4 different ways you can learn about wireless networks on the web

If you have a mobile phone or a computer chances are you heard about  wireless networks. If not, then this post will help you learn more about it. Here are a couple of resources on the web that I found useful.

• wikipedia

Start with open source encyclopaedia, a succinct summary of wireless networks, citing cambrige.org and the GSM Association amongst other sources, that gives you an idea of types of wireless connections, their uses and some environmental concerns. 

• International Telecommunications Union

ITU shortly, is dedicated to connecting all the world`s people; they allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits which is pretty cool.  Their glossary is written in an accessible technical jargon. On networks, I found the Cellular Radio entry which defines the technology that has made wide scale mobile telephony possible. The Cellular Radio family includes the first generation FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) systems, the basis for the first generation cellular radio systems, TDMA and CDMA, the current generation digital technologies that support high bit rate voice and limited data communications and 3G systems,  that support voice and high bit rate data allowing mobile multimedia applications. 

The glossary must have been written some while ago as in the 3G entry it says:"It will be the basis for a wireless information society where access to information and information services such as electronic commerce is available anytime, anyplace and anywhere to anybody." Some of us are already living in this information society while a good chunk is slowly getting there.

• wisegeek

WISEGEEK has some useful tips on 2 and 3G networks, how they work and how to find out whether your carrier is offering a 3G network or not (the UMTS standard for example ). They say that globally, 3G systems have been operational since 2005, for a whole picture, jump here. 

• slideshare

For those who like graphics, slideshare has a bunch of presentation done on this topic, you can start with Wireless and Mobile Networks that gives a good outline and lots of illustrative material to help you sort out the technicalities, although I have to admit, it assumes some prior telecommunications knowledge.


While also surfing slideshare, I found a presentation on UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) by Guoyuo He at the Helsinki University of Technology, that, was quite tough worded  for my level, but from which I subtracted 2 slides for this post to show what is it that the 3G and the future 4G networks are bringing to the table:

...and if you know other sources that are accessible for the non-technical pleb, share your link below.