AJANLEKOKO and other pros in the house

Thanks for answering these questions

YOU DONT KNOW HOW MANY LIVES YOU HAVE STARTED CHANGING


Your kindness will be ADEQUATELY REWARDED by HEAVENS

@Ajanlekoko
Thanks for your advise. I hope my background will not be a limiting factor in future? I just want to be sure before i start commiting money into the Cisco stuff.

I got the Networking experience during my NYSC, where i serve as System Engineer. The only stuffs i learnt in the cafe was some Repairs and maintenance skills then web design basics.

We did some Vsat installation and Networking, (wired&wireless) quite tasky and big projects when I was serving. But why am asking the house is that I am quite good but when clients ask me what course did i study in the University, and i told them Geography, they are always suprised. So that is why I want to know if it wont have any implication later in my IT Career, although i have heard about 'conversion' before, but honestly I learn so fast and quite realible 247, lol

guseman:

@Ajanlekoko
Thanks for your advise. I hope my background will not be a limiting factor in future? I just want to be sure before i start commiting money into the Cisco stuff.

I got the Networking experience during my NYSC, where i serve as System Engineer. The only stuffs i learnt in the cafe was some Repairs and maintenance skills then web design basics.

We did some Vsat installation and Networking, (wired&wireless) quite tasky and big projects when I was serving. But why am asking the house is that I am quite good but when clients ask me what course did i study in the University, and i told them Geography, they are always suprised. So that is why I want to know if it wont have any implication later in my IT Career, although i have heard about 'conversion' before, but honestly I learn so fast and quite realible 247, lol

No issues with your background.
I have a colleague who studied law, and another who studied Chemistry? They have worked in in Telecoms since 2001.

mikkyphp:

@nniah, maybe they're too busy. i asked a question earlier, and nobody seemed to give a sh**, the poster and co just continued with people that seem to be already deeply rooted in the field. It's no use if others and would-be enthusiast cant be carried along and their salient questions answered, yes just like Kiwi and co in the "About SAP" thread. It's quite pitiable.

@mikkyphp, could you post the question again?

@AjanleKoko: na im be this!


Re: Telecommunications Professionals Zone
« #10 on: June 24, 2009, 11:08 AM »

Thanks AjanleKoko for your insight, let me quickly point out something as regards ericsson, for freshers, they take mostly first-class graduates and put them in a management-trainee program.
Before now, i worked in a telecomms firm in the NOC department with the cisco routers,billing servers and internet gateways, there i was a junior sys admin. Now I work in an ISP providing services using licensed RF/Vsat providing VPN links to corporate organisations and public institutions etc.
I'm the senior sys admin also working in the NOC in charge of our Backbone infrastructure and all of our production and application servers(hardware/software).
I took a course in telecomms last year/this year and i must say it's a very interesting field for me. I'm looking at taking a more comprehensive course in telecomms in India(5months course, cheap and good lecture delivery) because i really have a passion for it but i'm currently torn between going to india and forfeiting my current job. My employers are unwilling to grant me a 5month leave of absense even without pay so it's a difficult decision to resign and start job hunting 5 months later when i'm back in Nigeria.
I'm currently being wooed by a lucrative career as an SAP consultant i'm currently making enquiries and spending lots of time in the NL "About SAP" thread. Now i know that tough decisions make a Man.

@mikkyphp, sorry I missed that.

Well, the first thing is. . . what is the training about?
If the training is sure to add value, no doubt prospects of a better job would be on the horizon.

However, telecom tends to value experience more than certificates. Just thought to warn you, but let's know what the training is about.

You also talk about a SAP career. That also is quite lucrative, probably more than core telecoms in the developed world. In fact with SAP you can still work in telecoms, but different skillset entirely (ERP, billing).

culled from their website:

Advanced Wireless communications




Communication Basics

Analog /Digital Signals, Radio Spectrum, modulation-AM/FM/PM, Digital Modulation-PAM, PWM, PPM, Pulse Code Modulation-PCM, Multiplexing -TDM/TDMA/FDM/FDMA/CDMA/OFDM
Shift Keying - FSK,BPSK,QPSK,8PSK,QAM, GMSK, Digital Hierarchy-T1/E1, Switching Systems



SS7 Signaling and Architecture

Telecommunications, Signaling And Switching Technologies, SS7-signalling, Integrated services Digital Network - ISDN
ISDN BRI and PRI, Q.931 Standard, SS7- Messages , ISUP Signaling, SS7 - Protocols

Cellular Technology

Mobile Communication Principles, Mobile Telephone System Using the cellular Concepts, Cellular Planning and configuration ,Third Generation Network Planning

Spread Spectrum

Principles of Spread Spectrum, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum, Time Hopping Spread Spectrum, Hybrid Spread Spectrum

Global System For Mobile Communications - GSM

Time Division Multiple Access Diversity-TDMA, IS-136 TDMA Technology, GSM Architecture, IS 136 Radio Technologies , Digital Channels and Hand Offs, GSM Channel Coding and Vocoders, Protocol Architecture, GSM Security, GSM Signaling and Cell Processing, GSM Hardware Architecture, Migration to GPRS

General Packet Radio Services - GPRS

Evolution of Wireless Data, The GSM Phase II Overlay Network, GPRS Network Architecture, GPRS Radio technologies, Cells & Routing Areas, Packet Data Protocol Context, GPRS Terminals Mobile Station Classes, Mobility Management, GPRS Attach, GPRS Attach Scenario, Mobile Initiated GPRS Detach, Network Initiated Detach Activating a PDP Context Activation, GPRS Data Transfer, GPRS Signaling Procedures, GPRS Protocols

