COMM 439: Business Telecommunications

Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

COURSE INFORMATION
Course title: Business Telecommunications
Course code: COMM 439 Credits: 3
Session and term: 2023W1 Class location: HA 234
Course duration: 5th Sep. 2023 – 7th Dec. 2023 Class times: 101 Tue/Thu 8:00 – 9:30 AM
102 Tue/Thu 9:30 – 11:00 AM
Division: Accounting and Information Systems Pre-requisites: COMM 335

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor: John Dian Office location: HA 349
Phone: ------------ Office hours: by appointments
Email: john.dian@sauder.ubc.ca

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Business telecommunications is one of the fastest growing areas in industry today. The use of wired
and wireless networks has become common place. Data communications technology provides the
necessary infrastructure to support the deployment of core, mission-critical applications.

The course is intended to combine the fundamental concepts of data communications and
networking with practical applications. It begins with an introduction to the network architectures
and protocols, followed by a technical review of the networking technologies, including wired and
wireless local area networks, backbone networks, wide area networks and internet. Next, we will
examine various topics related to network management and security. The concept of Internet of
things (IoT) and its application in business solution development is also discussed in this course.
Many organizations which are exploring new opportunities for their organizations see the potential
benefit of connected products and identify building IoT solutions as part of their strategic plans.

Students will be involved in several case studies or hands-on projects which provide the opportunity
to learn and discuss the issues concerning telecommunication systems.

Finally, students will conduct research on the latest data communications technologies and
applications and examine the business opportunities arising from these technologies and
applications.

COMM 439 2023 1 September 1, 2023

 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

COURSE FORMAT
Class time will be used for a combination of lectures, discussion, cases, and solving sample problems.
Attendance is expected to accomplish the learning objectives below. Lectures and discussions will
assume that students have pre-read the corresponding chapters and worked on their assignments
and project as listed in the course schedule below.

COURSE GOALS
1. To develop an understanding of the concepts, architectures and principles of data
communications technologies and applications from business and management perspectives.
2. To gain an appreciation of the network security issues and challenges in today's global
information infrastructure.

3. To learn about Internet of things and its application in business digital transformation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
(a) compare the protocols and standards that support the data communication networks and
applications using the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) and TCP/IP models.
(b) identify the opportunities provided by new and emerging data communication technologies to
address new business challenges and enable new ways of working.
(c) conduct research to evaluate the technologies underlying data communications.
(d) assess the security and risks aspects of data communications and recommend the ways to
conduct secure business transactions over communication networks.
(e) Understand the application of IoT technology and smart/connected products in digital
transformation.

ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

Group Projects/ Presentation 20%

Quizzes 10%
Case study or hands-on assignments 20%

Midterm Examination 20%

Final Examination 30%
-----------
100%

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 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Group Projects:
There are four hands-on assignments and a final project which will be done in groups of FOUR or
FIVE. They are:
Assignment 1 Network connectivity 5%
Assignment 2 LAN network 5%
Assignment 3 Service Level Agreement (SLA) 5%
Assignment 4 Security in IP video system / SD-WAN network 5%
Project Conduct research on latest networking technologies and 20%
present your research in the class

Quizzes:
There are five in-class quizzes, each quiz is worth 2.5% of the final course grade, for a total of 10%
of the final course grade. The date for each quiz can be found in the Course Schedule below.

Class Participation:
Class attendance in lectures is required since students are responsible for all materials covered in
class.

Exams:
The mid-term exam will be held in class on Oct. 12, 2023 and will cover materials from week 1
up to and including week 5. This closed-book exam will count for 20% of the final course grade.
The final exam is cumulative and will cover all materials, including the lectures, and assignments (1-
4), This closed-book exam will count for 30% of the final course grade. It is scheduled for 2 hours.
The date and time of the exam will be determined by the UBC Scheduling Services.

LEARNING MATERIALS

Reading Materials:
The following textbook is required:
• Fundamentals of Internet of Things for students and professionals by F. John Dian, Wiley –
IEEE press, 2023, ISBN 9781119847311(REQUIRED)

The eTextbook is available from vitalsource.com at:

https://www.vitalsource.com/en-ca/products/fundamentals-of-internet-of-things-f-john-
dian-v9781119847311

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 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)
Other Learning Resources:
The course utilizes UBC Canvas, a web-based teaching and learning software, to submit assignments,
to discuss questions or issues related to the course (the discussion forum), to provide additional
teaching materials such as lecture notes, recommended and supplementary readings, review
questions, discussion notes, case studies, suggested solutions to assignments, and to allow students
to check their grades.

