MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MOBILE AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS (MMW)
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
- Understanding the fundamentals of wireless transmission, coding and signal processing, building wireless transceivers and designing intelligent wireless networks.
- Knowledge in wireless communications, both at physical and network layers.
- Capability to design and implement wireless solutions, e.g., for future networks, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and smart efficient wireless sensor applications.
- Relevant skills in the latest radio engineering methods, tools, and technologies, and the ability to design RF electronics for smartphones and base stations of mobile systems.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Prospective students must hold at least a good first degree in communication engineering, electronic engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering or a closely related subject from any university recognized by Midlands State University.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER EDUCATION
4.1 Employability
Network architects, wireless technology specialists, wireless design professionals, consultants, Development engineers, Maintenance engineers, Project managers, network systems analysts, planners, Radio network designers, Research engineers, academia and researchers in the industry.
4.2 Further Studies
Doctoral studies in Electronic and communication technologies, information and communication engineering, radio electronics, signal and information processing, computer science and telecommunications, semiconductor physics, nanotechnology or related areas.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
Level 1 Semester 1 Credits
Code Module Description
MMW731 Mobile Communication Systems* 24
MMW732 RAN – Radio Access networks* 24
MMW733 Data communication and networking* 24
MMW734 Mobile network protocols* 24
Level 1 Semester 2
MMW735 Simulation of Mobile Communications* 24
MMW736 Wireless transceiver design and implementation* 24
MMW737 RF Engineering* 24
MMW738 Advanced Research Methods* 24
Level 2 Semester 1 (choose any THREE modules)
MMW831 5G and Future networks 24
MMW832 Broadband Wireless Communications 24
MMW833 Advanced Digital Signal Processing 24
MMW834 Multiple Antenna Systems 24
MMW835 Modelling and Performance 24
MMW836 Communication technologies for Internet of Things (IoT) 24
Level 2 Semester 2
MMW 840 Dissertation* 96
SYNOPSES
MMW731 Mobile Communication Systems
Cellular wireless networks: architecture, frequency reuse, multiplexing, multiple-access, broadcast, power-control, handover, interference, examples of TDMA-, CDMA- and LTE-based cellular networks, etc. Path loss, large-scale fading, small-scale fading; Power budget of mobile links. Doppler spread and coherent time, delay spread and coherent bandwidth; flat fading and frequency selective fading. 1st generation (1G) system, 2G system, 3G system, 4G system, 5G system, and beyond 5G system. Wireless multiple-access techniques, including randomized medium access (ALOHA and CSMA), FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, SDMA.
MMW732 RAN – Radio Access Networks
Radio access networks: (GRAN: GSM radio access network, GERAN: essentially the same as GRAN but specifying the inclusion of EDGE packet radio services, UTRAN: UMTS radio access network, E-UTRAN: The Long-Term Evolution (LTE) high speed and low latency radio access network). Understanding of the underlying architecture of RAN in terms of planes, Software Defined Networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV) techniques such as network slicing and high MIMO that are key elements for RAN flexibility and 5G.
MMW733 Data Communication and Networking
Introduction to data networks: layered architectures, TCP/IP and UDP protocol architecture, OSI model, main functions of different layers, relationship between layers, etc. Architecture and protocols of typical communications networks: flow control, congestion control, error control, etc. in wireless networks. Routing algorithms, delay modelling, multiple-access principles and basic queuing theory and basic principles of wireless LANs, wireless ad-hoc networks, wireless sensor networks, etc. communication security protocols and techniques; TLS/SSL, HTTP, HTTPS , FTP , SMTP etc.
MMW734 Mobile Network Protocols
A study in depth looking into protocols which govern mobile and wireless communications (MAC, BRAIN, HAMAC, ARCMA and the considerations taken into account when choosing a protocol to implement in a network to suit the services provided. Overview of mobility concepts like Mobile IP, SIP and SCTP as well as quality of service/quality of experience, mobile network deployment, heterogeneous network access and performance evaluation.
MMW735 Simulation of Mobile Communications
Using MATLAB as a simulation tool to implement and characterize various wireless communication schemes. Signal processing, wireless Communication block diagram, Analogue and digital modulation, Constellation diagram, Eye diagram, Spectral analysis, Baseband simulation, Bit Error Ratio computation, Monte Carlo simulation, Equalisation, Carrier simulation
MMW736 Wireless Transceiver Design and Implementation
Noise and Noise figure: Sources of noise, Noise models, Noise figure, Cascaded noise figure, Measurement of noise figure. Link budgets: Sources of loss, Link loss equations, Maximum noise figure, Maximum range. The superheterodyne: Filter selectivity, Adjacent channels, Image frequencies, Multiple stage superheterodyne, The frequency mixer, Intermodulation products. Transceiver Design: Components used in transceiver designs, Typical transceiver design examples, Specifying amplifiers, mixers. Synchronisation: The timing and carrier synchronisation problem, Timing sync methods, delay locked loop and DSP equivalent, Open-loop timing sync, Zero Crossing detection, Carrier sync methods, Carrier regeneration, Costas loop introduction, Decision directed. Review of Passive Filters: Synthesis of doubly terminated filters, Low-Pass to Band-Pass transformation, Filter implementations – ceramic, SAW, Fractional bandwidth, Software-assisted specification and design, Review of Matching, Maximum power transfer, RLC Matching networks. Power amplifiers: Class A, B, AB, C, Power efficiency, Linearization techniques, and Suitability of PA classes to modulation types. Antennas: Fundamental model: Types of omnidirectional antennas.