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution – EDGE

EDGE Coding Schemes, Link Adaptation, Incremental Redundancy, GERAN

Code Division Multiple Access - CDMA

The Cocktail Party, Spatial Diversity, IS 95 Standard , CDMA Architecture, CDMA One Technology, Call Processing, Digital Channels, CDMA Encryption and CAVE Algorithms, CDMA 2000 1XRTT, Wide Band CDMA - WCDMA

Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services (UMTS)

3G Systems, UMTS architecture, UTRAN Interfaces, UMTA Radio Access and WCDMA Spreading, UMTS Coding and Synchronization, Link Budget and QoS, Call Processing and Media Formats, UMTS Security and VHE, NGN Architecture
UMTS Protocols

Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services (UMTS)

3G Systems, UMTS architecture, UTRAN Interfaces, UMTA Radio Access and WCDMA Spreading, UMTS Coding and Synchronization, Link Budget and QoS, Call Processing and Media Formats, UMTS Security and VHE, NGN Architecture
UMTS Protocols

Networking

OSI and TCP/IP Protocol layering, Classful Internet Address, Layer 2 Protocols - ARP & RARP, User Data Gram Protocol -UDP, Transmission Control Protocol -TCP, Internet Control Message Protocol - ICMP, Routing Protocols - OSPF, RIP, BGP, Mobile IP

Session and Call Control Protocols

Voice Over IP - VoIP , H.323, Media Gateway Control Protocol – MGCP Megaco(H.248), IP Multimedia Subsystem - IMS

Session Initiation Protocol

Introduction to SIP, SIP System Operation, Building SIP Systems, Managing SIP Systems, Session Description Protocol
RTP and RTCP, SIP Architecture, SIP Fields, Registration, SIP Security, Telecom Protocols

Telecom Testing

Test Methodologies, Test Plan, Test Cases, GSM/GPRS attached/detached/PDP contexts, Manual Testing, Automated Testing, Telecom Testing Tools

Next - Generation Networks

Evolution for NGN, World Standardisation Bodies for communications and Networking, HSDPA, HSUPA, 4G LTE, WiMAX

Telecom Protocols

SS7 Protocols

Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP), ISDN User Part, Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP), Intelligent Network Application Part (INAP), OMAP

GSM & CDMA Protocols

CM-Connection Management, CC- Call control, SS- Supplementary service, SMS-Short Message Service, MM- Mobility Management, RR- Radio Resource management, LAPDM, BSS Application Part (BSSAP), Mobile Application Part (MAP)
Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), Subnetwork Dependence Convergence Protocol (SNDCP), Radio Link Control Protocol (RLC), Logical Link Control Protocol (LLC), GPRS Mobility Management (GMM), GPRS Session Management (GSM), CAMEL

UMTS Protocols

ATM & ATM Adaptation Layers, UMTS related Signaling protocols – Access Stratus (AS) and Non-Access Stratus (NAS) Protocols, RRC, RLC, MAC, FP, PDCP, BMC SSCOP, SCTP, NBAP, ALCAP, RANAP, RNSAP, AMR, MM, GMM, MTP3-b, M3UA, STC, SCTP, SCIP, TAF, CBS

Practicals

1) Optical Fiber Splicing on Fujicura Optical Splicer and OTDR
2) Optical Fiber Parameter Testing Tool
3) Signalling Analysis for SS7, GSM and GPRS Networks
4) GPRS Signalling Analysis
5) Cellular RF Planning
6) IP Networking
7) IP Telephony
WLAN

Project

Cellular Planning for 3G Networks

@ Ajanle

in a reply to another poster, you said that the voice track was a good option when considering CCNA, I was thinking about the security track. Which to you think is more important and relevant to Nigeria. I was thinking that data security would be uppermost on most telco firms priority list, and even for other industries that rely heavily on the telco industry (ie banking).
What do you think?

@Ajanlekoko
Thanks once again. Now I can start thinking of where to do the certification and i am going to start immediately. Do you know any good training Center around Mainland?

Pls i will be glad to hear from you about this question?

goodboybad:

@ Ajanle

in a reply to another poster, you said that the voice track was a good option when considering CCNA, I was thinking about the security track. Which to you think is more important and relevant to Nigeria. I was thinking that data security would be uppermost on most telco firms priority list, and even for other industries that rely heavily on the telco industry (ie banking).
What do you think?

Depends on where you are looking at. Information security is valuable, and is growing in Nigeria, albeit quite slowly I think. If you are looking at information (data) security, that is encompassing a whole lot more than telecom I think.

Security in telecoms? Do not know much about the nitty-gritty myself, but the GSM ecosystem has security and encryption standards and algorithms, built into the framework, right from the SIM to the air interface, and around the core network design.
If you want to know a bit more about security in GSM, pls check out http://www.gsm-security.net

Now this is why I recommend Cisco voice certification track: Two reasons. (1) The network operators are moving towards an all-IP environment (MPBN/MPLS), supporting packet data and especially voice. We haven't seen serious migration to a next-generation network environment in Nigeria yet, but to a large extent, within the core and access (transmission) layers, we are seeing the emergence of IP in the transport layer as opposed to the traditional signalling system 7 (SS7), even while you still have the RF environment as 2G.
The ISPs, like iPNX, are offering voice services already over their WiMAX networks. Even enterprises are also going VOIP and unified communications over IP. So there are opportunities nowadays in packet voice and SIP communication, unlike the traditional LAN (CCNP) and WAN (CCIP) certifications. With that kind of skill set, you can find a job in telecoms I think.

I don't really know these days who does certification training, but it is certainly worth the investment. I think you can try the usual suspects, like BiTrax and Techno-logic.

guseman, i'll give you an address. later today. I work with someone that trained there and the guy is quite sound. The place is at Mende. And the training fee is nothin like those NIIT rip-offs (beef implied ). All the best.

