Today's wireless communication systems are evolving at a fast rate, enabled by the underlying advances in the physical technologies available to realize high performance and low cost wireless systems. Although various wireless communication systems have been commercially available for several years, it is only recently that the wireless systems have penetrated deeply into the public market. The cordless telephone represents one of the more obvious technologies which have emerged as strong competitors for traditional wired telephone systems,with sales of cordless telephones exceeding that or corded telephones in today's US marketplace. Perhaps even more noticeable has been the increasing visibility of cellular telephones. No longer bulky and limited units, the cellular telephone is quickly becoming a necessity for individuals traveling away from home and desiring the convenienct of remaining connected to colleagues, family and friends at any time and any place.
Much as the cellular telephone represents an escape from the tyranny of wired telephones, so also will wireless data networks (e.g., wireless local area networks) represent an escape of the user of computers from the multiplicity of cables and connectors needed to connect ones computer to peripherals, to wired data networks such as Ethernet, and to connect together computers within a home. An initial extension of computers into this world of wireless connectivity is seen in palm-sized computers, where wireless connections are becoming increasingly common. Today, wireless data networks for computers are exhibiting rapid decreases in costs and increases in performance. Rather than running wires through walls and ceilings to establish a data network for computers in a small business or within a physical location of a larger company, wireless local area networks provide a much simpler (for the user) "switch on and you're networked" capability for the computer user.
The Graduate Certificate in Wireless Communications has been developed in response to this rapidly evolving technology. Combined with the heavy penetration of computers throughout the general public and the increasing use of data communications to access and display information from around the world using the World Wide Web (WWW or simply "WEB") capabilities, addition of wireless communications will have a major impact on the age of information systems and services that is already provided by traditional wired communication systems.
