In this dissertation, multiband ground antennas for slim handsets are presented. The design techniques are on efficiently exciting the resonant modes of the system ground plane of the handset to greatly enhance the antenna¡¦s operating bandwidth. The first antenna design is a monopole antenna integrated with a slot antenna formed in a clearance in the system ground plane to enhance the bandwidth of the antenna¡¦s lower band for penta-band WWAN operation. The second antenna design uses a shaped circuit board with a proper notch embedded therein to result in stronger surface current excitation in the ground plane, which leads to bandwidth enhancement in the antenna¡¦s lower band and upper band. The second antenna design can cover seven-band WWAN/LTE operation. The antenna geometry in the second antenna design is further applied in the third antenna design. In order to meet the practical application of slim handsets, the third antenna design is integrated with a battery element and a metal midplate to decrease the thickness of the handset. The third antenna design can cover seven-band WWAN/LTE operation. Finally, the simulated SAR and HAC results are analyzed for the three proposed antennas.

<p>Wireless handsets are becoming increasingly multi-modal, supporting both cellular and wireless LAN air interfaces. When such a handset roams from one network to another during an active voice call, the call must be re-routed into the new network. The process of re-routing calls in this manner is referred to as a vertical handover.</p> <p>Achieving seamless WLAN-to-cellular handover can be very difficult due to the fact that WLAN coverage can often be lost long before a cellular call leg replacement can be established. A possible worse-case scenario occurs when mobile users walk from indoor building WLAN coverage to outdoors during voice connections. In this thesis, results from a measurement-based study of dual-mode handover are given. The presented results come from extensive IEEE 802.11 measurements that were made on the McMaster University campus. These results give important insights into the difficulty of this problem, and relate to various system parameters such as WiFi deployment type and link loss threshold. The results show that it is almost impossible to successfully complete the handover unless the WLAN deployment has been carefully engineered. In WLAN deployments which would ordinarily restrict the use of lower data rates, the results also suggest that a "limited data rate use" (LDU) algorithm can greatly improve the probability of seamless handover. This can be done without adversely affecting the capacity of the WLAN network. </p> <p>Vertical handover can be performed using enterprise voice gateways which support basic conference bridging. This feature can be used to achieve soft handover, since a new leg of the call can be established to the conference bridge while the existing media stream path is active. Unfortunately this requires that all intra-enterprise calls be routed through the gateway when the call is established. In this work we consider a SIP based architecture to perform conferenced dual-mode handover and propose a much more scalable mechanism for short-delay environments, whereby active calls are handed off into the conference bridge prior to the initiation of the vertical handover. Results are presented which are taken from a dual-mode handset testbed, from analytic models, and from simulations which characterize the scalability of the proposed mechanism. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Yes / In this paper, a simple folded loop antenna (FLA) for handsets with relatively wide- band impedance, designed and optimized using genetic algorithms (GA). The FLA dimensions were optimized and evaluated using GA in collaboration with NEC-2 source code. Configuration of optimal FLA with excellent VSWR covering entirely the required GSM1800 frequency bands was found within the maximum generation. A prototype antenna was tested to verify and validate the GA-optimized antenna structure. The measured data have shown good agreement with predicted ones. Moreover, the capabilities of GA are shown as an e±cient optimisation tool for selecting globally optimal parameters to be used in simulations with an electromagnetic antenna design code, seeking convergence to designated specifications.

Yes / In this paper, a balanced antenna for mobile handset applications with enhanced bandwidth performance, that covers four bands (GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS and 2.4-GHz WLAN), is investigated. The antenna is a slot planar dipole with folded structure and a dual-arm on each monopole. A wide bandwidth planar balun is employed to feed the wideband balanced antenna from an unbalanced source. A prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and tested. The performance of the antenna is veri¯ed and characterized in terms of return loss, radiation patterns and power gain. The calculated and measured results show good agreement and also con¯rm good wideband characteristics for the proposed antenna with multiband operation.

