Mobile Communication Systems

Course Outline
• Introduction
– Mobile communication systems issues, system
structure, safety
• Wireless communication fundamentals
– Propagation, Modulation and Coding, Frequency
reuse.
• Intersystem Operation + Mobility Management
– Location tracking and Paging, Handoff, Trunking
theory.
• Second Generation Cellular (2G) :
– GSM
 Course Outline
• 2.5G Cellular: Wireless Data Services
– GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
– EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Evolution)
• 3G Cellular:
– Structure, protocols and advance services
– UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecom.
Services)
– Cdma 2000 1x EV-DO (Evolved Data
Optimized)
• 4G LTE (long term evolution)
• Location Based Systems/Services
 Mobile vs. Wireless
• Wireless Communication System:
– Any electrical communication system that uses a
naturally occurring communication channel, such as air,
water, earth.

• Mobile wireless communication systems focus

– Communicate over the air via radio-waves
– Support some form of user mobility
 Wireless Issues
• Wireless link implications
– communications channel is the air
• poor quality: fading, shadowing, weather, etc.
• data rate and coverage vary
– regulated by governments
• frequency allocated, licensing, etc.
– limited bandwidth
• low bit rate, frequency planning and reuse, interference
– power issues
• Power levels regulated (safety issue), conserve mobile
terminal battery life
– security issues
• wireless channel is a broadcast medium!
 Mobility Issues
• Mobility Types
– User mobility : user can access network while mobile
• must handoff calls/connections in progress as user moves
• track users as they move so they can receive info/calls
– Service mobility: user’s services follow them
• Need to have authentication and services follow user
• Degree of Mobility
– Geographic range
• ranges from a house/apartment to worldwide
– Speed
• ranges from stationary to bullet train
• cordless phone vs. cell phone
• Mobility portable device
 Device Issues
• Mobile Device Issues
– Portability
• Device and accessories size and weight
– Usability
• User characteristics (size, dexterity, knowledge, etc.)
• Environment characteristics (Temperature, degree of mobility,
etc)
• Device Characteristics
– startup time
– data integrity and security
– cpu speed and memory size
– power supply
– user interface (keypad, stylus, voice, etc.)
– Functionality (standalone, network dependent)
– Connectability (always, partial, never)
Mobile devices
 Wireless Networks
– Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs)
• Cellular Networks :
– GSM, cdmaone (IS-95), UMTS, cdma2000 EVDO
• Satellite Networks:
– Iridium, Globalstar, GPS, etc.

– Wireless Metro Area Networks (WMANs)

• IEEE 802.16 WiMAX

– Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)

• IEEE 802.11, a, b, g, etc. (infrastructure, ad hoc, sensor)

– Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs)

• IEEE 802.15 (Bluetooth), IrDa, Zigbee, etc.
Wireless Networks
 Licensed vs. Unlicensed
• Licensed Spectrum
– need to buy right to use spectrum allocation in a
specific geographic location from the government
(e.g., AM/FM radio)
– Prevents interference – licensee can control signal
quality
• Unlicensed spectrum
– Anyone can operate in the spectrum (e.g. ISM
band for WLANs) but must maintain proper behavior
in spectrum (max power level and frequency
leakage, etc.)
– Can have interference problems
 Mobile Phone Systems
• Mobile phone systems
– Support communication to mobile users via wireless
radio channel
– Variety of systems and standards:
• Analog 1G : NMT, AMPS, TACS
• Digital 2G: GSM, IS-95b (cdmaone),
• 3G: UMTS, cdma 2000
– Scope of services and coverage areas growing
• SMS, MMS, laptop data, etc.
• Focus now on wireless data and location aware
services
 Trends in cellular systems

•2G (second generation) is the current generation of

mobile phones, and includes such standards as GSM,
TDMA and CDMA, which primarily transmit voice
over a circuit switched network. Data service is possible
such as SMS in GSM
•2.5G is a bridge between 2G and 3G. The term 2.5G
(“second and a half generation”) describes systems that
provide faster services than 2G, but not quite as fast or
advanced as newer 3G systems. 2.5G provides some of
the benefits of 3G (i.e. it is packet-switched) and uses
some of the existing 2G infrastructure.
• GPRS is an example of a 2.5G cellular standard.
 Trends in cellular systems

