By the end of the course, students will understand the key characteristics and a selected compilation of advanced techniques employed in wireless communication systems. They will gain comprehensive knowledge of the physical layer components in uplink and downlink wireless communications, multiple-antenna systems, and advanced coding techniques designed to safeguard data transmission against channel errors.

Probability, signal processing, linear algebra, information theory, digital modulations, and channel codes.

Main topics of the course: • Multiuser techniques for the uplink channel (~20h) - Orthogonal techniques: FDMA/TDMA/CDMA - Multiuser detection techniques • Multiuser techniques for the downlink channel (~20h) - Information-theoretical broadcast channel - Nonorthogonal techniques: NOMA • Multiple-antenna communications (~20h) - Capacity of MIMO channels - Linear and orthogonal space-time codes - Optimum and linear receivers • Iterative receiver techniques (~20h) - Coding for high spectral efficiency - Turbo equalization

The project assignments require a personal notebook with Matlab for their development.

The course is organized around four main topics, each comprising a theoretical component followed by a practical assignment. For the assignments, students will use their personal notebooks to solve the proposed MATLAB exercises and prepare a corresponding report.

The course relies on lecture notes provided to students via the website, with additional references shared as needed throughout the course. Book references: • S. Verdù, Multiuser Detection, CUP 1998 • T.M. Cover and J.A. Thomas, Elements of Information Theory. Wiley, 2006 • A. El Gamal and Y.-H. Kim, Network Information Theory. CUP, 2011 • R.W. Heath and A. Lozano, Foundations of MIMO Communication, CUP, 2019 • D. Tse and P. Viswanath, Fundamentals of Wireless Communication, CUP, 2004 • D.J.C. McKay, Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms, CUP, 2003 • T. Richardson and R. Urbanke, Modern Coding Theory, CUP, 2008

Lecture slides; Video lectures (current year);

Exam: Written test; Group project;

The purpose of the exam is to assess whether students have gained the foundational knowledge covered in the course and can successfully develop a MATLAB application as part of a project. The highest possible grade, “30 e lode,” is awarded when the final grade, rounded to the nearest integer, is at least 31. The final grade is calculated as a weighted average of the assignment grade (60%) and the written exam grade (40%). Grading Details: 1. Assignment Grade: * The assignment grade is the arithmetic mean of four project grades. * Each project involves creating a MATLAB application with a graphical user interface (using MATLAB App Designer) and submitting an accompanying report. The report must describe the application, provide usage instructions, and present results generated by the application. * Projects can be completed individually or in groups of up to four students, with all members receiving the same grade. * Projects are evaluated according to correctness, accuracy, interface usability, efficiency, and comprehensiveness. * The maximum grade for a project depends on the delivery time: * Delivered within the assignment period (up to the last project-dedicated class): Maximum grade is 33. * Delivered late by up to N weeks: Maximum grade decreases to (33 - N), where N = 1, 2, 3. * Projects delivered more than three weeks late, or less than one week before the exam, are not accepted. * Undelivered projects receive a grade of 0, and their grades are factored into the average (e.g., for one submitted project graded 30 and three missing projects, the average is (30+0+0+0)/4 = 7.5, contributing 60% * 7.5 = 4.5 points to the final grade). 2. Written Exam: * The written exam consists of up to four theoretical questions (one per course topic) selected from a predefined list provided before the exam and covering all the topics presented in the course. * No books, lecture notes, written materials, smartphones, or any other communication devices are allowed during the exam. * The exam duration is 90 minutes, and the maximum grade is 33. * Use only A4 white paper. At the end of the exam, students will use their smartphones to take photos of their written papers and upload them to the web portal. Alternative to Assignments: * Students may opt out of the assignment grading scheme by notifying the lecturers via institutional email before the end of the course. In this case, they must take an oral exam, with the final grade solely based on the oral performance and capped at 25.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.