The Telecommunications Handbook

Engineering Guidelines for Fixed, Mobile and Satellite Systems

Jyrki T. J. Penttinen

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781119944881
• eBook ISBN: 9781118678886
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications
• Index: Technology & Engineering

THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK

ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR FIXED, MOBILE AND SATELLITE SYSTEMS

Taking a practical approach, The Telecommunications Handbook examines the principles and details of all the major and modern telecommunications systems currently available to industry and to end-users. It gives essential information about usage, architectures, functioning, planning, construction, measurements and optimization. The structure of the book is modular, giving both overall descriptions of the architectures and functionality of typical use cases, as well as deeper and practical guidelines for telecom professionals.

The focus of the book is on current and future networks, and the most up-to-date functionalities of each network are described in sufficient detail for deployment purposes. The contents include an introduction to each technology, its evolution path, feasibility and utilization, solution and network architecture, and technical functioning of the systems (signaling, coding, different modes for channel delivery and security of core and radio system). The planning of the core and radio networks (system-specific field test measurement guidelines, hands-on network planning advices and suggestions for parameter adjustments) and future systems are also described.

With contributions from specialists in both industry and academia, the book bridges the gap between communications in the academic context and the practical knowledge and skills needed to work in the telecommunications industry.

1
Introduction

Jyrki T. J. Penttinen

1.1 General

This chapter provides an introduction to the contents of the book. It also includes high level information about telecommunications, and instructions on how to utilize the modular structure of the chapters in an efficient way.

The main idea of the book is to combine the theoretical and practical aspects of the complete telecommunication fields, including fixed, mobile, satellite, broadcast and special systems, which is clarified in this chapter.

This Telecommunications Handbook describes principles and details of all the major and modern telecommunications systems that are relevant for the industry and to end-users, and gives useful information about usage, architectures, functioning, planning, construction, measurements and optimization. The book describes applications, equipment, radio, transport and core networks of the selected systems. The book focuses on practical descriptions and gives useful tips for the planning, setup, measurements, optimization, utilization and feasible options. In general, the book will help readers to understand the complete telecommunications field in a practical way.

The contents include the introduction of each technology, evolution path, feasibility, utilization, motivation, importance, solution, network architecture, and technical functioning of the systems. This includes signaling, coding, different modes for channel delivery and security of core and radio system as well as the planning of the core and radio networks. There are system-specific field test measurement guidelines, hands-on network planning advice and suggestions for the parameter adjustments included in several sections of the book. The book also describes the most probable future systems.

1.2 Short History of Telecommunications

1.2.1 The Beginning

The initiation of the actual telecommunications as we understand the term has a long precedence and history, from the era of fire and smoke signals in the most primitive yet functional format in order to deliver simple messages between two different physical locations. Claude Chappe was one of the pioneers who brought the optical signaling techniques to a new level by introducing a method that was based on the different positions of wooden signaling poles 1792 [1].

The finding of ways to handle electricity finally opened the new era of telecommunications as it provided the necessary means to deliver messages over long distances without the limitations of the line-of-sight that previous optical methods required. The characteristics of copper as telecommunication line conductor were well understood in the nineteenth century [2]. The most concrete application of this era was Morse code in the 1800s, which is still utilized actively by radio amateurs, or hams, all over the globe, although its importance in commercial communications has practically disappeared and it is utilized merely as a backup support in limited environments when other systems fail. Table 1.1 shows the original Morse codes that are still utilized in the ham community in addition to other transmission modes.

Table 1.1 The Morse code table

A	. -	K	-.-	U	. .-	0	- - - - -
B	-. . .	L	.-. .	V	. . .-	1	.- - - -
C	-.-.	M	- -	W	.- -	2	. .- - -
D	-. .	N	-.	X	-. .-	3	. . .- -
E	.	O	- - -	Y	-.- -	4	. . . .-
F	. .-.	P	.- - .	Z	- - . .	5	. . . . .
G	- - .	Q	- - .-	Dot	.-.-.-	6	-. . . .
H	. . . .	R	.-.	=	-. . .-	7	- - . . .
I	. .	S	. . .	Error	. . .-.	8	- - - . .
J	.- - -	T	-	End	. . .-.-	9	- - - -.

Voice services took their first steps soon after, and Alexander Graham Bell patented the fixed telephone in 1876. Regardless of official recognition, there were also other inventors like Elisha Gray brainstorming on the same topic, which was a concrete sign that people realized the importance of telecommunications.

The relevance of early experiments by radio amateurs cannot be underestimated. Radio and television broadcasting as we know it today benefited greatly from the experiments that radio amateurs carried out. After hobby-based activities, broadcasting was taken over by governments as the importance of communications started to become clear. Nevertheless, radio amateurs still continue with the experiments of the old and new transmission modes of wireless communications. The radio amateurs or “ham radio” community enjoys the amateur radio hobby in such a way that licensed participants operate communications equipment with a deep appreciation of the radio art [3]. Connections are typically confirmed via QSL card, i.e., cards for the acknowledgement of radio amateur connections, which nowadays can also have electronic form. Figure 1.1 shows an example of QSL card of radio amateurs which is used for acknowledging 2-way connections. Today, amateur radio activity is a mix of fun, public service, and convenience.

Figure 1.1 The QSL card is still utilized in amateur radio communications for confirming the connections.

Amateurs have a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the regulators' license to operate on radio frequencies in the amateur bands. As an example, FCC is responsible for radio amateur licensing in the USA. As soon as the candidate passes the exams that include radio technologies, communications procedures and regulations, the candidate is awarded a license to operate in the frequencies with the modes and technical limitations the respective class dictates. It should be noted that earlier the passing of the Morse code exam was also required for part of the classes, but it is not included in the official exam any more. Nevertheless, operating in continuous wave (CW) via Morse code is still one of the popular modes today.

The regulators, following the national and international principles, reserve the radio amateur frequency blocks for use by hams. There are various bands for the use of radio amateurs in almost all of the practically usable frequencies, beginning with the low frequency bands of 160 m (1.8 MHz band) up to the mm-bands near the li...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Titlepage
• Copyright
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• List of Contributors
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Standardization and Regulation
• 3 Telecommunications Principles
• 4 Protocols
• 5 Connectivity and Payment
• 6 Fixed Telecommunications Networks
• 7 Data Networks
• 8 Telecommunications Network Services and Applications
• 9 Transmission Networks
• 10 Modulation and Demodulation
• 11 3GPP Mobile Communications: GSM
• 12 3GPP Mobile Communications: WCDMA and HSPA
• 13 3GPP Mobile Communications: LTE/SAE and LTE-A
• 14 Wireless LAN and Evolution
• 15 Terrestrial Broadcast Networks
• 16 Satellite Systems: Communications
• 17 Satellite Systems: Location Services and Telemetry
• 18 Other and Special Networks
• 19 Security Aspects of Telecommunications: 3GPP Mobile Networks
• 20 Planning of 2G Networks
• 21 Planning of Advanced 3G Networks
• 22 Planning of Mobile TV Networks
• 23 Planning of Core Networks
• 24 EMF – Radiation Safety and Health Aspects
• 25 Deployment and Transition of Telecommunication Systems
• 26 Wireless Network Measurements
• Index
• End User License Agreement