Multiplexing (TDM, FDM) and Multiple Access (TDMA, FDMA, CDMA, NOMA)
Frame synchronization, Randomizers
Introduction to error detection (CRC), error correction (block codes), and ARQ
Digital modulations (PSK, QAM, APSK)
OFDM modulation and its application
Use cases and relative Link Budgets: space links and 5G
Signal, image and video processing and learning [Signal processing: methods and algorithms]
Review of discrete-time signals and systems
Introduction to non-stationary random processes
Estimation theory
Spectral estimation
Time-frequency analysis
The Kalman filter
Detection theory
Signal, image and video processing and learning [Image and video processing and learning]
Multidimensional filters and transforms
Data, image and video compression
Convolutional and deep neural networks for image analysis
Generative adversarial networks
Machine learning for networking
Programming in Python
Machine Learning basics theory
Preprocessing, data reduction and data visualization
Supervised and unsupervised learning
Applications and labs applied to Internet measurements and cybersecurity
Year 1 - Semester 2
Project: Software-defined communication systems
Project management and planning
Projects in these areas:
Optical communications and networking
Wireless systems and 5G networks
Satellite networks
Complex networks
Networking for multimedia and music
Project design, implementation and validation
Periodic project presentations
Optical fiber communications
Optical fiber networks: scenarios of application
Introduction to the key optoelectronic components for optical fiber communications
Linear and nonlinear propagation effects in single-mode optical fibers
Intensity-modulated and direct detection (IM-DD) systems: performance and scalability in short reach scenario for datacenter and Fiber-to-the-Home optical access networks
PM-QAM coherent transmission systems: performance and scalability for long haul ultra-high bit rate fiber links
Long-haul reconfigurable optical networks (seminar given by external experts)
Quantum cryptography (seminar given by external experts)
Transoceanic submarine systems (seminar given by external experts)
Information and communication theory
Basic concepts from Information Theory
Source coding for data compression
Channel capacity and capacity formula for the additive Gaussian channel
An elementary introduction to block and convolutional codes
Channel estimation (Single Carrier and OFDM)
Adaptive Equalization ML and MMSE (Single Carrier and OFDM)
Iterative channel decoders (LDPC, turbo, polar)
Carrier, Timing and Frame Synchronization
Wireless access electromagnetics
Introduction to antenna as system components
Antenna system parameters
Noiseless and noise link budget
Low and medium gain antennas for broadcasting, mobile communications, WiFi/WLAN, IoT (slot, patch, dipole)
UWB antennas
High-gain, reconfigurable and MIMO antennas (arrays) with beamforming
Fixed beam, scanning beam MIMO
Year 2 - Semester 1
Project: Applied communication systems and IoT
Project management and planning
Projects areas:
Open control of optical transport network elements
GNSS/GPS-related security
Optical sensing
Radar-based sensing
High-speed optical links for datacenter/HPC applications
IoT for smart applications
Wireless-based sensing
Communication system design, implementation and validation
Periodic project presentations
Network measurement laboratory
Configuration of hosts in Local Area Networks, IP addresses management, subnetting/supernetting
Traffic monitoring using sniffers in LAN: TCP, UDP and HTTP
Performance measurement for file transfers in wired and WiFi networks
Impact of delay and packet losses
Analysis of traffic traces collected from real networks
Post-processing tools to extract information out of the raw data
Statistical methods and data mining techniques to find correlations and solve classification problems
Signal processing and optical transmission lab
Signal Processing laboratory:
DSP implementation of linear filters and their application to lossless audio compression
Program templates and input/output interfaces
Basic FIR and IIR filtering structures
Real-time filtering of audio signals
Lossless coding based on FIR predictors
Real-time lossless coding of audio signals, validation and testing
Optical Communications laboratory
Spectral measures of laser sources and their wavelength and power characterizations
Experimental procedure for the joint of optical fibers and corresponding measurement of the joint attenuation
Experimental characterization of passive optical devices
Realization of an optical amplifier and corresponding experimental characterization
Spectral characterization of optical sources through optical spectrum analyzers and high resolution methods
Signal processing and wireless transmission lab
Signal digital processing laboratory
Introduction to digital signals, DSP architecture and programming
Introduction to CCS environment for running code on the DSP
Entry-level C/C++ coding
Implementation of digital FIR and IIR filters
Porting from floating point to fixed point precision
Live signal processing via double buffering
Lossless coding, predictive error coding and Rice encoding
Validation and testing
Wireless transmissions laboratory
Physical layer of broadband fixed and mobile radio-communication standards
Structure and main functions of conventional and software defined digital radio transceivers
Software defined radio (SDR) platforms Lab
Implementation on SDR platform (Ettus B210 and National Instruments USRP-2901) of some common transceiver blocks suitable for most wireless communication standards (WiFi, LTE, DVB)
Test and measurements of the performance of some implemented receiver algorithms
Open optical networks
State-of-the art transceivers for optical communications
Foundations of optical fiber propagation and modeling its impairments
Amplifiers and passive components
WDM spectral use and standards
ROADMs and node structure in general
YANG, Netconfig, GMPLS, OTN
Emulation of optical layer in photonic networks
Routing spectral and wavelength assignment
Multilayer orchestration
Physical-layer-aware network analysis, design and optimization
5G and next-generation mobile computing
5G and beyond cellular connectivity
Network architecture
Radio Access Networks
Edge computing
Mobile service virtualisation
Virtual resource allocation
Hands-on approach to mobile services
Service orchestration
Advanced wireless communications and coding
Multiuser uplink channels: orthogonal techniques and multiuser detection