Communication Systems

The projects are a major part of the programme. They are designed to enable you to demonstrate your skills and ability to solve real-life problems while gaining more detailed knowledge of a particular topic.

Projects can either be carried out within a research group or, when the project is based on a practical problem suggested by industry, at the partner organisation’s premises. Participants have worked with INMARSAT, Logica, BT, Astrium, SSTL, Vodafone, Hutchison, O2, Orange, Motorola, Alcatel-Lucent, NEC, Nokia, Aircom, OFCOM and a number of small, local companies.

Projects can be theoretical, simulation-based or experimental. In all cases, you are expected to show innovation and an ability to come up with your own solutions.

Carrier and Time Offset Estimation in OFDM 4G Mobile Systems

OFDM systems performance is sensitive to carrier frequency and time-estimation errors, particularly at high mobile speed. The project was carried out in the Matlab platform and several estimation techniques were implemented and evaluated under different mobility conditions.

Handover Between WLAN and UMTS Systems

This was a hardware/software-based project using the Surrey wireless test-bed. A handover scheme which uses mobile IP and context transfer was implemented and tested using video streaming, reducing the handover break from several seconds’ delay to a sub-second delay.

Interference Management for Future Mobile Cellular Systems

Part of a large EU-funded project, the work concentrated on intelligent and distributed (multi-cell) resource management, focusing on cell-edge capacity. The project was carried out via computer simulation of mobile systems using and enhancing the existing simulator at Surrey.

Intra-domain Traffic Engineering for Quality of Service Through Differentiated Routing

This project investigated through software simulation proposals to route traffic along different paths according to their delay requirements, and showed how different delays could be achieved for the traffic types while optimising total throughput.

Taught master’s programmes in the Department of Electronic Engineering utilise our research-active staff in conjunction with state-of-the-art facilities to provide a range of learning experiences – lectures, tutorials, directed study, practical laboratories and project work – which prepare graduates for their professional life.

We are particularly keen to develop in all our students a broad range of generic skills to complement the core technical or scientific competencies of their chosen subject area. Our modular programme format, coupled with the increasing use of innovative teaching and learning strategies such as e-learning and industrially focused short courses, provides a flexible study environment whilst maintaining the academic rigour and quality expected of one of the UK’s top-rated faculties.

We have a full range of software support for assignments and project work, including Matlab/Simulink, C, C++ and up-to-date toolboxes, systems view, OPNET and NS2. You will be able to access system simulators already built in-house, including 3GPP, BGAN, DVB-S2-RCS, GSM, UMTS, DVB-SH, WCDMA, GPRS, WiMAX, LTE, HSPA and HSDPA.

Our Rohde and Schwartz Satellite Networking Laboratory includes DVBS2-RCS generation and measurement equipment and roof-mounted antennas to pick up satellites. A security test-bed also exists for satellite security evaluation.

We have a fully equipped RF lab with network analyser, signal and satellite link simulations. In addition, we have a small anechoic chamber for antenna measurements. A wideband MIMO channel sounder is available for propagation measurements.

SatNEX is a European Network of Excellence in satellite communications, and a satellite platform exists to link the 22 partners around Europe. This is used for virtual meetings and to participate in lectures and seminars delivered by our partners.

A fully equipped UHF/VHF satellite ground-station facility is located on campus, which is being expanded to S-band and is supported by the ESA GENSO project. At present the station tracks amateur satellites and CubeSats.

Our wide coverage experimental wireless network test-bed is based on IPv4, and IPv6 for testing new networking protocols for mobility, handover, security, cognitive radio and networking can be carried out. Most networking protocol projects use this test-bed, with the help of PhD students and staff.

We are the only university in the UK that has an IP-Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) test-bed for developing and experimenting with advanced mobile/wireless services/applications. You can use this to carry out your services and application-based projects for mobile multimedia, such as multi-mode user interface, service mobility, service discovery and social networking services.

Our wireless sensor test-bed is unique. Advanced routing protocols, middleware architectures, air interface and networking protocols for wireless sensor networks can be developed and tested.

The University of Surrey has very close links to communications technology companies who use our MSc programmes as their main training ground. An industrial board also helps us to shape our programmes and views all student project posters, helping to keep our programmes relevant and enabling our students to meet good contacts.

Lectures, visits and projects are provided in association with a large number of key industrial partners. For example, as part of the Satellite Communications A module, there are five industrial lectures to complement the academic presentations. We also have collaborations with organisations in Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Sweden, China, India, Pakistan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and the US.