Abstract:

Currently, the world of telecommunications is standing in the starting blocks for the fifth generation of mobile networks (5G). In teaching, using and understanding the advantages of different mobile network technologies is common practice, even for non-technophile students or their lecturers. Thereby, every new generation has been associated mainly (and in many cases also exclusively) with faster download and/or upload speeds.

However, in the area of teaching as well as from a technological perspective, 5G differs massively from previous mobile network generations. This applies to the radio access network, but especially to the core network and the edge network. The problem that arises due to that situation is that typical telco experts for 2G/3G/4G have primary detailed knowledge in telecommunications, but only basic Information Technology (IT) experience. For future 5G experts it is essential though, to have deep IT knowledge, combined with fundamental telecommunication experience. These topics extend from radio access over internet technologies, software-defined networking, design of data centers (clouds) and the repetitive workflow of standardization processes.

This paradigm change has to be reflected in the structure and sequence of lectures. Therefore, it is a challenge to adapt curricula of conventional study programs in the field of telecommunication (both bachelor and master degree) and make them suitable for a substantial and prospective IT education.

This paper shows a successful set of lectures and modules which cover the essential topics of telecommunication and IT based content and combines them with project and seminar topics to get a deep knowledge and make students well prepared for researching and developing 5G applications. Essential lecture topics include Radio Frequency Communication, Mobile Network Planning, Mobile Communication, Software-Defined Networking and Mobile Edge Computing. As a result, the students have gathered the knowledge and experience to participate in planning, constructing and operating state of the art 5G networks.

Keywords:

Telecommunication, information technology, fifth generation mobile network, 5G.