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Education & Training

One to Multi-Day Course Descriptions – For In-Person Or Online Training

5G Security

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

5G incorporates some significant changes and enhancements to security, compared to LTE systems, especially in terms of the threat model and security architecture.  However, the scope of what is 5G is rather large, as 5G includes traditional mobile broadband services, as provided by 4G systems, as well as whole new application areas like IoT, URLLC, etc., and a revolutionary network architecture. Consequently, the scope of what could be said to be “5G Security” is also huge. In this course, however, we focus on the essence of 5G security in terms of security of the 5G network subscription (concepts of authentication, SIM, etc., some of which have evolved from 3G and 4G, but enhanced with the benefit of lessons learnt from operation of the earlier networks), including but not limited to mobile broadband services. We cover protocols that extend the protections to 5G scenarios of IoT, V2X, etc.

In day one of this course, the instructor will begin with an introduction of overall 5G concepts as a primer to explore the motivations for and objectives of 5G security. Basic concepts of wireless security will also be quickly reviewed. The instructor will then discuss 5G Security fundamentals: Phase 1 highlights including privacy, primary vs. secondary authentication, multiple registrations, mobility scenarios, and inter-operator: SEPP and IPUPS.

In day two of this course, we provide a brief recap of what was discussed regarding Phase 1 and then delve into Phase 2 highlights including: AKMA (Authentication and Key Management for Applications), Non-3GPP Access Security, V2X, and Security Assurance Specifications.  Evolution of the SIM concept and implementation, from 2G/GSM to 5G will also be explored. 

5G RAN and Core Network: Architecture, Technology Enablers and Implementation Aspects

One to Multi-Day Course (8.5 hours of instruction)

Note: This course was formerly titled “5G/NR Non-Standalone and Standalone Deployment”

The goal of this course is to provide participants with a thorough understanding of the fundamental aspects of the 5G RAN and Core Network, covering both the Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) deployment options and including the concept of Network Slicing.

At first, an overview of the 5G System is provided, including the relevant architecture, the interfaces and the key technology enablers. Next, the new 5G Quality of Service (QoS) framework is introduced, highlighting the main differences compared to the 4G QoS. The presentation of the 5G Radio Access Network follows, including the New Radio (NR) Air Interface principles, Massive MIMO and Beamforming methods, Dual Connectivity and Carrier Aggregation aspects and the concept of LTE-NR dynamic spectrum sharing. Next, the 5G Core Network is presented, explaining the role of the included Network Functions, the Service-Based Architecture and the required Management and Orchestration Framework (MANO). Finally, the concept of Network Slicing is introduced, focusing on the relevant E2E aspects, as well as on the corresponding RAN and Core Network implementation principles.

Through engaging topic discussion, including presentations of relevant case studies, participants in this course will develop a profound and robust understanding of the subject matter in a very short period of time.

An Introduction to Wi-Fi

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

Wi-Fi systems are the most widely deployed wireless technologies in the world today. Yet, they receive less attention these days than cellular technologies like LTE. Despite the fact that Wi-Fi systems carry higher volumes of mobile data, operate at higher data rates than LTE, they are almost like commodity items that people don't think too much about but rather, take for granted.

However, Wi-Fi systems are actually very sophisticated systems that were created to satisfy difficult and challenging requirements. For example, they operate in unlicensed bands, with very severe emission limits; also, they need to provide high data rates because they are in direct "competition" with wired LANs using technologies like Ethernet with super-fast rates; furthermore, in some scenarios, Wi-Fi systems are deployed in a somewhat distributed manner, without strong centralized control. Thus, challenges of interference management and resource sharing arise. Additionally, different types of traffic might need to be given different treatment (QoS), resulting in additional challenges from the resource sharing and interference management perspectives. These other technical challenges have been handled over the years (as different members of the Wi-Fi family of technologies have been created) through a variety of solutions and approaches, some of which are pretty ingenious from an engineering point of view.

We will explore these along with the solutions and approaches. Examples of such creative solutions include the various coordination functions at the MAC layer (e.g., DCF, PCF, etc.) spread spectrum, OFDM, etc., to handle challenging constraints at the physical layer while trying to achieve high data rates.

