Lec 1 ELG4179

ELG4179: Wireless Communication Fundamentals © S.
Loyka
ELG4179: Wireless Communication

Fundamentals (in-person)
Instructor: Dr. Sergey Loyka (CBY A608)

Course web page: http://www.site.uottawa.ca/~sloyka/ (most of
the course material, including lecture slides, assignments, marks
will be posted there; download everything - do not assume it will
be available online forever – network outages do occur).
Lectures: Monday 13:00-14:20, Wednesday 11:30-12:50, MNO
E217. 1st Lecture: Wed. Sep. 7, 11:30-12:50.
Tutorial: begins on Sep. 14, Wed. 17:30 – 18:50, HGN 302. No
tutorials first week.
Labs: begin on Sep. 20, Tue. 19:00-21:50, CBY B02.
Office hours: You are encouraged to ask questions during
lectures (additionally, time will be allocated at the end of each
lecture).
Teaching assistant(s): TBD
Assignments: about 6.
Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 1(39)

ELG4179: Wireless Communication Fundamentals © S.Loyka
Marking scheme:
Assignments +quizzes 10%
Labs 10%
Midterm Examination 20%
Final Examination 60%
Lots of bonus points to everybody who takes active part in
the course!
Midterm exam: Wed. Oct. 19, 11:30-12:50, regular lecture

time/place. Includes everything covered in the class before the
midterm; closed book; 1 letter-sized page of reference material is
allowed.
Final Exam: to be scheduled by the University. Includes
everything covered in the class (including labs and tutorials), not
just after midterm; closed book; 2 letter-sized pages of reference
material are allowed. It is for evaluation purposes only and will
not be returned to the students.
Exam marks are determined by academic performance only, not
by bargaining abilities, and will not be negotiated
Everybody must do the exams individually, no group
work/collaboration/consultation is allowed. The regular
plagiarism policy applies and will be enforced (see below).

Important Notes:
• All the course components (lectures, tutorials, labs,
assignments) are mandatory. Miss at your own risk.
Attendance is also mandatory.
• If you do not finish any of the lab experiments, you will
receive the incomplete grade for this course.
• Marking scheme is final and will not be changed/negotiated.
• Marks are determined by academic performance only (not by
bargaining abilities).
• Marks will not be negotiated.
• All questions are to be answered during the semester (no
guarantee afterwards).
Absence: valid if medical certificate (from the University

medical authority)
Pre-requisites:
ELG3175. Basic knowledge of communication systems
ELG3126. Probability theory.
ELG4176 is highly desirable (but not required).

Plagiarism: copying solutions to assignments, quizzes, exams

and lab reports from anywhere is a serious academic fraud that
carries a significant penalty. Plagiarism is absolutely not
acceptable.
While working in groups on assignments is not a plagiarism,
submitting identical or nearly identical solutions is and will be
severely penalized. Every student is expected to submit his own
individual solutions.
If two (or more) identical or almost identical sets of solutions are
found, each student involved receives 0 (zero) for that particular
assignment. If this happens twice, the students involved receive
0 (zero) for the entire assignment component of the course in the
marking scheme and the case will be send to the Dean’s office
for further investigation.
From the past experience, the students who copy

assignments/labs, do poorly in exams.

Required textbook:
T.S. Rappaport, Wireless Communications: Principles and
Practice, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2002. (2nd Edition)
(available at amazon.com(ca)).
Additional texts:
• B.A. Black et al, Introduction to Wireless Systems, Prentice
Hall, Boston, 2008.
• J.W. Mark, W. Zhuang, Wireless Communications and
Networking, Prentice Hall, 2003.
• T.S. Rappaport et al, Millimeter Wave Wireless
Communications, Prentice Hall, 2015.
The following 3 books are mostly undergraduate
communications textbooks:
• L.W. Couch II, Digital and Analog Communication Systems,
Prentice Hall, 2007.
• J.G. Proakis, M.Salehi, Fundamentals of Communication
Systems, Prentice Hall, 2005.
• J.M. Wozencraft, I.M. Jacobs, Principles of communication
engineering, Wiley: New York, 1965.
The following 3 books are mostly graduate-level textbooks:
• A. Molish, Wireless Communications, Wiley, 2011.
• G.L. Stuber, Principles of Mobile Communications, Kluwer,
Boston, 2011.
• D. Tse, P. Viswanath, Fundamentals of Wireless
Communications, Cambridge, 2005.