Permit me to input the little I know.
1st off, There are only two 'standard' places where Telecom-centric trainings are done in naija.
1.Digital Bridge Institute - offices @ NITEL Training schools in Lagos, Kano (I think) and Abuja (http://www.dbieducation.org/)
2.Institute of Advanced e-Studies (http://www.iaesnigeria.org/)

The others are really smaller & upcoming - TTC Mobile Ltd (Ikeja, Lagos), Font-IT (Obanikoro, Lagos i think), IMT Computers (Ikeja, Lagos) - all in Lagos

DBI is run by the Nigerian Communications Commision. Solid ba ? I thought so myself until I visited their Lagos office at Matori, Mushin. The premises of NITELs once glorious Training School now in a deplorable state. No lectures there for now as the place is under renovation. The course outline I got was all 1day, 2day at most 10 day trainings. No qualms on that but our cash is hard earned. As a rule I love to personally meet the person that would be training me at such places.

IAeS started last year. I wrote their scholarship exam on the 9th of August in UniLag. We all scored A's, B's and C's (i wish lecturers were that generous), immediately, i knew NIIT had taught these guys bad thing. I was told to come and pay N160, 000 for having scored a B for their Telecommunication Network Engineering track. I was serving. There was no way I was going to be zooming into Lagos every weekend for classes and then scurrying back to my station. I copied the mail and googled out & got materials for each course of the training (no dulling).

Let me not even start with the smaller guys. Lack of proper equipment. Hype ti 'poju - Too much mouth when the advertise. When you say you've got a  "live" router I expect to actually see one. Not coming to meet some Router SimNet, Visualizer, Boson NetSim or even GNS 3. A "live" router means the ACTUAL thing. Whats the field experience of the 'Faculties' (I'm borrowing the oyinbo name NIIT calls their lectures) ? Someone crammed braindumps, made a 1000/1000 in his CCNA and now wants my N25, 000 for 4weeks of crappy training. What I'm saying is, except you're some rich kid with smoking buxed-up parents that have money to throw around because the word "Oracle" sounds like something cool for their child to do during the holidays, investigate where you want to do your training.
Next, don't be lazy. Be prepared too read till your eyes hurt. Why ? The reason is simple. Unless you get the beautiful and highly coveted oppurtunity of starting work as fresher in some Telco thats obsessed about training like Huawei, your entry point will be through having a functional IT background. And there's no problem with that since communication is converging.
Welcome to the age of All-IP Next Generation Networks. You will need to read to fill in the gaps in the Telecom field. Stuff like understanding the Radio Link Layer, Signalling. Take a few steps backwards to thoroughly understand the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) 'cos thats the foundation of everything Networking. I have a friend that did the training wit IAeS & he said must of their stuff was theory. So don't waste your money. Use it to write Certifications. That is, certifications that will add up on your CV and indicate to a potential employer that you have direction.
Use the Power of the Internet. You don't know how to get books, Videos & interactive trainings for free ? use utorrent.com, emule.com (file sharing software, just make sure you have a militant antivirus on the ready).just send me a (salihu[underscore]ali[at]yahoo[.]com) mail, i'll give you some helpful links at no cost. And if you stay in Lagos, do you have a 4GB flash ?
For Telecoms, coming from an IT I'll advise you go CCNA and then CWNA in any order that suits you. And PLEASE. PLEASE I beg understand the technology. Don't be a 'latest Pass4Sure' junkie. They are no brain dumps when you are on the job!
The CCNA will get you grounded in Internetworking - Routing & Switching. The CWNA will introduce you to Wireless Networking which I must say is rather analogous to traditional Cellular technologies. You could then move on into CCNA-Voice and then go full CCVP or CCNA-Wireless & then CCNP-Wireless (just launched). I've attached the Course layout of the IAeS, the CWNA exam objectives and The training outline of one training place in India for Telecom Protocol development. Cheers.
Enough said for now. I need to catch some shut eye. its 2AM already.

Hi, mikkyphp

I'm the senior sys admin also working in the NOC in charge of our Backbone infrastructure and all of our production and application servers(hardware/software).
I took a course in telecomms last year/this year and i must say it's a very interesting field for me. I'm looking at taking a more comprehensive course in telecomms in India(5months course, cheap and good lecture delivery) because i really have a passion for it but i'm currently torn between going to india and forfeiting my current job. My employers are unwilling to grant me a 5month leave of absense even without pay so it's a difficult decision to resign and start job hunting 5 months later when i'm back in Nigeria.

I'd wanted asking if you could share details about the Training. A little detailed Course desription and the fee range (or a url might just save you the time). Is it Lorion. Thanks.

Hello, Epiphany.

@AjanleKoko - man, you know your stuff. Thumbs up. Meanwhile, you forgot to mention Huawei and NokiaSiemens. These guys are slowly gaining ground in the struggle for part of the operators networks.

I'd like to know if NokiaSiemens got any reasonable contracts in tthe RAN arena since they entered naija ?
thanks.

salihu_ali:

Hello, Epiphany. I'd like to know if NokiaSiemens got any reasonable contracts in tthe RAN arena since they entered naija ?
thanks.

Yeah, they have some part of the RAN rollout for etisalat.

Prior to that they built the fiber backbone (east-west) for zain.

guseman:

@Ajanlekoko
Thanks once again. Now I can start thinking of where to do the certification and i am going to start immediately. Do you know any good training Center around Mainland?

Pls i will be glad to hear from you about this question?

I think salihu_ali has done good justice to this one!

salihu_ali:

Hi, mikkyphpI'd wanted asking if you could share details about the Training. A little detailed Course desription and the fee range (or a url might just save you the time). Is it Lorion. Thanks.
P.S: Mr AjanleKoko, could you please add me to your Yahoo Messenger {salihu_ali[at]yahoo[dot]com}. I'd be so grateful.
Regards.

