CS1623 Mobile Communication

Dr. Hari’s Question Bank

Part A
1. Legacy telephone network (PSTN) uses wireless trunks, we still do not call PSTN as
wireless network, why?
2. A laptop with wireless interface allows certain amount of mobility, but we do not use
the term “mobile laptop”, why?
3. In wireless networks, the medium is inherently shared. What are its implications?
4. GSM is one of the mobile air interfaces. It operates in more than one range of
frequency spectrum. Is that an advantage or disadvantage?
5. The term free space loss suggests that the signal strength is inversely proportional to
the cube of the distance (distance3) from the source of the signal. What is the ratio of
signal strength for the following distances from the source: 2 meters and 4 meters?
6. What is the effect of multi-path propagation on carrier frequency?
7. Code division multiplexing (CDM) makes use of mutually orthogonal property of
something – orthogonal property of what – frequency/amplitude/chip code/phase?
8. Check if the following four chip codes are mutually orthogonal: {1, -1, 1, -1}, {1, 1, -1,
-1}, {-1, -1, 1, 1}, {1, -1, 1, 1}.
9. If GSM uplink is operating at frequency X, what is the corresponding downlink
frequency?
10. Write a short note on DECT
11. Write a short note on TETRA
12. Write a short note on GPRS
13. List the advantages of WLAN.
14. IEEE 802.11 supports two types of media access functions Distributed Coordinated
Function (DCF) and Point Coordinated Function (PCF). What are the major differences
between the two?
15. What are the two options for station association in IEEE 802.11?
16. When do we use reverse tunneling in IP Mobility?
17. Describe how baud rate is related to bit rate.
18. Give an example where bit rate is more than the corresponding baud rate.
19. Give an example where baud rate is more than the corresponding bit rate.
20. Define the IP Mobility problem briefly.
21. What is the main issue addressed by TCP mobility?
22. Describe the roles of 4 different addresses that appear in IEEE 802.11 frame header.
23. Compare the mobility of a cell phone with that of a wireless laptop.
24. In WLAN what is association, what are the two different ways an association is created?
25. What is the main difference between IP-in-IP and Minimal Encapsulation?
26. What are the constraints in extending Internet applications to mobile phone?
27. IEEE 802.11 supports power saving mode. Is this supported in independent (ad-hoc)
networks? Justify.
28. What is TCP Transaction in the context of transport mobility?
29. IEEE 802.11 describes two media access modes: Distributed Control Function (DCF) and
Point Control Function (PCF). Describe DCF.
30. In wired networks when acknowledgement is not received it is assumed that there is
congestion in the network. What is wrong with this assumption in wireless networks?
31. What are the pros and cons of Indirect TCP?
32. Mobile phone is assigned temporary roaming number during roaming. Calls to the phone
are routed using this number. How come we are not able to follow similar arrangement
in IP mobility?
33. Is TCP mobility required for mobile IP Network to be functional, justify?
34. Why sometime packets are reverse-tunneled to home agent (HA) from foreign agent
(FA) in IP mobility?
35. Describe the global-unicast IPv6 header format?
36. How is the interface ID field value of IPv6 header determined?
37. In infrastructure WLAN, Access Point (AP) is a key component. List the functions that
are delivered by an AP.
38. Compare GSM with GPRS.
39. What is the difference between mobile communication and wireless communication?
40. Why mobile communication is more challenging than wireless communication?
41. We listen to radio programs while traveling, still we don’t call that mobile
communication, what could be reason, discuss briefly.
42. What is fixed wireless? Explain with a suitable example.
43. A passenger in a low flying airplane is traveling at 500 miles per hour. Can he/she use
2nd generation mobile phone to reach some land line?
44. Describe the following terms: IMSI, IMISDN, and MSRN.
45. Describe the role of signaling messages.
46. Describe the media access used in Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11x)
47. What are the two major problems in media access of wireless ad-hoc networks in
regard to collision?
48. What is the fundamental frequency of a square wave of 900 MHz and peak amplitude ±5
volts.
49. Represent the fundamental component of the square wave in Frequency domain, time
domain, and phase domain.
50. With an additional 5 volt DC component redraw the above diagrams.
51. Create a phase and amplitude shift keying for representing all 8 bit binaries
52. If 4096 signal changes could be transmitted in one second for the coding suggested in
question 4, then what are the bit rate and baud rate for this encoding and transmission
rate?
53. Give an encoding where the bit rate is smaller than the baud rate and give another
encoding where the bit rate is greater than the baud rate.
54. List two inherent advantages of spread spectrum.
55. Is collision still possible in hidden node problem when using MACA with RTS and CTS?
Justify your answer.
56. PSTN network uses wireless trunks; can we say that PSTN is a wireless network? What
makes a network wireless or wire line?
57. What is the difficulty in accommodating data with GSM network?

