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Chapter 9, Wireless Communications

Technologies: Part 1
Outline
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Hardware
9.2.1 Handsets
9.2.2 Pagers
9.2.3 Personal Data Assistants (PDAs)
9.2.4 Convergence Devices and Other Wireless Options
9.3 Wireless Carriers and Service Providers
9.3.1 Mobile-phone Service Providers
9.3.2 Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs)
9.3.3 SMS and Other Messaging Services
9.3.4 Wireless Internet and Other Wireless Services

 2001 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Chapter 9, Wireless Communications
Technologies: Part 1
Outline
9.4 Wireless Networks
9.4.1 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)
9.4.2 Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs)
9.4.3 Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs)
9.4.4 Fixed Wireless
9.5 Radio Frequency, Laser, Infrared and Bluetooth Wireless
Technologies
9.5.1 Radio Frequency (RF)
9.5.2 Laser and Infrared Technologies
9.5.3 Bluetooth Wireless Technology
9.6 Satellite Communications
9.7 Future of Wireless Communications
9.8 Internet and World Wide Web Resources

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9.1 Introduction
• Millions of people worldwide use wireless
services and devices
• Wireless communications
– Hardware
– Wireless carriers
– Networks
– Satellites

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9.2 Hardware
• Mobile phones, PDAs and laptop computers allow
wireless access to the internet from remote
locations
• Outside US, mobile phones are preferred medium
for information and e-business transactions

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9.2.1 Handsets
• Handsets: devices to send/receive voice calls and
data messages
– Antenna – transmission
– Number pad – dialing
– Speaker and microphone – voice communications
– Operating system – operation
– Computer chips – other functions
• Flip-phones
– Compact handsets

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9.2.1 Handsets
• Cell phone features
– Digital and analog signals
– Phone books
– Caller ID and voicemail
– OEL color display screen
– Voice-activated technology: operation through voice
commands
– Internet access
– Manufacturers developing disposable phones and other low-
cost alternatives
• The term handset is used interchangeably with
mobile phone, cell phone and wireless phone.

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9.2.1 Handsets
• Telespree: low-cost no-activation phones
– Purchased from drug/grocery store at 1/3 price of regular
phones
– Once prepaid minutes used:
• Can replace AirClip cartridge
• Can buy new phone
• Telespree works on GSM network
– Current phones can send but not receive calls
– Access internet and use voice commands for dialing
– Handle numbers: allow for phone use without registering
wireless service

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9.2.1 Handsets

Motorola’s V series™ Phone model 66, Nokia’s 3390 and 5165 series are examples of
handsets available on the market. ©2001 Nokia Mobile Phones., ©2001, Motorola, Inc.

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9.2.2 Pagers
• Pagers were one of first widely used wireless
communications methods
– Store messages
– Alert user of new messages
– Show caller ID and message information
• Rates based on number of messages sent/received
and messages stored
• 3 messaging types
– One-way numbering paging: Transfer of numbers only
• Telephone numbers
• Some numbers used as codes for messages

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9.2.2 Pagers
• 3 messaging types (cont’d)
– Text-based messaging: receives text and voice mail
notification (one-way text messaging)
– Two-way interactive communication: send/receive text
messages between two individuals
• RIM’s BlackBerry handheld device: wireless e-
mail solutions
– Supports both DataTAC and Mobitex data network protocols
– In-building and roaming service, messaging and guaranteed
reliability
– E-mail, desktop and server software available
– E-mail access without dialing into an ISP

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9.2.2 Pagers

BlackBerry home page. (Courtesy of Research In Motion Limited. The BlackBerry and RIM families
of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties of, and trademarks of Research In
Motion Limited, used by permission.)

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9.2.3 Personal Digital Assistants
(PDAs)
• PDA popularity in wireless market growing
– Access web, e-mail, travel arrangements, directions,
reservations, shopping, etc…
– Organizers: store information, appointments and personal
information
– Infrared technology allows information sharing between
devices
• PDA opportunities for businesses and consumers
• Security and privacy concerns
– Access conflicts

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9.2.4 Convergence Devices and
other Wireless Options
• Convergence Devices
– Combinations of PDAs, mobile phones, and pagers
• Smart phones
• PDAs with add-on modules
• MP3 phone hybrids
• Personal communicators
– Two distinct trends in development
• One uses designs for handsets and combines them with PDA
information services.
• The other uses existing PDA designs and adds voice
capabilities.

