Telecommunication Protocol, Optimization, and Security Frameworks

Chapter 1

Abstract

tocol (SIP).

3

1. Introduction

Fundamentals

Amer Al-Canaan

Telecommunications Protocols

The need for communication amongst people and electrical systems motivated the emergence of a large number of telecommunications protocols. The advances in digital networks and the internet have contributed to the evolution of telecommunications worldwide. The purpose of this chapter is to provide students and

researchers with a clear presentation of telecommunications core protocols that are utilised in different research domains including telephony, brain-computer interface (BCI) and voice and digital telecommunications. Indeed, BCI involves different electrical signals, communications concepts and telecommunications protocols. This chapter introduces the reader to the core concepts in communications including analogue and digital telecommunications protocols that are utilised generally in communications and in particular in BCI systems. The topics covered in this chapter include telecommunications protocols, communications media, electrical signals, analogue and digital modulation techniques in digital communications, softwaredefined radio, overview on 10-Mbps Ethernet protocol and Session Initiation Pro-

Keywords: BCI, SDR, protocols, Ethernet, analogue modulation, digital modulation

Telecommunications protocols play an important role in the advanced modern

In a typical brain-computer interface (BCI) [1] application, the electroencephalography (EEG) [2] signals are acquired from the brain, encoded and sent over wireless protocols, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi data channels, to a control module. However, in a basic BCI system, signals may be sent through wires between signal acquisition and control modules through a certain serial data communications protocol. BCI is one of several vital engineering domains where researchers and students have to understand and deal with telecommunications protocols. The need for data communications has inspired researchers and led to the emergence of digital communications, integration of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or IP telephony with multimedia services offered on IP networks over public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern telecommunications through VoIP software are common on personal computers and portable devices including smart phones and handheld devices. VoIP systems employ packet switching protocols,

communication systems that convey information, signals and messages over short and long distances. Telecommunications protocols were developed for

data (digital) and voice (analogue) messages.
