April 1: Suresh Goyal
"Cell Phones: More than Fancy Walkie-Talkies"







Abstract

Cell phones seem to be everywhere nowadays - soon, they may even accompany mountaineers to the summit of Everest. But are they really fancy walkie-talkies, or something more revolutionary? Suresh Goyal, a Bell Labs researcher, will take a look at the technology behind cellular telephones. In what is meant to be a primer on cellular telephony, he will discuss how, unlike walkie-talkies, cell phones allow users to talk at the same time; how the signals are transmitted; how bandwidth is allocated and utilized in an effective manner. With the help of demos, Goyal will illustrate some of the most innovative developments in cellular technology that have come out of Bell Labs. He will talk about smart antennas and futuristic technology that will make the next generation of wireless devices even more attractive. And, finally, Goyal will provide a practical argument for why cell phones have to be small - smaller phones tend to break less often when dropped.

Additional Reading

  1. I. Brodsky, "Wireless: The Revolution in Personal Telecommunications", Artech House Publishers, Boston, 1995.
  2. W. Webb, "Understanding Cellular Radio", Artech House Publishers, Boston, 1998.
  3. J. D. Gibson (Ed.), "The Mobile Communications Handbook", CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1999.
  4. W. Webb, "The Complete Wireless Communications Professional: A Guide for Engineers and Managers", Artech House Publishers, Boston, 1999.
  5. C. Truesdell, "Essays in the History of Mechanics", Springer-Verlag, New York, 1968.
  6. S. Goyal, S. Upasani, D. Patel, "Designing Best-In-Class Impact Tolerant Cellular Phones and Other Portable Products", Bell Labs Technical Journal, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 159-174, 1998.