Wireless Technology - Modern Communaction

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WIRELESS TECHNOLOGYREVOLUTION IN MODERN

COMMUNIC TION


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i

Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology

A Report On

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGYA REVOLUTION IN MODERN COMMUNICATION

Submitted to:

Md. Murshikul AlamAssociate Professor and Head of the Department of Humanities

&

Khanam Nargis SultanaAssistant Professor

Submitted by:

Name Student IDMd. Redwan Islam 1006066

Md. Rayhan Khan 1006067Abdullah Abu Sayed 1006068Arifuzzaman Faisal 1006069Kamruzzaman Nahid 1006070Mohammad Tariqul Islam 1006071


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Forwarding Letter

25thJune, 2012

To

MD. Murshikul Alam

Associate Professor and Head of the Department of HumanitiesAnd

Khanam Nargis Sultana

Assistant Professor

Department of Humanities

Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology

Subject: A report on Wireless Technology: A Revolution in Modern Communication.

Dear Teachers,

With due respect we would like to submit to you a report on Wireless Technology: A

Revolution in Modern Communication.

These days, almost every person uses wireless devices. They are popular because they are

being portable, light and easy to use. It is being used in almost every sector in purpose of

communication. The everyday people use it to communicate between themselves; hospitalsuse it to have a better knowledge about their patients; military uses it for better assessment of

an operable zone and so on. Wireless technology has its use in space research too, which is

not the scope of the report. And all thanks goes to the pioneers of this technology for whom

we now live a comfortable life almost doubling our memoirs compared to our ancestors.

We would like to thank you for helping us with suggestions and advices for completing this

report. We would also like to pay solemn gratitude to all the persons who provided us with

the necessary information. Time was short and length was limited and so there may be some

lacking and errors in the report. We earnestly apologize for such mistakes on our part.

Therefore we request your honour to kindly consider such cases and oblige thereby.

Sincerely Yours,

Md. Redwan Islam 1006066Md. Rayhan Khan 1006067Abdullah Abu Sayed 1006068Arifuzzaman Faisal 1006069Kamruzzaman Nahid 1006070Mohammad Tariqul Islam 1006071Level-II, Term-I

Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering.


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Table of Contents

Title.......................................................................................................................................................... i

Forwarding Letter................................................................................................................................... ii

Table of Contents................................................................................................................................... iii

List of Illustrations................................................................................................................................. iv

Summary................................................................................................................................................. v

1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1

2. What is wireless technology?.......................................................................................................... 2

3. History of Wireless Technology:.................................................................................................... 3

4. Wireless network:........................................................................................................................... 4

4.1 WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Networking):............................................................................. 4

4.2 WLAN (Wireless Local Area Networking):................................................................................ 5

4.3 WMAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks):....................................................................... 6

4.4 Mobile Device Network:.............................................................................................................. 7

5. Mobile communication................................................................................................................... 7

5.1 A Short Evolution of Mobile Phones............................................................................................ 7

5.2 Furute Estimates about Mobile Phones......................................................................................... 8

6. Wireless Communication in Medical Sector................................................................................... 9

7. Usage of Wireless Communication in Bangladesh....................................................................... 10

8. Security Risks of Wireless Technology........................................................................................ 11

9. Health Risks Related with Wireless Devices................................................................................ 11

10. Conclusions............................................................................................................................... 13

11. Recommendations..................................................................................................................... 14

Appendices............................................................................................................................................ 15

References............................................................................................................................................. 16

Glossary................................................................................................................................................ 17


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List of Illustrations

Figure-1: A chart showing basics of wireless technology02

Figure-2: Development of radio transmission in the worlds history..03

Figure-3: IR Transmitter and Photodiode....05

Figure-4: Different types of wireless networks06

Figure-5: A pictorial description of Telemedicine...09

Figure-6: Cartoon representation of interception attack...11

Figure-7: Energy Emission in Wireless Devices..12

Table-1: Key Global Telecom Indicators in 2011....08

Table-2: 2011: Mobile ad expenditure in US $ million...09

Table-3: Subscriptions in Bangladesh..10


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Summary

Wireless technology is on a triumphant march since its introduction to the society. Wireless

devices are used everyday by the people of different needs. As a result a lot of different types

of wireless network have emerged. Some are designed for short distance transmissions while

others are designed for long distance communication. Some are designed as a mesh network

so that people on the move never goes out of the network. All this together made wireless

communication fairly easy for the user. And it can be seen that a large number of subscribers

are constantly connected to the wireless network backbone. The figures are just surprising.

