Computer and Network Administration
Cellular/Mobile Wireless 1
This course provides an overview of mobile wireless standards and technologies. The first section focuses on the fundamentals of basic communications systems and then covers the topic of radio communications. One of the most important lessons from this section deals with the scarcity of RF spectrum and what is being accomplished to expand available capacity. The second part of the course provides explanations and illustrations of multiple access techniques that have been deployed in various generations of mobile cellular technologies. Additionally, aspects of the Radio Access Network (RAN) are defined, such as duplexing methods and how mobile networks inter-connect with fixed networks. The third section provides an in-depth look at early generation cellular standards all the way toward 5th Generation (5G) cellular. The fourth section of the course concentrates on 2nd Generation (2G) cellular standards. The first of these standards covered is GSM, originally pan European standard, which became overwhelmingly popular worldwide. This is followed by the fifth and final section of this course on the development of the packet-switched mobile standards development of GPRS, followed by EDGE. This part concludes with an overview on the US-based standard known as ANSI-95 or by cdmaOne.
Prerequisites
This course is designed to introduce mobile wireless technologies and standards, therefore it is not imperative that the attendee has previous exposure to wireless technologies or mobile cellular standards. However, before attending this class, students should have a basic understanding of circuit switching used in the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and packet switching used in data networks. The Global Communications I and II courses provide a sufficient foundation to satisfy the recommended prerequisites.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- List the attributes of a basic communications system
- Define the fundamentals of radio signals and how they propagate in cellular networks
- Differentiate between the different multiple access methods used in mobile cellular standards
- Analyze the attachment and different connection states defined in cellular radio functionality
- Describe the technologies, functions and services involved with 2G GSM networks
- Identify the various components that are incorporated into a 2.5 G GPRS network
- Establish the fundamental differences between the ANSI-95/cdmaOne and GSM/TDMA air interfaces
- Define the key requirements in the ITU-R’s IMT-2000 specifications for 3G mobile cellular
- List the members of the 3GPP that created the UMTS standard in response to IMT-2000
- List the members of the 3GPP2 that created the CDMA2000 standard in response to IMT-2000
- Define the key requirements in the ITU-R’s IMT-Advanced specifications for 4G mobile cellular
- Name the components of the pre-4G mobile wireless standards (LTE & IEEE Voice and Data Services in 3G/4G Networks
- 3.5G and 4G Technologies and Networks
- Prepare a list of features that define the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) 4G standard
- Define the characteristics of 5G networks
- List the thee primary use cases that have been identified for 5G networks
1. Fundamentals of Communications Systems and Mobile Wireless
a. Fundamentals of Communications Systems
i. Components of a Basic Communication System
ii. Transmission Noise in Communications Systems
iii. Overview: Fixed-Line Telephone Service
b. Fundamentals of Radio Communications
i. Basic Radio Communications System
ii. Electromagnetic Spectrum
iii. Radio Frequency Spectrum – A Finite Resource
iv. The Role of Regulatory Authorities with Licensed Frequency Spectrum
v. ITU Radiocommunications Sector (ITU-R)
vi. World Radio Conferences (WRCs)
vii. Mobile Network Operators: The Need for Wireless Spectrum
viii. Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) Frequency Bands
ix. Three Key ISM Frequency Bands for Unlicensed Spectrum
2. Introduction to Mobile Communications: Overview of Cellular Networks
a. Defining Multiple Access
b. Multiple Access Methods
i. Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)
ii. Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
iii. Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
iv. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)
c. Defining a Cell within a Mobile Cellular Network
d. Cellular Coverage Areas
e. Radio Access Network (RAN) Defined
f. Frequency Reuse in Cellular Networks
g. Commonly Used Cellular Reuse Structures
h. Cell Planning Exercise: Construct a 4-Cell & 3-Cell Pattern Network
i. Mobile States and Mobility Management using Handovers (Handoffs)
j. Mobile Communications: Full-Duplex Radio Link
k. Frequency Division Duplex (FDD): Full-Duplex Transmission
l. Time Division Duplex (TDD): Full-Duplex
m. The Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)
n. Two Core Networks of the PLMN
3. Generations of Mobile Cellular Wireless Network Standards
a. Overview of the Characteristics of Mobile Cellular Generations: 1G to 4G
