Introduction

Beneyam Berehanu Haile

October 2017
Contents
Overview of the course
Background on communication
systems
Overview of Communication
Systems and Ecosystem
Course objectives
To provide concrete understanding on analog
and digital communication system components
To present understanding on noise and its
impact in communication systems
To deliver understanding on performance
metrics, performance and performance
comparison of communications systems and
their components
To provide understanding on information &
coding theory and channel capacity
Course contents (1/3)
1. Introduction (1 week)
Course introduction
Overview of communication models, systems and
technologies
Assignment 1
2. Probability and random process (1 week)
Probability
Random process
3. Noise (~1 week)
What is noise
Noise modeling
Lowpass and bandpass noise
Assignment 2
Course contents (2/3)
4. Analog Communication (~2 week)
Analog system modeling
Analog modulation and
Performance of AM communication
Performance of FM communication
Performance comparison
Mid exam
5. Digital Communication-Part I (~2 week)
Digital communication system modeling
Digitization
Baseband digital transmission
Assignment 3
Course contents (3/3)
6. Digital Communication-Part II (~5 week)
Digital modulation and demodulation
Performance of digital modulation and demodulation
Coherent and non-coherent detection
Assignment 4
7. Information & coding theory and channel capacity
(~4 week)
Basics of information
Source encoding and decoding
Channel capacity
Channel encoding and decoding
Cryptography
Assignment 5
Survey
Final exam
Course outcomes
Understanding of communication
systems/technologies and their components.
Understanding of noise and its impact in
communication system
Understanding on performance metrics,
performance and performance comparison of
communication systems and their components.
Understanding on information & coding theory
and channel capacity
Teaching & learning methods
Lectures
Every Monday at 10:00 am in room 132 by Dr.
Beneyam Berehanu
Feel free to be interactive in class room
Tutorials and assignments
Every Tuesday/Friday at 10:00 am by TBA
Analytical and matlab based
Survey of communication types applied by
popular communication technologies
Text book and references
1. B.P. Lathi, Modern Digital and
Analog Communication Systems,
3rd ed., Oxford University Press,
1998
2. S. Haykin & M. Moher,
Communication Systems, 5th ed.,
International Student Version,
Wiley, 2009
3. J.G. Proakis and M. Salehi, Communication Systems Engineering,
Prentice-Hall, 1994
4. L.W. Couch II, Digital and Analog Communication Systems, 6th ed.,
Prentice-Hall, 2001
Check also online resources on communication
systems (e.g. MIT, Imperial college and other
universities communication courses )
Assessment & Evaluation
5 Assignments 20%
Mid exam 20%
Survey 15%
Final exam 45%
Contents
Overview of the course
Background on communication
systems
Overview of Communication
systems and Ecosystem
What is communication?
Communication involves the transfer of information from one
point to another.
Three basic elements
Transmitter: converts message into a form suitable for
transmission
Channel: the physical medium, introduces distortion, noise,
interference
Receiver: reconstruct a recognizable form of the message
Noise in Communications
Unavoidable presence of noise in the channel
Noise refers to unwanted waves that disturb
communications
Signal is contaminated by noise along the path.
External noise: interference from nearby channels,
humanmade noise, natural noise...
Internal noise: thermal noise, random emission... In
electronic devices
Noise is one of the basic factors that set limits on
communications.
A widely used metric is the signal-to-noise (power) ratio
(SNR)
 Communication channel
The channel is central to operation of a communication system
Linear (e.g., mobile radio) or nonlinear (e.g., satellite)
Time invariant (e.g., fiber) or time varying (e.g., mobile radio)
The information-carrying capacity of a communication system is
proportional to the channel bandwidth
Pursuit for wider bandwidth
Copper wire: 1 MHz
Coaxial cable: 100 MHz
Microwave: GHz
Optical fiber: THz
Uses light as the signal carrier
Highest capacity among all practical signals
Transmitter and Receiver
The transmitter modifies the message signal into a form suitable
for transmission over the channel
This modification often involves modulation
Moving the signal to a high-frequency carrier (up-conversion)
and varying some parameter of the carrier wave
Analog: AM, FM, PM
Digital: ASK, FSK, PSK (SK: shift keying)
The receiver recreates the original message by demodulation
Recovery is not exact due to noise/distortion
The resulting degradation is influenced by the type of
modulation
Design of analog communication is conceptually simple
Digital communication is more efficient and reliable; design is
more sophisticated
Objectives of system design
Two primary resources in communications
Transmitted power (should be green)
Channel bandwidth (very expensive in the commercial
market)
In certain scenarios, one resource may be more important than
the other
Power limited (e.g. deep-space communication)
Bandwidth limited (e.g. telephone circuit)
Objectives of a communication system design
The message is delivered both efficiently and reliably, subject
to certain design constraints: power, bandwidth, and cost.
Efficiency is usually measured by the amount of messages
sent in unit power, unit time and unit bandwidth.
Reliability is expressed in terms of SNR or probability of
error.
Contents
Overview of the course
Background on communication
systems
Overview of Communication
Systems and Ecosystem
World of telecommunication
Public switched telephony
network (PSTN)
ADSL
INTERNET
Satellite
Broadcasting
Mobile
CN-External
Radio interface RAN-CN interface Network interface

RAN CN
Handles all radio Switching, routing,
related functions. security and mobility
User May also handle related functions. External
Terminal some mobility Includes switches, networks
issues. gateways, registers,
Include at least and other controlling
base stations elements

RAN = Radio Access Network; CN = Core Network

WLAN
Personal area networks
Recall milestones, history and applications of
communication systems from Introduction to
Communication Systems course
Contemplate and enjoy further the wide
applications of the communication systems
around yourself and across the globe
Communication networks
Todays communications networks are complicated
systems
A large number of users sharing the medium
Hosts: devices that communicate with each other
Routers: route date through the network
Concepts of layering
Partitioned into layers, each doing a relatively simple task
Protocol stack

Communication systems mostly deal with the physical layer, but

some techniques (e.g., coding) can also be applied to the network layer
Attend well Data communication and computer networks course
for the higher layers
Researchers
Communication ecosystem

Teachers/Trainers
Researchers
Communication ecosystem

Teachers/Trainers
Assignment 1
1. Read, experiment and write what you can and can
not do with MATLAB Communication Toolbox?
2. Read and answer why do you need understanding of
probability and random process to understand
communication systems?
3. Which communication system standard text book is
best for you and why?

Submission: A maximum of two page brief and

comprehensive finding report
Be professional in your writing and reporting
Deadline: October 16, 2017