In recent years, several mobile wireless networks have been launched in various parts of the world. These networks usually employ different technologies and compete strongly for a larger share of the ever-growing market of mobile device users. The successful operation of all these mobile networks is imperatively dependent on the use of the Internet protocol (IP), which has been regarded as a workhorse protocol in the transmission control protocol (TCP)/IP protocol suite. IP provides a best effort for an unreliable and connectionless service for delivery of packet data [1]. Due to specific problems associated with mobile networks, such as the bursty nature of channel errors, location-dependent channel capacity, and a limited battery life, it is essential to review the basic design principles of IP.

This book presents the current state-of-the-art practice in IP design, for a wide variety of mobile networks. A major focus of the book is the transition of mobile networks from circuit switched to IP-based technologies. The style of writing is very easy, and not much background is needed to understand most of the material. The authors work in the mobile networking industry, giving the book a touch of practical knowledge. It will be a useful reference for a wide community of radio frequency (RF) engineers, mobile network designers, system architects/managers/planners, chief technology officers (CTOs), as well as academia. However, one major weakness of the book is the lack of a research-oriented discussion or some list of major research challenges/issues relating to IP design in mobile networks. Also, it does not include much of the mathematics related to various topics. Moreover, there are few references, and some of them lack page numbers (for example, reference 4 on page 91).

The book is divided into three parts: “Cellular Networks and Standards,” “IP and Today’s Cellular Network,” and “The End-to-End Service Network.” The first chapter introduces some fundamental concepts in radio systems, which are the foundation of mobile cellular networks. Without going into complex mathematical formulations, it presents essentials of spectrum allocation, basic characteristics of wireless channels, and various modulation techniques. It also explains the concepts of time division, frequency division, code division, and space division multiple access (SDMA). Next, several techniques for combating radio impairments are presented. Smart scheduling, automatic repeat request, diversity combining, and spatial multiplexing are also briefly explained.

The second chapter presents the global system for mobile communications (GSM), the general packet radio service (GPRS), the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), the UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), high-speed down/up-link packet access, evolved high-speed packet access, and the code division multiple access (CDMA) 2000 system. Although the description of each system is very concise, it also provides a good overview of various technologies used in mobile wireless networks. Chapter 3 deals with all-IP systems: WiFi, WiMAX, long-term evolution (LTE), and international mobile telecommunications-advanced (IMT-Advanced).

Part 2 begins with chapter 4, which provides a good refresher on IP. Various routing protocols, such as distance-vector and open shortest path first (OSPF) are described, with easy diagrams. It also provides a bird’s-eye view of multicasting, IP packet-switching protocols, Ethernet switching methods, tunneling, and IP security (IPsec).

Chapter 5 discusses connectivity and transport in radio access networks (RANs) and core networks. It also touches on WiMAX, but for a detailed study, the book refers readers to the original IEEE standards. Chapter 6 discusses the evolution of circuit- and packet-switched core networks. Major concepts of mobility handling are explained, using examples of mobility management and the voice call setup procedure. Most references in this chapter are either standards documents or requests for comments (RFCs). Chapter 7 describes concepts relating to pseudo-wires, including timing and synchronization. Unfortunately, this chapter lacks suitable references.

The first chapter in Part 3, chapter 8, discusses end-to-end context awareness. It is envisioned that, as user traffic models and network intelligence improves, the mobile networks will become more interdependent. This chapter also lacks a sufficient number of references. It is unclear whether the diagrams are from standards documents or are original. Finally, chapter 9 deals with content and services. It attempts to explore how mobile network services and corresponding network architectures have evolved over time. It covers service delivery platforms and their overlays, intelligent networks, soft switching, voice over IP (VoIP), stream control transmission protocol (SCTP), session initiation protocol (SIP), video delivery over mobile networks, and service security.

Overall, the book adopts a block-level approach to describing the main concepts related to IP design for mobile networks. There are not enough references; in fact, chapters 7 to 9 have very few or none at all. It is not a suitable textbook, since no numerical examples are provided. But, despite its shortcomings, this well-written book can be used as a quick reference for a qualitative understanding of core concepts in IP design for mobile networks.