Bros, Yahoo messenger is persona non grata in my place of work. Plus I can't stand the spamming.
but if you have skype, post your skype id and we can chat.

@Mallam S_Ali

Mungode , I really appreciate your post. Thanks so much. I actually saw those TTC Mobile leaflet. I will mail you now

hi

i read maths

want to start a career in telecomm sector

pls advice me

will  project mgt certs +networking equal a super combo of skills

but are there telecomm certs outside cisco that could be helpful?

pls help

@ Ajanlekoko,

I asked you a question earlier, and you did not reply. Here it is again, in case you missed it.

goodboybad:

@ Ajanle

in a reply to another poster, you said that the voice track was a good option when considering CCNA, I was thinking about the security track. Which to you think is more important and relevant to Nigeria. I was thinking that data security would be uppermost on most telco firms priority list, and even for other industries that rely heavily on the telco industry (ie banking).
What do you think?

@ Salihu

your post was good and full of common sense. thx for the info!

@all
ericson takes only 1st class from IT related fields who is not more than 28years old. once saw the advert.

all said and done; the year is 2012 for the switch over from analog to digital terestial transmission in nigeria. with the said digital convergence, what are the prospect for we in the IT field? how can we cash in on these new technology?

@ ajanlekoko thanks for all d info bro. I'm a CRM professional in the making,currently taking the CRM course in New Horizons. I've already got an OCP certification (which i havent workd wit nways) bt i honestly need ur expert advice nd d rest of d brodas in d house on hw 2 combine d two certifications 2 get/start a rewarding career in the Telecomms nd Banking Sector. I jst graduated this june,i studied Economics.

I decided to answer the questions to the mails I'v been getting on the forum.
As much as Not having a Technical background or chronic math phobia won't stop you if you'r determined its VERY important to get up to par with your O-Level knowledge of Maths and Physics.
Try grabbing a copy of PN Okeke and read up on waves. What's a Transverse wave ? what's a Longitudinal wave ? The Radio frequency spectrum. Understand Number Systems - Binary, Hexadecimal. Understand Logic Systems - AND, NOR, OR, XOR etc. While You're not required to do 2nd degree Differential Equations in your head, having a good theoretical background is IMPORTANT. When your theory is in place You can be creative and innovative with your problem-solving skills.People that are not sound in theory only no abt effects, zilch about causes. They're they first to shout "Thats not the way they taught us O!" (The difference between an Enginer and a Technician - http://www.ndt-ed.org/Careers/TechvsEng/techvseng.htm).

For Telecommunications, Let me give a breakdown -

Communication Basics
Analog /Digital Signals, Radio Spectrum, Modulation - AM/FM/PM, Digital Modulation - PAM,
PWM, PPM, Pulse Code Modulation - PCM, Multiplexing - TDM / TDMA / FDM / FDMA /
CDMA / OFDM, Shift Keying - FSK, BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK, QAM, GMSK, Digital Hierarchy -
T1/E1, Switching Systems

I decided to answer the questions to the mails I'v been getting on the forum.
As much as Not having a Technical background or chronic math phobia won't stop you if you'r determined its VERY important to get up to par with your O-Level knowledge of Maths and Physics.

Try grabbing a copy of P.N Okeke and read up on waves. What's a Transverse wave ? what's a Longitudinal wave ? The Radio frequency spectrum.

Understand Number Systems - Binary, Hexadecimal. Understand Logic Systems - AND, NOR, OR, XOR etc. While You're not required to do 2nd degree Differential Equations in your head, having a good theoretical background is IMPORTANT. When your theory is in place You can be creative and innovative with your problem-solving skills.People that are not sound in theory only no abt effects, zilch about causes. They're they first to shout "Thats not the way they taught us O!" (The difference between an Enginer and a Technician - http://www.ndt-ed.org/Careers/TechvsEng/techvseng.htm).

For Telecommunications, Let me give a breakdown -

The Very Basics of communication
Analog /Digital Signals, Radio Spectrum, Modulation - AM/FM/PM, Digital Modulation - PAM,
PWM, PPM, Pulse Code Modulation - PCM, Multiplexing - TDM / TDMA / FDM / FDMA /
CDMA / OFDM, Shift Keying - FSK, BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK, QAM, GMSK, Digital Hierarchy -
T1/E1, Switching Systems


I'll continue soon.

Does anyone know if Ericsson is taking in new grads in 2009?

@ Ajanle

Sorry. I just saw your reply now. Thanks for the insight. I'll consider it.

Sorry for my protracted silence, i mistakenly banned by the system. you can look 2 MY LAST POST TO SEE THE DETAILS OF THE telecomms course i have in mind. It's from an institution called "Lorion Telecom Institute" based in hyderabad, india.
i also attended Institute for advanced e studies (first batch) october to march this year.

amasha:

@ ajanlekoko thanks for all d info bro. I'm a CRM professional in the making,currently taking the CRM course in New Horizons. I've already got an OCP certification (which i havent workd wit nways) bt i honestly need ur expert advice nd d rest of d brodas in d house on hw 2 combine d two certifications 2 get/start a rewarding career in the Telecomms nd Banking Sector. I jst graduated this june,i studied Economics.

CRM is a bit tricky, as you probably need to be inside the industry before you can standardize. Reason is, apart from Glo that I hear use Siebel, the rest have some customized software, built into the billing environment.
Just finish the training, and get some more Oracle knowledge, with more bias towards the applications track rather than the DBA track.
I doubt if CRM is big in banking as a discipline for now. Just like telecoms, you find that the basic CRM logic is built into the banking app.
Maybe you should position for a career in billing, and later shoot for CRM.

salihu_ali:

I decided to answer the questions to the mails I'v been getting on the forum.
As much as Not having a Technical background or chronic math phobia won't stop you if you'r determined its VERY important to get up to par with your O-Level knowledge of Maths and Physics.