People use it for getting to know each other, keeping long distant relationship healthy, taking

care of each other and so on. And when they need to know any information the peek into theinternet and within seconds they know what they need. In developed countries doctors use it

to know whereabouts and conditions of their patients. Despite all the blessings, wireless

technology has some security and health risk. There are plenty of potential security risks for

which a persons valuable data might be stolen or privacy might be hampered. Since most

modern wireless device uses latest security protocols, the risks are relatively low compared to

whats been in the past. But the health risks remain almost unchanged. Radiation harms

human health. However, because of all the benefits it gives the people, humankind certainly

cannot do without it.


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1.IntroductionFor years after years it has been the unquenchable thirst of human to communicate with

people living in the distance with the minimum effort. But never the path of making life

comfortable has been always easy. Rather, form the history it is seen that, the more people

tried to make their life easier, the more problems they had to face. But as far as the human

being is concerned, the nature of them is always to see the unseen, to know the unknown, to

gain the things not gained. Thus, no challenge remains challenge to the human being for very

long. Moreover, what was challenge yesterday is reality today.

But the way was not so smooth. There were hard battles, tough challenges and large barriers.

And also there were endless failures, through the establishment of a nice, reliable and

indiscreet, communication system. And with the advancement of trade and commerce, theneed for more sophisticated, smoother and better communication system arose greatly. Thus,

wireless technology became the need of time and the need of the era. Wireless technology has

now advanced on a triumphant march and has already spread among the nations of the world.

The most awaited dreams of human being have taken the form of reality with the help of

uncountable and unimaginable attempts of the electronics and communication engineers of

the world.

Wireless technology is now the part and parcel of modern communication. It signals and data

are more likely to be sent by air, rather by wire. Data transfer has been being possible within

a twinkling of an eye. People can send almost anything and everything on the fly.

Nevertheless, there lies the problem with the cost and speed of wireless devices. Not all parts

of the world are highly blessed with it. Besides, wireless technology is 1000 times slower

than the wired connections. Although the devices found in the market are on par with each

other. But nevertheless, engineers are trying their level best to create the best devices in the

least price. Since it is now a must for the present era, it has to be available for all like a must

one.


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2.What is wireless technology?Wireless means, no wire. And wireless technology means technologies that do not require

any use of wire. For example, devices like mobile, radio, and systems like optical signal

transmission, Bluetooth, infrared, etc., do not require wires to transmit data and information.

Well, although their names are completely different they all mean the same thing. Analogue

or Digital Signals of varied frequencies transmitted through the air. Analogue frequencies are

most often generated from digital signals. Since modern devices work on the digital signals

only, conversion of analogue to digital and vice versa is done in the devices.

It is to be noted that, the backbone of wireless system is a wired system. The wired system

being very fast compared to wireless is very feasible. But in a place where hundreds of

devices are to be connected in the system, a wired system becomes cumbersome. So the basic

system follows that, the mother hub, the backbone of the system, is wired to which all thewireless devices are connected. For example, the submarine cable system, the backbone of

worlds internet, is capable of a speed more than one thousand gigabit per second data

transmission. To it more wired systems are connected. Then the service providers take

another set of wired connection from it. And after this step there may be regular wireless

devices of speed of fifty six or one hundred megabit per second.

Figure-1: A chart showing basics of wireless technology.

It is customary to think why use wireless technology if its slow. The answer is that it is

portable. There may be hundreds of hubs to which a wireless device can connect to, scattered

through a wide area. A user may go from one place to another connecting to different hubs on

the way and not having the problem of carrying a set of cables. And the speed although slowmay be enough for users purpose.

The MotherHub

(Backbone)

Usually wired connected devicewith very high speed datatransmission and reciption.

Controls the main data flow.

Child Hubs

Can be connected with orwithout wires to themother. Can be severalof them. GeneratesWireless field.

WirelessDevices

These devices are

connected to thechild hub. In absenceof a child connectsto the mlother.


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3.History of Wireless Technology:From the early beginning of the electrical communication system, signals found their easiest

way to be transferred through cables or wires. However, with the advancement of civilization,

trade and commerce wired technology and cable networks began to face challenges that

became really tough for the system to overcome. It became greatly cumbersome to manage

the tangled wires required for the system to operate. Therefore, the need for technologies that

do not require wires to transmit signals came into existence.