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9.3 Wireless Carriers

• Wireless Carriers: companies providing wireless
Internet access to mobile devices
– Services
– Pricing
– Network coverage

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9.3.1 Mobile-phone Service
Providers
• Service providers offer “complete” solutions
– Voice, messaging, e-mail and wireless web options
• Service Plans
– Talk time/air time: amount of time user communicates on
phone
• Peak hours: usually daytime, most expensive, less hours
offered
• Off-peak hours: other times (usually nights and weekends), less
expensive, more hours offered

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9.3.1 Cell-phone Service Providers

• US Operators
Se rvic e Pro vid e r Exa mp le Pla ns (ra ng e Extra Minute s Co st Pric e s (d o lla rs/ m o nth)
o f m inute s) (c e nts/ m inute ) No te: se rvic e
c o ntra c t usua lly
re q uire d .
Sprint PCS 180-2000 0.35-0.40 $29.99-$149.99
Verizon Wireless 150-2000 0.20-0.40 $35-$200
Cingular 100-2000 0.35 $29.99-$149.99
AT&T Wireless 450-2000 0.25-0.35 $59.99-$199.99
VoiceStream Wireless 300-1500 0.25-0.30 $39.99- $139.99
Nextel 400-2000 0.25-0.35 $59.99-$199.99
MCI Worldcom 50-2500 0.30-0.40 $19.99-$199.99
US Cellular 300-1500 0.20-0.30 $30-$100
Fig. 9.4 U.S. Mob ile -p hone Servic e Provid ers a nd exa mp les of ra te p la ns
a va ila b le. [***H. Bray, “Busy Signa ls,” The Boston Globe 12 Ma rch
2001: C6***][***<www.sprintpcs.com>, <www.cingular.com>,
<www.nextel.com> a nd <www.verizonwireless.com>***]

• Sprint, Verizon and AT&T lead in coverage area

and market share

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9.3.2 Wireless Internet Service
Providers (WISPs)
• GoAmerica and Omnisky are main service
providers for PDAs in US
• GoAmerica
– Web-browsing and e-mail services
– Go.web allows viewing entire web pages
• Omnisky
– E-mail, stock trading, chatting and web-surfing
– Monthly or prepaid plan, no minute restrictions

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9.3.3 SMS and Other Messaging
Services
• Short Messaging Service (SMS): GSM networks -
more popular outside US
– Enhanced Message Service (EMS): small images, sounds,
animations and text
– Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS): text, sounds, images,
video and multimedia
– Future:
• Advertising
• M-commerce
• Location-based services

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9.3.3 SMS and Other Messaging
Services
se rvic e p ro vid e r Te xt-b a sed m e ssa g ing Pric e
se rvic e
Sprint PCS Wireless Web Messaging 30 for $1.99/month or 200 for
$9.99/month
Verizon Wireless Mobile Messenger SM
0.02 cents per message
received, 0.10 cents per
message sent
Cingular Interactive messaging 0.10 cents per message
AT&T Wireless 2-way text messaging 0.10 cents per message
Fig. 9.5 Messa g ing servic es offered from the four U.S. w ireless c a rriers.
[***<www.sprintpcs.com>, <www.cingular.com>,
<www.verizonwireless.com> a nd <www.att.com>***].

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9.3.4 Wireless Web and Other
Wireless Services
• Carrier services for convergence devices (voice,
text and e-mail)
– Packages combine all three or offer each individually

Wire le ss We b Se rvic e Se rvic e Pro vid e r, C o u ntry

KDDI Web Messaging Service KDDI, Japan
BT Genie British Telcom, UK
Sprint PCS Wireless Web Sprint PCS, United States
i-mode NTT DoCoMo, Japan
Fig. 9.6 La rg e st w ire le ss-We b se rvic e s (a nd t he ir p ro vid e rs) in the w o rld .

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9.4 Wireless Networks

• Corporations, businesses and colleges building
wireless networks allowing information access
anytime from anywhere
• Local Area Networks (LAN) and Wide Area
Networks (WAN)
– Use wires and cables to connect users to central server
– Many companies and residences turning to wireless
solutions for area networks
• Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Wireless
Wide Area Networks (WWANs) and Wireless
Personal Area Networks (WPANs)
– Transmit data through air
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9.4.1 Wireless Local Area Networks
(WLANs)
• Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)
– Inexpensive wireless internet access in heavily populated
areas
– Coverage area size of college campus or office complex
– WLAN methods of communication
• Peer-to-peer communications: device communicates directly
with another device
• Access Points: gateways at points in network, allows
communication with other servers
– No WLAN unifying standard
• 802.11 used in 1997, IEEE introduced 802.11b in 1999
• 802.11a, 802.11e, 802.11g and HiperLAN/2 under
development

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9.4.1 Wireless Local Area Networks
(WLANs)
• WLANs (cont’d)
– WLAN spread-spectrum technologies: spread signals over
frequencies
• Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
– Divides spectrum into 14 channels
– Information coded into bits, bits make up chips, 64 chips
sent in burst
• Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)
– Low cost, allows roaming between different frequencies
– Signals hop on 78 patterns over bandwidth, minimizes
interference
– Wireless Andrew at Carnegie Mellon University
• WLAN covers CMU campus on 802.11b standard
• Faster than DSL and many other technologies
• Uses DSSS and requires software installation

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9.4.1 Wireless Local Area Networks
(WLANs)
• WLANs (cont’d)
– WLAN advantages over wired networks
• Allows information access from anywhere
• Easy to move/install
• Flexible and scalable (shaped and configured)
– Starbucks introducing internet access service on WLAN

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9.4.1 Wireless Local Area Networks
(WLANs)

Wireless LANs allow users to communicate among buildings on campus.