•3G is the next (third) generation of mobile

telephony that will require a different
infrastructure than 2G. It is packet-switched
(faster and more efficient) rather than circuit-
switched (slower and less efficient), and can
transmit both voice (telephone calls) and non-
voice data (such as email, video, and other
large files).
• Examples of 3G standards include
 Trends in cellular systems

• CDMA2000: CDMA2000 is an upgrade to the original

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network and is
an evolving standard with several phased
implementations. CDMA2000 1x has the capability of
using up to three separate 1.25 MHz channels for data
transmission.
• EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution): EDGE
uses the same TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)
frame structure, logic channel and 200 kHz carrier
bandwidth as today’s GSM networks, which allows
existing cell plans to remain intact. EDGE provides a
short-term upgrade path for GSM operators and
directly competes with CDMA2000.
 Migration to 3G
2.75G 3G
Multimedia
Intermediate
2.5G Multimedia

2G Packet Data

1G Digital Voice
Analog Voice
GPRS W-CDMA
GSM
EDGE (UMTS)

115 Kbps
NMT 9.6 Kbps 384 Kbps Up to 2 Mbps

GSM/
TD-SCDMA
GPRS
TDMA
(Overlay)
TACS 2 Mbps?
115 Kbps
9.6 Kbps

iDEN iDEN
9.6 Kbps PDC (Overlay)
9.6 Kbps
AMPS CDMA 1xRTT cdma2000
CDMA 1X-EV-DV

PHS
14.4 Kbps (IP-Based) 144 Kbps Over 2.4 Mbps
/ 64 Kbps
64 Kbps
PHS 2003 - 2004+
2003+
2001+
1992 - 2000+ Source: U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray
1984 - 1996+
 Future Generations
Other Tradeoffs:
Rate Rate vs. Coverage
4G Rate vs. Delay
802.11b WLAN Rate vs. Cost
3G Rate vs. Energy

2G

2G Cellular

Mobility
Fundamental Design Breakthroughs Needed
 Spectrum Regulation

• PTA regulates the spectrum allocation in

paksitan

• PTA auctions spectral blocks for set applications.

• Some spectrum set aside for universal use
• Worldwide spectrum controlled by ITU-R
 Standards
• Interacting systems require standardization
• Companies want their systems adopted as
standard
- Alternatively try for de-facto standards •
Standards determined by TIA/CTIA in US -
IEEE standards often adopted
- Process fraught with inefficiencies and conflicts
• Worldwide standards determined by ITU-T
- In Europe, ETSI is equivalent of IEEE
 Main Points

• The wireless vision encompasses many exciting systems

and applications

• Technical challenges transcend across all layers of the

system design.

• Cross-layer design emerging as a key theme in wireless.

• Existing and emerging systems provide excellent quality

for certain applications but poor interoperability.

• Standards and spectral allocation heavily impact the

evolution of wireless technology
 Future Wireless Networks

Ubiquitous Communication Among People and Devices

Wireless Internet access
Nth generation Cellular
Wireless Ad Hoc Networks
Sensor Networks
Wireless Entertainment
Smart Homes/Spaces
Automated Highways
All this and more…
•Hard Delay Constraints
•Hard Energy Constraints
 Multiplexing
• Capacity of transmission medium usually
exceeds capacity required for transmission of a
single signal
• Multiplexing - carrying multiple signals on a
single medium
– More efficient use of transmission medium
Multiplexing
 Multiple Access
• Multiple Access schemes are used to allow
many mobile users to share a finite amount of
radio spectrum.
• The sharing of spectrum is required to achieve
high capacity by simultaneous allocating the
bandwidth.
• Constraint: there should not be severe
performance degradation.
 Reasons for Widespread Use of
Multiplexing
• Cost per kbps of transmission facility declines
with an increase in the data rate
• Cost of transmission and receiving equipment
declines with increased data rate
• Most individual data communicating devices
require relatively modest data rate support
 Multiplexing Techniques
• Frequency-division multiplexing (FDM)
– Takes advantage of the fact that the useful
bandwidth of the medium exceeds the required
bandwidth of a given signal
• Time-division multiplexing (TDM)
– Takes advantage of the fact that the achievable bit
rate of the medium exceeds the required data rate
of a digital signal
Frequency-division Multiplexing
Time-division Multiplexing
 First-Generation Analog
• Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS)
– In North America, two 25-MHz bands allocated to
AMPS
• One for transmission from base to mobile unit
• One for transmission from mobile unit to base
– Each band split in two to encourage competition
– Frequency reuse exploited
Frequency Division Multiple Access