Try grabbing a copy of P.N Okeke and read up on waves. What's a Transverse wave ? what's a Longitudinal wave ? The Radio frequency spectrum.

Understand Number Systems - Binary, Hexadecimal. Understand Logic Systems - AND, NOR, OR, XOR etc. While You're not required to do 2nd degree Differential Equations in your head, having a good theoretical background is IMPORTANT. When your theory is in place You can be creative and innovative with your problem-solving skills.People that are not sound in theory only no abt effects, zilch about causes. They're they first to shout "Thats not the way they taught us O!" (The difference between an Enginer and a Technician - http://www.ndt-ed.org/Careers/TechvsEng/techvseng.htm).

For Telecommunications, Let me give a breakdown -

The Very Basics of communication
Analog /Digital Signals, Radio Spectrum, Modulation - AM/FM/PM, Digital Modulation - PAM,
PWM, PPM, Pulse Code Modulation - PCM, Multiplexing - TDM / TDMA / FDM / FDMA /
CDMA / OFDM, Shift Keying - FSK, BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK, QAM, GMSK, Digital Hierarchy -
T1/E1, Switching Systems
I'll continue soon.

Nice one dude.
The very basics of communication as you put it, na real theory o. E go hard to read that one cos there is no way Messrs Laplace and Fourier no go show up somewhere along the line.
But I would recommend that newbies check out the IEC (http://www.iec.org). They have tons of short telecom tutorials available for free. In any case, I have all their stuff, unless they have updated recently. They are a lot more practical oriented.
For wireless professionals (current and aspiring) , there is a new certification by the IEEE, which I am considering writing next year. It is however not available in Nigeria. I hear it is written twice a year.

Oga AjanleKoko

there is a new certification by the IEEE, which I am considering writing next year.[ /quote]
I believe your speaking about the WCET. Its actually a System designer certification. PLENRRY, PLENRRY Fourier and Laplace. a lot of communication electronics too. I think its for people that actually build wireless communication equipment. not too sure.
WCET targets at system designers - mostly those who create hardware and software within the Wi-Fi and cellular markets – with a single, broad exam.
"From a global perscpective, WCET is a wireless certification recognized around the world. The program is based on technology and applications and not a specific company's approach. Certified engineers have demonstrated a thorough understanding of different key technologies in the wireless arena, local market implications of wireless communications, and new technology / standards development."
see here - http://cms.comsoc.org/eprise/main/SiteGen/WCET_1/Content/Home/preparation/exam_specs.html

ligibility Requirements
The IEEE WCET is a broad-based examination that assesses knowledge of the entire wireless communication engineering field. If you have never been a wireless communication engineering practitioner, or do not plan to become one, you will need to evaluate whether it is appropriate for you to take this examination. The IEEE WCET examination is intended for professionals who develop and implement all types of wireless communication in countries throughout the world.

"To be eligible to sit for the IEEE WCET examination, candidates must meet the following criteria:
Candidates must have a degree from an accredited college or university (accredited in the country where the institution is located) and at least three years of graduate-level educational or professional wireless communication engineering experience, OR
Candidates must be IEEE members and have at least three years of graduate-level educational or professional wireless communication engineering experience."

In 1 word - No be 'maimai'.

My 2 cents.
Ok, in this post I'll try to focus on the level of knowledge required, specifically for starters like myself - what you can do to learn on your own.

For those coming from a non-technical bakground,after having your O-Level Physics and Maths knowledge together obtaining the CCNA and CWNA certifications will do you a lot of good. Here's why.

First off but not absolutely compulsory. Learn Microsoft Office @ least Office 2003 and be proficient with it. Word, PowerPoint, Access and especially Excel, Project and Visio. You'll most likely have to do some work involving spreadsheets, managing project resources and time and working with layout designs.

Next. Preparing and passing (as against 'dubbing' Pass4Sure) the CCNA exam as it will earn you knowledge/skills in -
TCP/IP Networking : OSI and TCP/IP Protocol layering,
Classful Internet Address,
Layer 2 Protocols - ARP & RARP,
User Data Gram Protocol -UDP,
Transmission Control Protocol -TCP, 
Internet Control Message Protocol - ICMP,
Routing Protocols - OSPF, RIP, BGP, Mobile IP.
Thats aside from learning to configure and administer Cisco Switches and Routers.

Telecommunications has its roots (taking it way, way back) in the combination of (grandfather clock-size) Vacuum-tube Radio broadcasting and Old-school human-operated switchboard telephone networks, of which our present-day computer networks are an offshoot. That's why intimating yourself with the Plain Old Telephony Standard is important.

The CWNA, which is a vendor-neutral exam, will give you a good foundation in Radio Frequency Fundamentals. Antennas, modulation, propagation behaviour, etc.there's quite a lot in there & their study guide takes you through without all the complex maths. pls kindly download and go through the exam objectives attached earlier.

Two reasons for recommending the above combo.
1. Nigeria lacks a robust backbone infrastructure that is whole (and that's being very generous with NITEL).
That means the fastest and most cost-effective way to do 'last-mile' access is, guess ? yep- WIRELESS.

2. Convergence. For instance, Cable TV providers in the US are stifling the life out of Traditional wire-telephone companies, why ? because people discovered making calls over the same network that gives them true broadband internet access and cable TV though it was rather choppy at first was really very, very cheap. So why bother with toll-charges on long distance calls ?
You can no longer afford to say that your network just carries voice, or just data. Its the age of triple play - Voice, Video and Data. And they want it securely too. I'v seen Refridgerators with internet access. to amp things up, IP's gone v6. that means every square feet of the earths surface can have 3million IP addresses assigned to it! So, having a javelin handle on IP will earn you a far-throw advantage.

