Tutorial 1

1. Briefly discuss electronic computing devices & technology trends in Mobile and
Wireless Communications.
a. Advances in Technology
i. more computing power in smaller devices
ii. flat, lightweight displays with low power consumption
iii. user interfaces suitable for small dimensions
iv. higher bandwidths
v. multiple wireless interfaces: wireless LANs, wireless WANs, home RF,
Bluetooth

b. New electronic computing devices

i. small, cheap, portable, replaceable and most importantly “usable”

c. Technology Trends
i. devices are aware of their environment and adapt - “location awareness”
ii. devices recognize the location of the user and react appropriately (e.g.,
call forwarding, fax forwarding)

2. Differentiate between mobility and wireless.

a. Mobility
i. user mobility: users communicate anytime, anywhere, with anyone
ii. device portability: devices can be connected anytime, anywhere to the
network

b. Wireless
i. Un-tethered, no physical wire attachment

3. List THREE applications under Mobile Computing Applications.

a. Rich Voice Services

- VoIP, video telephony, video-conference, collaborative work

b. Location-based services:
- car navigation, maps, product and service finder

c. Machine-to-Machine:
- sensor modes in products and electronic devices and home appliances

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4. List THREE types of mobile networks
a. Wireless PANs (Wireless Home Networks [Cordless Network, HomeRF],
Bluetooth Ultra Wideband, WSN)
b. Wireless LANs (Infrared, Radio, IEEE802.11, MANET,HiperLAN2),
c. Wireless MANs (Wireless Local Loops, WiMax,GPS, Free Space optics),
d. Wireless WANs (Cellular Networks [1G- 5G,GSM,GPRS,WAP], LoRa,
Satellite Communications)

5. What is digital divide?

Gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and
communications technology (ICT), and those that don't or have restricted access. This
technology can include the telephone, television, personal computers and internet
connectivity.

Three types of digital divide:

a. Access Divide
It refers to the possibilities that people have to access this resource. This is where socio-
economic differences between people and between countries come into play, since
digitisation requires very costly investments and infrastructure for less developed regions
and for rural areas.

b. Use Divide
It refers to the lack of digital skills, which impedes the handling of technology. In this
regard, and to give an example, the ITU points out that there are 40 countries in which
more than half of their inhabitants do not know how to attach a file to an email.

c. Quality of use gap

Sometimes they have the digital skills to find their way around the Internet, but not the
knowledge to make good use of and get the most out of it. For example, with regard to
access to quality information.

6. Proposed THREE Areas of research in mobile communications.

a. Wireless Communication
i. transmission quality (bandwidth, error rate, delay)
ii. modulation, coding, interference
iii. media access, regulations

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b. Mobility
i. location dependent services
ii. location transparency
iii. quality of service support (delay, jitter, security)

c. Portability
i. power consumption
ii. limited computing power, sizes of display
iii. usability

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