Technology Requirements:
To get the most out of this course, students may be asked to go online in small groups to prepare for
discussion.
iClicker Cloud may be used in some classes. Some responses may be included as a part of the
evaluation of the participation grade.

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 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

NO DISTRIBUTION OF RECORDINGS
There is no distribution of recordings of class. Classes are designed as and are intended to be in-
person. Your attendance is expected. If you are unable to attend, the policy regarding missed classes
described in this syllabus applies. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the materials you
need for missed classes. It is strongly recommended that you make arrangements at the start of the
semester for materials in case you miss class. For instance, you may wish to exchange contact
information with a classmate who can provide you with notes in the event you miss class. If you
believe you are an exceptional case that merits special consideration, please promptly reach out to
your instructor to advise them of your circumstances.

ACADEMIC CONCESSIONS

Academic Concession Policy:

The policy on academic concessions is contained in Senate Policy V-135.

COVID-19 Considerations:
All students must assess themselves daily for COVID-19 symptoms prior to coming to class. Please
stay home if you exhibit symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19. A list of COVID-19
symptoms can be found at http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-
covid-19/symptoms. Use the BC Ministry of Health’s self-assessment tool to help determine whether
further assessment or testing for COVID-19 is recommended. Full UBC COVID-19 Campus Rules can
be found at https://srs.ubc.ca/covid-19/ubc-campus-rules-guidance-documents/#COVID-
19%20Campus%20Rules.

COMM 439 2023 5 September 1, 2023

 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

Requesting Academic Concession:

If you are unable to attend class or complete assignments because you feel unwell or are facing other
circumstances that constitute valid grounds for academic concession as defined by UBC’s Academic
Concession Policy, complete the concession request webform. Concessions are time-sensitive and the
webform should be submitted within 48 hours of the missed deadline. Upon submission, an email
notice will be sent to your instructor and the UGO. You will also receive an email with further
instructions. Please read this email carefully and be sure to also refer to the relevant course syllabus
for each concession that you have requested.

COURSE-SPECIFIC POLICIES AND RESOURCES

1. No late assignments will be accepted. The exceptions are doctor’s note, prior approval by the
instructor for special circumstances (e.g. representing UBC on a one week sports competition),
or equipment failure in the PC Lab.

2. Assignments, might be done in groups of FOUR or FIVE. Students are encouraged to discuss the
assignments with each other. However, each group should complete their assignments on their
own. If the assignments are judged by the marker to be identical, a grade of zero will be
awarded to every student involved. You must plan to work extra hours on group projects.

3. Class attendance is Mandatory.

4. Quizzes and exams will be closed book . Examinations are based on the specified readings in
the textbook, the supplementary readings posted on UBC Canvas, and the contents covered in
the lectures and assignments.

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS

Centre for Accessibility:

The Centre for Accessibility (CfA) facilitates disability-related accommodations and programming

initiatives designed to remove barriers for students with disabilities and ongoing medical conditions.
If you are registered with the CfA and are eligible for exam accommodations, it is your responsibility
to book your exam writing with the CFA using its exam reservation system: for midterm exams or
quizzes, at least 7 days in advance; and final exams, 7 days before the start of the formal exam period.

COMM 439 2023 6 September 1, 2023

 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

POLICIES APPLICABLE TO UBC SAUDER UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

At UBC Sauder, professional behaviour aligns with the school’s guiding values – rigour, respect and
responsibility – and is upheld in the UBC Sauder BCom Statement of Professionalism and Code of
Conduct.

Respectfulness in the classroom:

Students are expected to be respectful of their colleagues at all times, including faculty, staff and
peers. This means being attentive and conscious of words and actions and their impact on others,
listening to people with an open mind, treating all UBC Sauder community members equally and
understanding diversity. Students who act disrespectfully toward others will be asked to leave the
class and be marked as absent for the day. They may also be removed from a team, lose credit for in-
class assessments and activities, or be asked to complete a group assignment individually.

Respect for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion:

The UBC Sauder School of Business strives to promote an intellectual community that is enhanced by
diversity along various dimensions including status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous
person, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, social class,
and/or disability. It is critical that students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives be valued in
and well-served by their courses. Furthermore, the diversity that students bring to the classroom
should be viewed as a resource, benefit, and source of strength for your learning experience. It is
expected that all students and members of our community conduct themselves with empathy and
respect for others.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND RESOURCES

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes
that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for
survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the
academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of
academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for
religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the
ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details
of the policies and how to access support are available on the UBC Senate website at
https://senate.ubc.ca/policies-resources-support-student-success.