Kindly permit me to re-iterate. The emphasis is NOT on bagging certifications. No. Thats just marketing hype. The quintessential thing is building a SKILL-SET. Thats why I mentioned earlier that your certifications must add up to give a prospective employer the impression that you have a solid sense of direction. If you're sincerely not passionate about this thing and lack a proper grounding, then by the time you start trudging through the details you'll easily get frustrated. Its really not just about asking "What certifications should I do ?" but "What skills do I need to learn to give me an edge ?" I can't overemphasise that.

Having said that, the answer to the question of do I need certifications is a Ying-Yang. Its a 'Yes' and Its a 'No'.
Or lets just say Its a 'No, not yet' BEYOND the primary stage of getting your foundations (CCNA/CWNA) together BECAUSE when you finally land that desired job, especially if you get to work with an Equipment Vendor, you will most likely be sponsored to write certifications THAT ARE VENDOR SPECIFIC. Meaning, If you work for NokiaSiemens Networks you will write NokiaSiemens exams. If you work for Huawei, then you'll write exams with exam numbers starting with GB0-sumthing sumthing. And applying to NokiaSiemens with certifications from one of their rivals when you don't have experience is well, expensive and just somehow. So do the foundation certifications sticking with whats Vendor-neutral and is heavy on Industry standards or is Vendor-specific with a high demand, for now.

Why do I suggest Cisco's Vendor-specific CCNA then ? because
1. its foundational to networking and
2. Cisco is the alpha-male of the Routing and Switching world. The King of Internetworking hardware. and everybody recognizes that as a fact. Juniper is incoming and gaining ground with their security products, but it would take a while to go mainstream.
The CWNA exam is vendor-neutral: its curricula and objectives are built around the same standards that manufacturers incorporate into their products to ensure interoperability with that of others.

This is why its important to LEARN THE TECHNOLOGY and avoid the tendency to be a braindumps junkie. I know too may people always asking for the latest Pass4sure to get high on. And the excuse for "ehn, let me get the job 1st, I'll read it up after" really doesn't hold two satchets of pure water.

If you work with LM Ericsson's RBS's (Radio Base Stations) for instance, and never took the time to learn the technology. You later heard NokiaSiemens pays higher and jump boat, all your experience with LM Ericssons equipment becomes less than optimally functional. You only know that this is what happens when I hit the red switch on the left. If on NSN's RBS that same switch is blue and on the right, thats the point where we snap our fingers and say "God catch you !" If you'd known your onions, 2hrs with the manual would have brought you up to speed to at least a confident level.Some will like to argue but you'd agree what worth doing is worth doing well.

In no particular order, the certifications I'm aware of a
Linux Professional Institute Certification - 1/2
Cisco's CCNA, CCNA-Voice, CCNA-Wireless, CCNP, CCNP-Wireless, CCVP
Solaris Certified Systems Administrator
Certified Wireless Network Administrator
Sun Certified Java Programmer
Oracle Certified Associate/Professional - Database Admin

After the basics you can work towards being proficient in the following -
SUN Solaris, Linux Redhat, and Windows Operating systems administration, servers, applications and tools;
good programming skills using bash shell, Python and Perl scripts (UNIX).
DBA Knowledge in Oracle, PL/SQL, My SQL
TCP/IP Network Design and Packet Analysis

Please, let the Elders in the house add or subtract as appropiate.
Thats been my 2 cents.
Hope You found it helpful.

I'll continue soon.

sorry, i forgot ,

Oga AjanleKoko

I believe your speaking about the WCET. I think its actually a System designer certification. PLENRRY, PLENRRY Fourier and Laplace. a lot of communication electronics too. I think its for people that actually build wireless communication equipment. not too sure.
WCET targets at system designers - mostly those who create hardware and software within the Wi-Fi and cellular markets – with a single, broad exam.
"From a global perscpective, WCET is a wireless certification recognized around the world. The program is based on technology and applications and not a specific company's approach. Certified engineers have demonstrated a thorough understanding of different key technologies in the wireless arena, local market implications of wireless communications, and new technology / standards development."
see here - http://cms.comsoc.org/eprise/main/SiteGen/WCET_1/Content/Home/preparation/exam_specs.html

My 2 cents.
Ok, in this post I'll try to focus on the level of knowledge required, specifically for starters like myself - what you can do to learn on your own.

For those coming from a non-technical bakground,after having your O-Level Physics and Maths knowledge together obtaining the CCNA and CWNA certifications will do you a lot of good. Here's why.

First off but not absolutely compulsory. Learn Microsoft Office @ least Office 2003 and be proficient with it. Word, PowerPoint, Access and especially Excel, Project and Visio. You'll most likely have to do some work involving spreadsheets, managing project resources and time and working with layout designs.

Next. Preparing and passing (as against 'dubbing' Pass4Sure) the CCNA exam as it will earn you knowledge/skills in -
TCP/IP Networking : OSI and TCP/IP Protocol layering,
Classful Internet Address,
Layer 2 Protocols - ARP & RARP,
User Data Gram Protocol -UDP,
Transmission Control Protocol -TCP,
Internet Control Message Protocol - ICMP,
Routing Protocols - OSPF, RIP, BGP, Mobile IP.
Thats aside from learning to configure and administer Cisco Switches and Routers.

Telecommunications has its roots (taking it way, way back) in the combination of (grandfather clock-size) Vacuum-tube Radio broadcasting and Old-school human-operated switchboard telephone networks, of which our present-day computer networks are an offshoot. That's why intimating yourself with the Plain Old Telephony Standard is important.

