Plenty of protocols in the air

The Internet of Things is upon us. And with it, a whole range of stacks and protocols to wirelessly drive the multitude of devices and applications. The wireless front has become a complex weave of multiple technologies. Due to high number of handoffs and conversions, next-gen wireless networks are characterized by the extreme diversification of protocols and standards on one hand, and that of network architectures and topologies on the other. IMS, LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Small Cells, UTRAN, GERAN, HetNet, 2G/3G /4G wireless systems, there’s definitely a lot of going on out there.

Mobile technologies may come varied, but the convergence of the services they deliver is the norm today. Wireless carries data, video and voice for everything, everywhere. That’s the trend. That’s the Internet of Things.

Thankfully, there are ressources out there that provide an overview of multiprotocol wireless networks. The following Mobile Networks Reference Poster illustrates the different protocols and standards and includes an extensive glossary of telecom acronyms.