Purpose

This module gives the students 1) an overview, and status, of the latest developments in the leading broadband technologies for both access and backbone networks, and 2) the criteria to assess the ability of those technologies to meet the current and future Internet traffic demands.

Prerequisites

To follow the introductory part no previous knowledge in the field is needed. But to follow the module at basic or advanced levels, a minimal background on transmission, switching and signalling systems, and network protocols including TCP/IP, Ethernet, GPRS and the ISO model, is required.

Learning objectives

Students who complete the module at the introductory level will understand the broadband concept, both in terms of access and the core network. They will get an overview of the main network functionalities (transmission and switching) and protocols (MAC, routing, resource reservation, etc.) related with this concept.
Students who complete the module at the basic level will additionally obtain:

• Knowledge of basic wired and wireless broadband access network technologies, such as Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL), Hybrid Fiber Coax (Cable TV & Cable Modems), Broadband Power Line (BPL), Fibre to the Home/Curb, CDMA, 3G, and WiFi and WiMax. Students will gain skills on the main characteristics of these technologies, and an overview of their penetration in the market.
• Knowledge of Basic backbone network technologies such as MPLS, SDH, Carrier-Ethernet, and DWDM, in conjunction with scalability, statistical multiplexing, traffic engineering, reliability and QoS provisioning concepts.
• Knowledge of how to apply the taught concepts for solving real life problems.

Students who complete the module at the advanced level will additionally obtain:

• Skills in new wired and wireless broadband access networks technologies, such as G-PONs, WDM-PONs, 4G/LTE, 5G and the state of development of these technologies.
• Skills in new backbone network technologies such as Gridless-ROADM, Flexible Optical Networking, Optical Burst/Packet Switching, and Software-Defined Networking-based Transport Networks.

Pre-module material provided

References to books and white papers that give sufficient introduction to enable the students without prior knowledge to follow the basic and advanced levels of this module will be available. In particular, we refer to material on Frame Check Sequence codes (Hamming, CRC, etc.), channel codes (NRZ, Manchester, 8/10B, 64/66B, etc.) modulation formats (QPSK, m-QAM, OFDM, etc.), DWDM systems, MAC protocols, circuit switched networks and packet switched networks (of both types, connectionless and connection oriented).
Additional material provided: Additional material as tutorial/survey–like papers, and results from experimental test-beds, will be provided.

You find the full material for download here.