Wireless Communications

Course Description

EEL4596 — Wireless Communications is a senior-level (4xxx) college-credit course in Florida's B.S. Electrical Engineering programs covering wireless communication system principles and current standards. Topics include: cellular system architecture; multiple access techniques (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, OFDMA); fading channel models; equalization and diversity; spread spectrum; OFDM; introduction to MIMO; current cellular standards (4G LTE, 5G NR); WLAN (Wi-Fi) standards; satellite and emerging wireless systems.

This course is offered at Florida State University System institutions with B.S. or graduate Electrical Engineering programs: University of Florida, Florida State University, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida A&M University, and Florida Institute of Technology. As an upper-division course, it is restricted to students admitted to the B.S. Electrical Engineering or B.S. Computer Engineering program at the offering institution.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of EEL4596, students will be able to:

• Describe cellular system architecture: hexagonal cell concept; frequency reuse; cell splitting and sectoring; handover; mobility management.
• Apply multiple access techniques: FDMA; TDMA; CDMA; OFDMA; SC-FDMA; comparative analysis.
• Apply fading channel modeling: large-scale path loss models (Okumura-Hata, COST-231); small-scale fading (Rayleigh, Rician); coherence time and bandwidth; delay spread.
• Apply equalization techniques: linear equalization; decision feedback equalization; adaptive equalization (LMS, RLS).
• Apply diversity techniques: spatial diversity; frequency diversity; time diversity; polarization diversity; combining methods (selection, MRC, EGC).
• Apply spread spectrum: direct sequence (DSSS); frequency hopping (FHSS); processing gain; jamming margin; CDMA principles.
• Apply OFDM: subcarrier orthogonality; cyclic prefix; PAPR; FFT-based implementation.
• Describe MIMO systems: spatial multiplexing; transmit diversity (Alamouti); MIMO capacity.
• Describe current standards: 4G LTE architecture; 5G NR (sub-6 GHz and mmWave); Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 (802.11ax/be); LoRaWAN, NB-IoT for IoT applications.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Cellular Concept: Hexagonal cells; frequency reuse factor; cluster size; co-channel interference; cell splitting and sectoring; handover (hard and soft).
• Multiple Access: FDMA; TDMA; CDMA (Walsh codes, PN sequences); OFDMA; SC-FDMA (LTE uplink); time-division duplex (TDD) vs. frequency-division duplex (FDD).
• Path Loss and Shadowing: Free-space; two-ray; log-distance; log-normal shadowing; Okumura-Hata; COST-231; ITU-R indoor models.
• Multipath Fading: Rayleigh fading; Rician fading; flat vs. frequency-selective fading; slow vs. fast fading; coherence time and bandwidth.
• Equalization: Inter-symbol interference (ISI); linear equalization (zero-forcing, MMSE); decision-feedback equalization (DFE); adaptive equalization.
• Diversity: Spatial; frequency; time; polarization; combining methods (selection, MRC, EGC); diversity gain.
• Spread Spectrum: DSSS chip rate and processing gain; FHSS; CDMA encoding/decoding; near-far problem; power control.
• OFDM: Subcarrier orthogonality; cyclic prefix; PAPR challenges and mitigation; FFT-based modulation/demodulation.
• MIMO: Spatial multiplexing; spatial diversity; Alamouti scheme (transmit diversity); precoding; massive MIMO concept.
• Modern Standards: 4G LTE protocol stack and air interface; 5G NR architecture (NSA, SA); 5G mmWave; Wi-Fi 6/6E/7; IoT connectivity (LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, Sigfox).

Resources & Tools

• Theodore S. Rappaport Wireless Communications: Principles and Practice (Pearson)
• Andrea Goldsmith Wireless Communications (Cambridge); Andreas F. Molisch Wireless Communications
• 3GPP standards documentation; IEEE 802.11 standards; IEEE Communications Society resources
• MATLAB Wireless Toolbox; Simulink wireless modeling

Career Pathways

EEL4596 supports careers across Florida's wireless, telecommunications, defense, and aerospace sectors with employers including L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, and major telecommunications providers operating in Florida. Continuation toward graduate study in wireless communications, signal processing, or networking is supported.

Special Information

Course Format

Typically 3 credits, 45 contact hours (lecture).

ABET Accreditation

This course contributes to ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation requirements for B.S. EE programs. Florida public university EE programs are ABET-accredited.

Industry Currency

Wireless communications standards evolve rapidly. Coursework typically references the most current standards (currently 5G NR Release 17/18, Wi-Fi 7) and emerging research in 6G.