Fundamentals of Wireless Communication

Why We Wrote this Book

The writing of this book was prompted by two main developments in wireless communications in the past decade. First is the huge surge of research activities in physical-layer wireless communication theory. While this has been a subject of study since the 60’s, recent developments in the field, such as opportunistic and multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communication techniques, have brought completely new perspectives on how to communicate over wireless channels. Second is the rapid evolution of wireless systems, particularly cellular networks, which embody communication concepts of increasing sophistication. This evolution started with second-generation digital standards, particularly the IS-95 Code Division Multiple Access standard, and continuing onto more recent third-generation systems focusing on data applications. This book aims to present the modern wireless communication concepts in a coherent and unified manner and to illustrate the concepts in the broader context of the wireless systems on which they have been applied.