Wireless Crash Course : Third Edition

Book excerpt: GET A SOLID GROUNDING IN CUTTING-EDGE CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY Gain an overall understanding of the constantly evolving spectrum of wireless technologies, devices, and standards. Completely revised throughout, Wireless Crash Course, Third Edition offers straightforward explanations of all aspects of cellular networks and provides clear information on cellular design and operational concepts. Learn the fundamentals of cell base stations, radio frequency (RF) technologies, microwave radio systems, and 3G and 4G / LTE technologies, and discover practical new applications and mobile data technologies. Examples, photos, and illustrations from the field are included in this practical guide. COVERAGE INCLUDES: Cellular radio history and development The cell base station Basic cellular network design and operation Radio frequency (RF) operation and technologies Antennas, RF power, and sectorization Distributed antenna systems (DAS) Base station elements and RF signal flow 2G and 3G digital wireless technologies Cellular generations overview 4G and Long Term Evolution (LTE) Microwave radio systems Cell site to MTSO network connections The MTSO, core network, and network operations center (NOC) Personal communication services (PCS) and current marketplace Towers Capacity management, propagation models, and drive testing Interconnection to the landline public switched telephone network (PSTN) Roaming and intercarrier networking Mobile data technologies The business side of wireless Mobile applications