Air interface

The term air interface , also known as radio interface , describes the transmission of data by means of electromagnetic waves , ie apparently through the medium "air". In fact, these waves also propagate in a vacuum. In English, over-the-air ( OTA ) is used as a synonym for “wireless” (in German: cordless ). The “air interface” is particularly characterized by the fact that radio (or infrared) transmission takes place.

application areas

Android smartphone during an OTA firmware update

Transmission methods that are not medium-bound include:

• RFID
• Update of firmware for smartphones ( FOTA = Firmware Over-The-Air)
• Cellular
• WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS
• GSM , UMTS and LTE ( GERAN , UTRAN and E-UTRAN act as air interfaces)
• Bluetooth
• WiMAX
• Broadcasting (in particular aerial and satellite television and radio )
• IrDA

literature

• Volker Jung, Hans-Jürgen Warnecke (Hrsg.): Handbook for telecommunications. 2nd edition, Springer Verlag, Berlin 2002, ISBN 978-3-642-62736-1 .
• Martin Werner: communications engineering. An introduction to all courses, 7th edition, Vieweg + Teubner, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 978-3-8348-0905-6 .
• Christof Linde, Jan Tino Demel: Digital radio. Publishing group Hüthing Jehle Rehm GmbH, ISBN 978-3-609-68436-9 .

Web links

• Security analysis of the GSM air interface (accessed on April 3, 2017)
• At the air interface (accessed on April 3, 2017)
• Protocol measurements at the TETRA air interface (accessed on April 3, 2017)
• Mobile communications (accessed April 3, 2017)