116 Courses in Birmingham

Key Objectives for the Training provision Effective listening to a client's needs and requirements during various stages of the sales process. Engage in meaningful communication with clients, learn to identify challenges and opportunities that relate to the prospects. Overcome the identified challenge. Build long term rapport and establish trust with the prospect throughout the sales process, Ensure continued customer satisfaction that can turn into repeat business. Be able to build rapport with customers or clients. Know the right questions to ask to fully understand the customer or client’s needs without putting on any pressure. Be able to check you have the right information from the customer or client. Be able to match products and services to the customer or client using the information you have gathered. Be able to influence effectively. Know how to stand out from your competitors. Stage 1 – Research the Company’s ‘Value Propositions’ and USP Analysis  Conducting 30 min confidential interviews with a cross-section of the eligible Attendees & the Stakeholders, in order to gain an objective understanding of the various scenarios and clients that the Participants work with. the Company’s ‘Value Propositions’ Unique Selling Points The Customers’ journey(s) The Competition’s offers for analysis and comparisons. From these findings, a carefully calibrated bespoke Programme will be designed and delivered.  Stage 2 - Design the Bespoke 2 x day Course  nd Stage 3 - Delivery of the Course Programme This Programme can be delivered in 2 x consecutive days, or split between 2 – 3 weeks, to make it more ‘work-friendly’ – if required. It is very practical and commercially focussed in approach, with lots of interactive exercises designed to draw out the learning applications via the debriefings. The ‘Real Play’ scenarios on day 2 will be based on specific case studies drawn from the Research findings so that they are authentic to optimise the learning. Individual Action Plans will be captured at the end of each day to be debriefed by the Participants’ respective Line Managers.  Template Programme Day One – Foundation – Strategic Approach Section One – The Principles of Consultative Selling Defining ‘Consultative Selling’ The Company’s ‘Unique Selling Points’ & Value Proposition The Consultative Selling model – the five stages Avoiding appearing ‘pushy’, ‘pressurising’ or ‘talking through the sale’ Section Two –Strategy & Preparation  ‘Buy-Class’ Matrix Strategic plan Template – matching services/products to identified needs & opportunities. Preparing a range of objectives Constants and variables – USP’s Researching key Client/Decision Makers’ priorities, profile & background (LinkedIn etc.) Preparing for potential & likely Objections Section Three – Email etiquette & ‘influencing’ email correspondence.  Email etiquette A.B.S.U.R.D model Clarity and tone – discovery of clients’ needs & motivational factors. Techniques to influence and ‘nudge’. Ensuring the data and content have a ‘gentle’ motivational & appealing message. Top Tips Day Two – Practical Application Section Four – Rapport Building & Effective Communication skills ‘Behaviour Labelling’ techniques – setting a positive tone. Asking Open Questions – gaining a full understanding of the clients’ priorities & expectations. EQ - Inviting opinions; perspectives; experiences – winning confidence. Active Listening – focus and commitment to understand. ‘Reading the room’ – adapting to responses and reactions. Maintaining focus on relevant topics that the Client cares about; carefully consider the opportunities to influence. But NO PRESSURE! Building a ‘bond of trust’ with commitments and authentic, shared values. Section Five – Explaining the Benefits – aligned to the Customers’ Priorities Understanding ‘Why do People Buy?’ Research data analysis. Open questions that lead to understanding the key issues and Clients’ priorities. Avoiding the danger of ‘pressurising’ the Client. Responding to objections effectively, with confidence and sensitivity. Explaining the benefits that are aligned to the Clients’ stated requirements. Making the Data ‘sing’ – memorable takeaways for the Client. Augmented benefits – Brand confidence; Case studies; Warranty; Service; Range; Flexibility etc. in alignment with their stated preferences/requirements Differentials compared to Competitors Section Six – Winning Commitment Inviting commitment – with confidence Consultative Selling Closing techniques (e.g. Alternative Close/Assumptive Close et al) Avoiding ‘talking through the sale’ – knowing when to ‘Shut UP!’ Confirming agreement – ensuring Clients’ motivation for repeat business Section Seven – Practical Application ‘Real Play’ From the Research findings, carefully devised scenarios can be generated to provide the most valuable learning opportunities to underpin all the skills & techniques covered in the Programme.  Potential Real Play scenarios: A well-established customer has indicated that they are soon to be opening up additional new offices – this presents an opportunity to arrange for the Company to support them with their upcoming needs. After some very positive feedback and with the upcoming contract renewal imminent – how can the Company give the Customer more high-quality support in other areas of their business? A Competitor has been to see the client and they have prompted some concerns about ‘value for money’ & ‘quality of service’. How Real Play works… The group is split the group into 2 sub-groups, one with our Professional Actor (option available); the other with the Trainer or a willing Participant. Each group has a brief and has to instruct their Trainer/Actor/Participant on how to approach the scenario supplied. The Actor and Trainer (or willing Participant) perform the role play(s) as instructed by their respective teams; however, during the action they can be paused for further recommendations or direction. The outcome is the responsibility of the team(s) – not the performers. Debrief the full Programme Individual Action Plans - to be followed through. ‘Best Practices’ for application into the business Options for Exercises within the Programme  Sample Exercise – Red & White  There is a specific time managed agenda and itinerary, which puts the group under pressure.  The key challenge is for the sub-groups to maximise the commercial value from the task, however there is always a great danger that the individuals attempt to gain financial progress at the expense of the other group! Debriefing points: Persuasive communication and influence across barriers Gaining buy-in when others are sceptical Strategic planning accounting for others’ behaviours Sample Exercise – Communication Challenge Each Participant has different pieces of information, but are not allowed to share it visually. They are only allowed to communicate to work out the solution hidden among the large amount of data. Debrief: Structured approach Maintaining focus through distractions/interference Active Listening Controlled communication Sample Exercise – Persuasive emails Sample emails are shared to be critiqued and improved upon to be debriefed: Tone & impact Making the Data ‘sing’ Influential & motivational language Customer centric message. Sample Exercise –Juggling   Each Participant has to pass the ‘Customers’ (Juggling balls) carefully through the system with all the other Participants to reach a profitable conclusion  Debrief: EQ to read the room and effectively communicate, when the pressure is on Customer focus and adapting to challenges Devising a plan that wins buy-in Overcoming competing ideas to get to ‘best practice’ Consistent commitment, communication and motivational drivers that influenced performance. Sample Exercise –Critical Path  The group are provided with 30 x discs and some ‘post-it’ notes. (no pens or pencils are allowed) Their brief is to create a grid shape with the 30 x discs, which will act as ‘stepping stones’ for the ‘Critical Path’ But they have to follow the correct order through the grid from the start to finish, which they will have to work out through ‘trial & error’ All of the team must pass through the ‘Critical Path’ worked out on the grid, observing the constraints, within the time limit. No talking is permitted once they start using the materials Debrief: - Clear communication focussing on the ‘client’s journey’ Planning for challenges Identifying risks and mitigating them Role allocations & support Quality control and disciplines  Sample Exercise –Back to Back  Each Participant is positioned back-to-back with a partner. They have to work out precisely what the ‘statement’ given to the other person is without looking around. Each person has a different brief. Debrief: - Asking Open Questions Active Listening Accuracy in identifying the objective.

