Introduction to Telecommunications
Network Engineering
Second Edition
Tarmo Anttalainen
Artech House
Boston • London
www.artechhouse.com
Contents
Preface
xv
Acknowledgments
xix
1 Introduction to Telecommunications 1
1.1 What Is Telecommunications? 1
1.2 Significance of Telecommunications 1
1.3 Historical Perspective 3
1.4 Standardization 7
1.5 Standards Organizations 9
1.5.1 Interested Parties 10
1.5.2 National Standardization Authorities 11
1.5.3 European Organizations 11
1.5.4 American Organizations 12
1.5.5 Global Organizations 13
1.5.6 Other Organizations 14
1.6 Development of the Telecommunications Business 15
v
1.7 Problems and Review Questions 17
References 17
2
The Telecommunications Network: An Overview 19
2.1 Basic Telecommunications Network 19

2.10 Telecommunications Networks 47
2.10.1 Public Networks 47
2.10.2 Private or Dedicated Networks 51
2.10.3 Virtual Private Networks 52
2.10.4 INs 53
2.10.5 Public Switched Telecommunications
Network Today 56
2.11 Network Management 58
2.11.1 Introduction 59
2.11.2 Who Manages Networks? 59
2.11.3 DCN 61
2.11.4 TMN 62
2.12 Traffic Engineering 65
2.12.1 Grade of Service 65
2.12.2 Busy Hour 66
2.12.3 Traffic Intensity and the Erlang 67
2.12.4 Probability of Blocking 67
2.13 Problems and Review Questions 72
References 75
3
Signals Carried over the Network 77
3.1 Types of Information and Their Requirements 77
3.2 Simplex, Half-Duplex, and Full-Duplex
Communication 80
3.3 Frequency and Bandwidth 81
3.3.1 Frequency 82
3.3.2 Bandwidth 83
3.4 Analog and Digital Signals and Systems 85
3.4.1 Analog and Digital Signals 85
3.4.2 Advantages of Digital Technology 86

4.2 Radio Transmission 129
4.2.1 CW Modulation Methods 129
4.2.2 AM 129
4.2.3 FM 133
4.2.4 PM 135
4.2.5 Allocation of the Electromagnetic Spectrum 138
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Introduction to Telecommunications Network Engineering
4.2.6 Free-Space Loss of Radio Waves 141
4.2.7 Antennas 143
4.3 Maximum Data Rate of a Transmission Channel 144
4.3.1 Symbol Rate (Baud Rate) and Bandwidth 144
4.3.2 Symbol Rate and Bit Rate 146
4.3.3 Maximum Capacity of a Transmission Channel 148
4.4 Coding 151
4.4.1 Purpose of Line Coding 152
4.4.2 Spectrum of Common Line Codes 153
4.5 Regeneration 155
4.6 Multiplexing 158
4.6.1 Frequency-Division Multiplexing (FDM)
and TDM 158
4.6.2 PCM Frame Structure 159
4.6.3 Plesiochronous Transmission Hierarchy 164
4.6.4 SDH and SONET 166
4.7 Transmission Media 170
4.7.1 Copper Cables 170
4.7.2 Optical Fiber Cables 172
4.7.3 Radio Transmission 175
4.7.4 Satellite Transmission 175
4.8 Transmission Equipment in the Network 176

5.4.5 Digital Second Generation Cellular Systems 203
5.4.6 Third Generation Cellular Systems 208
5.4.7 Mobile Satellite Systems 209
5.4.8 WLANs 210
5.4.9 Bluetooth 211
5.5 GSM 212
5.5.1 Structure of the GSM Network 212
5.5.2 Physical Channels 217
5.5.3 Logical Channels 218
5.6 Operation of the GSM Network 219
5.6.1 Location Update 219
5.6.2 Mobile Call 221
5.6.3 Handover or Handoff 223
5.6.4 GSM Security Functions 225
5.6.5 GSM Enhanced Data Services 227
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Introduction to Telecommunications Network Engineering
5.7 GPRS 228
5.7.1 GPRS Network Structure 229
5.7.2 GPRS Network Elements 230
5.7.3 Operation of GPRS 232
5.8 Problems and Review Questions 233
References 235
6
Data Communications 237
6.1 Principles of Data Communications 237
6.1.1 Computer Communications 238
6.1.2 Serial and Parallel Data Communications 238
6.1.3 Asynchronous and Synchronous Data Transmission 239
6.2 Circuit and Packet Switching 242

