The Communications Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has announced the availability of A Guide to the Wireless Engineering Body of Knowledge (WEBOK). This 272-page softcover book, published by John Wiley and Sons, was developed as an educational resource for the IEEE’s Wireless Communications Engineering Technologies (WCET) Certification Program.
It’s also a very good general book summarizing the latest wireless technologies and practices relevant to engineers and others working in the wireless field. If you’re looking to prepare for the WCET certification exam or if you just want an overview of the core principles relevant to modern wireless, this is a great place to start. The book was written by a large number of industry professionals and represents the collective body of knowledge needed for employment in the field. Its seven chapters correspond to the seven areas that the WCET certification programs test:

• Wireless access technologies
• Network and service architecture
• Network management and security
• Radio-frequency (RF) engineering, propagation, and antennas
• Facilities infrastructure
• Agreements, standards, policies, and regulations
• Wireless engineering fundamentals

The first chapter on wireless access technologies focuses on radio access architectures and standards used in the cellular industry. It summarizes time-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), and code-division multiple access (CDMA), as well as time-division code-division multiple access (TD-CDMA) and time-division synchronous code-division multiple access (TD-SCDMA). There is a good introductory section on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA). The chapter goes on to cover cellular network operation, access, and management.

Additionally, it covers the evolution of cellular standards from 2G to 3G to 4G. The 3GPP sequence from GSM to GPRS, EDGE, UMTS WCDMA, and UMTS HSPA is outlined. The 3GPP2 standards like cdma2000, 1xRTT, EV-DO, and Rev A, B, and C are reviewed. Further, the chapter includes a section on Long-Term Evolution (LTE) 4G technology. This chapter also covers Wi-Fi wireless local-area network (WLAN) standards like IEEE 802.11. Other short-range wireless technologies are mentioned, including 802.15.1 (Bluetooth) and 802.15.4 (including ZigBee) as well as RFID and near-field communications (NFC). Even femtocells are introduced. This meaty chapter does a great job of summarizing the current technologies in a short space.

Next, chapter 2 covers network and service architecture, examining the guts of the cellular network infrastructure. Topics include circuit-switched architecture, TCP/IP packet-switched networks, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) in Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia, packet-switched mobile networks, and IP multimedia subsystems (IMS). Mesh and ad-hoc mobile networks are summarized as well. Other topics include routing, mobility management, and traffic engineering.

Chapter 3 is about network management and wireless security. It summarizes common tools used to manage, control, and secure a wireless network. Some of the concepts include service-level agreements, configuration management, alarm handling, and security. The widely used simple network management protocol (SNMP) also is described.

RF gurus will appreciate chapter 4, which tackles antenna fundamentals and advanced antenna technologies like diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), phased arrays, beamforming, and smart antennas. Another section covers propagation and link budgets. A good section on receivers includes topics like selectivity, dynamic range, intermodulation distortion (IMD) and third-order intercept, direct conversion, and selectivity.

Chapter 5 is about facilities used in the wireless infrastructure. This mixed bag of topics includes ac and dc power systems, electrical protection, HVAC, transmission lines and waveguides, towers, and distributed antenna systems as well as national and international standards for cell sites. Where else can you get all this material covered in one place?

In chapter 6, the authors look at agreements, standards, policies, and regulations. It isn’t fun reading, but working in the wireless industry requires you to know this stuff. It’s a good summary for those just coming into the business of cellular network construction and management. And finally, chapter 7 summarizes wireless engineering fundamentals, detailing the most important common electronic knowledge used in the wireless field as well as sources of additional information.

I like this book because it covers a great deal of ground in a few pages. If you’re looking for the Cliffs Notes of wireless books, this may be it, especially for the cellular industry. The list of additional resources at the back of the book is extensive and up to date. I definitely give it a thumbs up.

And if you’re interested, the certification program targets wireless professionals seeking to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise. To qualify for certification, you need a bachelor’s or comparable degree in a relevant field and at least three years of professional experience in wireless engineering. You also have to pass IEEE’s comprehensive 150-question exam, which is based on the seven topics covered in the book’s individual chapters.

This is one tough program, and if you manage to get certified, it will really mean something. The next testing cycle is Oct. 12-19, 2009. The application window for this exam period is from July 6 to September 4. For more information on the certification program, go to www.ieee-wcet.org.

To get a copy of the WEBOK book, go to that same site or to the Wiley site at www.wiley.com. The price is $69.95.