Mobile communication systems

Max amount of FITech students: 15 adult learners

Course contents

The course covers key system level technical issues involved in the design and deployment of the 5G core network and the EPS, in a stepwise progressive fashion. The course also covers aspects relevant to carrier grade virtual mobile core networks, as an important vision of 5G. Furthermore, the course will introduce some of the key recent RAN technology developments including LTE, LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro and5G New Radio (NR) standards. To that end, where appropriate, the course provides an overview on relevant standards and exposes students to some relevant research papers and standards documents, mostly from the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

Learning outcomes

Students will

• develop factual knowledge and understanding of the 5G core network, the Evolved Packet System (EPS) architecture, its components and its protocols.
• understand the migration scenarios from 2G/3G to 4G and 5G.
• become familiar with the latest developments in the area of Network Function Virtualization, Software Defined Networking, Network Slicing, and Network Softwarization.
• learn about the evolved radio access networks (RANs).

As part of the learning activities, the students will select a paper for presentation from a a shortlist of research papers or other useful literature such as, magazines, journal articles and whitepapers, that relate to the theme of the course. This includes papers describe upcoming developments in standards, technical enhancements for realising interesting/challenging 5G vertical use cases; or envisioned developments beyond 5G (6G). These papers will not only expose students to concepts beyond legacy systems considered in the lectures, it will also further develop their presentation and research skills. As an alternative, some students may complete basic hands-on to simulation assignments to deepen their understanding of the RAN design and its performance aspects.

Completion methods

In-class exercises (30 %), assignments (30 %) and a final examination (40 %)

• Lectures Mon 14-16, Wed 12-14
• Exercises Fri 10-12
• Exam 8.12, 13-16

More information on the Aalto University course page.

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