The CWNA, which is a vendor-neutral exam, will give you a good foundation in Radio Frequency Fundamentals. Antennas, modulation, propagation behaviour, etc.there's quite a lot in there & their study guide takes you through without all the complex maths. pls kindly download and go through the exam objectives attached earlier.

Two reasons for recommending the above combo.
1. Nigeria lacks a robust backbone infrastructure that is whole (and that's being very generous with NITEL).
That means the fastest and most cost-effective way to do 'last-mile' access is, guess ? yep- WIRELESS.

2. Convergence. For instance, Cable TV providers in the US are stifling the life out of Traditional wire-telephone companies, why ? because people discovered making calls over the same network that gives them true broadband internet access and cable TV though it was rather choppy at first was really very, very cheap. So why bother with toll-charges on long distance calls ?
You can no longer afford to say that your network just carries voice, or just data. Its the age of triple play - Voice, Video and Data. And they want it securely too. I'v seen Refridgerators with internet access. to amp things up, IP's gone v6. that means every square feet of the earths surface can have 3million IP addresses assigned to it! So, having a javelin handle on IP will earn you a far-throw advantage.

Kindly permit me to re-iterate. The emphasis is NOT on bagging certifications. No. Thats just marketing hype. The quintessential thing is building a SKILL-SET. Thats why I mentioned earlier that your certifications must add up to give a prospective employer the impression that you have a solid sense of direction. If you're sincerely not passionate about this thing and lack a proper grounding, then by the time you start trudging through the details you'll easily get frustrated. Its really not just about asking "What certifications should I do ?" but "What skills do I need to learn to give me an edge ?" I can't overemphasise that.

Having said that, the answer to the question of do I need certifications is a Ying-Yang. Its a 'Yes' and Its a 'No'.
Or lets just say Its a 'No, not yet' BEYOND the primary stage of getting your foundations (CCNA/CWNA) together BECAUSE when you finally land that desired job, especially if you get to work with an Equipment Vendor, you will most likely be sponsored to write certifications THAT ARE VENDOR SPECIFIC. Meaning, If you work for NokiaSiemens Networks you will write NokiaSiemens exams. If you work for Huawei, then you'll write exams with exam numbers starting with GB0-sumthing sumthing. And applying to NokiaSiemens with certifications from one of their rivals when you don't have experience is well, expensive and just somehow. So do the foundation certifications sticking with whats Vendor-neutral and is heavy on Industry standards or is Vendor-specific with a high demand, for now.

Why do I suggest Cisco's Vendor-specific CCNA then ? because
1. its foundational to networking and
2. Cisco is the alpha-male of the Routing and Switching world. The King of Internetworking hardware. and everybody recognizes that as a fact. Juniper is incoming and gaining ground with their security products, but it would take a while to go mainstream.
The CWNA exam is vendor-neutral: its curricula and objectives are built around the same standards that manufacturers incorporate into their products to ensure interoperability with that of others.

This is why its important to LEARN THE TECHNOLOGY and avoid the tendency to be a braindumps junkie. I know too may people always asking for the latest Pass4sure to get high on. And the excuse for "ehn, let me get the job 1st, I'll read it up after" really doesn't hold two satchets of pure water.

If you work with LM Ericsson's RBS's (Radio Base Stations) for instance, and never took the time to learn the technology. You later heard NokiaSiemens pays higher and jump boat, all your experience with LM Ericssons equipment becomes less than optimally functional. You only know that this is what happens when I hit the red switch on the left. If on NSN's RBS that same switch is blue and on the right, thats the point where we snap our fingers and say "God catch you !" If you'd known your onions, 2hrs with the manual would have brought you up to speed to at least a confident level.Some will like to argue but you'd agree what worth doing is worth doing well.

In no particular order, the certifications I'm aware of a
Linux Professional Institute Certification - 1/2
Cisco's CCNA, CCNA-Voice, CCNA-Wireless, CCNP, CCNP-Wireless, CCVP
Solaris Certified Systems Administrator
Certified Wireless Network Administrator
Sun Certified Java Programmer
Oracle Certified Associate/Professional - Database Admin

After the basics you can work towards being proficient in the following -
SUN Solaris, Linux Redhat, and Windows Operating systems administration, servers, applications and tools;
good programming skills using bash shell, Python and Perl scripts (UNIX).
DBA Knowledge in Oracle, PL/SQL, My SQL
TCP/IP Network Design and Packet Analysis

Please, let the Elders in the house add or subtract as appropiate.
Thats been my 2 cents.
Hope You found it helpful.

I'll continue soon.

ali ,i hp to hear from you

Oga AjanleKoko,
I'm guessing you're talking about the WCET from the IEEE. I think the WCET targets at system designers - mostly those who create hardware and software within the Wi-Fi and cellular markets – with a single, broad exam.
see the exam areas: http://cms.comsoc.org/eprise/main/SiteGen/WCET_1/Content/Home/preparation/exam_specs.html

"To be eligible to sit for the IEEE WCET examination, candidates must meet the following criteria:

Candidates must have a degree from an accredited college or university (accredited in the country where the institution is located) and at least three years of graduate-level educational or professional wireless communication engineering experience, OR
Candidates must be IEEE members and have at least three years of graduate-level educational or professional wireless communication engineering experience."

you'll find the eligibilty requirements here - http://cms.comsoc.org/eprise/main/SiteGen/WCET_1/Content/Home/APPLICATION/Eligibility.html
in one word, to us starters - 'no b maimai.'

My 2 cents.
Ok, in this post I'll try to focus on the level of knowledge required, specifically for starters like myself - what you can do to learn on your own.

For those coming from a non-technical bakground,after having your O-Level Physics and Maths knowledge together obtaining the CCNA and CWNA certifications will do you a lot of good. Here's why.