LTE Backhaul training course description This course provides a concise insight into the LTE backhaul. Key parts of the course are detailed looks at the transport of messages and the S1 and X2 protocols. What will you learn Describe the overall architecture of LTE. Explain how data and signalling messages are transported in LTE. Describe the S1 protocol. Describe the X2 protocol. LTE Backhaul training course details Who will benefit: Anyone working with LTE. Prerequisites: Mobile communications demystified Duration 2 days LTE Backhaul training course contents Introduction In the first section of the course, we review LTE and its hardware and software architecture. Requirements and key features of LTE. LTE Architecture and capabilities of the UE. Architecture of the E-UTRAN, functions of the eNB. EPC architecture, and functions of the MME, SGW, PGW and PCRF. System interfaces and protocol stacks. Example information flows. Dedicated and default bearers. EMM, ECM and RRC state diagrams. Architecture of the radio access network In this section, we look in more detail at the architecture of the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN). Logical and physical architecture of the E-UTRAN. Numbering, addressing and identification. E-UTRAN functions. E-UTRAN protocol stacks. Timing and frequency synchronisation in LTE. Transport of data and signalling in LTE Here, we look in more detail at the techniques and protocols that are used to transport data and signalling messages across the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network and the evolved packet core. Quality of service in LTE. The GPRS tunnelling protocol. Differentiated services Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS). The stream control transmission protocol (SCTP). The S1 application protocol This section gives a detailed account of the signalling procedures in the S1 application protocol, which the MME uses to control the operation of the eNB. The material looks at the procedures, messages and information elements, and relates them to the system-level procedures in which they are used. S1 setup procedure. UE context management procedures. Non access stratum information transport. Procedures for managing the evolved radio access bearer (E-RAB). Paging procedures. Mobility management procedures for S1-based handovers. Procedures in support of self-optimising networks. The X2 application protocol This section gives a detailed account of the signalling procedures in the X2 application protocol, which is used for peer-to-peer communication between eNBs. The material looks at the procedures, messages and information elements, and relates them to the system-level procedures in which they are used. X2 setup procedure. Mobility management procedures for X2-based handovers Procedures in support of self-optimising networks. High level system operation In the final section, we bring our discussions of the S1 and X2 application protocols together by reviewing the system-level operation of LTE. Attach procedure. Transitions between the states of RRC Idle and RRC Connected. Tracking area updates in RRC Idle. Handover procedures in RRC Connected.

Linux training course description A Linux foundation appropriate for all flavours of Linux, focussed on getting network engineers up and running with Linux. The command line is used throughout. The course progresses from the basics of Linux commands onto useful tools such as grep, then shell features such as piping and then onto shell scripting. Administration aspects covered are the tasks network engineers are most likely to encounter such as software installation. Hands on exercises concentrate on network related tasks such as installing net-snmp and using shell scripts to provide network automation. What will you learn Use Linux commands to perform a variety of tasks from manipulating files to handling processes. Create and edit files with vi. Work with permissions. Write simple shell scripts. Install software packages. Configure base networking. Linux training course details Who will benefit: Network engineers. Prerequisites: TCP/IP Foundation Duration 5 days Linux training course contents What is Linux? Linux distributions, open source software. Getting started Logging in, changing passwords, logging out. Hands on Basics and root access. Linux basics Command structure. The Linux manuals, basic commands (who, date, tty, uname, echo, banner...). Hands on Using the CLI. Connecting to a network IP configuration, DHCP, static addressing, routing, ifconfig, ping, netstat, traceroute, dig. Hands on Network configuration and testing. Managing Software Package Concepts, Comparison of package formats, RPM, rpm Commands, Yum, Debian Packages, dpkg, apt-cache, apt-get, dselect, aptitude, Converting Between Package