- Knowledge of the modeling techniques for the main blocks of a communication system. - Knowledge of the techniques for performance estimation of a communication system. - Knowledge of techniques for simulation and optimization of a communication system. - Ability to develop the numerical model for main blocks of a communication system. - Ability to develop the software for the simulation of communication systems. - Ability to properly estimate the performance of a communication. - Ability to design and optimize a communication system using simulation techniques.

Students are assumed to have basic knowledge on the following topics: - probability theory; - random processes; - signal and system theory; - digital communications; - digital signal processing and digital filtering. The necessary basic concepts will however be recalled during the lectures.

Lectures (24 hours) cover the following topics: - General characteristics of a communication system and its digital modeling (3 hours); - Basic concepts in estimation theory and its applications to the simulation of communication systems: techniques for spectral and performance estimation (error probability estimation by Monte Carlo method) (9 hours) - Semi-analytical techniques for the evaluation of error probability in communication systems (3 hours) - Transmitter, receiver and channel models for optical and wireless systems (6 hours) - Simulation of advanced transmission techniques (3 hours) In parallel with lectures, computer labs sessions (36 hours) guide students through hands-on implementations of all introduced topics. Lab sessions concludes with the development of projects on the design and optimization of transmission systems required for the final exam.

Lectures are held with the support of slides and computer-based examples. During computer labs students are asked to develop Matlab scripts following the instructions received during lectures and discuss their results with the instructor.

The teaching material (slides, lab assignments, sample scripts and reference articles) is available on the web portal of the course. A useful reference is: ' Michel C. Jeruchim, Philip Balaban, K. Sam Shanmugan, Simulation and Software Radio for Mobile Communications, ISBN: 1580530443, Artech House (Fitchburg, MA, USA), 2002.

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual project;

The exam consists in the development of projects of communication links: design and optimization of systems must be conducted through simulations. Students must prepare a project report and they must discuss it in the oral exam. The report must contain: - a brief description of the considered system and of its simulation model; - a discussion of the main parameters selected and of the adopted simulation approach; - an analysis of the system using analysis tools like eye diagrams, scattering diagrams, spectra estimation, BER curves; - a description and discussion of optimization procedures; - a critical discussion of the results. The report is evaluated based on its correctness, the level of knowledge that the student has acquired on the topic, the ability to apply the acquired know-how, the student’s ability to precisely perform the required optimization, to clearly communicate the technical material with accurate terms and to correctly analyze, interpret, and comment the obtained results. The oral exam consists of a discussion of project results and a description of simulation methodologies employed to achieve them. During the oral exam, the student must show: - the ability to properly handle simulation tools and techniques to achieve required goals; - the ability to critically interpret simulation results.

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual project;

The exam consists in the development of projects of communication links: design and optimization of systems must be conducted through simulations. Students must prepare a project report and they must discuss it in the oral exam. The report must contain: - a brief description of the considered system and of its simulation model; - a discussion of the main parameters selected and of the adopted simulation approach; - an analysis of the system using analysis tools like eye diagrams, scattering diagrams, spectra estimation, BER curves; - a description and discussion of optimization procedures; - a critical discussion of the results. The report is evaluated based on its correctness, the level of knowledge that the student has acquired on the topic, the ability to apply the acquired know-how, the student’s ability to precisely perform the required optimization, to clearly communicate the technical material with accurate terms and to correctly analyze, interpret, and comment the obtained results. The oral exam consists of a discussion of project results and a description of simulation methodologies employed to achieve them. During the oral exam, the student must show: - the ability to properly handle simulation tools and techniques to achieve required goals; - the ability to critically interpret simulation results.