst transmission (giving the appearance of full duplex)
• TDD is only possible for digital transmission
Multiplexing Techniques