The following 3 books deal with simulation issues:

• M.C. Jeruchim et al, Simulation of Communication Systems:
Modeling, Methodology, and Techniques, Kluwer, New York,
2000.
• J.G. Proakis et al, Contemporary Communication Systems
Using MATLAB and Simulink, Thomson & Books/Cole,
2004.
• W.H. Tranter et al., Principles of Communication Systems
Simulation, Prentice Hall, 2004.
Practical Systems (cellular):

• E. Dahlman et al, 5G NR: The Next Generation Wireless
Access Technology, Academic Press, 2020.
• A. Ghosh et al, Fundamentals of LTE, Prentice Hall, 2011.
Math handbooks (to refresh your math skills):

• G.A. Korn, T.M. Korn, Mathematical Handbook for
Scientists and Engineers, Dover, 2000.
• I.N. Bronshtein et al, Handbook of Mathematics, Springer,
2004.
• E. Zeidler, Oxford User’s Guide to Mathematics, Oxford
University Press, 2004.
If you need some physics:

W. Benenson et al (Ed.), Handbook of Physics, Springer,
2002.

Purpose of the course: to introduce basic principles and

techniques of modern wireless communication systems.
Contents (tentative):
• Introduction. Brief overview. Historical perspective. Modern
systems.
• Link budget analysis and wireless (radio) propagation
channel. Impact of antennas.
• Free space propagation. Two-ray model. Path loss exponent.
Okumura-Hata & other empirical models. Diffraction and
Fresnel zones. 3 main factors & propagation mechanisms.
• Large-scale fading (shadowing), lognormal distribution.
Small-scale (multipath) fading, Rayleigh/Rice distributions.
Outage probability.
• Doppler effect & spread, coherence time. Delay spread and
coherence bandwidth, power delay profile.
• Digital modulation techniques for wireless systems.
Performance analysis. Impact of fading. Error floors.
Information-theoretic limits & designs of modern systems.
• Diversity techniques. Combining methods. Performance
improvement.
• Interference cancellation/management. Smart antennas and
MIMO systems.
• Multi-user systems and multiple access methods. Orthogonal
(FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, SDMA) and random (ALOHA,
CSMA).
• The cellular concept. Frequency re-use and spectral
efficiency. System design fundamentals.

How to Study: Learning Efficiency Pyramid
“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve

me and I’ll understand.” – old Chinese proverb.
Another version: “I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I
understand”.

How to Study
“Education is the accumulation of understanding, not just an

accumulation of facts” [D. Pozar]
• Learning efficiency pyramid is a good guideline

• Reading is necessary, but taken alone is not efficient
• Solving problems (“practice by doing”)
- is much more efficient
- examples, assignments, end-of-chapter problems
- “Remember that very little is gained by reading the solution
to a problem before seriously attempting to solve it.” W.
Briggs, Ants, Bikes and Clocks: Problem Solving for
Undergraduates, 2005.
• Group discussions
- help provided you contribute something
• Systematic study during the semester
- is a key to a success.
- do not leave everything to the last day/night before
exams!
- 1 class hour = 1 hour of individual studies
• Lectures
- should be supplemented by the items above
- take notes in the class!

Block Diagram of a Communication System
source Tx channel Rx destination
• Source – a source of information (e.g. voice, data file, YouTube

video)
• Tx – a transmitter
• Channel – a path (link) from the Tx to the Rx (e.g. cable, wireless
medium, etc.)
• Rx – a receiver
• Destination – a place where the information has to be delivered

Transmitter (Tx)
source channel
modulator PA A
coder coder
LO
• 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
• Modulator – modulates the carrier 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

Receiver (Rx)
channel
A LNA mixer IFA Demod.
decoder
LO source
decoder
• Source decoder – decodes the source-encoded message

• Channel decoder – decodes the channel code
• Local oscillator (LO) – generates the carrier
• Mixer – down-converts the RF signal to IF frequencies
• IF amplifier (IFA): amplifies the IF signal significantly (up to 106) and rejects
adjacent channel signals and interference (frequency selectivity). Its bandwidth is the
same as the signal bandwidth.
• Demodulator: demodulates the modulated signal
• 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

Introduction To Wireless
Various terms: “wireless”, “mobile”, “portable”, “radio”,
“personal” communications (additionally: “digital”). Major
differences and similarities.
There are few essential principles that make mobile/wireless
communications special.
Differences between: “mobile” and “fixed wireless/radio”;
“wireless” and “wired” etc.
Examples
• WiFi (wireless Internet access, WLAN)
• Cell/cordless phones
• Remote control
• Bluetooth
• Radio/TV broadcast (incl. satellite)
• Navigation (GPS, radar)
Historical Perspective
• 1844: invention of telegraph by Morse
• 1876: invention of telephone by Bell
• 1895/96: invention of radio by Popov/Marconi
• early 1900s: 1st use of radio
• 1900: 1st transatlantic transmission by Marconi
• 1933: invention of FM by Amstrong
• 1936: 1st TV broadcast by BBC
• 1947: transistor is invented in Bell lab

