525.408 - Digital Telephony Course Homepage
Instructor Information
Greg Blodgett
Email: greg.w.blodgett@verizonbusiness.comWork Phone: (703) 886-4047
John Carmody
Email: carmody@erols.comWork Phone: (443) 255-6444
Home Phone: (410) 750-1019
Dr. Carmody has thirty years of experience in industry developing human speech processing systems and communications systems. He has been described as a "blue collar" PhD becuase he has worked every aspect from conceptual design through deployment and support.
Course Information
Course Description
This course examines communication techniques for the transmission in voice of various channels. Topics include characteristics of speech and voice digitization; bandwidth minimization and voice compression; digital modulation and standards; transmission via fiber, terrestrial microwave, and satellite channels; cellular telephone architectures and networks; and digital switching architectures and networks.
Prerequisites
Either an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering or 525.416 Communications Systems Engineering, or consent of the instructor.
Course Goal
The goal of the Digital Telephony course is to provide the student with a broad understanding of telecommunications from a Systems Engineering viewpoint and in-depth knowledge of voice characteristics, line coding, synchronization, and digital transmission.
Course Objectives
Digital transmission, signaling, and control.
- Multiplexing, waveform coding, line coding.
- Wireless, cellular radio transmission of voice signals.
- Broadband technologies, DSL, FiOS, triple-play services.
When This Course is Typically Offered
Fall Semester at APL
Spring Semester at Montgomery County Center
Syllabus
Topics Covered
- Communications Channels and Considerations
- Telephone Basics, Signaling Systems, Network Overview
- Characteristics of Human Speech
- Waveform Coding
- Line Coding, Synchronization
- Digital Transmission
- Wireless Technologies
- Cellular Radio and Spread Spectrum
- Satellite Communications
- Fiber Optic Transmission
- Broadband Technologies
- DSL, FiOS, VoIP, IPTV
- 2.5G, 3G, 4G, LTE
- Emerging Technologies and Future Trends
Student Assessment Criteria
| Homework (6 assignments) | 25% |
| Mid-term Exam | 25% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Research Paper and Presentation | 25% |
All homework is due within one week of its assignment.
Textbooks
Textbook information for this course is available online through the MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore.
Course Notes
There are no notes for this course.
Final Words from the Instructor
The Digital Telephony course, EG525.408, covers the basics of telecommunications, voice and data communications, and Transmission, Signaling, and Control in the network. The evolution of the phone network from Alexander Graham Bell’s plain old telephone system (POTS) through today’s emerging networks is reviewed. In-depth technical analysis of Wide Area Network engineering considerations are studied from Signaling System 7, to Pulse Code Modulation, to mu-law 255 companding. Multiplexing, T-1 transmission, modulation, Fiber-optics, and Optical networking are studied as the convergence from voice to data communications to all-IP networking evolves. Design trade-offs from a System Engineering viewpoint – and Business Case considerations – are reviewed for Waveform and Parametric Voice Coding techniques, Broadband, QoS, Ethernet, VoIP, IPTV, and IMS-based services.
Transmission of Digital Telephony signals rely on Wireless Radio (Microwave and Cellular), Satellite, and Fiber optic channels so this course ties existing Outside Plant equipment to the evolving broadband and next generation networks as triple play services (voice, data, video) converge and evolve. Wireless transmission and emerging mobile applications of digital telephony, OFDM, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, LTE are discussed.
Evolving telecommunication technologies are discussed on a weekly basis. The class is an equal balance of homework, midterm, final exam, and research paper presentation. The research paper allows the student to further study a telecommunications topic as it relates to their work or interest in telecommunications.
Whether this is your first course or last course in the ECE program, you will find topics of interest in this class.
Course instructors are professionals in the Telecommunications industry.
(Last Modified: 01-16-2009 at 12:18:18 PM)