Modern Digital Modulation Techniques for Wireless, Satellite, and Wireline Communications

We recommend you to submit your preliminary or firm registration at least 4 weeks before course start to ensure a seat on the course.

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Modern digital modulation techniques and multiple access techniques are basic building blocks of the physical (or radio) interface of all digital communication systems. Techniques such as OFDM, OFDMA, SOFDMA, SC-FDMA, DMT, MIMO and BLAST, CPM modulations (e.g., GMSK), CDMA and adaptive modulation and coding methods are very important parts of the implementation of modern communications systems, especially for broadband wireless communications. These concepts are being utilized in new mobile and broadband wireless systems, including 4G-LTE, Mobile Wi-Max (IEEE 802.16), Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) and the new  IMT-Advanced (4G) systems, as well as in xDSL systems, to greatly improve both bandwidth and power efficiency.

COURSE CONTENT
We will describe the digital modulation techniques used in the major wireless and wireline communication systems in use today and those planned for the near future. We begin with a discussion of the major communications channels including the fading channel of wireless communications. We continue with a description of the classic modulations, e.g., Nyquist Signaling, QPSK, QAM and GMSK, and the optimum receivers for these modulations. We will place special emphasis on OFDM and its related multiple access techniques, e.g., OFDMA, SOFDMA, SC-FDMA. This discussion will include a description of the radio interfaces of Wi-Fi, 4G-LTE, Wi-Max and IMT-Advanced (4G). We will discuss the space, time and frequency diversity techniques used in new wireless systems including the BLAST and MIMO techniques, and their combination with OFDM. Other important subjects, such as, Alamouti space-time coding, iterative techniques, and adaptive modulation and coding, and CDMA are also described. We will also discuss the very important information theory limits on communications. These limits have led us to coding, OFDM, MIMO and other important results.

OBJECTIVES
After participating in this course, you will:

• Understand the modulations and multiple access techniques in use in modern mobile wireless, broadband access and wireline communications
• Understand OFDM, OFDMA, Scalable OFDMA, SC-FDMA and their DMT implementations
• Understand the performance of classic modulations such as QPSK and QAM, as well as the CPM modulations, e.g., GMSK
• Understand the space, time and frequency diversity techniques of wireless communications e.g., MIMO-BLAST, Alamouti Coding
• Be familiar with the radio (or physical) interfaces of the Wi-Fi, Mobile Wi-Max, 4G-LTE  and IMT-Advanced (4G) broadband wireless systems

Monday
Rayleigh Fading Channel and Baseband Nyqvist Signaling
The course begins with a description of the channel models for mobile and/or wireless and wireline systems. This is followed by discussions of Nyquist baseband signalling, as well as ISI and linear equalization.

• Introduction and "A Bit of History"
• System Model-The Channel
• The Multipath Channel (Rayleigh, Delay Spread and Frequency-Selective Fading)
• Twisted-Pair Channel
• Brief Review of Fourier Transform, Power Spectral Density, White Noise
• Nyquist Signaling
• ISI, Optimum Filtering, Linear Equalization
• Partial Response Signals-Why the MLSE and the Viterbi Algorithm?

Tuesday
Signal Space, Optimum Detection
The concept of signal space is used to define the classical modulation techniques and derive the optimum detectors.

• Signal Space
• BPSK, QPSK, MPSK, QAM, BFSK and MFSK
• Optimum Detection of Binary Signals and Probability of Error
• Matched Filter

The Rayleigh Fading Channel and Antenna Diversity-BLAST, MIMO
We now have an in-depth discussion of the performance of modulations, transmitted over Rayleigh fading channels, followed by the concept of space diversity (BLAST and MIMO), which is used to greatly improve spectral efficiency.

• Detectability Performance of BPSK over Rayleigh Fading Channel (SISO)
• Classic Antenna Diversity (SIMO)
• MIMO
• BLAST

Wednesday
MSK-type Signals 
QPSK, SQPSK, and MSK are essentially constant envelope modulations, which are used in many satellite and wireless systems.

• QPSK, SQPSK, pi/4 - QPSK, EDGE "8PSK"
• MSK-type (MSK, SFSK) Signals
• Adjacent Channel Interference (ACI)

M-ary Signals
M-ary signals are used in many systems, e.g., analog modems, ADSL, VDSL, microwave radio, in the EDGE-based 4G Physical Interface Standard and OFDM.

