WIA Modules for UNM-LA Broadband-5G Certificate

Module 1: Wireless 101 is designed to familiarize you with the practical aspects of wireless communication systems and their business and industry applications. This course introduces the basics of radio frequencies and the underlying principles that apply to today’s cellular systems. You'll learn current industry practices for cell sites, hardware components at a typical cell site, and the RF measurements necessary for cellular networks.

Module 2: Macro Site Fundamentals introduces foundational theories related to macro tower planning, construction, and troubleshooting. The course introduces several types of cell site infrastructure and identifies the role of key stakeholders in the wireless industry. You will learn various parts of a cell site, how to read and interpret RF plumbing diagrams, the role of typical hardware components at the top and bottom of the tower, and co-siting techniques for multiband and multi-technology cell towers. Topics also include uplink and downlink, new-generation cell towers such as Centralized RAN (C-RAN), and the tower construction process.

Module 5: RF Safety and Awareness, online, emphasizes the importance of personal safety when working in an RF environment. OSHA requires business owners to maintain a comprehensive RF program, which includes training for everyone who works on or near wireless and broadcast communication sites. Failure to comply can result in personal injury, fines, and lawsuits. Workers who perform tasks on rooftops, towers and other structures where cellular antennas and other RF-generating devices are present may be at risk of exposure to hazardous levels of RF radiation. Understanding these risks and how to properly mitigate them is crucial to the safety of all wireless personnel. You'll learn how to develop a comprehensive RF safety plan that protects you as well as the public, who may be unaware of the risks associated with RF exposure.

Module 1: Your Future with 5G covers why we need 5G, the current limitations of 4G technology, and who is creating 5G and how. You will also identify avenues for professional and personal involvement. You'll review user applications, new kinds of business created, and current use cases. This module provides an understanding of what's next for jobs and training and how our workforce will be impacted by the four to five million jobs created by the new technology, and how these advancements could influence the learner personally.

Module 3: 5G Ecosystem Overview covers how the 5G rollout will be instrumental across industries, from retail, healthcare, entertainment, automotive, and manufacturing to tech and real estate. This technology will enable connected cars and autonomous driving; smart cities with connected planning, transportation, and infrastructure, and enhancement in connected healthcare, industrial internet of things, and smart factories. This course provides an overview of 5G technology, what to expect, and its impact on businesses and consumers. To reap the benefits of 5G when it's deployed, you must know how to plan for this new wave of automation. You'll learn about common myths, review current data analytics, and prepare to achieve the performance improvements the technology will enable.

Module 4: Cell Site Design and Planning, instructor led, presents the fundamentals of macro tower and RF designing concepts. This course will review macro cell site evolution. You'll learn how to read engineering data sheets and follow RF Plumbing Diagrams. You will also study:
- Hardware components found at a typical macro tower and their functionality
- Reading an engineering datasheet for various hardware and how they are connected by analyzing the RF Plumbing diagrams.
- Co-siting techniques will be explained using multiple examples and theories associated with Diplexers, Tower Mounted Amplifiers and Antenna Tilting mechanisms
- The role of Remote Radio Head (RRH) and how the top of the cell tower is evolving to accommodate new advancements in technology.

Module 1: DAS and Small Cell Basics. Distributed antenna systems (DAS) and small cells are addressing the number one challenge faced by the cellular industry — how to provide more capacity and better coverage where macro tower service is insufficient due to limited radio resources. This course provides a system-level understanding of several types of DAS and Small Cell architecture. It introduces hardware components used in a typical indoor and outdoor DAS system, their advantages, and limitations. Examples of RF plumbing diagrams are used to explain signal flow for indoor and outdoor applications. The course also introduces the Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS) framework and provides an overview of CBRS use cases, including private LTE and 5G networks. Designed for all audiences, this course is essential to understand how 5G and future generations must rely on DAS and small cells for coverage and capacity solutions.

Module 2: Wi-Fi Integration, instructor led. Wi-Fi is a radio technology that enables high-speed internet access without being tied by cord or cable to an internet connection. The world’s biggest carriers already recognize Wi-Fi as a business-critical, strategic technology. Wireless communication networks rely on Wi-Fi for offloading to relieve the congested mobile data networks with additional capacity from unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum. From basic RF theory and regulatory requirements to implementation of WLAN devices, this course will cover the latest in 802.11 technologies in a practical way. Learn basic 802.11 wireless networking terminology and functionality, as well as engineering concepts and business practices.

Module 2: Fiber for Wireless Infrastructure, instructor led, demonstrates how 5G wireless networks and fiber optic networks complement each other, together offering a more cohesive broadband experience for both fixed and mobile applications. The quality and reliability of the 5G wireless network depends on the fiber network carrying traffic to and from the 5G small cells. This course covers the role of fiber at existing macro towers (backhaul and fronthaul to remote radio head) and the basics of capacity planning. It defines fiber optic, 5G wireless networks and the role of fiber in small cell densification to explain how they complement each other. The curriculum reviews the Fiber-to-the-Antenna (FTTA) concept and the role of fiber in the future cell site with massive MIMO and active antenna.

Module 3: Line Sweeping and PIM Testing, instructor led, provides a technical understanding of various line sweeping measurements. Coverage and capacity are extremely important for mobile communication, and they are essential with the quality installation of hardware components at cell sites. Macro towers and in-building DAS solutions require the proper installation of antennas, cables, connectors, and other inline components. The return loss and passive intermodulation (PIM) measurements are crucial techniques that verify the quality installation of cellular networks. Learning for testing includes return loss, VSWR, distance-to-fault (DTF), insertion loss, and PIM. The curriculum will provide step-by-step procedures for efficient cell site troubleshooting and an introduction to measurement units and required hardware for cell site technicians and tower climbers.

UNM Los Alamos