Formats, Dependencies and Conflicts, Startup Script Problems, Shared Libraries, Library Management Hands on Installing network packages such as nmap and net-snmp. Processes and log files ps, kill, background processes, at, exec, priorities. Managing Linux log files. Syslogd. Setting the time. Cron and cronjobs. Managing Processes, the Kernel: The First Process. Hands on Controlling daemons and services. Setting up a TFTP server. Filesystem commands Home directories, manipulating files and directories, Filesystem layout, Pathnames, hard and symbolic links. Viewing files. Hands on Exploring the filesystem, working with network device configuration files. The Linux editors ed, vi, shell escapes, .exrc. Hands on Editing network device configuration files. Extracting data from files grep, find, cut, sort and paste… Hands on Working with syslog files. Permissions Theory, chmod, chown, newgrp. Hands on Handling permission problems. The shell Metacharacters, piping and redirection. Hands on Running SNMP commands and working with their output. Basic shell scripting What are shell scripts? Simple scripts, control structures. Variable. Setting variables, using variables, set, scope, export, sourcing, environmental variables, read. Positional parameters: $0 to $9, $#, $* and others. shift parameter substitution. Control statements: The test command, if , while loops, for loops, the case statement. Hands on Automating network tasks. Customising your environment Environmental variables, stty, .profile and other startup files. Hands on Customising Linux. Introduction to administration The root user, su. Managing users and groups. Hands on The power of root. Archiving files Backups, tar, cpio, dd, gzip. Hands on Working with tar files. Booting Linux and Editing Files Installing Boot Loaders, GRUB Legacy, GRUB 2, Alternative Boot Loaders, the Boot Process, Boot Messages, Runlevels and the Initialization Process, Runlevel Functions, Runlevel Services, Alternative Boot Systems , Upstart, system. Hands on Installing network services on Linux.

Definitive 802.1X training course description A hands-on training course concentrating solely on 802.1X. Hands on sessions follow major chapters to reinforce the theory. What will you learn Describe 802.1X. Explain how 802.1X works Configure 802.1X Troubleshoot 802.1X. Definitive 802.1X training course details Who will benefit: Technical network staff. Technical security staff. Prerequisites: SIP for engineers Duration 2 days Definitive 802.1X training course contents Introduction What is 802.1X? Authentication access, 802.3, 802.11. IEEE, 802, 802.1X-2001, 802.1X-2010. Architecture Supplicant, Authenticator, Authentication server, EAP, EAPOL, RADIUS, Diameter. Port configuration 802.1X in a switch environment. Hands on Configuring 802.1X. How it works Controlled ports, uncontrolled ports. Authentication flow chart, Initialisation, initiation, negotiation, authentication. Hands on 802.1X packet analysis. 802.1X and 802.11 WiFi, WiFi security. Hands on 802.1X WiFi port access. EAP Extensible Authentication Protocol, RFC 3748, RFC 5247. EAP methods: Weak, MD5, LEAP, Strong: TTLS, TLS, FAST. Encapsulation: 802.1X, PEAP, RADIUS, Diameter, PPP. 802.1X accounting RADIUS, accounting messages, 802.1X accounting AV pairs. 8021.X and VLANS VLANs, Guest VLAN, restricted VLAN, voice VLAN. Hands on VLAN assignments with 802.1X.

Hardening Cisco devices training course description A hands on course focusing on how to lock down Cisco IOS routers and switches. What will you learn Harden Cisco devices. Hardening Cisco devices training course details Who will benefit: Technical network staff. Technical security staff. Prerequisites: TCP/IP foundation for engineers. Duration 5 days Hardening Cisco devices training course content Introduction Router security, Switch security, Cisco IOS, IOS versions, Cisco advisories, the management plane, control plane, data plane. Hands on Checking IOS versions and advisories. Access control Infrastructure ACLs, Transit ACLs. Hands on Restricting access to the device, Filtering data traffic. Management plane: Securing operations Passwords, privilege levels, AAA, TACACS+, RADIUS. Hands on Password management. Management plane: Other general hardening Logging best practices, secure protocols, encrypting management sessions, configuration management. Hands on Hardening the management plane. Control plane Disabling reception and transmission of certain messages, Limiting CPU impact of control plane traffic, securing routing protocols. Hands on Hardening the control plane. Data plane Transit ACLs, disabling unused services, disabling unnecessary protocols, anti spoofing, limiting CPU impact of data plane traffic, identifying and tracing traffic, Netflow, VLANs, port security. Hands on hardening the data plane.

