This book addresses the fundamentals of communications systems and networks, providing models and analytical methods for evaluating their performance. It is divided into ten chapters, which are the result of a joint effort by the authors and contributors. The authors and the contributors have a long history of collaboration, both in research and in teaching, which makes this book very consistent in both approach and in the notation used.

The uniqueness of this textbook lies in the fact that it addresses topics ranging from the physical layer (digital transmission and modulation) to the networking layers (MAC, routing, and transport). Moreover, quality of service concepts belonging to the different layers of the protocol stack are covered, and the relationships between the metrics at different layers are discussed. This should help the student in the analysis and design of modern communications systems, which are better understood at a system level.

A suitable selection of chapters from this book provides the necessary teaching material for a one-semester undergraduate course on the basics of telecommunications, but some advanced material can be also used in graduate classes as complementary reading. The book is also a useful comprehensive reference for telecommunications professionals. Each chapter provides a number of problems to test the reader’s understanding of the material. The numerical solutions for these exercises are provided in the companion website, www.wiley.com/go/ benvenuto2.

The content of each chapter is briefly summarized below.