Course content

Communications theory is the basis for understanding how information can be transmitted from a source to a receiver. The main focus will be on digital communication but analog methods will get some attention.
In the beginning of the course stochastic processes will be covered to enable us to describe signals that are not fully known, as speech and video signals but also unwanted signals like noise.
Digital formatting is needed to transmit signals digitaly. Here sampling and quantization will be analyzed. The next step is to format the information for transmission over a channel to the receiver. This is modulation and the course will cover a large number of different modulation techniques, as MFSK, MPSK and QAM, and how they can be analyzed. The receiver structure, with filters and detector are important here. Energy efficiency and spectral efficiency are two aspects that are important for the performance of the modulation. Energy efficiency is how much energy per bit in relation to the amount of noise that is needed to obtain a certain bit error probability. Spectral efficiency is how many bits per second per Herz that it is possible to transmit. There will be a short introduction to information theory, which will give the limits for possible system performance when the signal and channel are characterized.

Learning outcome

Modern telecommunications services require that the capacity of communication channels is exploited in an econoomical way. To do this, engineers must be able to characterize signals and transmission media in order to design optimal systems. The aim of this course is to give an introduction to the most central problems related to modern transmission systems with emphasis on mathematical and statistical models.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and exercises. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may be changed from written to oral.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

The courses TTT4110 Information and Signal Theory and TMA4245 Statistics, or equivalent.

Course materials

To be announced at the beginning of the semester.

Credit reductions