Handbook of Mobile Radio Networks
Author: Sami Tabbane
Hardcover, 632 pages
Published by:
Artech House Mobile Communications Library, 2000.
ISBN: 1580530095
Review by Kostas Pentikousis
Author: Sami Tabbane
Hardcover, 632 pages
Published by:
Artech House Mobile Communications Library, 2000.
ISBN: 1580530095
Review by Kostas Pentikousis
Wireless communications and mobile computing have been in the spotlight of the media over and over again in the last years. It is no wonder since demand for mobile services has exploded during the 90's. Cellular phone usage has seen exponential growth and, according to this book, cordless phones are by now outnumbering fixed ones. Mobile computing is becoming affordable to everybody and the so-called wireless Internet has started to become a reality in many developed countries.
Sami Tabbane's Handbook of Mobile Radio Networks is a well-written, thorough, and informative text that covers most aspects of mobile radio networks, from radio propagation to current generation cellular networks, and even more. It provides among other things a historical background of mobile communications, which can be very useful in understanding why certain system design choices were made.
The book is organized in 13 chapters. The opening chapter includes a brief account of the history of mobile communications, a comparison of wired and wireless networks, and a presentation of the standardization bodies, both domestic and international. The second chapter presents the various aspects of mobile radio propagation. The author covers the entire topic in about 60 pages, so the presentation may not be as detailed as in other books on wireless communications. Nevertheless, it is to-the-point, focusing on elements that are of major importance, and employing examples of current systems to illustrate the theoretical material. The topic involves a lot of mathematical modeling, which is presented in the book, albeit with more focus on meaning than on form. Tabbane concludes/summarizes the main points, notes the implications, and puts the results in context, usually providing references to other sections in the book. This practice is followed in the rest of the book as well, and is very helpful for the newcomers in the field.
The third chapter covers medium access, including multiple access methods, i.e. frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), time-division multiple access (TDMA), code-division multiple access (CDMA), and random access protocols (e.g. ALOHA, CSMA/CD, DSMA etc.). Note that the reader is not assumed to be knowledgeable of random access protocols, so some content that can be found in classic network textbooks [1, 2] is also present, of course in the context of wireless communications. In this manner, the chapter is self-sufficient.
Chapter 4 deals with the methods used to protect data transmission from channel imperfections. Different modulation techniques are introduced, and error control strategies such as forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ) are analyzed. The chapter also presents equalization and interleaving. Diversity techniques, aimed to combat fading in mobile radio communications are introduced. The chapter concludes with a discussion on adaptive antennas.
Security is the title of the next chapter, and Tabbane offers here details on the security issues related to wireless networks and services. The reader is introduced to the cryptographic methods used in modern mobile radio networks, like CT2 (cordless telephone, 2nd version), DECT (digital enhanced cordless telecommunications) and GSM (global system for mobile communications). The chapter is informative and easy to read, in part because the author does not delve into the details of authentication and encryption. After all, this is not a book on cryptography. The interested reader will find an extensive bibliography about cryptography and security at the end of the chapter.
Chapters 6 and 7 deal with issues related to cellular networks. Chapter 6 introduces the concept of cellular network schemes and their advantages. Various cell patterns are illustrated and their efficiency is exemplified. Other resource management issues like link budgeting, system capacity, and network quality are also considered. Chapter 7 is an introduction to cellular planning and engineering. Besides the theoretical background, examples and illustrations are used to make the chapter more approachable.
A fundamental characteristic of cellular networks is the ability of the user to move around freely. In order to provide network services a cellular system must be able to track users. Mobility management, which is described in chapter 8, takes place both when the mobile terminal is active and inactive. When a user moves to a different cell, while connected to the network, a handoff procedure must be initiated. The different handoff procedures are presented and compared for analog and digital cellular networks as well. When the mobile terminal is inactive, the network still has to be able to track the user in order to provide network services when they are requested. The mechanisms that allow a cellular network to do this, i.e. cell selection and roaming, are also presented in this chapter.
Chapter 9 discusses private (or professional) mobile radiocommunications (PMR) systems. Different categories of PMR are introduced and services and architecture are presented. The chapter also covers trunk radio networks, including the ETSI PMR standard TETRA. Chapter 10 covers cordless systems (CT2, DECT, PHS, and PACS) and their applications. In comparison with cellular systems, cordless ones are more cost effective, but rely on an already available network. Paging systems, like ERMES, are described in chapter 11.
Chapter 12 presents first (advanced mobile phone service, AMPS) and second generation (GSM, Digital AMPS, IS-95) cellular networks. The author describes the architecture and services provided by these systems, and points out the advantages of digital systems. Finally, the last chapter deals with wireless data networks. Wireless data networks can be classified, according to the area that they cover, into LANs and WANs. The chapter includes an introduction to the IEEE 802.11 and the ETSI HiperLaN wireless LAN standards. Although not exhaustive the section is rich in content. Wireless WANs, including MOBITEX, ARDIS, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) are also presented and compared in terms of services and architecture with wireless LANs.
One of the advantages of the book is the use of illustrative figures and examples to accompany the theoretical material. These examples shed light on subjects that in other books are usually left for the reader to figure out. Moreover, the author uses current systems, like GSM and CDPD, for the examples, thus providing up-to-date material. Some selected subjects are presented in appendices, making the book more complete while at the same time keeping the text flowing.
I bought the book mainly for the last two chapters but I found a wealth of information in the rest of it. The book is well-written and well-organized. The chapters are self-sufficient, easy to read, with extensive references and selected bibliography, and one does not have to read the book from cover to cover. For most practical purposes, this could be the only general book on mobile radio networks you may need.
Of course no book is perfect. Unfortunately, the reader will encounter typos, which sometimes can be confusing, and the publisher has not yet provided errata. In terms of content, the book lacks a discussion on ad hoc networks, wireless ATM, and next generation cellular networks (e.g. Universal Mobile Telephone Service, UMTS). Chapter 14, which appears in the table of contents and is mentioned several times in the book, supposedly covers next generation wireless networks. Be that as it may, the chapter is not included in the book.
In summary, the Handbook of Mobile Radio Networks is a must-have book for anyone who is interested in the area of mobile networks, which covers both European and US standards. It can serve both as an introductory text and as a reference book, though I believe that the reader will get the most out of it if he or she has a computer networks background.