• Definition - FDMA is a multiple access

method in which users are assigned
specific frequency bands. The user has
sole right of using the frequency band
for the entire call duration. (Qualcomm, 1997)
 FDMA
• Frequency Division Multiple Access

Chan D
Frequency

Chan C

Chan B

Chan A

Time
 Differences Between First and
Second Generation Systems
• Digital traffic channels – first-generation systems are
almost purely analog; second-generation systems are
digital
• Encryption – all second generation systems provide
encryption to prevent eavesdropping
• Error detection and correction – second-generation
digital traffic allows for detection and correction,
giving clear voice reception
• Channel access – second-generation systems allow
channels to be dynamically shared by a number of
users
 Time Division Multiple Access
• Definition - TDMA is an assigned frequency
band shared among a few users. However,
each user is allowed to transmit in
predetermined time slots. Hence,
channelization of users in the same band is
achieved through separation in time.
(Qualcomm, 1997)
 TDMA

• Time Division Multiple Access

Frequency

Chan B

Chan A

Time
 Mobile Wireless TDMA Design
Considerations
• Number of logical channels (number of time slots in
TDMA frame): 8
• Maximum cell radius (R): 35 km
• Frequency: region around 900 MHz
• Maximum vehicle speed (Vm):250 km/hr
• Bandwidth: Not to exceed 200 kHz (25 kHz per
channel)
 Paging & SMS
• Evolution of Paging
– Tone Boy, early 1960’s
– Tone-Voice, late 1960’s
• Digital Pagers, 1970s
– Numeric Paging Systems
– Alpha/Numeric Paging Systems
 Paging
• Larger coverage area in each site
• Signal, Numeric, Alpha-numeric
• Marketed by coverage area.
– Features--Web messaging, modem
messaging
 Paging
• Current Applications
– Fax Forwarding
– E-Mail Forwarding
– Voice Mail Notification
– Automated Problem Notification
– Two-way Paging
 Wireless Local Loop
• Wired technologies responding to need for reliable,
high-speed access by residential, business, and
government subscribers
– ISDN, xDSL, cable modems
• Increasing interest shown in competing wireless
technologies for subscriber access
• Wireless local loop (WLL)
– Narrowband – offers a replacement for existing telephony
services
– Broadband – provides high-speed two-way voice and data
service
WLL Configuration
 Advantages of WLL over Wired
Approach
• Cost – wireless systems are less expensive due to cost
of cable installation that’s avoided
• Installation time – WLL systems can be installed in a
small fraction of the time required for a new wired
system
• Selective installation – radio units installed for
subscribers who want service at a given time
– With a wired system, cable is laid out in anticipation of
serving every subscriber in a given area
 Propagation Considerations for
WLL
• Most high-speed WLL schemes use millimeter wave
frequencies (10 GHz to about 300 GHz)
– There are wide unused frequency bands available above 25
GHz
– At these high frequencies, wide channel bandwidths can be
used, providing high data rates
– Small size transceivers and adaptive antenna arrays can be
used
 Propagation Considerations for
WLL
• Millimeter wave systems have some
undesirable propagation characteristics
– Free space loss increases with the square of the
frequency; losses are much higher in millimeter
wave range
– Above 10 GHz, attenuation effects due to rainfall
and atmospheric or gaseous absorption are large
– Multipath losses can be quite high
 Atmospheric Absorption
• Radio waves at frequencies above 10 GHz are
subject to molecular absorption
– Peak of water vapor absorption at 22 GHz
– Peak of oxygen absorption near 60 GHz
• Favorable windows for communication:
– From 28 GHz to 42 GHz
– From 75 GHz to 95 GHz
 Effect of Rain
• Attenuation due to rain
– Presence of raindrops can severely degrade the reliability
and performance of communication links
– The effect of rain depends on drop shape, drop size, rain
rate, and frequency
• Estimated attenuation due to rain:

A  aR b

• A = attenuation (dB/km)
• R = rain rate (mm/hr)
• a and b depend on drop sizes and frequency
 Effects of Vegetation
• Trees near subscriber sites can lead to multipath
fading
• Multipath effects from the tree canopy are diffraction
and scattering
• Multipath effects highly variable due to wind
 Multipoint Distribution Service
(MDS)
• Multichannel multipoint distribution service (MMDS)
– Also referred to as wireless cable
– Used mainly by residential subscribers and small
businesses
• Local multipoint distribution service (LMDS)
– Appeals to larger companies with greater bandwidth
demands
 Advantages of MMDS
• MMDS signals have larger wavelengths and
can travel farther without losing significant
power
• Equipment at lower frequencies is less
expensive
• MMDS signals don't get blocked as easily by
objects and are less susceptible to rain
absorption
 Advantages of LMDS
• Relatively high data rates
• Capable of providing video, telephony, and
data
• Relatively low cost in comparison with cable
alternatives
 802.16 Standards Development
• Use wireless links with microwave or millimeter
wave radios
• Use licensed spectrum
• Are metropolitan in scale
• Provide public network service to fee-paying
customers
• Use point-to-multipoint architecture with stationary
rooftop or tower-mounted antennas
 802.16 Standards Development
• Provide efficient transport of heterogeneous traffic
supporting quality of service (QoS)
• Use wireless links with microwave or millimeter
wave radios
• Are capable of broadband transmissions (>2 Mbps)
 IEEE 802.16.1 Services
• Digital audio/video multicast
• Digital telephony
• ATM
• Internet protocol
• Bridged LAN
• Back-haul
• Frame relay
 IEEE 802.16.3 Services
• Voice transport
• Data transport
• Bridged LAN
 LAN Extension
• Wireless LAN linked into a wired LAN on
same premises
– Wired LAN
• Backbone
• Support servers and stationary workstations
– Wireless LAN
• Stations in large open areas
• Manufacturing plants, stock exchange trading floors,
and warehouses
 Wireless LAN Applications
• LAN Extension
• Cross-building interconnect
• Nomadic Access
• Ad hoc networking
 Ad Hoc Networking
• Temporary peer-to-peer network set up to meet
immediate need
• Example:
– Group of employees with laptops convene for a
meeting; employees link computers in a temporary
network for duration of meeting
 Wireless LAN Requirements
• Throughput
• Number of nodes
• Connection to backbone LAN
• Service area
• Battery power consumption
• Transmission robustness and security
• Collocated network operation
• License-free operation
• Handoff/roaming
• Dynamic configuration
 Sensor Networks
• Specialized wireless networks to gather data from a specific system,
usually no mobility of sensor nodes
– APPLICATIONS:
Military, Environmental, Health, Home, Space Exploration,
Chemical Processing
– SENSOR TYPES:
Seismic, Low Sampling Rate Magnetic, Thermal, Visual,
Infrared, Acoustic, Radar…
– SENSOR TASKS:
Temperature, Humidity, Vehicular Movement, Lightning
Condition, Pressure, Soil Makeup, Noise Levels, Presence or
Absence of Certain Types of Objects, Mechanical Stress
Levels on Attached Objects, Current Characteristics (Speed,
Direction, Size) of an Object ….
Example Sensor Network
 Wireless Personal Area Networks
• Origins in the BodyLAN project in the early 1990s
• Networking “personal” devices – sensors, cameras,
handheld computers, audio devices, etc. with a range of
around 5 feet around a soldier
• Today: Networking digital cameras to cell phones to
PDAs to laptops to printers to etc..,
• Most popular application – handsfree headset to
cellphone
• IEEE 802.15 standard (Bluetooth)
– Use band available globally for unlicensed users
– Low powered – medium data rate ~100s kbps
Applications of WPAN