6.5.9 Autonegotiation 297
6.5.10 Gigabit Ethernet 298
6.5.11 Upgrade Path of the Ethernet Network 299
6.5.12 Virtual LAN 300
6.6 The Internet 301
6.6.1 Development of the Internet 301
6.6.2 Protocols Used in the Internet 302
6.6.3 Bearer Network Protocols for IP 305
6.6.4 Internet Protocol 306
6.6.5 Address Resolution Protocol 315
6.6.6 Routing Protocols 316
6.6.7 ICMP 317
6.6.8 Structure of Internet and IP Routing 318
6.6.9 Host-to-Host Protocols 319
6.6.10 Application Layer Protocols 327
6.6.11 WWW 331
6.6.12 Voice over IP (VoIP) 337
6.6.13 Summary 341
6.7 Frame Relay 342
6.8 ATM 342
6.8.1 Protocol Layers of ATM 343
6.8.2 Cell Structure of ATM 344
6.8.3 Physical Layer of ATM 346
6.8.4 Switching of ATM Cells 347
6.8.5 Service Classes and Adaptation Layer 348
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Introduction to Telecommunications Network Engineering
6.8.6 Applications and Future of ATM 350
6.9 Problems and Review Questions 350
References 355

-
tion has to be paid to the security aspects and costs of services. The ever-
changing telecommunications environment provides new options for users,
and we should be more aware of telecommunications as a whole to be able to
capitalize on the possibilities available today.
The business of telecommunications has been growing rapidly, and
many newcomers have found employment in this area. Even if these
xv
newcomers have a technical background, they may feel that they have a very
restricted overall view of the telecommunications network as a whole. The
first purpose of this book is to provide an overall view of telecommunications
networks to newcomers to the telecommunications business. This kind of
general knowledge is useful to the users of telecommunications services, the
personnel of operators, and the employees of telecommunications system
manufacturers.
The professionals working with these complicated technologies very
often have extensive knowledge of one very narrow section of telecommuni
-
cations, but are not familiar with the hundreds of terms and abbreviations
that are used in other telecommunication areas by individuals with whom
they need to interact. One purpose of this book is to provide content to some
of the most common terms and abbreviations used in different areas of
telecommunications.
When I was working as a development department manager at Nokia,
I noticed that relatively few books are available that provide a good intro-
duction to data, fixed, and mobile networks. This kind of overview is valu-
able for people entering a technology area in which all of these technologies
are emerging. Most of the books on the market explain telecommunica-
tions from only one point of view even though there is no longer any
distinct separation of the networks that provide data, speech, and mobile

•
What is the structure and what are the main components of a modern
telecommunications network?
•
What is the importance of standardization and what are the main
standardization bodies for telecommunications?
•
How are analog signals processed for transmission over digital
circuits?
•
What are the basic techniques used in a primary pulse code modula-
tion system that transmits analog speech through the digital tele-
communication network?
•
How does the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) differ
from the ordinary telephone network?
•
What are the fundamental limiting factors of the rate of information
transmission through a transmission channel?
•
How do cellular mobile networks operate and what are their main
components?
•
What are the fundamental differences between circuit and packet
switching techniques?
•
What technical alternatives are available for provision of wideband
access to the Internet?
•
What are local area networks (LANs) and how are connections