First off but not absolutely compulsory. Learn Microsoft Office @ least Office 2003 and be proficient with it. Word, PowerPoint, Access and especially Excel, Project and Visio. You'll most likely have to do some work involving spreadsheets, managing project resources and time and working with layout designs.

Next. Preparing and passing (as against 'dubbing' Pass4Sure) the CCNA exam as it will earn you knowledge/skills in -
TCP/IP Networking : OSI and TCP/IP Protocol layering,
Classful Internet Address,
Layer 2 Protocols - ARP & RARP,
User Data Gram Protocol -UDP,
Transmission Control Protocol -TCP,
Internet Control Message Protocol - ICMP,
Routing Protocols - OSPF, RIP, BGP, Mobile IP.
Thats aside from learning to configure and administer Cisco Switches and Routers.

Telecommunications has its roots (taking it way, way back) in the combination of (grandfather clock-size) Vacuum-tube Radio broadcasting and Old-school human-operated switchboard telephone networks, of which our present-day computer networks are an offshoot. That's why intimating yourself with the Plain Old Telephony Standard is important.

The CWNA, which is a vendor-neutral exam, will give you a good foundation in Radio Frequency Fundamentals. Antennas, modulation, propagation behaviour, etc.there's quite a lot in there & their study guide takes you through without all the complex maths. pls kindly download and go through the exam objectives attached earlier.

Two reasons for recommending the above combo.
1. Nigeria lacks a robust backbone infrastructure that is whole (and that's being very generous with NITEL).
That means the fastest and most cost-effective way to do 'last-mile' access is, guess ? yep- WIRELESS.

2. Convergence. For instance, Cable TV providers in the US are stifling the life out of Traditional wire-telephone companies, why ? because people discovered making calls over the same network that gives them true broadband internet access and cable TV though it was rather choppy at first was really very, very cheap. So why bother with toll-charges on long distance calls ?
You can no longer afford to say that your network just carries voice, or just data. Its the age of triple play - Voice, Video and Data. And they want it securely too. I'v seen Refridgerators with internet access. to amp things up, IP's gone v6. that means every square feet of the earths surface can have 3million IP addresses assigned to it! So, having a javelin handle on IP will earn you a far-throw advantage.

Kindly permit me to re-iterate. The emphasis is NOT on bagging certifications. No. Thats just marketing hype. The quintessential thing is building a SKILL-SET. Thats why I mentioned earlier that your certifications must add up to give a prospective employer the impression that you have a solid sense of direction. If you're sincerely not passionate about this thing and lack a proper grounding, then by the time you start trudging through the details you'll easily get frustrated. Its really not just about asking "What certifications should I do ?" but "What skills do I need to learn to give me an edge ?" I can't overemphasise that.

Having said that, the answer to the question of do I need certifications is a Ying-Yang. Its a 'Yes' and Its a 'No'.
Or lets just say Its a 'No, not yet' BEYOND the primary stage of getting your foundations (CCNA/CWNA) together BECAUSE when you finally land that desired job, especially if you get to work with an Equipment Vendor, you will most likely be sponsored to write certifications THAT ARE VENDOR SPECIFIC. Meaning, If you work for NokiaSiemens Networks you will write NokiaSiemens exams. If you work for Huawei, then you'll write exams with exam numbers starting with GB0-sumthing sumthing. And applying to NokiaSiemens with certifications from one of their rivals when you don't have experience is well, expensive and just somehow. So do the foundation certifications sticking with whats Vendor-neutral and is heavy on Industry standards or is Vendor-specific with a high demand, for now.

Why do I suggest Cisco's Vendor-specific CCNA then ? because
1. its foundational to networking and
2. Cisco is the alpha-male of the Routing and Switching world. The King of Internetworking hardware. and everybody recognizes that as a fact. Juniper is incoming and gaining ground with their security products, but it would take a while to go mainstream.
The CWNA exam is vendor-neutral: its curricula and objectives are built around the same standards that manufacturers incorporate into their products to ensure interoperability with that of others.

This is why its important to LEARN THE TECHNOLOGY and avoid the tendency to be a braindumps junkie. I know too may people always asking for the latest Pass4sure to get high on. And the excuse for "ehn, let me get the job 1st, I'll read it up after" really doesn't hold two satchets of pure water.

If you work with LM Ericsson's RBS's (Radio Base Stations) for instance, and never took the time to learn the technology. You later heard NokiaSiemens pays higher and jump boat, all your experience with LM Ericssons equipment becomes less than optimally functional. You only know that this is what happens when I hit the red switch on the left. If on NSN's RBS that same switch is blue and on the right, thats the point where we snap our fingers and say "God catch you !" If you'd known your onions, 2hrs with the manual would have brought you up to speed to at least a confident level.Some will like to argue but you'd agree what worth doing is worth doing well.

In no particular order, the certifications I'm aware of a
Linux Professional Institute Certification - 1/2
Cisco's CCNA, CCNA-Voice, CCNA-Wireless, CCNP, CCNP-Wireless, CCVP
Solaris Certified Systems Administrator
Certified Wireless Network Administrator
Sun Certified Java Programmer
Oracle Certified Associate/Professional - Database Admin

After the basics you can work towards being proficient in the following -
SUN Solaris, Linux Redhat, and Windows Operating systems administration, servers, applications and tools;
good programming skills using bash shell, Python and Perl scripts (UNIX).
DBA Knowledge in Oracle, PL/SQL, My SQL
TCP/IP Network Design and Packet Analysis

Please, let the Elders in the house add or subtract as appropiate.
Thats been my 2 cents.
Hope You found it helpful.

am an undergraduate of elect and comp engneering. i want 2 become an rf engineer can i start from writing cisco exams or is there any exam 4 some 1 to become an r.f engineer pls i need reply