b. Intro to 2nd Generation (2G) Mobile Network Standards:
i. Intro to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA): Visual Example
ii. CDMA: How It Works
iii. Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)
iv. FDMA/TDMA used for GSM Air Interface
c. 2.5G: General Packet Radio Service (GPRS): Cellular Packet Data
d. 2.75G: Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE): Faster Packet Data
e. International Telecommunications Union – Radiocommunications (ITU-R) Recommendations: IMT-2000, IMT-Advanced and IMT-2020
f. 3rd Generation (3G) Mobile Networks:
i. Vision for 3G Networks: Integration of Digital CS Voice and CS Data
ii. ITU-R 3G Standards – IMT – 2000
iii. 3rd Generation Partnership Project
iv. 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2
v. Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS): 3GPP Rel. 99 and Rel. 4
vi. UMTS Air Interfaces
vii. 3G: Evolution of CDMA2000/EV-DO Standards
g. 3.5G High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)
h. 3.75: High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+)
i. Rel. 8: Long Term Evolution (LTE) – Pre-4G
j. 4th Generation (4G) Mobile Networks and Technologies:
i. International Mobile Telecommunications – Advanced
ii. Application Convergence to an All Packet Switched Network
iii. Integration of Voice, Data and Video Services Platform
iv. Two-Way High-Speed Capacity – Support for Cloud-Based Services
k. 4.5 Generation (4.5G) Mobile Networks:
i. Improved Support for Better Cellular/WiFi Integration
ii. Provides Framework for Carrier Network Virtualization
iii. License Assisted Access (LAA)
l. 5th Generation (5G) Mobile Networks:
i. ITU-R’s International Mobile Telecom 2020 (IMT-2020) Defined
ii. Progression of IMT-2020 Recommendations and Standards
iii. Use Cases for IMT-2020
iv. Enhancing Key Capabilities: From IMT-Advanced to IMT-2020
v. Importance of Key Capabilities in different Usage Scenarios
vi. Allocating Additional Spectrum Resources as Supply of Conventional Frequency Bands are Exhausted
vii. 5G Requirements
viii. Initial 5G New Radio (NR) Specifications
ix. 5G System (5GS) Service Based Architecture (SBA)
4. 2G Mobile Cellular: Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communications
a. Part A: GSM System Architecture
i. Backhaul and Core Connections between the PLMN & PSTN
ii. Traditional Mobile Wireless Backhaul: Copper-Based Circuits & Microwave
b. Part B: GSM Platform: Mobile Station (MS) & Related Standards
i. Types and Sizes of Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs)
ii. Information Stored on Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs)
iii. Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI)
iv. GSM Global Identifiers: Four Parameters
v. International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
vi. Mobile Subscriber Dialed Number (MSISDN)
c. Part C: Base Station Subsystem (BSS): Nodes & Interfaces
i. Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
ii. Radio Access Technique for GSM: FDMA/TDMA
iii. GSM Air Interface: Time Slot Offset
iv. Base Station Controller (BSC)
d. Part D: Network & Switching Subsystem (NSS): Nodes, Interfaces
i. Mobile Switching Center (MSC)
ii. Home Location Register (HLR)
iii. Visitor Location Register (VLR)
iv. Overview of GSM Signaling
v. Authentication Center (AuC): Functionality
vi. Generating Authentication Vectors
vii. Authentication Center (AuC): Authentication Procedure
viii. Equipment Identity Register (EIR)
e. Part E: GSM Air Interface Channels and Mobile Services
i. GSM Logical Channels
ii. Network Registration of a Mobile Station
iii. GSM Location Update
iv. Example: How a BSC Manages Two Types of Handovers
v. Signal Processing in GSM: Transmission and Decoding
vi. Encryption Links: CS versus PS Network Connections
vii. Voice Encryption over the GSM Air Interface: A5x Algorithm
5. Intro to Cellular Data: 2.5G General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
a. Packet Architecture and Services offered with GPRS
i. Introduction to Packet-Switched Data Service
ii. Example of Packet-Switched (PS) Network Connections
iii. Protocol Stacks for GSM/GPRS Defined
b. GPRS Architectural Diagram with Interconnected Networks
i. Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) and Backbone Network
ii. Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)
iii. Packet Control Unit (PCU)
c. GPRS Mobile Station Classifications
d. Channel Coding in GPRS
Is there a discount available for current students?
UMBC students and alumni, as well as students who have previously taken a public training course with UMBC Training Centers are eligible for a 10% discount, capped at $250. Please provide a copy of your UMBC student ID or an unofficial transcript or the name of the UMBC Training Centers course you have completed. Online courses are excluded from this offer.
What is the cancellation and refund policy?
Student will receive a refund of paid registration fees only if UMBC Training Centers receives a notice of cancellation at least 10 business days prior to the class start date for classes or the exam date for exams.