Beyond LTE: LTE Advanced, LTE Advanced Pro, and 5G

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

LTE is the most successful wireless cellular system in the world today. It serves our voracious appetite for more and more mobile data, but the demand for mobile data continues to grow, and LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro are emerging. Whereas LTE-Advanced can in some ways be considered the first "true" 4G system, LTE-Advanced Pro is already heading firmly towards the support of new applications and capabilities on the path towards 5G. 5G is in some ways still a catalog of concepts, some more fleshed out than others, but by 2020 should become more concrete. This course covers:

  • motivations for going beyond LTE, and eventually towards 5G
  • new application scenarios such as MTC and D2D that are strong drivers for 5G
  • technology innovations in LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro: carrier aggregation, CoMP, HetNets, relaying, LAA, NB-IOT., etc.
  • concepts on 5G (network densification, etc.) from IMT-2020, etc.
  • Massive-MIMO, millimeter wave, 5G new RAT, NFV, network slicing, and other technologies that are expected to be part of 5G
Cellular Networks

One to Multi-Day Course (6.5 hours of instruction)

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution and operational principles of digital cellular networks. The cellular concept is described and frequency reuse and sectorization are explained.  You will learn about second generation networks CDMA and GSM through third generation CDMA2000 and WCDMA, which are succeeded by 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 5G NR (New Radio). The principles of security are covered as they apply to cellular communication while showing the improvements implemented through the generations.

Special note:  This is the third in a series of four courses addressing the overall technologies in wireless communications.  The four courses in the series include:

  1. Fundamentals of Wireless Communication
  2. Network and Service Architecture
  3. Cellular Networks
  4. Non-cellular Wireless Systems
Cloud-Native 5G Evolution to 5G-Advanced & Beyond

(previously called Cloud-Native 5G: Architecture, Enablers, and Roadmap)

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

This course is an expansion on the half-day, “Cloud-Native 5G: Architecture, Enablers, and Roadmap” course. It presents an end-to-end view and shares insights on each aspect of 5G architecture and its roadmap, including multi-access, service-based and cloud-native 5G core enabling a wide range of use cases. The course is designed to help participants understand the technology, industry, strategy, and research building blocks from an introductory-to-advanced level without being highly technical or formula heavy.  Insights on end-to-end strategic pillars, technology, industry, service enablement, and ecosystem roadmap, challenges, and realities, along with what to expect in the next several years and beyond will be shared.

Participants will study 5G systems, focusing on end-to-end 5G system and also 5G core. Timelines and how the broad range of use cases with diverse requirements are enabled will be addressed. An explanation of the integration of 4G, Wi-Fi, fixed, and non-terrestrial communications, in the multi-access and converged future will be provided. 5G core and its key functions in separated control and user planes will be discussed, along with end-to-end service enablement, leveraging native telco cloud, and an increasingly open, disaggregated, and cloud-based RAN, as part of the end to end system and network slice.

The instructor will explain the evolution of the next generation architecture, technologies and operation and how network slicing, NFV, SDN, automation, orchestration, etc. are introduced from design, or how they are increasingly built and evolved. Technology enablers such as machine-learning as an essential aspect of automation, edge & hybrid cloud, etc. will also be discussed, from architecture and standards to deployments and service enablement, including how they migrate and evolve.

The course will wrap-up with key important forward-looking paradigms: 5G system cloud native network / platform, increasingly open, autonomous and cognitive; service ubiquity leveraging multi-access 5G system, energy efficiency and sustainability, and the path to beyond 5G.

Computing in Communication Networks – From Theory to Applications

One to Multi-Day Course (8 hours of instruction)

The central topic of the course is the study of architectures and protocols to enable virtualization in future communication networks, with a specific focus on mobile networks (5G and beyond).   Softwarization and virtualization are considered vital in the next generation of communication networks, as seen in the current framework of 5G as standardization moves from New Radio to the infrastructure and management aspects.  This course presents a holistic understanding of the such technologies, and it proposes both theoretical as well as practical concepts.  An extensive hands-on component is included in this course, where participants will learn how to use the discussed technologies.

The technical issues addressed by the course will include:

  • Introductory session: Presenting the reasoning on the need for computing in communication networks, this introduction will provide a picture of the evolution of networks up to present day.  Instructors will discuss 5G basics, requirements, evolution from 4G and current standardization status and beyond. The hands-on practice environment and its concepts will be also introduced during this part of the course.
  • Key theoretical concepts: The first part of this session will address Software Defined Networking (SDN) and will describe conceptual issues and design opportunities deriving from the detachment of the control plane from the data plane, network programmability, and existing solutions in the SDN eco-system (mainly OpenFlow, but with an overview of ONOS and P4).  Next the instructors will cover Network Function Virtualization (NFV),  discussing conceptual issues and design opportunities deriving from the abstraction of network functionalities from dedicated hardware, performance issues, and existing solutions for NFV (docker, OpenStack).
  • Hands-on sessions on SDN and NFV:  This portion of the course will provide participants with an opportunity to review the concepts presented earlier in the course in a practical environment.
  • Concepts and hands-on on advanced network services:  The instructors will discuss Mobile Edge Cloud, Network Coding, as well as Machine Learning and Compressed Sensing applications. Pre-defined examples in the distributed Virtual Machine will be used to illustrate the practical implementation of such concepts and enable the participants to “play” with such technologies themselves.
  • Advanced topics will be reviewed at the end of the course, allowing time for a question and answer session with the participants.