HOW DANCING CAN IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH Move your body to your favourite tunes – it’s the ultimate feel-good exercise and has some surprising effects on both the body and mind Music and dance have been fundamental parts of the human experience for thousands of years. No matter what your favourite tune may be, music can have a huge effect on your wellbeing – Charles Darwin even thought that our ability to make and understand rhythmic beats worked as an early form of communication. Whether or not we still share messages through music, we all know that it can change our mood and studies have shown that we share a natural sense of rhythm (no matter how much you might protest). Dance is therefore a natural outlet, and one which can do a lot to make us feel good. Club Azucar offers corporate dance packages for the workplace in order for your organisation (Companies, Institutions & Schools) not only function at its best, but to be happy and healthy in life. These are the expected benefits for the individual employee which have been also confirmed by the participants: Physical Health: Salsa/Zumba or any Latin Dance Classes improves mobility, coordination / motor skills and fitness level.while being a low-impact exercise which includes people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels Mental Health: Dancing requires full concentration so for one hour away from their desk ,participants will experience reduced stress levels, , feel refreshed and more alert and able to concentrate better following the lesson Music in combination with physical exercise has an uplifting effect through the release of endorphins and dopamine in the body & brain Learning a new skill is proven to train your brain, contribute to prevention of dementia and give the confidence to face new tasks and challenges in other areas of work and life The patience and encouragement of the teachers has furthered this new confidence and sense of achievement and contributed to participants’ belief in themselves and their ability to take themselves out of their “comfort zones” and take on new challenges Getting to know each other in a social rather than work context and learning a new skill together, dancing and laughing together, gives participants a sense of belonging and furthers team buildingDo you want more proof? Get involved and hire us!!! Booking Terms & Conditions 1. The above prices are only for Greater London  2. Fees are non refundable 3. Courses are subject to availability from both parties  4. Train, plane. petrol, or any sort of transport fares are to be refunded.  5. Cancellation must be before 24 hours every class

Total QoS training course description An advanced technical hands on course focusing on Quality of Service issues in IP networks. What will you learn Explain the difference between Integrated services and differentiated services. Explain how DiffServ works. Explain how RSVP works. Design networks supporting QoS. Total QoS training course details Who will benefit: Network administrators. Network operators. Prerequisites: TCP/IP Foundation for engineers Duration 3 days Total QoS training course contents What is QoS QoS and CoS, throwing bandwidth at the problem, Best effort services, Differentiated services, Integrated services, guarantees, the need for QoS, IETF working groups. Application issues Video, Voice, other applications, Jitter, delay, packet loss. Flows, per flow and per aggregate QoS, Stateful vs. stateless QoS, applications vs. network QoS. 'Traditional' IP QoS The TOS field and precedence, the obsolete OSPF use of the TOS field, TCP congestion avoidance. Queuing Where to use queuing, FIFO, Priority queuing, Custom queuing, Weighted Fair Queuing, CBWFQ, PQWFQ, LLQ, RED and WRED. DiffServ Architecture, DSCP, CU, packet classification and marking, meters and conditioners, Bandwidth brokers and COPS, Per Hop Behaviours, best effort PHB, Assured Forwarding PHB, Expedited forwarding PHB, Network Based Application Recognition (NBAR). Layer 2 issues Fragmentation and interleaving, compression (codecs, MPEG formats, header compression…), 802.1p, Subnet bandwidth management, Bandwidth allocators and requestor modules, the use of MPLS, traffic engineering, traffic shaping. RSVP What is RSVP? architectures, paths, path messages, reservations, traffic specifications, tear downs, guaranteed and controlled load, token buckets, Call Admission Control in voice networks, gatekeepers. Other issues Policy based routing, the Resource Allocation Protocol, QoS management tools, baselining networks, design issues, QoS in IPv6, QoS and multicasts.