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 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

Academic Integrity:
The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise,
all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the university policies and codes of
conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original
work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to
others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your
work; nor should you help others to do the same. For example, it is prohibited to: share your past
assignments and answers with other students; work with other students on an assignment when an
instructor has not expressly given permission; or spread information through word of mouth, social
media, or other channels that subverts the fair evaluation of a class exercise, or assessment.
Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise,
and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences
of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious
consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student
Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.

COPYRIGHT

All materials of this course (course handouts, lecture slides, assessments, course readings, etc.) are
the intellectual property of the instructor or licensed to be used in this course by the copyright owner.
Redistribution of these materials by any means without permission of the copyright holder(s)
constitutes a breach of copyright and may lead to academic discipline and could be subject to legal
action. Any lecture recordings are for the sole use of the instructor and students enrolled in the class.
In no case may the lecture recording or part of the recording be used by students for any other
purpose, either personal or commercial. Further, audio or video recording of classes are not
permitted without the prior consent of the instructor.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

UBC’s Point Grey Campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the
xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam) people, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and
traditions from one generation to the next on this site.

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 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)

COURSE SCHEDULE
Draft version (Subject to change with class consultation)

Week Date Topics Readings Assessments

due

WEEK 1 Sep 5 Orientation (No class)

Sep 7 Course Overview Required book, Ch. 1.1

Introduction to Data
Communications

WEEK 2 Sep 12 Introduction to Network Architecture Required book, Ch. 1.2

(OSI model)

Sep 14 Introduction to Network Architecture Required book, Ch. 1.3 Final Project
(Header encapsulation) (group
assignment)
Project Briefing: Final Project due
Requirements

WEEK 3 Sep 19 Data Link Layer (Ethernet) Required book, Ch. 1.4

Sep 21 Data Link Layer (cont’d) Required book, Ch. 1.4 Quiz 1
Refer to the recommended
readings posted on UBC
Canvas. ((CSMA.pdf,
CRC.pdf)

WEEK 4 Sep 26 Local area networks and Refer to the recommended

readings posted on UBC
Windows server Canvas (ADDS.pdf)

Sep 28 Network and Transport Layers Required book, Ch. 1.5

WEEK 5 Oct 3 Network and Transport Layers Required book, Ch. 1.6, 1.7 Assignment #1
(cont’d) due

Oct 5 Internetworking devices, VLAN Required book, Ch. 1.8

COMM 439 2023 9 September 1, 2023

 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)
WEEK 6 Oct 10 QoS and Backbone network Required book, Ch. 1.9 Quiz 2
Refer to the recommended
readings posted on UBC
Canvas.

Oct 12 Wide Area Networks and the Refer to the recommended Final Project
Internet readings posted on UBC proposal due
Canvas. (Routing.pdf,
WAN1.pdf, WAN2.pdf,
multicating.pdf)

COURSE SCHEDULE (CONT’D)

(Subject to change with class consultation)

Week Date Topics Readings Assessments

due

WEEK 7 Oct 17 Wide Area Networks and the Refer to the recommended Assignment #2
Internet (cont’d) readings posted on UBC due
Canvas. (Routing.pdf,
WAN1.pdf, WAN2.pdf,
multicating.pdf)

Oct 19 Wide Area Networks and the Refer to the recommended

Internet (cont’d) readings posted on UBC
Canvas. (Routing.pdf,
WAN1.pdf, WAN2.pdf,
multicating.pdf)

WEEK 8 Oct 24 Mid Term Exam (to be held in class)

Oct 26 Fundamentals of IoT for digital Required book, Ch. 2

transformation

WEEK 9 Oct 31
IoT use cases and network Required book, Ch. 2

Nov 2 IoT model Required book, Ch. 3 Assignment #3

due

WEEK 10 Nov 7 Data centers and Clouds Required book, Ch. 3 Quiz 3

Nov 9 Network Security

Required book, Ch. 12

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 COMM 439: Business Telecommunications
Course Outline for 2023 Fall Session Term 1 (Sep – Dec 2023)
Nov 14 Reading week (No class) Midterm break

Nov 16 Network Security (cont’d) Required book, Ch. 12

WEEK 11

WEEK 12 Nov 21 Network Security (cont’d) Required book, Ch. 12 Quiz 4

Nov 23 IoT solution Development Required book, Ch. 13 Assignment #4

due

WEEK 13 Nov 28 IoT solution Development Required book, Ch. 13

Nov 30 Project Presentations Final project

presentation

WEEK 14 Dec 5 Project Presentations Final project

presentation

Dec 7 Project Presentations Final project

presentation
Peer Evaluation
due

WEEK 15 Final Exam - Details to be announced.

- end of document -

COMM 439 2023 11 September 1, 2023