The growing popularity of advanced multimedia-rich applications along with the increasing affordability of high-end smart mobile devices has led to a massive growth in mobile data traffic that puts significant pressure on the underlying network technology. However, no single network technology will be equipped to deal with this explosion of mobile data traffic. While wireless technologies had a spectacular evolution over the past years, the present trend is to adopt a global heterogeneous network of shared standards that enables the provisioning of quality of service and quality of experience to the end-user. To this end, enabling technologies like machine learning, Internet of Things and digital twins are seen as promising solutions for next generation networks that will enable an intelligent adaptive interconnected environment with support for prediction and decision making so that the heterogeneous applications and users'' requirements can be highly satisfied.

The aim of this textbook is to provide the readers with a comprehensive technical foundation of the mobile communication systems and wireless network design, and operations and applications of various radio access technologies. Additionally, it also introduces the reader to the latest advancements in technologies in terms of Internet of Things ecosystems, machine learning and digital twins for IoT-enabled intelligent environments. Furthermore, this textbook also includes practical use-case scenarios using Altair WinProp Software as well as Python, TensorFlow and Jupyter as support for practice-based laboratory sessions.

The growing popularity of advanced multimedia-rich applications along with the increasing affordability of high-end smart mobile devices has led to a massive growth in mobile data traffic that puts significant pressure on the underlying network technology. However, no single network technology will be equipped to deal with this explosion of mobile data traffic. While wireless technologies had a spectacular evolution over the past years, the present trend is to adopt a global heterogeneous network of shared standards that enables the provisioning of quality of service and quality of experience to the end-user. To this end, enabling technologies like machine learning, Internet of Things and digital twins are seen as promising solutions for next generation networks that will enable an intelligent adaptive interconnected environment with support for prediction and decision making so that the heterogeneous applications and users'' requirements can be highly satisfied.

The aim of this textbook is to provide the readers with a comprehensive technical foundation of the mobile communication systems and wireless network design, and operations and applications of various radio access technologies. Additionally, it also introduces the reader to the latest advancements in technologies in terms of Internet of Things ecosystems, machine learning and digital twins for IoT-enabled intelligent environments. Furthermore, this textbook also includes practical use-case scenarios using Altair WinProp Software as well as Python, TensorFlow and Jupyter as support for practice-based laboratory sessions.

C-RAN and virtualized Small Cell technology poses several major research challenges. These include dynamic resource allocation, self-configuration in the baseband pool, high latency in data transfer between radio unit and baseband unit, the cost of data delivery, high volume of data in the network, software networking aspects, potential energy savings, security concerns, privacy of user’s personal data at a remote place, limitations of virtualized environment, etc. This book provides deeper insights into the next generation RAN architecture and surveys the coexistence of SDN, C-RAN and Small Cells solutions proposed in the literature at different levels.

C-RAN and virtualized Small Cell technology poses several major research challenges. These include dynamic resource allocation, self-configuration in the baseband pool, high latency in data transfer between radio unit and baseband unit, the cost of data delivery, high volume of data in the network, software networking aspects, potential energy savings, security concerns, privacy of user’s personal data at a remote place, limitations of virtualized environment, etc. This book provides deeper insights into the next generation RAN architecture and surveys the coexistence of SDN, C-RAN and Small Cells solutions proposed in the literature at different levels.

The growing popularity of advanced multimedia-rich applications along with the increasing affordability of high-end smart mobile devices has led to a massive growth in mobile data traffic that puts significant pressure on the underlying network technology. However, no single network technology will be equipped to deal with this explosion of mobile data traffic. While wireless technologies had a spectacular evolution over the past years, the present trend is to adopt a global heterogeneous network of shared standards that enables the provisioning of quality of service and quality of experience to the end-user. To this end, enabling technologies like machine learning, Internet of Things and digital twins are seen as promising solutions for next generation networks that will enable an intelligent adaptive interconnected environment with support for prediction and decision making so that the heterogeneous applications and users'' requirements can be highly satisfied.

The aim of this textbook is to provide the readers with a comprehensive technical foundation of the mobile communication systems and wireless network design, and operations and applications of various radio access technologies. Additionally, it also introduces the reader to the latest advancements in technologies in terms of Internet of Things ecosystems, machine learning and digital twins for IoT-enabled intelligent environments. Furthermore, this textbook also includes practical use-case scenarios using Altair WinProp Software as well as Python, TensorFlow and Jupyter as support for practice-based laboratory sessions.

The growing popularity of advanced multimedia-rich applications along with the increasing affordability of high-end smart mobile devices has led to a massive growth in mobile data traffic that puts significant pressure on the underlying network technology. However, no single network technology will be equipped to deal with this explosion of mobile data traffic. While wireless technologies had a spectacular evolution over the past years, the present trend is to adopt a global heterogeneous network of shared standards that enables the provisioning of quality of service and quality of experience to the end-user. To this end, enabling technologies like machine learning, Internet of Things and digital twins are seen as promising solutions for next generation networks that will enable an intelligent adaptive interconnected environment with support for prediction and decision making so that the heterogeneous applications and users'' requirements can be highly satisfied.

The aim of this textbook is to provide the readers with a comprehensive technical foundation of the mobile communication systems and wireless network design, and operations and applications of various radio access technologies. Additionally, it also introduces the reader to the latest advancements in technologies in terms of Internet of Things ecosystems, machine learning and digital twins for IoT-enabled intelligent environments. Furthermore, this textbook also includes practical use-case scenarios using Altair WinProp Software as well as Python, TensorFlow and Jupyter as support for practice-based laboratory sessions.

C-RAN and virtualized Small Cell technology poses several major research challenges. These include dynamic resource allocation, self-configuration in the baseband pool, high latency in data transfer between radio unit and baseband unit, the cost of data delivery, high volume of data in the network, software networking aspects, potential energy savings, security concerns, privacy of user’s personal data at a remote place, limitations of virtualized environment, etc. This book provides deeper insights into the next generation RAN architecture and surveys the coexistence of SDN, C-RAN and Small Cells solutions proposed in the literature at different levels.

C-RAN and virtualized Small Cell technology poses several major research challenges. These include dynamic resource allocation, self-configuration in the baseband pool, high latency in data transfer between radio unit and baseband unit, the cost of data delivery, high volume of data in the network, software networking aspects, potential energy savings, security concerns, privacy of user’s personal data at a remote place, limitations of virtualized environment, etc. This book provides deeper insights into the next generation RAN architecture and surveys the coexistence of SDN, C-RAN and Small Cells solutions proposed in the literature at different levels.