The course is the first of its kind that tries to build up a holistic understanding of the technologies supporting the development of the next generation of communication networks (e.g. 5G), and proposes both theoretical as well as practical concepts – including extensive hands-on where the attendees will learn how to use the presented technologies.

In fact, besides the theoretical subjects above, the course will also address the issues about actual deployment and implementation of such concepts, by introducing to the participants the proper open-source software tools to use for experimentation.  Details regarding the software to download and install will be shared with participants in advance of the course, so that they will are ready to participate in real-time during the hands-on experience. Practical sessions will be explored step-by-step by the instructors as well as in supplemental materials.

The course is based on a book written by the instructors on “Computing in Communication Networks,” which was recently published by Elsevier in May 2020.

Fundamentals of Wireless Communication

One to Multi-Day Course (6.5 hours of instruction)

This course reviews topics of radio theory, which is essential for understanding specific applications of wireless communication including short-range wireless systems, cellular access networks, and satellite communication. First, the instructor explains basic concepts of wireless communication, including system architecture, modulation, Shannon capacity and the electromagnetic spectrum. Then various aspects of antennas, including directivity and gain; beamforming; and antenna types, are described. A section on wave propagation covers path loss and fading, the link budget, and propagation models. Transmitters and receiver architectures are described followed by explanations of filters, sensitivity, and distortion. The course concludes with a discussion of access methods for wireless networks and explanation of OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) technology.

Special note:  This is the first in a series of four courses addressing the overall technologies in wireless communications.  The four courses in the series include:

  1. Fundamentals of Wireless Communication
  2. Network and Service Architecture
  3. Cellular Networks
  4. Non-cellular Wireless Systems
Introduction to Deep Learning for the Physical Layer

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are considered as the of the most important universal technologies of our era, like electricity and the combustion engine. Particularly deep learning has led to many recent breakthroughs in various domains, such as computer vision, natural language processing, and speech recognition. It is therefore natural to ask what role AI/ML will play for wireless communications? This course tries to shed some light on this question by introducing key concepts of deep learning and their applications to problems in communications, ranging from channel estimation, over a full neural OFDM receiver, to an entirely neural network-based communications system that does not use any traditional algorithm. For now, deep learning for communications is a novel field that offers many attractive interdisciplinary research questions at the interface between machine learning, communications engineering, information theory, as well as hardware design.

As one of the hottest topics currently in our field, it is expected that machine learning will play an increasingly important role in the future evolutions of 5G as well as the development of 6G.  Hence, this course is a great opportunity to learn about the cutting-edge research in communications and deep learning with a particular focus on practical implementation with state-of-the-art deep learning libraries.

Developed and taught by one of the pioneers of this field, participants will be guided to relevant resources and provided with a realistic assessment of the impact of machine learning on the future of our industry.  Participants will get access to Jupyter notebooks with code examples that will enable them to deepen their understanding of the topic and design their own experiments.

LTE Fundamentals: The Essentials

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

LTE is the wireless cellular system that comes after 3G. Designed from the ground up as a long term evolution of the 3G systems, it came with a new OFDMA-based air interface and an All-IP Network to provide many improvements over the 3G cellular networks. Unlike earlier cellular packet technologies like HSPA (which are constrained to operate within the frameworks of 3G networks), LTE is deeply optimized for wireless data throughout all the layers of its protocol stack. In this one-day course, we review the fundamentals of LTE. Why LTE is used and how it works will be discussed.

Machine Type Communications in 5G and Beyond

One to Multi-Day Course (7.5 hours of instruction)

Note:  This course was formerly titled “Machine Type Communications in LTE and 5G/NR” and this version has a small portion of additional information that was not originally provided in the earlier version.