The development of wireless communications began with the physicist Michael Faraday in

the 19th century. He discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction in 1831, which

demonstrated the concept of electric currents producing magnetism. After that in 1873

Maxwells equations for electricity and magnetism were published in A Treatise on

Electricity and Magnetism implicitly showed that electromagnetic waves propagate through

free space at the speed of light. Later, in 1876, alexander graham bell invented the telephone.

And after that Nicole Tesla, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose and Marconi came into the floor. In

1893, Nikola Tesla demonstrated the first public radio communication. One year later, during

a November 1894 public demonstration at Town Hall of Kolkata, Bose ignited gunpowder

and rang a bell at a distance using millimetre range wavelength microwaves. During the same

time around 1896 Marconi did almost the same work. But in 1899 Marconi sent and received

the first radio signal across the English Channel which is regarded as a major success.

Figure-2: Development of radio transmission in the worlds history.

ElectromagneticInduction; Faraday

(1831)

Maxwell's Equations; Maxwell(1873)

Demonstration of Radio;Tesla (1895)

Large DistanceDemonstration;Bose (1896)

Radio crosses English Channel;Marconi (1899)


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In 1900s, things started moving quickly. In 1901 St Johns, New Foundland, Marconi

received the first trans-Atlantic wireless signal from Poldhu, England and. By 1903, the first

international wireless conference transpired in berlin, Germany. In 1905 the first distress

signal sent using Morse code. In 1919 Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was

incorporated, and consumer radio broadcasts for news and entertainment soon becamepopular. The 80s brought wireless technologies to the forefront of public consciousness. 2000

was the first year that digital outnumbered analog subscriptions Modern mobile phones are

called smart because they can do multiple things.

Moreover, the use of wireless communication system is not just for mobile phones. They are

used in schools, colleges to give the teachers and students an open connection the internet, in

hospitals to provide a safe network for doctors to operate. Also used in warfare to collect and

implement information which led to a popular belief that today all the countries are

constantly at war with each other namely Information War. Of course, the future will

continue to forge further advancements in the wireless technology realms and bring surpriseto the lives on Walton's Mountain.

4.Wireless network:The term network is used to define an interconnection between several devices. Current

interpretation is that it is the communicative interconnection of human beings who use

different devices. Network technologies have developed much over the birth of

telecommunication and it is still in progress. In a short span of time has led thetelecommunication technology to advance from wired to wireless network. Although it was

quite challenging for mankind, and for engineers to establish networks and signal gateways

but nothing is impossible for the creature of such calibre and now it is a reality that the

medium with the highest wave impedance is now the medium of the most reliable, fastest,

and smoothest communication.

Wireless networks have spread its varieties to a great extent with the advancement of time.

Some of the worth mentioning ones are given below:

4.1 WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Networking):Wireless personal area networks (WPANs) interconnect devices within a relatively small area

which is generally 10-300sq-ft. For example, both Bluetooth radio and infrared (IR) light

provides WPAN. ZigBee also supports WPAN applications. Wi-Fi PANs has become

commonplace as equipment designers start to integrate Wi-Fi into a variety of consumer

electronic devices. Intels "My Wi-Fi" and Microsofts "virtual Wi-Fi" capabilities have

made Wi-Fi PANs simpler and easier to set up and configure.

Some of the worth mentioning and worth describing WPANs can be described as follows:


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Infrared: IR data transmission is employed in short-range communication among computer

peripherals and personal digital assistants. These devices usually conform to standards

published by IrDA, the Infrared Data Association. Remote controls and IrDA devices use

infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit infrared radiation which is focused by a plastic

lens, combination of various concave and convex lenses, into a narrow beam. The beam ismodulated, i.e. switched on and off, to encode the data, it is analogous to the SOS system but

very fast. The receiver uses a silicon photodiode to convert the infrared radiation to an

electric current. Infrared communications are useful for indoor use as well as the transmitter

and the receiver has to be very close to each other in order for the process to be a success.

Free space optical communication using infrared lasers is very expensive and in-efficient.

Bluetooth: Bluetooth is a specification for the use of low-power radio communications to

wirelessly link phones, computers and other network devices over short distances. The name

Bluetooth is borrowed from Harald Bluetooth, a king in Denmark more than

1,000 years ago. Bluetooth uses a technology named Spread-SpectrumFrequency Hopping. Bluetooth technology was conditioned primarily to

support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices and

peripherals, including cell phones, PDAs, and wireless headsets over 30 feet

radius at 1mbps speed. Bluetooth was and still has been serving as an

outstanding device and technology for data transfer. It is also popular in

hospitals network for individual wards.