SNMP training course description A hands-on generic look at the technical operation of SNMP. The course starts with an overview of all the components, which make up SNMP. Hands on starts early with configuration of a managed network. The major versions of SNMP are then put into perspective followed by a look at the SNMP protocol. MIBs are then studied both from the perspective of reading MIBs and writing MIBs. The course finishes with a look at the security implications of SNMP. What will you learn Describe the SNMP architecture. Analyse SNMP packets. Recognise the MIB structure. Describe the SMI. Recognise the strengths and weaknesses of SNMPv2 and SNMPv3. SNMP training course details Who will benefit: Network administrators. Network operators. Programmers writing MIBs and agents. Prerequisites: TCP/IP Foundation for engineers Hands on experience of an SNMP management station would also be beneficial. Duration 3 days SNMP training course contents Network management What is network management? Benefits, issues. What is SNMP? SNMP architecture, SNMP MIBs, SMI, the SNMP protocol, polling security, alternatives to SNMP: CMIP, web based management. Configuring SNMP Auto discovery for management stations, NMS configuration, agent configuration, traps. Hands on Configuring agents and an NMS. SNMP background SNMP history, RFCs, standards, SNMP protocol versions, SNMPv1, SNMPv2, SNMPv3, SNMP SMI versions, which version should you use? Futures. SNMPv1 packets SNMP in the 7 layer model, port numbers, general packet format, BER, GET, GET-NEXT, tables, SET, TRAP, bandwidth issues, in band versus out of band management. Hands on Analysing SNMPv1 packets. SNMPv2 packets SNMPv2 improvements, error handling, GETBULK, v2traps, INFORM. Hands on Analysing SNMPv2 packets. SNMPv3 packets SNMPv3 packet format, use of SNMPv2 messages, REPORT PDU. MIB structure The internet MIB branch, standard mib-2, extra parts of mib-2, private enterprise MIBs, loading extra MIBs. Hands on MIB browsing. mib-2 The mib-2 groups, system group, interfaces group, IP group, ICMP group, TCP group, UDP group, transmission group, SNMP group, RMON. Hands on mib-2 browsing in detail. SMI The MIB layout, obtaining a private enterprise number, MIB definitions, IMPORT, Module identity, Textual conventions, object definitions, notifications, compliance statements, object groups, base SMI data types, application data types, scalars, instances, tables, table definition, writing agents, SMIng. SNMP security Community strings, SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c security practices, SNMPv3 security, SNMPv3 architecture, SNMP applications, the SNMP engine, the EngineID, security fields in SNMPv3 packets, USM, authentication, encryption, timeliness, VBAC, SNMPv3 configuration.

VoIP training course description Convergence of voice and data is now a common place mainstream technology. Our Voice Over IP course investigates the characteristics of voice transmission and then studies the impact on IP networks. Practical sessions with soft phones, hard phones and gateways allow the students to see all aspects of VoIP. Network analysers are used to study packets on the wire. What will you learn Describe the issues of voice and data convergence. Describe techniques, which can be used in IP to provide low uniform delay. Evaluate VoIP technologies. Design data networks, which will support voice. VoIP training course details Who will benefit: Anyone working in the field of networking or telecommunications. Prerequisites: TCP/IP foundation for engineers Intro to data communications & networking Duration 3 days VoIP training course contents What is VoIP Voice over IP, brief review of IP, brief review of telephones and voice. Configuring IP softphones What are softphones? Downloading, installing. Hands on Building the base IP network, a simple VoIP call with softphones, Internet telephony. Addressing E164, FQDN, IP addresses, URIs, DNS, SIP addressing, H.323 addressing. VoIP issues Bandwidth, Delay, Jitter, digitising voice, digitisation steps, coding, quality issues, MOS, voice compression, silence suppression, packetising voice, prioritising voice, jitter buffers. Hands on Simple packet analysis. Architectures Desktop, backbone, gateway, hard phones, PoE, integrating phones and