Radio Communication Systems simulation: from the pioneers to the present

Simulation plays an important role in computer-aided analysis and design of communication systems. This paper is related with an historical perspective of the Radio Communication Systems (RCS) simulation from the early history in the 50´s of 20^th century to the present. In describing the history of simulation five distinct periods may be identified: early history, pioneering, innovation, revolution and evolution. Digital signal processing and programming languages were decisive in the simulation technical advance in each period. Time intervals roughly equate to a single decade, starting from the late 1950s to 2015.