Two novel antenna designs for mobile handsets are proposed in this thesis. With a helix loading, an inverted-L monopole antenna capable of generating two resonances at about 900 and 1850 MHz is first presented. The operating bandwidths obtained cover the required bandwidths of the GSM/DCS/PCS bands. Besides, an internal mobile handset antenna comprising a PIFA and a PILA, which are, respectively, designed for covering the GSM and DCS/PCS bands is also presented. The PIFA and PILA together occupy a compact volume of 7.2 ¡Ñ 20 ¡Ñ 40 mm3, and are suitable to be built-in within the housing of a mobile handset.

Yes / In this manuscript, a high-performance beam-steerable phased array antenna is introduced for fifth-generation (5G) mobile handsets. The configuration of the design is arranged by employing eight dielectric-insensitive L-ring/slot-loop radiators in a linear form on the top edge of the handset mainboard. The beam-steerable array design exhibits high radiation performances even though it is implemented on a lossy FR-4 material. The proposed design exhibits an impedance bandwidth of 18-20 GHz with the center frequency of 19 GHz. It provides satisfactory characteristics such as wide beam-steering, high gain and efficiency characteristics indicating its promising potential for beam-steerable 5G smartphones. The characteristics of the antenna array are insensitive for different types of dielectrics. Furthermore, the designed antenna array offers quite good radiation behavior in the presence of hand phantom.

This thesis analyses tools for mobile web portal logs processing which could be used for reporting of required metrics. The area covers not only web analytics, but also mobile web and mobile handsets capabilities. The objective is to analyze possibilities of existing products which can be used to process web logs and choose appropriate existing or propose proprietary solution. This solution should comply with requirements and limitations given by the portal platform limitations. Theoretical part introduces the web analytics domain and the mobile web environment. Basic concepts and metrics are described as well as the fundamental data collection methods and mobile internet basic specifics. The knowledge of the web analytics and mobile web basics are crucial to be able to eruditely assess the tools capabilities introduced in the second part of this thesis. In the practical part, there are technical details on the mobile portal operating environment described. The requirements for the tool outputs are defined there and the prospective ready-to-use solutions are researched. The final part of the text addresses the final solution for the mobile portal reporting tool including the operational data processing. The secondary output of this thesis comprises of explanation of the mobile web analytics area for the broader audience. The main output of the practical part is analysis and specification of the requirements for mobile portal reporting tool and design of the solution with the supervision of the implementation and deployment within the production environment.

