Wireless Communications (IEEE Press)
"Professor Andreas F. Molisch, renowned researcher and educator,has put together the comprehensive book, WirelessCommunications. The second edition, which includes a wealth ofnew material on important topics, ensures the role of the text asthe key resource for every student, researcher, and practitioner inthe field." Professor Moe Win, MIT, USA
Wireless communications has grown rapidly over the past decadefrom a niche market into one of the most important, fast movingindustries. Fully updated to incorporate the latest research anddevelopments, Wireless Communications, Second Editionprovides an authoritative overview of the principles andapplications of mobile communication technology.
The author provides an in-depth analysis of current treatment ofthe area, addressing both the traditional elements, such asRayleigh fading, BER in flat fading channels, and equalisation, andmore recently emerging topics such as multi-user detection in CDMAsystems, MIMO systems, and cognitive radio. The dominant wirelessstandards; including cellular, cordless and wireless LANs; arediscussed. * Topics featured include: wireless propagation channels,transceivers and signal processing, multiple access and advancedtransceiver schemes, and standardised wireless systems. * Combines mathematical descriptions with intuitive explanationsof the physical facts, enabling readers to acquire a deepunderstanding of the subject. * Includes new chapters on cognitive radio, cooperativecommunications and relaying, video coding, 3GPP Long TermEvolution, and WiMax; plus significant new sections on multi-userMIMO, 802.11n, and information theory. * Companion website featuring: supplementary material on 'DECT',solutions manual and presentation slides for instructors,appendices, list of abbreviations and other useful resources.
Why Read This Book
You should read Molisch's Wireless Communications because it pairs rigorous theory with practical insight into real-world wireless systems — from channel physics and fading to OFDM and MIMO — so you can both model and design modern radio links. You will learn the foundational statistical tools and engineering techniques used for channel modeling, modulation, equalization, and system-level performance analysis.
Who Will Benefit
Graduate students, researchers, and practicing communications engineers who need a deep, engineering-focused treatment of wireless channels, modulation/multiple-access techniques, and MIMO/OFDM system design.
Level: Advanced — Prerequisites: Undergraduate-level calculus and linear algebra, basic probability & random processes, signals and systems, and an introductory course in digital communications (modulation and coding).
Key Takeaways
- Model wireless propagation and fading statistically and translate physical channel phenomena into tractable mathematical channel models.
- Analyze and design OFDM and multicarrier systems including synchronization, channel estimation, and mitigation of inter-symbol interference.
- Apply MIMO concepts (capacity, spatial multiplexing, diversity) and evaluate antenna-array tradeoffs for modern wireless links.
- Design and analyze equalization, diversity combining, and receiver techniques using statistical signal-processing tools.
- Evaluate system-level performance (bit/symbol error rates, outage, link budget) and understand tradeoffs across modulation, coding, and access methods.
Topics Covered
- Introduction and Overview of Wireless Systems
- Propagation Mechanisms and Large-Scale Path Loss
- Small-Scale Fading and Statistical Channel Models
- Stochastic Modeling and Performance Metrics
- Single-Carrier Modulation, Detection, and Equalization
- Multicarrier Modulation and OFDM: Design and Impairments
- Spread Spectrum and Multiple Access Techniques
- Channel Estimation and Synchronization
- Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Systems and Antenna Arrays
- Diversity Techniques and Combining Methods
- Capacity, Information-Theoretic Limits, and Resource Allocation
- Cellular Systems, Network Architectures and Mobility
- System Design Examples, Simulations, and Practical Considerations
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More application- and channel-model focused than Tse & Viswanath's Fundamentals of Wireless Communication (which emphasizes information theory), and more theory-forward than Rappaport's Wireless Communications: Principles and Practice, making Molisch a balanced, research-oriented reference.
