RF and Microwave Wireless Systems

Wireless personal mobile and cellular communications are expected to be one of the hottest growth areas of the 2000s and beyond. They have enjoyed the fastest growth rate in the telecommunications industry—adding customers at a rate of 20–30% a year. Presently, at least six satellite systems are being developed so that wireless personal voice and data communications can be transmitted from any part of the earth to another using a simple, hand-held device. These future systems will provide data and voice communications to anywhere in the world, using a combination of wireless telephones, wireless modems, terrestrial cellular telephones and satellites. The use of wireless remote sensing, remote identification, direct broadcast, global navigation, and compact sensors has also gained popularity in the past decade. Wireless communications and sensors have become a part of a consumer’s daily life. All of these wireless systems consist of a radio frequency (RF) or microwave front end.