ZigBee: ZigBee is new mode of wireless technology specified for a suite of

high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios

based on an IEEE 802 standard for personal area networks. Applicationsinclude wireless light switches, electrical meters with in-home-displays,

and other consumer and industrial equipment that require short-range wireless transfer of data

at relatively low rates. The technology defined by the ZigBee specification is intended to be

simpler and less expensive than other WPANs, such as Bluetooth.

4.2WLAN (Wireless Local Area Networking):A wireless local area network (WLAN) links two or more devices over a short distance using

a wireless mesh distribution method, usually providing a connection through an access point

for internet access using wired connection as a backbone. Fixed wireless technology

implements point-to-point links also known as mesh networks between computers or

networks at two distant locations, often using dedicated microwave or modulated laser light

beams over line of sight paths.

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is a popular technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data

wirelessly, using radio waves, over a computer network, including high-speed Internet

connections. Wi-Fi is defined as any "wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are

based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards.

However, since most modern WLANs are based on these standards, the term "Wi-Fi" is used

in general English as a synonym for "WLAN".

Figure -3: IR Transmitter and

Photodiode


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A device that can use Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone,

tablet, or digital audio player, can connect to a network resource such as the internet via a

wireless network access point. Such an access point popularly known as Wi-Fi hotspot has a

range of about 20 meters indoors and a greater range outdoors. Because of mobility, ease of

installation, flexibility, cost, reliability, security, speed, Wi-Fi is the most reliable WPANnow-a-days , used in home, small businesses, large corporations & campuses, healthcare ,

wireless ISP (WISP), travellers and so on.

4.3WMAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks):Wireless metropolitan area networks are a type of wireless network that connects several

wireless LANs. Wi-MAX is a type of Wireless MAN and is described by the IEEE 802.16

standard.

Wi-MAX: Wi-MAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a Protocol of

communication network without wire, based on the standard IEEE 802.16, which allowscommunications over long distances than Wi-Fi, and a greater bandwidth which Cover

approximately 40km. Wi-Max is feasible in areas without pre-existing physical cable or

telephone networks.

The Goal of Wi-MAX is to provide high-speed Internet access to home and business

subscribers, without wires. Its frequency range is 10-66 GHz and sub 11 GHz. This very

modern technology supports legacy voice systems, Voice over IP, TCP/IP, applications with

different QoS requirements.

Figure-4: Different types of wireless networks.

WirelessNetworks

WPAN

Infrared

Bluetooth

ZigBee

WLAN Wi-Fi

WMAN Wi-MAX

Mobile DeviceNetwork

GSM/CDMA

3G/WCDMA

D-AMPS/PCS


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4.4Mobile Device Network:With the development of smartphones, cellular telephone networks routinely carry data in

addition to telephone conversations:

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or CDMA: The GSM network isdivided into three major modes of systems: the switching system, the base station system, andthe operation and support system. The cell phone connects to the nearest base system stationwhich then connects to the operation and support station; it then connects to the switchingstation where the call needs to be transferred to is sent. GSM is the most common standardand is used for a majority of cell phones.

3G or WCDMA: It is an improvement over GSM or CDMA known respectively as 3G or WCDMA.These are the mostly used network system for newer devices. More improvements like 4G is alreadyin practiced and 5G is in proposal.

Besides these, there are other systems like AMPS, D-AMPS, PCS not much used these days.

5.Mobile communicationMobile communication is possibly the most fascinating and the most widely spread means of

wireless communication, which can be termed as a sorcery in the communication system.

And because of the vast usage, the high reliability, large availability, huge variations for all

classes of people, one can easily term it to be the unit and unique of modern communication.

5.1 A Short Evolution of Mobile PhonesThe first mobile telephone call made from a car occurred in St. Louis, Missouri, the USA on

June 17, 1946, using the Bell System's Mobile Telephone Service. In 1956, the worlds first

partly automatic car phone system, Mobile System A (MTA), was launched in Sweden. The

world's first commercial automated cellular network was launched in Japan by NTT in 1979,

initially in the metropolitan area of Tokyo. In 1991, the second generation (2G) cellular

technology was launched in Finland by Radiolinja on the GSM standard, which sparked

competition in the sector as the new operators challenged the incumbent 1G network

operators.

