The course aims to achieve the following objectives, in line with the Dublin descriptors:
1. Knowledge and understanding:
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
The student will be able
3. Making judgements
In the context of the topics covered in the course, the student will be able to independently make the appropriate design choices based on specific requirements.
4. Communication skills
The student will acquire the ability to rationally communicate knowledge on mobile cellular networks and to correctly use the related technical language.
5. Learning skills: students will be able to independently read standards and scientific literature of the sector, in order to update themselves on the fast evolutions of mobile radio technologies and to deepen complex issues.
The course takes place through lectures performed both on the blackboard and with the aid of personal computers through which slides can be projected.
There are also 15 hours of exercises in which students are often invited to carry out the proposed exercises under the guidance of the teacher, in order to stimulate collective attention and also to obtain a 'sample' evaluation of the learning results.
In addition, 15 hours of laboratory activities are foreseen.
If the teaching is given in a mixed or remote mode, the necessary changes may be introduced with respect to what was previously stated, in order to comply with the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.
The topics covered in the courses of "Telecommunication Networks", "Theory of Signals", "Digital Communications" and / or "Fundamentals of Telecommunications" are preparatory to the subject.
In particular the knowledge of multiplexing and switching techniques; the concepts of protocol architecture, signaling, control / user plan; the theory of traffic and queues, use of Erlang's formula B; propagation in the radio section; link budget; multi-layer modulation; noise figure; relationship between BER and SNR; source and channel coding principles.
Attendance is not compulsory.
Attendance is however strongly recommended as the carrying out of the exercises and the laboratory activity favors the understanding of the topics covered.
1. Introduction and basic concepts on mobile networks. Classification, motivation and requirements of mobile networks. Evolution of mobile networks and services. Mobile network architectures. Sharing of radio resources. The mobility of users.
2. The radio channel and radio transmission. Radio channel and propagation models. Outline of numerical modulation and channel coding schemes. Cell sizing with radio propagation considerations.
3. Radio access. Multiple access techniques in broadcast channels. Duplexing. Radio resource sharing models.
4. Mobility Management and Mobile Performance Analysis. Cell selection, location management, handover. Traffic models and mobility models for call-level performance calculation.
5. Radio planning: cellular coverage and network capacity. Frequency reuse. Planning a cellular system with traffic engineering considerations. Capacity analysis.
6. GSM: Architecture and radio interface; physical and logical channels; management of mobility, radio resources and security; reporting protocols; examples of procedures; supported services.
7. GPRS: Architecture and protocols of the GPRS network: comparison and updates with respect to the GSM architecture. GPRS radio interface.
8. UMTS: Architecture and radio interface; power control; management of radio resources, mobility and security.
9. LTE: main features and performances offered by the new technology. Network and service architecture. Interfaces and protocols. LTE radio interface.
10. Towards 5G. LTE-Advance and LTE-Advance Pro. 5G Usage scenarios and requirements. QoS architecture and model. 5G New Radio. 5G RAN & 5G Core
Laboratory . The experiences in the laboratory are an integral part of the course and will be carried out at the DIEEI Technological Pole with variable frequency (depending on the progress of the program). The issues addressed are listed below.
Should the teaching be given remotely, the necessary variations with respect to the specific laboratory activities declared may be introduced.
Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
Christopher Cox | “An Introduction to 5g: The New Radio, 5g Network and Beyond” | John Wiley & Sons Ltd | 2020 | |
Christopher. Cox | “An introduction to LTE: LTE LTE-Advanced, SAE, VoLTE and 4G Mobile Communications”, 2° Edizione | John Wiley & Sons | 2021 | |
Martin Sauter, John | “From GSM to LTE‐Advanced Pro and 5G: An Introduction to Mobile Networks and Mobile Broadband”, IV Edition , | Wiley & Sons Ltd, | 2021 | |
Rajib Taid, | “Mobile Communications Systems Development: A Practical Introduction to System Understanding, Implementation, and Deployment”, | John Wiley & Sons Ltd, | 2021, | |
M. Schwartz | “Mobile Wireless Communications” | Cambridge University Press |
Subjects | Text References | |
---|---|---|
1 | Introduction and basic concepts (lectures 5h) | slides 1 Book 1 |
2 | Radio channel (lectures and exercises 6h) | Slides 2 |
3 | Radio access (lectures and exercise 6h) | Slides 3 |
4 | Mobility management and performance evaluation (lect and exerc. 6h) | Slides 4, Book 2 |
5 | Radio planning (lect and exer 10h) | Slides 5 Books 1, 2, 5 |
6 | GSM (lect and exer 8h) | Slides 6 Books 1, 5 |
7 | GPRS (lect and exer 2h) | Slides 7 |
8 | UMTS (lect and exer 5h) | Slides 8 |
9 | LTE (lect and exer 9h) | Slides 0 Books 1, 3, 5 |
10 | Towards 5G (lectures 7h) | Slides 10, Books 4,1 |
The exam to evaluate the student's preparation includes separate written and oral exam.
The written test is held on the scheduled dates of the exams.
Students who reach an evaluation of at least 15/30 in the written test are admitted to the oral test on a date to be agreed with the teacher.
Verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, should the pandemic conditions require it.
A more extensive list of possible questions and some examples of the written tests can be found on Studium, in the Teaching Documents section