Book details of 'Mobile Telecommunications Factbook'

Title	Mobile Telecommunications Factbook
Author(s)	Nathan J. Muller
ISBN	0070444617
Language	English
Published	April 1998
Publisher	McGraw-Hill Professional

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Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
The preface meanders through a variety of topics related to wireless communications, but never really says who the book is for. Another bad sign is that, towards the end, it notes that the book will concentrate on "practical" aspects of mobile telecom, rather than the technology (although I note that the author maintains an engineering mystique by stating specific frequencies at any and all opportunities), and then mentions some topics that have nothing to do with mobile or wireless at all. Chapter one is primarily concerned with cellular or PCS phone service. The lack of a technical mandate is obvious, since this is little more than a list (admittedly extensive) of available services. However, there is also a rather strange inclusion of Internet telephony towards the end, leaning heavily to the various commercial IP telephony offerings. Mobile messaging, in chapter two, is a rather startling grab bag of two way paging, a somewhat skewed look at email, fax, and even Usenet news. Mobile computing, while it is based on currently available technologies, seems to assume that certain proposed directions will become fact, in chapter three. Chapter four looks at remote access. A rather constricted review of remote monitoring is given in chapter five, and it is difficult to tell the selection criteria for what was included or left out. Chapter six briefly discusses a very wide variety of security risks and protections, including such topics as ticket granting systems and firewalls. Because of the number of subjects, the security review of each is quite terse. Wireless PBX service is examined in chapter seven. The tutorial on wireless LANs in chapter eight isn't bad except for a hilarious misexplanation of spread spectrum. Chapter nine is a brief overview of the wireless local loop. Web based management, in chapter ten, does manage to mention some central protocols, but the emphasis ensures an unfocussed approach. CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) has been mentioned is several prior places, so chapter eleven is, essentially, the technical review that the preface promised we'd avoid. A number of satellite communications providers are listed in chapter twelve. I was intrigued that chapter thirteen was given over to descriptions of technologies, but, given the failure to explain spread spectrum earlier I was completely unsurprised that an exegesis of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) is deftly avoided. Chapter fourteen is pretty close to the usual blue sky version of telework. As usual, this type of shotgun approach to communications technology serves nobody very well. Telecommunications users may get some interesting ideas from various sections, but the book covers such a broad range of topics that it seems a bit of a waste to, for example, buy the whole thing just to get some idea of the various types of voice mail that you local providers may or may not offer. Professionals, certainly, will find that explanations rarely go into sufficient detail, and that topics tend to be viewed from only one of many possible sides. By and large, the promise that the reader will not be burdened by technology is kept. The only problem with that promise is that the reader is not very burdened with useful information. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1998
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Book description:

For anyone entering or continuing to work in the ever-evolving field of mobile telecommunications, this book is a clear, concise, and easily accessible reference to just about anything you need to know--or soon will! It profiles all the current and emerging technologies, decodes all the buzzwords, and highlights such critical issues as interoperability, interconnectivity, integration, regulation, security and implementation issues, and more. Topics include: Voice Communications, Mobile Messaging, Mobile Computing, Remote Monitoring, Wireless LANs, Wireless Local Loop Systems, Web-Based Management, Cellular Digital Packet Data, Satellite Communications, and Teleworking. The author not only provides crystal-clear "executive summaries" of each topic, but also includes current information on standards, technology innovations, implementation strategies, and management.