Part B

1. Describe CDMA with example.

2. Illustrate fast-hopping and slow-hopping FHSS with diagrams. Compare the two for
robustness and bandwidth efficiency.
3. Describe hidden and exposed terminal problem in wireless media access.
4. How to reduce the effect of hidden terminal problem using Request to Send (RTS) and
Clear to Send (CTS)?
5. Describe using a diagram, the type of multiplexing used in GSM with frequency range
(both for uplink and downlink). If a phone is using uplink frequency of X, what is the
corresponding downlink frequency?
6. Draw and explain the sender side state machine and receiver side state machine for
CSMACA with RTS and CTS.
7. How RTS and CTS are used to minimize the effect of hidden terminal problem.
8. Draw GSM functional architecture and explain the role of each component.
9. Describe GSM TDMA physical frame hierarchy detailing various burst formats and the
hierarchy. (16)
10. Describe the structures and roles of IMSI, IMSIN, and IMSRN.
11. Describe GSM logical channels and how and when they are used? (16)
12. Describe various steps in GSM Mobile Terminated Call (from PSTN). List SS7 messages
that are used in this call (16)
13. Describe various steps in Mobile Originated Call in GSM networks.
14. Draw the message flow between MS and BTS for Mobile Terminated Call and Mobile
Originate Call in GSM networks.
15. Draw the message flow in GSM intra-MSC handover.
16. Describe various types of GSM handovers.
17. Describe how GSM subscriber authentication.
18. Describe how GSM encryption is implemented.
19. Describe Bluetooth technology.
20. Describe UMTS functional architecture; compare its components with GSM functional
components. What are the major differences in the air interface (discuss the
differences in modulation & multiplexing)? (16)
21. Write a short note on Satellite Communication
22. Explain, how the geo-stationary orbit is determined using various parameters and
constants.
23. IEEE 802.11 supports two types of media access functions Distributed Coordinated
Function (DCF) and Point Coordinated Function (PCF). Describe how DCF works with
suitable diagrams.
24. Describe using timing diagrams, how unicast frames are transferred between two
stations in DCF.
25. Describe using timing diagrams, how fragments are transferred between two stations in
DCF.
26. Describe IEEE 802.11 Frame format with all its frame control fields.
27. There are four different address fields in IEEE 802.11 frame. Explain the role of each
one of those fields.
28. Define mobile IP problem. Describe the IP mobility solution using tunneling.
29. Describe the basic encapsulation used in IP tunneling with full packet format. Describe
the optimized encapsulation.
30. Describe WAP.
31. Describe Minimum Shift Keying. What is the motivation behind minimum shift keying?
32. Describe various wireless media access methods briefly – exclude (CSMACA)
33. Describe IP mobility problem and a solution to this problem. (8)
34. Describe IP-in-IP encapsulation with appropriate header diagram (8).
35. Write a note on WAP – describe its objectives, requirements, applications, components,
role of those components, and client-side components. (8)
36. Compare push and pull operations of WAP. Describe WML with a small WML script. (8)
37. Describe using timing diagram, transfer of data fragments in IEEE 802.11. Assume that
WLAN is operating in DCF mode. (8)
38. Write a short note on Bluetooth physical layer and packet format. (8)
39. What is Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)? Compare OFDM with
Spread Spectrum. (8)
40. How IP mobility is handled in IPv6 with its modified address structure? (8)
41. Describe the following terms in the context of Satellite communication: GEO, MEO,
LEO, inclination angle, foot print, and elevation. (8)
42. Compare GEO, MEO, and LEO. (8)
43. Describe UMTS Architecture. (8)
44. Compare every UMTS functional architectural component with its corresponding GSM
component (if one present). (8)
45. Describe IPv6 header fields and header format (8)
46. Compare and/relate the following terms with suitable examples: Service & Protocol;
API and Library;(8)
47. Describe DAB with its component architecture and frame structure. (8)
48. What is Tunneling? Describe Tunneling and reverse tunneling with a suitable example.
(8)
49. Transport Layer mobility offers a number of solutions for addressing performance issues
of TCP. In this context, describe Indirect TCP (8)
50. Describe Snooping TCP(8)
51. Compare IPv4 header format with IPv6 header format. (8)
52. How does IPv6 handle IP mobility problem? (8).
53. Describe the various roles played by WAP proxy server. Where do you place proxy
server in WAP network and why? (8)
54. Compare push and pull operations of WAP. Describe WML with a small WML script. (8)
55. In mobile and wireless communication which two layers differ compared to traditional
wireless stack? Describe distributed control function (DCF) of IEEE 802.11. (8)
56. What is orthogonal in the context of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
(OFDM)? Explain with an example. How this orthogonal property is not used in FDM,
explain with an example. (8)
57. How IP mobility is handled in IPv4? (8)
58. Describe the following terms in the context of Satellite communication: inclination
angle, foot print, and elevation. (8)
59. How geo-stationary orbit distance is obtained? Derive the formula. (8)
60. Compare the air interface of GSM with the air interface of UMTS. (8)
61. Compare IPv6 mobility solution with IPv4 mobility solution. Which can scale better?
Only comparison is required – do not describe the entire IPv* mobility solution (8)
62. What is Tunneling in the context of networking? Describe Tunneling and reverse
tunneling with a suitable example. (8)
63. Describe Indirect TCP and Snooping TCP with timing diagrams.
64. Compare the pros and cons of the above two schemes. (8)