The standardization of cellular machine type communications (MTC) technologies by 3GPP provides a robust and flexible framework for the cost-efficient, wide-scale deployment of a plethora of new use cases. In the context of the 5G standards, a broad set of MTC solutions are now available, supporting quite heterogenous performance requirements, and receiving a lot of focus by Mobile Network Operators, equipment vendors, IoT solution providers and enterprise IoT solution consumers. Moreover, the ongoing evolution of MTC technologies in 5G and beyond, is expected to lead to an unparalleled set of use cases, implemented in a massively scalable eco-system of interconnected devices, characterized by distributed intelligence, ultra-low energy usage and a transition from the IoT to the “Intelligent Internet of Intelligent Things”.

This course provides a thorough understanding of MTC over 3GPP radio access, with focus on 5G/NR, covering also the evolution of MTC towards 6G. At first, an overview of the IoT framework is provided, including the relevant capabilities, use cases and standardization efforts. Next, the two main categories of MTC, namely, mMTC and URLLC, are explained, focusing on the relevant technical requirements, the air interface implementation, and the involved procedures. The special MTC cases of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) and Reduced Capability (RedCap) communications, as well as the Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), are also included in the course, with focus on the relevant use-cases and the corresponding implementation aspects. Finally, the course presents the latest developments in the evolution of MTC in 5G and beyond, covering additional use cases and explaining the relevant technology enablers, such as the Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), Zero Energy, Non-terrestrial IoT and On-device Intelligence.  

Through engaging topic discussion, including presentations of relevant case studies, participants in this course will develop a profound and robust understanding of the subject matter in a very short period of time.

Network and Service Architecture

One to Multi-Day Course (6.5 hours of instruction)

This course presents a comprehensive overview of telecommunication networks. The instructor begins with a review of internet protocol (IP) principles as they apply to communications networks, including those that have wireless access terminals. Then the IP core network is discussed in conjunction with cellular network evolution from circuit switched to packet switched all-IP core network architectures. Technologies for QoS (quality of service) support and VoIP (voice over IP) transport are reviewed as well as network security. Physical infrastructure characteristics are also examined.  The course concludes with a discussion of types of engineering documentation.

Special note:  This is the second in a series of four courses addressing the overall technologies in wireless communications.  The four courses in the series include:

  1. Fundamentals of Wireless Communication
  2. Network and Service Architecture
  3. Cellular Networks
  4. Non-cellular Wireless Systems
O-RAN: Disrupting the Radio Access Network Through Openness and Innovation

One to Multi-Day Course (7.5 hours of instruction)

Open RAN, and particularly the O-RAN standardized by the O-RAN Alliance, is currently one of the hottest topics in the area of wireless mobile communications. O-RAN promises considerable OPEX and CAPEX savings for mobile network operators (MNOs), fostering innovation and competition in the Radio Access Network (RAN) through open interfaces, virtualization, and architecture developments that maximize the potential for innovating RAN solutions and services provided by a multitude of companies.

This course provides first an overview of the current 3GPP-based RAN architecture, covering different deployment options such as D-RAN, C-RAN, and V-RAN. In this context, RAN splitting options are discussed, focusing on the higher and lower layer split (HLS and LLS, respectively). Following that, the limitations and overheads resulting from the proprietary aspects of the 3GPP-based non-open RAN solutions are analyzed, setting the ground for the presentation of the O-RAN framework.

The O-RAN proposal is first introduced through the presentation of the relevant standardization effort, the eco-system, the involved parties, and the current deployment status. Next, the technical aspects of the O-RAN are analyzed, including the architecture, interfaces, software and hardware aspects and the role of virtualization. Detailed analysis of the role of the RAN Intelligent Controllers (RIC) is provided, explaining how the architecture of the RICs opens the RAN to innovative solutions and features. Finally, the instructor presents case studies from early O-RAN adopters, summarizing the main findings from these early deployments and discussing potential O-RAN challenges and threats.

Optical Wireless Communications: Recent Applications in Terrestrial, Space, Satellite and Underwater

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

This course will provide a comprehensive and up to date review of theory and practical implementations of optical wireless communications (OWC).  In recent years, constant demand by the end users for bandwidth in mobile communications to support a number of broadband wireless services such as mobile videophones, video conferencing and  high-speed Internet access for various every day and business applications is growing. High quality multimedia services in the next decade will require much higher bandwidth than that which exists today. Free Space Optical (FSO) Wireless Communication (OWC) is the most reliable, flexible and viable wireless option, which also makes it very attractive for incorporating with the emerging 5G wireless communications and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Fundamentals of Optical Wireless Communications will be covered with special emphasis on technologies and techniques in achieving high bandwidth (much higher than what exists today by RF communications). The instructor will discuss the OWC systems analysis and design issues in order to address a number of challenges, such as atmospheric turbulence, mobility and security, and options relevant to future optical wireless communication terminals, such as LEO, Intersatellite and Constellation of Satellites (Small and CubeSat LaserCom), and Underwater OWC. The course will also cover Optical Wireless Communication with recent Visible Light Communications (VLC) technology.