Ten years later, in 2001, the third generation (3G) was launched in Japan by NTT DoCoMo

on the WCDMA standard. At the end of 2011, there were 6 billion mobile subscriptions,

estimates The International Telecommunication Union. That is equivalent to 87 percent of the

world population. And is a huge increase from 5.4 billion in 2010 and 4.7 billion mobile

subscriptions in 2009. Mobile subscribers in the developed world has reached saturation point

with at least one cell phone subscription per person. This means market growth is being

driven by demand developing world, led by rapid growth of mobile phone users in China and

India, the world's most populous nations.

Although it should be noted there is a large difference between the number of subscriptionsand subscribers. This is due to the fact that many subscribers have several subscriptions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_networkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_network


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However, it should be noted that in some developing regions, it is common for several people

to share one subscription, having for example a family or village phone.

A global approximation about usage in 2011 is given below:

Table-1: Key Global Telecom Indicators in 2011.

Global Developednations

Developing

nationsAfrica Arab

StatesAsia &

PacificCIS Europe The

Americas

Mobile

cellular

subscriptions

(millions)

5,981 1,461 4,520 433 349 2,897 399 741 969

Per 100

people in

concerned

area

86.7% 117.8% 78.8% 53.0% 96.7% 73.9% 143.0% 119.5% 103.3%

Active mobilebroadband

subscriptions

(millions)

1,186 701 484 31 48 421 42 336 286

Per 100

people

17.0% 56.5% 8.5% 3.8% 13.3% 10.7% 14.9% 54.1% 30.5%

Source: International Telecommunication Union (November 2011)

5.2 Furute Estimates about Mobile Phones

Mobile is now used for communications at various distances, of various forms.

Communication in modern days is not confined to speeches only. It has spread about in texts,e-mails, multimedia, and many more. Some of the statistics given below clearly show the

fact:

Portio Research (February 2012): 7.8 trillion SMS trillion messages were sent in

2011. SMS traffic is expected to reach 9.6 trillion in 2012.

Portio Research (February 2012): Mobile subscribers worldwide will reach 6.5 billion

by the end of 2012, 6.9 billion by the end of 2013 and 8 billion by the end of 2016.

The International Telecommunication Union estimates that Asia Pacifics share of the

mobile subscribers will rise from 50.7 percent in 2011 to 54.9 percent in 2016 and

Africa and Middle East will overtake Europe as the second largest region for mobile

subscribers.

Portio Research (February2012): 207 billion MMS were sent in 2011, rising to 276.8

million in 1016.

Mobile IM is used by 7.9 percent of mobile subscribers; this is projected to rise to

30.9 percent in 2016.

Informa (May 2012):Global mobile IM traffic (from operators and OTT providers)

will increase from 1.6 trillion messages in 2011 to 7.7 trillion messages in 2016,

doubling its share of global messaging traffic from 17.1 percent in 2011 to 34.6

percent in 2016.
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/facts/2011/material/ICTFactsFigures2011.pdfhttp://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/facts/2011/material/ICTFactsFigures2011.pdf


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Global expenditure on mobile ads (search, display and messaging) in 2011 was

US$5.3 billion, according to IAB and IHS Screen Digest. Search draws in the most

revenue with $3.3 billion. And expenditure in Asia exceeds North America and

Europe. For example 2011 ad spends is given below.

Table-2: 2011: Mobile ad spend in US $ million

Region Display Search Messaging Total

Europe 367 900 114 1,380

North America 572 811 295 1,677

Latin America 31 74 83 188

Asia/Pacific 491 1,384 41 1,916

Middle East & Africa 44 124 4 172

Global 1,504 3,292 536 5,333

Source: IAB and IHS Screen Digest

6.Wireless Communication in Medical SectorWireless technology can be used for various purposes for medical needs, some of them are:

Blood Donor Search:When a patient needs blood people rush to blood banks or go for anemergency TV advertisement. But they are most often not fruitful as well as there is a risk offoul blood especially in blood banks. Along with those there can be a database of all thewilling blood donors. When a patient needs blood, the automated system contacts a potential

blood donor through SMS or recorded calls, who is very near to the concerning hospital andof the patients blood type.

Figure-5: A pictorial description of Telemedicine.


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Telemedicine: Wireless telemedicine is a new, glamorous and evolving area in telemedicineand telecare systems. Previously it is seen that there are telephone based healthcare systemswhere a person is required to call to a certain number to get professional medical suggestions.But healthcare personnel require real time access to accurate patient data, including clinicalhistories, treatments, medication, tests, laboratory results and insurance information. With

large-scale wireless networks and mobile computing solutions, such as cellular 3G, Wi-Fimesh and Wi-Max, healthcare personnel can tap into vital information anywhere and at anytime.

