ABSTRACT
Digital communication is the foundation of modern telecommunications. Basically, it is an evolution of analog communication that explores the advantages of the information in a digital format. The major benefits of digital communication systems are: high immunity to noise and channel distortions; long distance communication in low quality channels; and easy to encrypt the information in the digital domain. The communication channel corresponds to the medium through which the information signals propagate. Communication channels may also distort the transmitted waveforms as they propagate toward the receiver. The chapter presents some fundamental concepts to the design and analysis of any digital communication system. The performance of digital communication systems can often be measured in terms of its power or energy efficiency and bandwidth efficiency. In the design of a digital communication system, very often there is a trade-off between bandwidth efficiency and power efficiency.