• 1948: Shannon discovers information theory

• 1957: Sputnik is launched by USSR
• 1973: 1st cell phone call (by Martin Cooper of Motorola to
his rival at AT&T; the phone weighted 1kg and cost
approximately $4000)
• 1981: IBM PC is introduced.
• 1990s: launch of Internet.
• 2000s: launch of WiFi
• 2007: launch of iPhone
• 2010: launch of iPad
• 1998-2008: Google, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Cellular Systems (cell phones)
Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first publicized

handheld mobile phone call on a prototype
DynaTAC model on April 4, 1973. This is a
reenactment in 2007.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone)

Cell Phones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone
1st com. cell

phone, 1984 Cell phone evolution…
…and today…

Cellular System: 1 to 5G (generations)
E. Dahlman et al, 5G NR: The Next Generation Wireless Access Technology, Academic Press, 2020.


Some time ago (when the course textbook was published)
T.S. Rappaport, Wireless Communications, Prentice Hall, 2002
and now…[billions]..
Cisco Annual Internet Report, 2018–2023

Ericsson Mobility Report, June 2021.

Global mobile devices [billions]
Cisco Annual Internet Report, 2018–2023

Global IP Traffic [Exabytes per Month]
By 2022, 71% of total IP traffic will be wireless (cellular + WiFi)
Cisco VNI Global IP Traffic Forecast, 2017–2022


Cellular System Standards
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, no additional services.
2nd generation (2G): Various systems
Europe: GSM (TDMA, low-rate data services (up to 9.6
kb/s), deployed in 1992), uses GMSK; 800-900MHz,
∆f = 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, ∆f = 30KHz, 4 users/channel), and PN-CDMA for IS-
95, adopted and deployed in 1990-1992 ( ∆f = 1.25MHz, 64
users, 800/900MHz, 1900/ 1900MHz BPSK)
Japan: PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) similar to IS-54/136.
Important—MS antenna diversity is possible.
All of them support up to 9.6kb/s data.
• 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.
o IS-95B for 2.5G CDMA: medium data rate, up to
115.2kb/s (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: 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
5G systems:
• latest generation on the market (but not everywhere and not
fully operational)
• still under development
• significant improvement over 4G (when fully operational)
6G systems:
• “beyond” 5G: extensive research activities

4G systems:
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
bandwidth.
Rates: see below.
3GPP Long Term Evolution: System Overview, Product Development, and Test
Challenges. Application Note, Agilent.
Note: MIMO = multiple-input multiple-output, or multi-antenna system.

SISO = single-input single-output, or single-antenna system.

5G Systems (still under development)
• 5G: the latest wireless system standard (cellular),

already on the market1
• Still under development
• Significant improvement over 4G (current)
o significantly higher data rates (peak: 10 Gb/s, cell edge
100 Mb/s, almost everywhere 10Mb/s)
o better QoS (latency < 1ms, high reliability)
o more services
• Several key new technologies:
Millimeter waves
Hybrid networks, small cells, aggressive frequency re-use
Massive MIMO (multi-antenna)2
1
J. G. Andrews et al, What Will 5G Be?, IEEE JSAC, vol. 32, no. 6, Jun. 2014.
* M. Shafi et al, 5G: A Tutorial Overview of Standards, Trials, Challenges, Deployment,
and Practice, IEEE JSAC, Part I & II, v. 35, N.6 & 7, Jun. & Aug. 2017.
* E. Dahlman et al, 5G NR: The Next Generation Wireless Access Technology,
Academic Press, 2020.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5G
2
Special Issue on Large-Scale Multiple Antenna Wireless Systems, IEEE JSAC, vol.
31, no. 2, Feb. 2013.
* E. G. Larsson et al, Massive MIMO for Next Generation Wireless Systems, IEEE
Communications Magazine, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 186-195, Feb. 2014.

6G Systems
• extensive research activities 3

• not developed/implemented yet
• many uncertainties
• significant improvement over 5G (predicted)
• new application areas (predicted)
• new technologies (predicted)
3
W. Jiang et al, The Road Towards 6G: A Comprehensive Survey, IEEE Open Journal of the
Communications Society, Feb. 2021.
* H. Viswanathan, P.E. Mogensen, Communications in the 6G Era. IEEE Access, Mar. 2020.
* W. Saad et al, A Vision of 6G Wireless Systems: Applications, Trends, Technologies, and
Open Research Problems, IEEE Network, Oct. 2019.
* Z. Zhang et al, 6G Wireless Networks: Vision, Requirements, Architecture, and Key
Technologies, IEEE Veh. Tech. Magazine, July 2019.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6G_(network)

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) – WiFi

IEEE 802.11.a(b,g,n); 2.4/5 GHz
Popular WiFi Equipment

Popular WiFi (WLAN) Equipment

• BLUETOOTH/IEEE 802.15: ad-hoc networking within

10 meter range, 2.4GHz, up to 1Mb/s
• IMT-2000: family of standard approved by ITU.
Personal Area Network – Bluetooth Standard

Leon W. Couch II, Digital and Analog Communication Systems, Eighth Edition, Pearson Education, 2013.

IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi (WLAN) standard
802.11n Primer, Whitepaper, AirMagnet, August 05, 2008.

(n+1)G systems:
3G system rate=10*(2G rate)
4G rate=10*(3G rate).
Compatible with Internet (IP, Mobile IP, QoS).
M. Shafi et al, Wireless Communications in the 21st Century, IEEE & Wiley, 2002.

A View of the Wireless World
P. Demestichas et al, 5G on the Horizon, IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Sep. 2013.

Wireless Networks of 21st Century
M. Shafi et al, Wireless Communications in the 21st Century, IEEE & Wiley, 2002.

Cellular system
Major system components:
1) Mobile station (MS), or subscriber unit (SU), or mobile
unit (MU) e.g. a cell phone.
2) Base station (BS) (cellular operator equipment, with an
antenna typically installed on a rooftop).
3) Mobile switching center (MSC) or mobile telephone
switching office (MTSO) (controls multiple base stations).

Basic terminology
Cell: an area covered by a single base station.
Control channel: channel used for call request, initiation, setup
etc….
Forward channel/link (downlink): a link from BS to MS.
Reverse channel/link (uplink): a link from MS to BS.
Simplex system: one-way communication system.
Half-duplex system: two-way communication, but not at the
same time.
Full-duplex system: two-way communication at the same
time.
Mobile station (unit): is carried by a user.
Base station: installed at the cell center, collects calls from all
MSs in the cell.
Mobile switching center: all BSs in a given region are
connected to it. It coordinates all the BSs (hand-off) and
directs calls to PSTN.
Hand-off: transferring a MS from one BS to another.
Roamer(ing): MS operates in a service area other than from
where it was subscribed.
Transceiver: transmitter (Tx) + receiver (Rx)
FDD/TDD: frequency/time division duplex

Summary
• Examples of wireless communication systems
• Historical background
• 1G, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G and 5G systems.
• Different standards. Examples.
• Cellular systems. Basic terminology.
Reading/References
o Rappaport, Ch. 1-3.
o Your ELG3175/ELG4176 textbook
o Other books (see the reference list).
Note: Do not forget to do end-of-chapter problems. Remember

the learning efficiency pyramid!

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ELG4179: Wireless Communication Fundamentals © S.

ELG4179: Wireless Communication

Instructor: Dr. Sergey Loyka (CBY A608)

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 1(39)

Midterm exam: Wed. Oct. 19, 11:30-12:50, regular lecture

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 2(39)

Absence: valid if medical certificate (from the University

ELG4176 is highly desirable (but not required).

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 3(39)

Plagiarism: copying solutions to assignments, quizzes, exams

From the past experience, the students who copy

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 4(39)

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 5(39)

The following 3 books deal with simulation issues:

Practical Systems (cellular):

Math handbooks (to refresh your math skills):

If you need some physics:

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 6(39)

Purpose of the course: to introduce basic principles and

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 7(39)

How to Study: Learning Efficiency Pyramid

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 8(39)

“Education is the accumulation of understanding, not just an

• Learning efficiency pyramid is a good guideline

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 9(39)

Block Diagram of a Communication System

source Tx channel Rx destination

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

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 10(39)

• Source coder – encodes the message to remove redundancy

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 11(39)

• Source decoder – decodes the source-encoded message

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 12(39)

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 13(39)

• 1948: Shannon discovers information theory

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 14(39)

Cellular Systems (cell phones)

Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first publicized

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 15(39)

1st com. cell

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 16(39)

Cellular System: 1 to 5G (generations)

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 17(39)

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 18(39)

Some time ago (when the course textbook was published)

T.S. Rappaport, Wireless Communications, Prentice Hall, 2002

Cisco Annual Internet Report, 2018–2023

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 19(39)

Ericsson Mobility Report, June 2021.

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 20(39)

Global mobile devices [billions]

Cisco Annual Internet Report, 2018–2023

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 21(39)

Global IP Traffic [Exabytes per Month]

By 2022, 71% of total IP traffic will be wireless (cellular + WiFi)

Cisco VNI Global IP Traffic Forecast, 2017–2022

Lecture 1 5-Sep-22 22(39)