65. Describe Classical Aloha, Slotted Aloha, and CSMACD (8)

66. Describe the following problems: Hidden Terminal and Exposed Terminal; describe the
proposed solution with RTS and CTS messages. (8)
67. Why CSMACD is not a good solution for Wireless media access? How this issue is
addressed in Wireless LANs? (8)
68. What is Spread Spectrum, what do we achieve with Spread Spectrum? What are the
two types of spread spectrum employed in mobile communication? (8)
69. Describe CDMA with a suitable example. Illustrate the advantages of CDMA with your
example. What is the limitation of basic CDMA scheme that you described? (8)
70. Describe various digital modulation schemes. Compare Baud rate with bit rate. (8)
71. Suggest a digital modulation scheme using both phase and amplitude of carrier. We
would like to have the bit rate to be 16 times that of baud rate. Suggest a bit coding
with your phase and amplitude keying. (8)
72. Describe the various steps in a Mobile Terminated Call (MTC) assuming the call
originated from a PSTN (8)
73. Describe the calling sequence in PSTN networks using SS7 signaling messages. (8)
74. Describe the 1G, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, and 4G. (8)
75. What the different types of GSM Frames, draw those frames? (8)
76. What are the two types of Wireless LANs? Describe the two types highlighting their
differences. (8)
77. Suggest a digital modulation scheme using both phase and amplitude of carrier. We
would like to have the bit rate to be 16 times that of baud rate. Suggest a bit coding
with your phase and amplitude keying. (8)
78. Describe Digital Audio Broadcast (8)
79. Describe the calling sequence in PSTN networks using SS7 signaling messages. (8)
80. Describe T1 Frame, Super-frame, Logical Channels A and B. (8)
81. Describe the major difference between IEEE 802.11 media access and traditional
Ethernet media access. (8)