A lot of other medical stuffs can be done using wireless network. For instance after Haitiearthquake the rescue missions, medical and relief courses were done using a direct satelliteuplink from different GPS devices and analysing the map of that area using the co-ordinatesfrom the saved Open Map. As a result the rescue missions were synchronized and all theteams knew what they had to do within seconds and certainly it helped a lot.

7.Usage of Wireless Communication in BangladeshAlthough wireless tech is used immensely in the developed nations Bangladesh has lagged

behind in this sector. The mobile operators still use 90s GSM or CDMA technology.

Although the current scenario shows that the country will suffer a massive damage if

suddenly WT is taken away, but the technology is out-dated and very slow. Also, Bangladesh

is not using its 140 gigabit per second internet backbone to full swing. Rather only up to 22

gigabit per second bandwidth has been made public. As a result it cannot achieve necessary

progress in the field of communication compared to nearby countries like India. But, because

of small market being occupied with five large operators there is an immense competition and

so cost of carrying a mobile is relatively low compared to other parts of the world.

There are five major telecom operators. As of December 2011 there are 85.42 million

subscribers. The figures are given in a table below.

Table-3: Subscriptions in Bangladesh

Company Subscription (million) % Subscription % Population

Grameenphone 36.49 42.72 20.27

Banglalink 23.75 27.80 13.19Robi Axiata 16.13 18.88 08.96

Airtel Bangladesh 6.02 07.05 03.34

Citycell 1.82 02.13 01.01

Teletalk 1.21 01.42 00.67

Source: marketreasearch.com

However, there had been a progress in use of technology by the internet service providers.

For example- Wi-MAX based providers has emerged. This has made previous wireless based

services like GPRS and EDGE less popular. Also, Wi-MAX is significantly slow compared

to other parts of the world because the service providers cannot get enough bandwidth.


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8.Security Risks of Wireless TechnologyHowever, wireless technology is not free from security breach. For the past ten years a lot of

networks worldwide have been damaged by crackers and caused valuable information to be

lost or stolen. Since data travels through air, any device with proper settings can intercept and

retrieve the data. To prevent this encryption of data is introduced. Despite that the

transmissions were vulnerable to several types of attack such as interception, insertion,

padding, timing, looping or even brute force search attacks where an adversary uses all the

combinations to break the encryption. Using these attacks a hacker can take over ones bank

account or take all his personal data.

Figure-6: Cartoon representation of interception attack.

The Wi-Fi WEP security was destroyed back in 2002 by a brute force search attack and

resulted in creation of much stronger standards now known as WPA or WPA2.

9.Health Risks Related with Wireless DevicesMany scientific studies have found that short term use of any kind of wireless device has

almost no adverse effect on human body. But long term studies do prove that long term close

contact with some wireless devices can be a threat to human health. The wireless technologyis based upon Electromagnetic Radiation. The radiation that wireless devices use is called

Radiofrequency Signals or RF signals. However, the wireless devices use the less harmful

non-ionizing RF signal. Ionizing RF signals can damage live cell greatly and also cause

cancer very easily. Non-ionizing RF signal is much safer, but recent studies has proved that it

can cause serious health hazards also if it is used for a long time and very close to the

transmitting end.

Undoubtedly, mobile phones are the mostly used wireless device in the world. But

unfortunately, it is proven that it can harm human body greatly. Mobile phones dont only

receive signals, but also they transmit a good amount of RF signals. The only known

biological effect of RF energy is heating. RF exposure from cell phone use does cause


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heating; however, it is not sufficient to measurably increase body temperature. A recent study

showed that when people used a cell phone for 50 minutes, brain tissues on the same side of

the head as the phones antenna metabolized more glucose than did tissues on the opposite

side of the brain.

Figure-7: Energy Emission in Wireless Devices.

Moreover, research author Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, who is a cancer specialist at Tel AvivUniversity of Israel, investigated the cases of nearly 500 people diagnosed with benign and

malignant tumours of the salivary gland. It was found that those who had used the mobile

phones against the side of their heads for many hours a day were 50 per cent more likely to

develop a tumour of the parotid gland compared to infrequent users. In the study, published

by the American Journal of Epidemiology, Dr. Sadetzki speculated that the greatest effects

will be found in heavy users and children over a period of time. She also highlighted rural

users as being slightly more at risk than those in cities, because there are fewer masts and the

phones have to emit more radiation to ensure a clear connection.