Introduction to Telecommunications Network Engineering
Acknowledgments
I want to thank my wife Pirjo and my children Heini, Sini, and Joni for their
patience and understanding while I was writing the book. I am indebted to
my colleagues Matti Puska and Tero Nurminen for their valuable proposals
regarding the development of the book. I also want to thank my students for
their helpful contributions and Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology for
the opportunity to complete this project.
xix
.
1
Introduction to Telecommunications
1.1 What Is Telecommunications?
Telecommunications has been defined as a technology concerned with
communicating from a distance, and we can categorize it in various ways.
Figure 1.1 shows one possible view of the different sections of telecommuni-
cations. It includes mechanical communication and electrical communica-
tion because telecommunications has evolved from a mechanical to an
electrical form using increasingly more sophisticated electrical systems. This
is why many authorities such as the national post, telegraph, and telephone
(PTT) companies are involved in telecommunications using both forms.
Our main concern here is electrical and bidirectional communication, as
shown in the upper part of Figure 1.1. The share of mechanical telecommu
-
nications such as conventional mail and press is expected to decrease, whereas
electrical, especially bidirectional, communication will increase and take the
major share of telecommunications in the future. Hence, major press corpo
-
rations are interested in electrical telecommunications as a business
opportunity.

Press
Radio
TV
Cable TV
Mobile
telephone
Dedicated
networks
Data
networks
Telex
Telegraph
Telephone
Mechanical
Figure 1.1 Telecommunications.
countries the fixed telephone density, that is, the teledensity, is fewer than 10
telephones per 1,000 inhabitants; in developed countries in, for instance,
North America and Europe, there are around 500 to 600 fixed telephones
per 1,000 inhabitants. The economic development of developing countries
depends on (in addition to many other things) the availability of efficient
telecommunications services.
The operations of a modern community are highly dependent on telecommunica
-
tions.
We can hardly imagine our working environment without telecom
-
munications services. The local area network (LAN) to which our computer is
connected is interconnected with the LANs of other sites throughout our
company. This is mandatory so that the various departments can work
together efficiently. We communicate daily with people in other organiza

tions services is also illustrated in Figure 1.2.
Introduction to Telecommunications
3
1800–1837 Preliminary developments: Volta discovers the primary battery;
Fourier and Laplace present mathematical treatises; Ampere,
Faraday, and Henry conduct experiments on electricity and
magnetism; Ohm’s law (1826); Gauss, Weber, and Wheat-
stone develop early telegraph systems.
1838–1866 Telegraphy: Morse perfects his system; Steinhill finds that the
earth can be used for a current path; commercial service is ini
-
tiated (1844); multiplexing techniques are devised; William
Thomson calculates the pulse response of a telegraph line
(1855); transatlantic cables are installed.
1845 Kirchoff’s circuit laws.
1864 Maxwell’s equations predict electromagnetic radiation.
1876–1899 Telephony: Alexander Graham Bell perfects acoustic trans
-
ducer; first telephony exchange with eight lines; Edison’s
carbon-button transducer; cable circuits are introduced;
Strowger devises automatic step-by-step switching (1887);
Pupin presents the theory of loading.
1887–1907 Wireless telegraphy : Heinrich Hertz verifies Maxwell’s theory;
demonstrations by Marconi and Popov; Marconi patents com
-
plete wireless telegraph system (1897); commercial service
begins, including ship-to-shore and transatlantic systems.
4 Introduction to Telecommunications Network Engineering
AM radio
Wireless telegraph

Cordless telephones
Digital radio
Digital TV
ADSL
Mobile
Data
Telefax Gr 4
Time/
year
Cable modems
Internet
WWW
Cellular Telephone
Radio
Digital
Cellular
Telephone
WLAN
Mobile
IP
Stereo TVColor TV
e-mail
VoD
Figure 1.2 Development of telecommunications systems and services.
1904–1920 Communication electronics: Lee De Forest invents the Audion
(triode) based on Fleming’s diode; basic filter types devised;
experiments with AM radio broadcasting; the Bell System
completes the transcontinental telephone line with electronic
repeaters (1915); multiplexed carrier telephony is introduced:
H. C. Armstrong perfects the superheterodyne radio receiver