PCs, carriers, Softswitches. Hands on Integrating Softphones, hard phones and analog phones. IP performance and QoS ITU delay recommendations, IP DSCP field, DiffServ, IP precedence, queuing strategies; FIFO, WFQ, custom, priority, RED, LLQ. VoIP protocol stack RTP, RTCP, mixers and translators, RSVP. Bandwidth, Erlang models, link layer overhead. Hands on Calculating VoIP bandwidth, analysing RTP packets. ITU Recommendation H.323 Architecture, protocols, terminals, Call setup, Gatekeepers, gateway discovery, H.323 registration with a gatekeeper. Hands on PC to PC using H.323. IETF - Session Initiation Protocol What is SIP? SIP protocol stack, SDP, Sip architecture, SIP messages, Initial SIP phone startup, SIP servers, proxy server, redirect server. Hands on PC to PC using SIP. Carrier networks Signalling systems, SS7, media gateways, Media gateway controllers, signalling gateways, MGCP, Megaco, SIGTRAN. Hands on PSTN interworking. Video over IP Video components, digital video, pictures and audio, video codecs, issues and solutions, video conferencing, multipoint video conferencing, video protocol stack. Appendix 1: Multicasting. Appendix 2: Voice/data integration without IP.

LTE Architecture and Protocols course description This course provides a comprehensive tour of the LTE architecture along with services provided and the protocols used. What will you learn Describe the overall architecture of LTE. Explain the information flows through LTE. Describe the LTE security. Describe LTE mobility management. Recognise the next steps for LTE. LTE Architecture and Protocols course details Who will benefit: Anyone working with LTE. Prerequisites: Mobile communications demystified Duration 3 days LTE Architecture and Protocols course contents Introduction History, LTE key features. The 4G ITU process. The LTE 3GPP specifications. Specifications. System Architecture LTE hardware architecture. UE architecture and capabilities. E-UTRAN and eNB. EPC, MME functions, SGW, PGW and PCRF. System interfaces and protocol stacks. Example information flows. Dedicated and default bearers. EMM, ECM, RRC state diagrams. Radio transmission and reception OFDMA, SC-FDMA, MIMO antennas. Air interface protocol stack. Logical, transport and physical channels. Frame and slot structure, the resource grid. Resource element mapping of the physical channels and signals. Cell acquisition, data transmission and random access. MAC, RLC, PDCP protocols. LTE spectrum allocation. Power-on procedures Network and cell selection. RRC connection establishment. Attach procedure, including IP address allocation and default bearer activation. LTE detach procedure. Security in LTE networks LTE security features, identity confidentiality, ciphering and integrity protection. Architecture of network access security in LTE. Secure key hierarchy. Authentication and key agreement procedure. Security mode command procedure. Network domain security architecture. Security associations using IKE and IPSec. Mobility management RRC_IDLE, RRC_CONNECTED. Cell reselection, tracking area updates. Measurement reporting. X2 and S1 based handovers. Interoperation with UMTS, GSM and non-3GPP technologies such as cdma2000. QoS, policy control and charging QoS in LTE, EPS bearers, service data flows and packet flows. The architecture and signalling procedures for policy and charging control. Data transport using GPRS, differentiated services and MPLS. Offline and online charging in LTE. Delivery of voice and text messages over LTE Difficulties and solutions for Voice over LTE. Architecture and call setup procedures for circuit switched fallback. Architecture, protocols and call setup procedures in IP multimedia subsystem. Enhancements in release 9 LTE location services. Multimedia broadcast / multicast service and MBSFN. Cell selection, commercial mobile alert service. LTE Advanced and release 10 Impact of carrier aggregation on LTE air interface. Enhanced MIMO processing on uplink and downlink. Relaying. Release 11 and beyond. OAM and self organising networks Operation, administration, maintenance and provisioning for LTE. Self-configuration of base station parameters. Fractional frequency re-use, inter-cell interference co-ordination. Self-optimisation of base station procedures. Self-healing to detect and recover from faults.