An Argentinean group of medical researchers from the National University of Cuyo believethat cellular phones can increase the chances of developing Osteoporosis. Cell phones tend to

lower bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), which are major

elements that help in the generation of new bones every 11 years, in a healthy body.

However, not all such devices are harmful to health. Danger may arise when we are exposed

to strong transmission of RF signals very closely. But luckily it doesnt happen in most of the

cases except cell phones. It is safe to use most of the wireless devices. It can be illustrated

with a funny example: one has to lay on a Wi-Fi router for more than 1,500,000 minutes

(almost 3 years) to get a Wi-Fi burn!

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Bluetooth Wi-Fi Headsets Commercial Radio Cellphone Base

Stations

Energy Emission in Wireless Devices (Watts)


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10. Conclusions

It can be said with adamant voice that wireless technology has revolutionized the way people

used to interact with each other. Past days people had to go on foot or make a small journey

to meet other people and know how they are doing. But modern technology has made it

possible fairly easier as people can just make a call or take a laptop to use a wireless network

to talk to other people on SkypeTM. A large number of population use wireless network today.

And the number is ever increasing. Even in Bangladesh the subscriptions are increasing day

by day. Its because people need it. However the risks are thought provoking and care has to

be taken.


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14

11. Recommendations

Well, it is already seen that wireless technology is not free from its mess. The users, the

engineers and the government all have to play a role to make the technology effective, safe

and feasible. The following recommendations are given for consideration with respect to

Bangladesh:

10.Since Bangladesh primarily needs the necessary data transmission speed it is advised

that all the bandwidth of the submarine link is made available to the public.

Bandwidth cannot be stored or kept for future use. So, not using at full speed doesnt

gain anything, rather its lossy.

11.Since Bangladesh in a developing country, a lot of foreign companies make it target

to sell their cheap but harmful device. Such devices are known for emission RF

signals. There should a standard be maintained. The devices which emit RF at redlevel should be banned from the market to ensure public health.

12.Since progress is relatively delayed in Bangladesh there may be a lot of wireless

terminals that uses old encryption technology like WEP. Such terminals should be

identified and replaced with new devices that use WPA or WPA2 to prevent any kind

of security breach. This can be done in user level rather than in government level.

13.Users should limit their use of cellphones as it is a large resource of RF signals. They

should use it only when necessary. For a person who must use cellphone all the time it

is advised that they should use headphones. One point should be noted that, the

volume in the headphone should be relatively low. Loud and screech sound harms the

eardrums.

14.Using wireless to any devices while driving car is totally insecure and should never

ever be practiced.

The following recommendations are for the engineers who design wireless network or device:

Devices should be made with as carefully as possible. Care must be taken so that the

device emits as less RF signals as possible.

While designing a transmission network, less penetrating waves should be used i.e.

such wave should be used which is less penetrating as well as less dispersive so that

clear transmission can be done. To achieve these devices can be made more

sophisticated so that transmission and receiving can be done even with bad waves.

While fabricating ICs for such devices care should be taken so that the ICs produce

very low amount of heat. Heat, produced in cell phones, damages the brain.

Sometimes, it also gives burns.


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15

Appendices

Wireless Technology: A Revolution in Modern Communication

Questionnaire

Name:

Age:

Gender:

1. Do you know anything about wireless technology?

a. Yes b. No.

2. Which wireless technology or device you use in your everyday life? Double tick the

one which you use most. (You may choose more than one option)

a. Cellphone b. WLAN c. Wireless Headset, Speakerd. Wireless Computer Parts e. Others

3. How many hours do you spend working with a wireless device?

a. Less than 1 b. 1-5 c. 5-10

d. 10-15 e. 15-20 f. All day long

4. If you have a cellphone what purpose do you use it?

a. Calling b. Texting c. Browsing

d. Social Networking e. Public Correspondence f. Entertainment

g. Others

5. Do you think wireless technology is economical?

a. Yes b. No c. I dont have any idea.

6. Are you concerned about the health risk with wireless technology?

a. Yes b. No

7. Do you use any communication device while driving a car?

a. Yes b. No c. I dont drive

8. Do you think wireless technology can be used for better healthcare?

a. Yes b. No c. No comment.

9. Should our government put emphasis on the growth and expansion of wireless

technology?

a. Yes b. No c. No comment.


