Core 5G and Beyond

In this University of Helsinki open online course, you learn the fundamental concepts behind mobile networks, focusing in particular on 5G and the envisioned future 6G networks.

Partners

After this course, you can answer these questions:

Phone connectivity

What does my phone connect to? What does the signal strength indicate? Why does my phone go into “roaming”' mode when I am abroad? What does it mean?

SIM cards

Why do I need a SIM card? What does a SIM card do? What is an eSIM?

Networks

What is 5G and why is it so important? What are virtualization and cloud computing and how do they relate to 5G and beyond? What can we expect from beyond 5G networks, such as 6G?

About this course

Welcome to the Core 5G and Beyond MOOC!

In this course you will learn the fundamental concepts behind mobile networks, focusing in particular on 5G and the envisioned future 6G networks.

Both the design, deployment and management of a mobile network are herculean tasks involving numerous techniques and elements. Our aim is to present the essential principles and elements to provide understanding and insight into how modern and near-future mobile networks work.

Prerequisites

The course has been designed so that it can be taken with a basic understanding of wireless systems and computer networks. Introductory university classes for these topics provide an excellent basis for the course.

Principles of course design

  • Simplicity: Presenting the essentials of a complex subject without requiring extensive background knowledge.
  • Synthesis: Extracting and discussing the key points in context.
  • Generality: Presenting the societal and industrial relevance and impact of the subject matter.

MOOC structure

The course is based on chapters and is designed so that you can take the chapters in their natural order. However, you can also follow your own path in taking the chapters. Each chapter has related exercises. The course is designed as an introductory course and there are many follow-up courses you can then take to deepen knowledge in the wireless communications and information and communication technology (ICT) areas.

  • Chapter 1: Mobile Networks. We give an overview of the structure of mobile networks, their creation and standardization, and key services provided by mobile networks. 
  • Chapter 2: 4G Networks. To fully understand 5G and beyond, we revisit the 4G architecture that exemplifies crucial design principles and patterns in mobile networks. Many of the mechanisms introduced in 4G can be found in 5G. 
  • Chapter 3: 5G Networks. We present the key principles and design factors for 5G and illustrate how the 5G networks work. 
  • Chapter 4: Towards 6G Networks. After investigating 4G and 5G networks, we discuss the design and standardization of the next mobile network architecture: 6G. This chapter concludes the course.

Useful links

For practical information about the course, see the FAQ page

Course overview

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Who made the course?

The course has been designed by professor Sasu Tarkoma with contributions by Dr. Matteo Pozza, Dr. Ashwin Rao, Dr. Naser Motlagh, Dr. Pranvera Kortoçi, Dr. Gopika Premsankar, Antero Vainio and Asst. Prof. Konstantin Mikhaylov. Dr. Samu Varjonen led the preparation of exercises and helped in the production. The graphical design and illustrations are by Melanie Balaz.  The finalization of the text (copyediting) was supported by Travis Larson from TenFour Oy.