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BKMBTLFB.RVW   981031

"Mobile Telecommunications Factbook", Nathan J. Muller, 1998,
0-07-044461-7, U$29.95
%A   Nathan J. Muller nmuller@ddx.com nathan_muller@msn.com
%C   300 Water Street, Whitby, Ontario   L1N 9B6
%D   1998
%G   0-07-044461-7
%I   McGraw-Hill Ryerson/Osborne
%O   U$29.95 905-430-5000 fax: 905-430-5020 lisah@McGrawHill.ca
%P   445 p.
%T   "Mobile Telecommunications Factbook"

The preface meanders through a variety of topics related to wireless
communications, but never really says who the book is for.  Another
bad sign is that, towards the end, it notes that the book will
concentrate on "practical" aspects of mobile telecom, rather than the
technology (although I note that the author maintains an engineering
mystique by stating specific frequencies at any and all
opportunities), and then mentions some topics that have nothing to do
with mobile or wireless at all.

Chapter one is primarily concerned with cellular or PCS phone service. 
The lack of a technical mandate is obvious, since this is little more
than a list (admittedly extensive) of available services.  However,
there is also a rather strange inclusion of Internet telephony towards
the end, leaning heavily to the various commercial IP telephony
offerings.  Mobile messaging, in chapter two, is a rather startling
grab bag of two way paging, a somewhat skewed look at email, fax, and
even Usenet news.  Mobile computing, while it is based on currently
available technologies, seems to assume that certain proposed
directions will become fact, in chapter three.  Chapter four looks at
remote access.  A rather constricted review of remote monitoring is
given in chapter five, and it is difficult to tell the selection
criteria for what was included or left out.

Chapter six briefly discusses a very wide variety of security risks
and protections, including such topics as ticket granting systems and
firewalls.  Because of the number of subjects, the security review of
each is quite terse.  Wireless PBX service is examined in chapter
seven.  The tutorial on wireless LANs in chapter eight isn't bad
except for a hilarious misexplanation of spread spectrum.  Chapter
nine is a brief overview of the wireless local loop.  Web based
management, in chapter ten, does manage to mention some central
protocols, but the emphasis ensures an unfocussed approach.  CDPD
(Cellular Digital Packet Data) has been mentioned is several prior
places, so chapter eleven is, essentially, the technical review that
the preface promised we'd avoid.  A number of satellite communications
providers are listed in chapter twelve.  I was intrigued that chapter
thirteen was given over to descriptions of technologies, but, given
the failure to explain spread spectrum earlier I was completely
unsurprised that an exegesis of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
is deftly avoided.  Chapter fourteen is pretty close to the usual blue
sky version of telework.

As usual, this type of shotgun approach to communications technology
serves nobody very well.  Telecommunications users may get some
interesting ideas from various sections, but the book covers such a
broad range of topics that it seems a bit of a waste to, for example,
buy the whole thing just to get some idea of the various types of
voice mail that you local providers may or may not offer. 
Professionals, certainly, will find that explanations rarely go into
sufficient detail, and that topics tend to be viewed from only one of
many possible sides.  By and large, the promise that the reader will
not be burdened by technology is kept.  The only problem with that
promise is that the reader is not very burdened with useful
information.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1998   BKMBTLFB.RVW   981031

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rslade@vcn.bc.ca  rslade@sprint.ca  robertslade@usa.net  p1@canada.com
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