• Optimum Detection of M-ary Signals
• MPSK
• QAM-Nyquist Signaling
• MFSK

Shannon Information Theory
Shannon information theory has led us to the concepts of coding, analog modems, ADSL, multitone modulation (DMT), OFDM, and adaptive modulation and coding. 
DMT and OFDM are the standards for the IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) and IEEE 802-16 broadband wireless systems, 4G-LTE and IMT-Advanced (4G), as well as ADSL and VDSL. We present an in-depth discussion of multitone modulation, DMT, OFDM, OFDMA, Scalable OFDMA and SC-FDMA

• Introduction to Shannon Information Theory
• Channel Capacity for Ideal and General Gaussian Channels

Multitone-DMT

• Discrete Multitone (DMT) - Implementation
• The Twisted Pair Channel
• Multitone (DMT) over the Twisted Pair Channel (ADSL and VDSL)

OFDM-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

• OFDM - for Broadband Wireless Communications
• Adaptive Modulation and Coding Techniques
• Physical Interfaces of IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (Wi-Max and Mobile Wi-Max), 4G-LTE and IMT-Advanced (4G)
• OFDMA as a Multiple Access Technique
• Scalable OFDMA
• SC-FDMA (Single-Carrier FDMA-4G-LTE)
• OFDM-MIMO-Wi-Media Standard
• UWB-OFDM

Thursday
Trellis Coding and The Viterbi Algorithm
We continue with a description of trellis coded modulation concepts, including a discussion of the Viterbi Algorithm. We also include the topic of interleaving for improving the performance of modulations on Rayleigh fading channels.

• The Viterbi Algorithm (VA)
• Ungerboeck Trellis Coding
• The VA Equalizer
• Interleaving for Rayleigh Fading
• Convolutional Coding

Turbo-Coding-Introduction
A topic of increasing importance is the turbo-coding (iterative decoding) concept and its use in areas such as antenna diversity, equalization and OFDM.

• Turbo Coding
• Iterative Decoding Techniques
• Turbo-Equalization
• Introduction to LDPC Codes

Capacity of Rayleigh Fading Channels
Shannon's work has been updated to include bounds on the performance of Rayleigh fading channels. This work led to the concept of MIMO and space-time (Alamouti) coding.

• Bounds on Communications for Fading Channels
• OFDM-MIMO-Coding
• Space-Time Coding
• Alamouti Coding
• Multi-User Diversity Techniques

CPM Type Modulations 
CPM signals (e.g., GMSK) are constant envelope, bandwidth efficient modulations, suitable for use with nonlinear power efficient, transmitting power amplifiers.

• Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM)
• Gaussian MSK (GMSK)
• Tamed FM (TFM)
• Generalized TFM (GTFM)
• Adjacent Channel Crosstalk in CPM Signals

Friday
Non-Coherent Detection

• DPSK
• FM Detection of CPM Signals-Bluetooth, DECT

Cellular Communications-Radio or Physical Interface
We continue with a discussion of multiple access techniques, with emphasis on CDMA and  WCDMA.  We describe the radio interfaces of the IMT-2000 WCDMA system, as well as GSM, IS-136, GPRS, 1xEV, EDGE and the physical interface of IS-95.

• FDMA
• TDMA
• GSM and IS-136

CDMA and WCDMA Systems

• The RAKE Receiver
• Pseudo-Random Sequences
• Power Control
• Intra and Inter-Cell Interference and Capacity
• IS-95 Physical Interface
• IMT-2000 WCDMA Physical Interface: Walsh and OVSF Functions

Ultra-Wideband Radio (Time-Permitting)

DFE and Tomlinson Filtering (Time-Permitting)

• Tomlinson Filter
• DFE
• Trellis Coding in an ISI Environment
• Tomlinson Filter and Trellis Coding, Implementation Using Decision Feedback Equalization

Said about hte course from previous participants:
"Practical examples and exercises."
"A lot of interaction, good depth in material. Practical measurements on hardware."
"Clear slides and booklet. Clear explanations."
"The level of the course has been chosen properly matched with the audience level."
"Instructor with plenty of real-life practical knowledge."