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16

References Wireless Technology History: The Importance of Wireless Technologies in Modern Business

Applications; http://marketforme.articlealley.com/wireless-technology-history-the-

importance-of-wireless-technologies-in-modern-business-applications-667372.html;

Retrieved: 12/06/2012 Jagadish Chandra Bose;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagadish_Chandra_Bose#Radio_research; Retrieved: 16/06/2012

Guglielmo Marconi; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi#Radio_work;

Retrieved: 16/06/2012

Mobile phone; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone; Retrieved: 12/06/2012

Bluetooth; http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/bluetooth/g/bldef_bluetooth.htm; Retrieved:

13/06/2012

Wireless Network Industry Report; http://www.wireless-

nets.com/resources/downloads/wireless_industry_report_2007.html; Retrieved: 13/06/2012

Facts About Wi-MAX; http://www.techpluto.com/wimax-in-detail/; Retrieved: 13/06/2012 Wireless Networks Bluetooth to Mobile; http://www.technologystation.net/2010/03/wireless-

networks-bluetooth-to-mobile.html; Retrieved: 13/06/2012

Infrared; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared#Communications; Retrieved: 13/06/2012

ZigBee; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZigBee#Communication_models; Retrieved: 13/06/2012

Wi-Fi; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi; Retrieved: 13/06/2012

Key Global Telecom Indicators for the World Telecommunication Service Sector;

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance/KeyTelecom.html; Retrieved: 12/06/2012

Mobile Messaging Futures 2012-2016; http://www.portioresearch.com/en/reports/current-

portfolio/mobile-messaging-futures-2012-2016.aspx; Retrieved: 12/06/2012

Global mobile statistics 2012 Part A: Mobile subscribers; handset market share; mobileoperators; http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a#subscribers;


Mobile Instant Messaging Use to Triple in Five Years Exceeding 1.3 billion Users by 2016;

http://www.juniperresearch.com/viewpressrelease.php?pr=248; Retrieved: 12/06/2012

Global Mobile Advertising Market Valued at $5.3 Billion (3.8 Billion) in 2011;

http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/

pr-060612_global; Retrieved: 12/06/2012

Wireless technologies for telemedicine, http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/1988/1/1338.pdf,

Retrieved:12/06/2012

Overview of Mobile Telecommunication industry in Bangladesh;http://mushfiq009.wordpress.com/%E2%80%9Coverview-of-mobile-telecommunication-

industry-in-bangladesh-%E2%80%9D/; Retrieved: 18/06/2012

Wi-Fi securityWEP, WPA and WPA2 ;

http://www.hsc.fr/ressources/articles/hakin9_wifi/hakin9_wifi_EN.pdf; Retrieved:

18/06/2012

Bangladesh Telecom Market; http://www.telecomlead.com/inner-page-details.php?id=8141;


Are there health risks in using Wi-Fi technologies?; http://www.wapa.org.za/are-there-health-

risks-in-using-wifi-technologies; Retrieved: 18/06/2012


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Glossary

Hub: A point where many routes meet and traffic is distributed, dispensed or diverted.

Backbone: In engineering point of view all the infrastructures are built around a central

structure known as backbone.

Signals:Waves with small amplitudes. It can be a combination of sine waves (analog signal)

or square waves (digital signal).

Analogue Signal:Summation of sine waves.

Digital Signal:Summation of square waves.

RF: Radio Frequency.

RCA:Radio Corporation of America. Established in 1919 and defunct in 1986.

Bandwidth:The difference between the highest and lowest frequency in a group of signals.

Walton's Mountain: A fictional place from "The Walton" series. Popularly referred to as

"The World".

PDA:Personal Digital Assistant. Introduced in 1992 as a multitasking device. Today almost

all PDAs are Smart Phones.

IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Established in 1963. The largest

professional association of EE engineers.

Spread Spectrum:A method of generating signals in a particular bandwidth.

OFDM:Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing. A method of encoding digital data on

multiple carrier frequencies.

LAN:Local Area network.

ISP: Internet Service Provider. A local business group which provides internet access to acertain area.

IP:Internet Protocol. This protocol provides internet connection.

TCP:Transmission Control Protocol. Controls transmission.

NTT:Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.

GPS:Global positioning System. A sensor system that determines the position of the GPS

device in the globe.

GPRS:General Pocket Radio Service. An early mobile internet service.

EDGE: Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution also known as Enhanced GPRS or EGPRS.

An improvement over GPRS.

WEP, WPA, WPA2:Wi-Fi security protocols.

Documents

Wireless Technology - Modern Communaction