Communication and Radio Access Networks

Explore the Theory and Practice of Wireless Systems

This module will introduce wireless networks from a technical perspective, including the background of wireless standards, and the evolution to 5G.

You will learn the theory underpinning radio transmission and reception, and appreciate the need for standards and protocols for accessing the RF spectrum, which forms the channel in wireless communications systems.

You will also gain practical knowledge of designing Radio Access Networks (RANs), including technical, economic, and regulatory factors, and gain an appreciation of candidate use-cases served by private and public networks.

The aim of this module is to provide a firm technical grounding in wireless communications systems.

The module is intended to ‘demystify’ how radio communications work, and explain some of the terminology around this topic, so that you will feel confident evaluating and discussing radio communications systems.

The content is structured to pair theory with practice, enabling participants to appreciate the development of RANs, and the factors influencing their design. These aspects of the module are illustrated through case studies on public and private networks.

This course is run by the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

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Próximos cursos

October 2025

Residential – University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

Dates: TBC October 2025

£2,250 per delegate, including breakfasts and lunches (excluding accommodation)

Additional residential package available, which includes five nights accommodation (Sunday to Thursday), breakfast and dinner for £650 at AC by Mariott close to the campus

Communication and Radio Access Networks Class Outline

Item
Day 1: The Evolution of Mobile and Wireless Networks

  • The journey from 1G to 5G
  • Key wireless network concepts, metrics, and terminology
  • Radio spectrum and signal transmission
Day 2: Radio Communications Engineering Principles

  • Transmitting and receiving radio signals
  • Baseband and bandpass processing; modulation and demodulation
  • Spectrum access and using radio channels
Day 3: Radio Access Networks and Technologies

  • Architecture and components of Radio Access Networks (RANs)
  • Noise, interference and coexistence
  • 5G public and private networks
Day 4: Standards and Regulations

  • Spectrum access and government regulators
  • Wireless communications standards (3GPP, IEEE)
  • Interoperability and sharing (roaming, neutral hosting, Open RAN)
Day 5: Design, Implementation, and Case Studies

  • Open RAN principles, Software Defined Radio (SDR), and disaggregation
  • Public and private networks – technology, economics, and applications
  • Design case studies on public and private networks

Course Trainer

Robert (Bob) Stewart
Robert (Bob) Stewart
Robert (Bob) Stewart is Professor of Signal Processing and Communications at the University of Strathclyde, where he leads a team of around twenty researchers and engineers working on Software Defined Radio (SDR), 5G, shared spectrum, and related topics. Bob also collaborates extensively with industry, government, and other universities in advancing wireless communications.

Bob has published over 100 technical papers, 4 books, and has 25+ years of experience in presenting technical short courses. He is also a previous Head of the Dept. of Electronic & Electrical Engineering at Strathclyde, and has founded two spin-out companies.

David Crawford
David Crawford
David Crawford is a Principal Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the University of Strathclyde, where he manages a programme of industry/academic collaborative projects focusing on shared spectrum, private 5G networks, and future advanced communications. David has championed the development of shared spectrum methods and adoption for more than a decade.

David holds four degrees, all from Strathclyde, including a PhD and MBA. Prior to rejoining the University, initially to manage the Centre for White Space Communications, David worked in industry for Epson and Motorola.

Louise Crockett
Louise Crockett
Louise Crockett is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Strathclyde. She teaches across several years of the degree programmes in Electronic & Electrical Engineering, covering digital systems design with VHDL and FPGAs, digital signal processing implementation, and wireless communications. Louise also leads a team of PhD researchers working on FPGAs and SDR.

As lead-author / editor, Louise has published three books in collaboration with AMD (formerly Xilinx) on FPGA-based System on Chip (SoC) technology, including most recently Software Defined Radio with Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC in 2023.

Get Started

To discuss booking or accommodation options, or to ask any questions you have, schedule a 15 minute Zoom call with Steve.

Simply select a date and time from the calendar below to start.