1961 Integrated circuits are applied to commercial production.
1962 Satellite communication begins with Telstar I.
Introduction to Telecommunications
5
1962–1966 Data transmission service offered commercially; PCM proves
feasible for voice and TV transmission; theory for digital trans
-
mission is developed; Viterbi presents new error-correcting
schemes; adaptive equalization is developed.
1964 Fully electronic telephone switching system is put into service.
1965 Mariner IV transmits pictures from Mars to Earth.
1966–1975 Commercial satellite relay becomes available; optical links
using lasers and fiber optics are introduced; ARPANET is cre
-
ated (1969) followed by international computer networks.
1976 Ethernet LAN invented by Metcalfe and Broggs (Xerox) [2].
1968–1969 Digitalization of telephone network begins.
1970–1975 PCM standards developed by CCITT.
1975–1985 High-capacity optical systems developed; the breakthrough
of optical technology and fully integrated switching systems;
digital signal processing by microprocessors.
1980–1983 Start of global Internet based on TCP/IP protocol [3].
1980–1985 Modern cellular mobile networks put into service, NMT in
Northern Europe, AMPS in the United States, OSI reference
model is defined by International Standards Organization
(ISO). Standardization for second generation digital cellular
systems is initialized.
1985–1990 LAN breakthrough; Integrated Services Digital Network
(ISDN) standardization finalized; public data communica
-

interactive services in addition to broadcast service; third gen
-
eration cellular systems and WLAN technologies will provide
enhanced data services for mobile users; location-based
mobile services will expand, applications for wireless short-
haul technologies in homes and offices will increase; global
telecommunications network will evolve toward a common
packet-switched network platform for all types of services.
1.4 Standardization
Communication networks are designed to serve a wide variety of users who
are using equipment from many different vendors. To design and build net
-
works effectively, standards are necessary to achieve interoperability, com
-
patibility, and required performance in a cost-effective manner.
Open standards are needed to enable the interconnection of systems,
equipment, and networks from different manufacturers, vendors, and opera
-
tors. The most important advantages and some other aspects of open tele
-
communications standards are explained next.
Standards enable competition.
Open standards are available to any telecom
-
munications system vendor. When a new system is standardized that is at
-
tractive from a business point of view, multiple vendors will enter this new
market. As long as a system is proprietary, specifications are the property of
one manufacturer and it is difficult, if not impossible, for a new manufac
-

large countries may not support international standardization because it
would open their local markets to international competition. Manufacturers
in small countries strongly support global standardization because they are
dependent on foreign markets. Their home market is not large enough for
expansion and they are looking for new markets for their technology.
Standards make the interconnection of systems from different vendors possible.
The main technological aim of standardization is to make systems from
different networks “understand” each other. Technical specifications
included in open standards make systems compatible and support the provi
-
sion of wide-area or even global services that are based on standardized
technology.
Standards make users and network operators vendor independent and improve
availability of the systems.
A standardized interface between a terminal and
its network enables subscribers to purchase terminal equipment from multi
-
ple vendors. Standardized interfaces among systems in the network enable
network operators to use multiple competing suppliers for systems. This
improves the availability and quality of systems and reduces their cost.
8 Introduction to Telecommunications Network Engineering
Standards make international services available.
Standardization plays a key
role in the provision of international services. Official global standards de
-
fine, for example, telephone service, ISDN, and facsimile. The standards of
some systems may not have official worldwide acceptance, but if the system
becomes popular all around the world, a worldwide service may become
available. Recent examples of these services are GSM and the Internet with
WWW. Internet specifications have no official status, and GSM was origi

in a company network.
•
Cellular telephone systems: Enable users to choose a handset from
among a large selection with different features from many different
vendors.
1.5 Standards Organizations
Many organizations are involved in standardization work. We look at them
from two points of view: (1) the players in the telecommunications business
Introduction to Telecommunications
9