Marketing and advertisement activities are transforming as new digital media streams emerge. It is believed that the first major digital transition took place when broadcast media such as television and cinema, also called first screen, to the PC Internet, referred to as the second screen, entered the media industry. The last couple of years saw an expanding transition into the third screen, which is the mobile handset, commonly known as cellphones in South Africa. The rapid explosion of mobile phones and other mobile devices has created a new marketing channel. The use of Short Messaging Service, Multimedia Message Service, Graphic WAP Banners, and Video Clips to communicate with customers through their mobile devices / cellphones has gained popularity, making the mobile phone the ultimate medium for one–to–one or one–to–many marketing. And the more mobile handsets penetrate the mass market, the greater are the opportunities for advertising experiences. This exploratory study investigates the impact / effectiveness of mobile advertising to consumers in the short–term insurance industry. The study briefly focuses on whether marketers are reaping the benefits of using this medium to communicate and market their products and services to the identified target market. The findings indicate that mobile advertising has an impact on consumers in the short–term insurance industry. It was also envisaged that where mobile advertising seems to have no effect, the root of the problem lies in the mass marketing approach. Customers are looking for full customisation of mobile marketing messages, based on their individual requirements, tastes, preferences, location, time, and it should also add value to consumers. For maximum impact, it is also recommended that marketers should build measurements, targeting and optimisation into their campaign processes. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Marketing and advertisement activities are transforming as new digital media streams emerge. It is believed that the first major digital transition took place when broadcast media such as television and cinema, also called first screen, to the PC Internet, referred to as the second screen, entered the media industry. The last couple of years saw an expanding transition into the third screen, which is the mobile handset, commonly known as cellphones in South Africa. The rapid explosion of mobile phones and other mobile devices has created a new marketing channel. The use of Short Messaging Service, Multimedia Message Service, Graphic WAP Banners, and Video Clips to communicate with customers through their mobile devices / cellphones has gained popularity, making the mobile phone the ultimate medium for one–to–one or one–to–many marketing. And the more mobile handsets penetrate the mass market, the greater are the opportunities for advertising experiences. This exploratory study investigates the impact / effectiveness of mobile advertising to consumers in the short–term insurance industry. The study briefly focuses on whether marketers are reaping the benefits of using this medium to communicate and market their products and services to the identified target market. The findings indicate that mobile advertising has an impact on consumers in the short–term insurance industry. It was also envisaged that where mobile advertising seems to have no effect, the root of the problem lies in the mass marketing approach. Customers are looking for full customisation of mobile marketing messages, based on their individual requirements, tastes, preferences, location, time, and it should also add value to consumers. For maximum impact, it is also recommended that marketers should build measurements, targeting and optimisation into their campaign processes. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T21:00:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 4 Alexandre Magno Oliveira Rodrigues.pdf.jpg: 19596 bytes, checksum: 925ad40d7421193c578744a270872b06 (MD5) Alexandre Magno Oliveira Rodrigues.pdf.txt: 94040 bytes, checksum: d3600e29ac344c417f6b1c60da0738c9 (MD5) Alexandre Magno Oliveira Rodrigues.pdf: 565109 bytes, checksum: 271086662bf9ce0fc153e9dd9a77a749 (MD5) license.txt: 4886 bytes, checksum: 282b7c76742ade543563166ca37379c6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-01-19T00:00:00Z / O Brasil possui um dos maiores mercados de telefonia celular do mundo, resultado de um crescimento impulsionado, sobretudo, pela expansão agressiva do modelo de serviço pré-pago. Este crescimento se deu por meio de grandes investimentos em subsidio como forma de aumentar a atratividade dos aparelhos celulares comercializados nos pontos de venda. Estes investimentos ao mesmo tempo em que aceleraram a captação de novos clientes comprometeram a rentabilidade deste segmento e da margem EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) consolidada do setor no Brasil quando comparada a outros países. Portanto, um entendimento apropriado dos atributos mais valorizados pelos consumidores no processo decisório de compra de um aparelho celular é de fundamental importância para melhorar a alocação dos recursos e maximizar o retorno, sem perda de mercado. Este trabalho aplica a Metodologia de Preços Hedônicos como ferramenta para auxiliar na identificação dos atributos relevantes dos aparelhos celulares comercializados no mercado de massa brasileiro e seus respectivos preços implícitos. São 96 aparelhos celulares monitorados semanalmente ao longo do ano de 2007, constituindo mais de 37.000 registros. Como resultado, no estágio de maturidade do mercado na época, foram identificados intensos prêmios de preço associados às características físicas (design) e à presença de atributos relacionados à itens de multimídia (câmeras digitais, vídeos e MP3 player). Por fim, utilizamos o modelo econométrico desenvolvido para simular e identificar o preço sugerido ou potencial de novos celulares, não presentes na amostra utilizada para a regressão, mas constituídos por novas combinações de atributos com preços implícitos já identificados. / The mobile telecom market in Brazil is one of the largest in the world, consequence of a substantial growth in the prepaid segment. This growth was achieved at expense of intensive investments in subsidies in handsets, which were used as leverage to market position in the retail channel. These investments, at the same time in which accelerated the client’s acquisition, compromised current profitability levels and the consolidated EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) margin in Brazil when compared with other countries. Therefore, a deep understanding with respect to the most valuable attributes under the consumer´s perspective in the consumption decision process is a critical theme in order to improve the efficiency in the resource allocation (handsets subsidies) and to provide incremental returns, without losing market share. This study applies the Hedonic price Methodology as a tool in order identify the most relevant attributes and its implicit prices, both related to the most relevant handsets traded in the Brazilian mass market. This universe encompasses 96 handsets with weekly price updates monitored in 2007, resulting in more than 37.000 records. As a result, relevant premium prices associated with physical characteristics (design) and multimedia features (digital camera, video and MP3 player) were identified and quantified through its implicit prices. Finally, the econometric model developed in this study is applied in a real situation in order to simulate and to identify the suggested or potential prices associated to new handsets, not used previously in the regression model, but composed of new combinations of attributes already identified and quantified.