Understanding Wireless Technology

Why Wireless?

• Predominantly radio transmission is utilized, necessitating the development of new data transmission protocols.
• Spatial flexibility facilitates radio reception across various ranges.
• Ad hoc networks can be established without prior planning.
• Wiring issues become obsolete in historical buildings, resolving fire protection and aesthetic concerns.
• Robust against disasters such as earthquakes and fires, and resilient to careless users who might remove connectors.
• Transmission rates can be low when there are higher numbers of users
• Standards are often restricted when proprietary, more powerful approaches are used
• National and global regulations are gradually evolving
• Frequency range is restricted, with interferences occurring on frequencies
• The last 10-20 years have seen a wireless revolution

The Wireless Revolution

• Cellular is the fastest-growing communication sector, experiencing exponential growth since 1982, with over 2 billion users worldwide
• There are three generations of wireless technology: 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G
• First Generation (1G) employs analog 25 or 30 KHz FM, primarily for voice and mostly for vehicular communication
• Second Generation (2G) uses narrowband TDMA and CDMA for voice and low bit-rate data in portable units.
• 2.5G enhanced data transmission capabilities
• Third Generation (3G) offers wideband TDMA and CDMA for voice and high bit-rate data in portable units
• Fourth Generation (4G) is in progress and aims for true broadband wireless using technologies like WIMAX and 802.11 a/b/g/n

Wireless Communication Opportunity

• Wireless mobile services expanded from 11 million subscribers worldwide in 1990 to over 2 billion in 2005 and 4 billion in 2008
• In the same period, the Internet evolved from an academic tool to about 1 billion users.
• Broadband internet access is experiencing rapid growth as well

Wireless - Understanding the Big Picture

• Wireless (vs. wired) is a medium of communication
• Cellular (vs. meshed vs MANETs) dictates architectures designed for coverage, capacity, QoS, mobility, auto-configuration, and infrastructure support
• Mobile (vs. fixed vs. portable) has implications for devices, distinguishing between phone, PSP, PDA, laptop, and ultramobile uses
• WAN (vs WLAN vs WMAN) defines network scope, coverage, and mobility
• Market segments include home networks, SOHO, SME, enterprise, hotspots, WISPs, and cellular
• Key technologies, standards, and marketing alliances in wireless communication are: 802.11, UWB, Bluetooth, Zigbee, 3G, GSM, CDMA, OFDM, MIMO, and Wimax

Mobile Computing/Entertainment/Communication

• iPods impact disk size/cost
• Samsung camera-phones include camcorders
• Computing is becoming smaller and faster
• Disks have a larger size and smaller form factor
• Communications are now wireless for both voice and data
• Multimedia integration includes voice, data, video, and games
• The Sony PSP is a device for mobile gaming
• Blackberries are a combination of phone and PDA

Variety of Wireless-Capable Devices

• Pagers only receive information and are limited to tiny displays and simple text messages
• PDAs offer simple graphical displays, character recognition, and simplified WWW access
• Laptops are fully functional with standard applications
• Mobile phones offer voice and data communication with simple graphical displays
• Palmtops come with tiny keyboards and provide simple versions of standard applications
• All devices will soon be wireless-broadband enabled and able to stream home movies/videos from the Internet

Emerging Rich Media Broadband Wireless

• Emerging rich media broadband wireless combines cellular and broadband wireless/wireline LAN services, offering both value-added and access services

Bandwidth Demands per Home

• High-speed data & VoIP can demand 5 Mbps (Low BW using MPEG-4) or 30 Mbps (High BW using MPEG-2)
• Gaming streams require 4 Mbps (Low BW using MPEG-4) or 4 Mbps (High BW using MPEG-2)
• VoD streams (SDTV or HDTV) need 2 Mbps (Low BW using MPEG-4) or 15 Mbps (High BW using MPEG-2)
• PVR streams (SDTV or HDTV) use 2 Mbps (Low BW using MPEG-4) or 19 Mbps (High BW using MPEG-2)
• Real-time SDTV streams demand 2 Mbps (Low BW using MPEG-4) or 4 Mbps (High BW using MPEG-2)
• Real-time HDTV streams require 9 Mbps (Low BW using MPEG-4) or 19 Mbps (High BW using MPEG-2)
• Totals add up to 24 Mbps (Low BW using MPEG-4) or 91 Mbps (High BW using MPEG-2)
• Multiple video streams imply a requirement of greater than 24 Mbps

Converging Markets and Mobile Broadband Internet

• Convergence of markets drives economies of scale, requiring low-cost WLAN/WWAN access for CE devices
• ~220M BB users (CBL+DSL+other) exists, market demand is >1B
• CE (Consumer Electronics) has 250M devices in '09 which need for access
• WLAN has yearly growth of 200 M units at 35%.
• BWA's is a >$1B market growing into cable and DSL markets
• 3GPP/2 is a >$600B market with >2 B users and >700M units/year
• Converged Markets address Mobile WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network)
• Mainstream Mobile Broadband Internet needs innovation in Distribution, Services, and Billing.
• Innovation in billing: Pay as You Go, Pre-paid, or Monthly Subscription

Wireless History

• In 1901, the first radio reception across the Atlantic Ocean
• In 1924, the first mobile radio telephone

Wireless Timeline

• 1991 marked the specification of DECT (Digital European Cordless Telephone, now DECT)
• Other cordless standards included PHS (Japan) and CT-2 (Europe/Asia)
• DECT operated on 1880-1900MHz, with a ~100-500m range, 120 duplex channels, and 1.2Mbit/s data transmission
• It used voice encryption, authentication, and supported up to several 10000 users/km², and was used in more than 50 countries
• 1992 was the start of GSM in Germany as D1 and D2, fully digital, 900MHz, 124 channels
• It featured automatic location, hand-over, cellular, and roaming in Europe, now worldwide in more than 170 countries
• It provided services like data with 9.6kbit/s, FAX, and voice
• 1996 saw the introduction of HiperLAN (High Performance Radio Local Area Network)
• ETSI standardized type 1 at 5.15 - 5.30GHz, 23.5Mbit/s
• There were recommendations for type 2 and 3 (both 5GHz) and 4 (17GHz) as wireless ATM-networks (up to 155Mbit/s)
• 1997 saw wireless LAN introduced as IEEE 802.11
• IEEE standard was 2.4 - 2.5GHz and infrared, 2Mbit/s
• Many proprietary products were already available at the beginning
• 1998 saw the specification of GSM successors
• UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) was a European proposal for IMT-2000
• Iridium had 66 satellites (+6 spare) with 1.6GHz to the mobile phone
• 1999 marked the standardization of additional wireless LANs
• IEEE standard 802.11b operated at 2.4-2.5GHz, 11Mbit/s
• Bluetooth was introduced for piconets, 2.4Ghz,