Wireless Communications Principles and Practice, Second Edition

Chapter 1. Introduction to Wireless Communication Systems

The ability to communicate with people on the move has evolved remarkably since Guglielmo Marconi first demonstrated radio’s ability to provide continuous contact with ships sailing the English channel. That was in 1897, and since then new wireless communications methods and services have been enthusiastically adopted by people throughout the world. Particularly during the past ten years, the mobile radio communications industry has grown by orders of magnitude, fueled by digital and RF circuit fabrication improvements, new large-scale circuit integration, and other miniaturization technologies which make portable radio equipment smaller, cheaper, and more reliable. Digital switching techniques ...