A technology solution for accomplishing the future "All-Optical" methods and techniques for accomplishing global Internet connectivity will be discussed.  This course will also cover the communication channel effects for each of the uniquely different channels of Terrestrial, Space, Satellite and Underwater, in order to accomplish “All Optical” Communications.

Principles of Satellite Location and Navigation

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

This course teaches how signals from orbiting satellites that are 20,000 km above the earth can be used to locate terrestrial objects to an accuracy of several meters down to a fraction of a centimeter.  It begins with a brief review of satellite navigation history, then describes the major system components and the coordinate frames in which location of satellites and targets is described.  The main portion of the course focuses on the features and techniques in target receivers that determine location and time estimates, including differential GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and presents sources of error and the necessary relativistic corrections. The existing and developing global and regional satellite navigation systems are described, as well as major improvements to the veteran implementations, the American GPS and Russian GLONASS. Integration of inertial measurement systems (IMS) with satellite positioning is also explained.  The course concludes with a discussion of GNSS implementation.

Overall, this course will help you understand how satellite navigation works, what its features and limitations are, which satellite navigation systems are available or being developed and how to more effectively utilize them. 

Visible Light Communications: The High Bandwidth Alternative to WiFi

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

The visible light spectrum is 1000 times larger than the entire radio frequency spectrum of 300 GHz, and this simple fact provides the motivation to use visible light as a high bandwidth alternative to radio. The applications range from gigabit interconnects in data centers, through mobile networking in homes and offices to point-to-point long range wireless backhaul links outdoors. We will set the scene by looking at existing conventional wireless access technology and state clearly its limitations. Then we will go on to provide a general background to the subject of optical wireless communications, followed by a brief summary of the history of visible light communication VLC). We will discuss the relationship between VLC and LiFi (light fidelity), introducing the major advantages of VLC and LiFi and discuss existing challenges. Recent key advancements in physical layer techniques that led to transmission speeds greater than 10 Gbps will be discussed. Moving on, we introduce channel modelling techniques, and show how this technology can be used to create fully-fletched cellular networks achieving orders of magnitude improvements of area spectral efficiency compared to current technologies. The challenges that arise from moving from a static point-to-point visible light link to a LiFi network that is capable of serving hundreds of mobile and fixed nodes will be discussed. An overview of recent standardization activities will be provided. Lastly, we will discuss commercialization challenges of this disruptive technology.

Wi-Fi Security

One to Multi-Day Course (6 hours of instruction)

Everyone uses Wi-Fi.  However, most people may not have a strong understanding of what the differences are between the available security options, like WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, TKIP, AES, etc. You may even have heard that WEP is supposed to be bad, but you are not be sure how WPA and WPA2 improve on it. Furthermore, because Wi-Fi security started from something very weak, and then was improved in stages, it can be very helpful to trace through the various generations of Wi-Fi security, and thus gain a better understanding of wireless security.

This course explains the motivations for wireless and Wi-Fi security and describes initial attempts with open authentication, WEP-based authentication, WEP encryption, etc.  We will then explore the many problems with WEP, its use of keys, etc.; and ways that it can be broken.  We’ll then discuss how WPA, as a stopgap measure, addresses some of the issues with WEP and how WPA2 is even more secure.  The IEEE 802.1X model, and the difference between PSK and enterprise modes will then be explained.

Wireless Positioning and Location

One to Multi-Day Course (6.5 hours of instruction)

Positioning capability is a feature of virtually all types of mobile wireless terminals and networks, among them cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, internet of things, and wireless sensor networks, in addition to (of course) navigation devices.

This course begins with a brief review of positioning fundamentals and then proceeds with descriptions of all the location methods. Current issues including GNSS, TOA and TDOA, RSS, indoor location, inertial positioning and data fusion are addressed. Cellular positioning is discussed in detail, including 5G innovations. Application examples are presented for various location scenarios. Participants will benefit from review questions and answers incorporated throughout the course to reinforce concepts presented.

Enroll in this Wireless Positioning and Location course to expand the scope of your knowledge of wireless communication systems and the services that they provide.