MMW737 RF Engineering
Components at RF, resonant circuits; Q factor, Fixed Q, High Q and low Q impedance matching; Semiconductors at RF and BJT models at RF; s-parameters. Small-signal RF amplifier design: bias networks, stability and matching. Smith chart matching network design. Amplifier design using Smith charts: stability, gain control and matching network design. Low-noise design: choice of bias point and noise figure. Principles of microwave systems; microwave amplifier design; Transmitter architectures; Amplifier distortion: modelling, intercept point, harmonic and inter-modulation distortion. Large-signal RF amplifier types and classes.
MMW738 Advanced Research Methods
Research ethics, concept of research, defining research problem, problem identification, delimiting the research problem. Choosing a project: project styles and research methodologies; fitting a project to the researcher’s interests, ambitions and capabilities; some characteristics of excellent projects. Preparing a project synopsis: aims and objectives; deliverables; added value. Finding relevant literature: available resources and tools; primary and secondary sources; Writing research papers: planning the structure of your paper; framing the question; writing styles; tools and resources; citing and referencing; avoiding plagiarism; proofreading and corrections. Evaluating project outcomes: critical analysis; scope and limitations; evaluation styles: experimental, analytical, unit-testing, user analysis.
MMW831 5G and Future networks
Fundamentals of 5G mobile telecommunication: Standardisation, Air interface, Waveforms, MIMO and massive MIMO methods, Densification, SON and backhaul technologies, Cooperative communication. Study of structure and architecture of 5g base stations, eNodeB, Applications of 5G in automation, IoT etc. Explore life beyond 5G, Introduction 6G technology; features, characteristics, protocols for realisation.
MMW832 Broadband Wireless Communications
Design of broadband wireless communications systems: Data Link Control (DLC), Physical (PHY) layers: Fading, Interference, Hidden and Exposed Terminals and the possible absence of central control/centralised communication, high spectral efficiency and provision of QoS. Multiple Access and Duplexing strategies. Principles of Link Adaptation, ARQ and HARQ. The 802.11 and 802.11e MACs. CSMA/CA. Hidden and Exposed Nodes and RTS/CTS. Poor QoS provision in 802.11 and the improvements in 802.11e. TSPEC. 802.11a/b/g Physical Layers, Bluetooth MAC and PHY, WiMax MACs and PHYs and DOCSIS support. Single Frequency Networking and Mesh capabilities.
MMW833 Advanced Digital Signal and Image Processing
Introduction to the signal and image processing techniques, including analogue and digital filter design; FIR, IIR etc. Study of transform domain with particular focus on FFT and STFT and their applications. Concepts of statistical signal processing: estimation and detection theories. Development of: Optimal DSP programs, Real-time DSP algorithms for communications applications, Analysis of DSP device architectures and interfacing with DSP microprocessors, General purpose processors, Digital Signal processors, Modern FPGA architectures and their configuration process, Implementation of hardware designs in FPGA devices, C/C++ programming for hardware design, Comparison of FPGA and DSP features. Introduction to data compression and array processing. Introduction to Digital Image, Digital Image Processing System, Sampling and Quantization, Representation of Digital Image, Connectivity, and Image File Formats: BMP, TIFF and JPEG. Gray Level Transformations, Zero Memory Point Operations, Histogram Processing, Histogram equalization. Neighbourhood Processing, Spatial Filtering, Smoothing and Sharpening Filters, and Median Filter.
MMW834 Multiple antenna systems
Key techniques proposed for the 5G wireless systems. Principles of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), MIMO techniques for future wireless systems. MIMO transceiver optimization. Theoretical foundations of multi-user MIMO and massive MIMO, with an emphasis on principle characteristics, and implementation challenges. Cooperative Wireless Communications. Principles of relay communications. Multi-cell cooperative communications: Uplink/downlink cooperative processing. MIMO technology including; Cooperative MIMO, MIMO, Multiuser MIMO and Massive MIMO
MMW835 Modelling and Performance
Background material: probability, conditional probability, Markov models, Queue modelling of OS, e.g. multi-tasking, proof (and uses) of Little’s law. Workload modelling: exponential versus Pareto; call centre analysis. Simulation-how to generate random numbers from arbitrary distributions, steady state versus terminating; output analysis; some simple simulation applications. Reliability theory: oriented towards electronic systems, though e.g. passive component failure, and then to microprocessor (embedded software) systems through s/w failures Network Science: introduction to the fundamental ideas in network science: graph theory, network metrics, network models, network robustness. Approach to modelling emergence and topological robustness of supply networks, communication networks and general human-technology interaction.
MMW836 Communication technologies for Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT components and architecture; Technologies in each layer of the architecture; Sensors and Sensing technology; Data transmission and connectivity; IoT platforms, including offerings by Google and Apple; IoT specific data processing and analytics; IoT and open data; IoT user interface issues including data models and semantics; Applications of IoT including smart cities, smart homes; Ongoing and future IoT challenges. LSEPI issues related to setting infrastructure for IoT systems and handling IoT data. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID); Near Field Communication (NFC); Wireless Sensor Networks: covering its major concepts in node sensing, wireless transmission characteristics, medium access protocols, and routing protocols; Wireless Personal Area Networks such as the ones using IEEE802.15.4 standard, Zigbee, Zwave; Low Power Wide Area Networks such as LoRa and Sigfox systems; and Power line communications.
MMW840 Dissertation
The module provides students with an opportunity to design, undertake or conduct an independent piece of research of study related to their programme of study under the guidance of a supervisor who is usually a member of the academic staff of the department. Runs over two semesters: Regular report backs to the departmental board by the supervisor. The project is continually assessed throughout two semesters. A student undertakes a viva for the project.