(Courtesy of Patricia Moulder)

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9.4.2 Wireless Wide Area Networks
(WWANs)
• Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs)
– Wireless networks that cover entire cities or states
– Use cellular networks and satellites
– Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) is one of the most
widely used forms of WWANs.
• Supports data speeds of 19.2Kbps
• Used by U.S. carriers like Verizon Wireless and AT&T
Wireless
– ARDIS (Motorolla) covers 400 largest US metropolitan
areas
– Transcomm covers 93% of US businesses

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9.4.3 Wireless Personal Area
Networks (WPANs)
• Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs)
– Short-range connectivity for small areas
– Bluetooth piconets use WPAN
– Coverage area typically less than 30 feet in radius
– IBM believes in using electrical currents through human
body as a form of aWPAN

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9.4.4 Fixed Wireless

• Fixed Wireless: mobile devices/computers in fixed
location connected without wires
– Point-to-point transmission: network transmits from central
base station to one other point
– Point-to-multipoint transmission: from central base to many
users
– Multipoint-to-multipoint access (mesh): from multiple base
stations to multiple users
• Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS)
– Point-to-multipoint, two-way super-high frequency signals
– Low-powered, 3 mile radius, requires clear line of sight

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9.4.4 Fixed Wireless

• Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service
(MMDS)
– Multipoint-to-multipoint
– Higher power than LMDS (35-50 miles)
– Does not require clear line of sight
– Uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM
– chapter 10)

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9.5 Radio Frequency, Laser, Infrared

and Bluetooth Wireless Technology
• Technologies allowing sharing among wireless
devices
– Radio frequency
– Infrared
– Laser
– Bluetooth

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9.5.1 Radio Frequency (RF)

• Radio Frequency (RF): communications through
radio signals
– Phones, broadcasts and networks
– Regulated by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC)
• Radio Frequency WLAN: networks devices not
close together
• RF WLAN standards
– HomeRF
• In home and small offices
• Data and voice products networking between printers, PCs,
and phones

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9.5.1 Radio Frequency (RF)

• RF WLAN standards
– HomeRF
• In home and small offices
• Data and voice products networking between printers, PCs,
and phones
• Uses Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP), FHSS
technology
– Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)
• 802.11b standard
• Airports, restaurants and other areas
• High power consumption and low reliability in high traffic
• Mice and stereo components use radio frequency
technology as well
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9.5.1 Radio Frequency (RF)

HomeRF (Courtesy of HomeRF Working Group, Inc. (www.homerf.com))

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9.5.2 Laser and Infrared Technology

• Laser technology: connects buildings
– Transceivers (towers) on rooftops communicate through
signal and link networks
• Infrared technology: connects devices
– Up to 30 feet and needs clear line of sight
– More cost-efficient than laser technology
– Concern for infrared: slow speeds and new technologies
(Bluetooth)

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9.5.3 Bluetooth
• Bluetooth: radio frequencies
– 2,200 companies involved in Bluetooth Consortium
– Point-to-multipoint and FHSS packet-switching
– Can connect multiple devices within a 30 foot radius
– Interference problems: on 2.4GHz band with most other
WLAN devices
• Bluetooth allows automatic communication as
soon as devices enter coverage area

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9.6 Satellite Communications

• Satellite communications is alternative for
wireless networks
• Satellite system types
– Low Earth Orbit Satellites (LEOs)
• 100-300 miles above surface: transmit signals quickly
• Hundreds placed in ring following earth’s curvature:
communicate with each other until in range of destination user
– Medium Earth Orbit Satellites (MEOs)
• 6,000 to 12,000 miles above surface
• Require fewer satellite than LEOs
• Used by government and for weather

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9.6 Satellite Communications

• Satellite system types (cont’d)
– Geostationary Orbit Satellites
• 22,282 miles above surface
• Replaced less often
• More transmission delays and distortions
• Satellites provide voice, data, and location-based
services
• Iridium
– Motorolla satellite network for voice, data, fax and location
– Used 66 LEO satellites, bankrupt in 1999 and bought in
2001 by Iridium Satellite

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9.7 Future of Wireless
Communication
• Wireless service moving toward 3G technologies
– Battle over technologies and standards
– Provider globalization
– Network upgrades to 3G

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