ch 01 telecommunications overview-pgb

Telecommunications Overview

Chapter 1

Objectives

In this chapter, you will:

Define communication and telecommunication

Illustrate components of a communication system

Understand the difference between voice, video, and data

Describe how telecommunication is used in a variety of industries

Identify careers available to telecommunications professionals

Identify the organizations responsible for establishing significant telecommunications standards and policies

04/28/232 Modified by: Brierley

What is communication?

The Romans used the Latin word communicare when they meant "to make common, to share, or to impart.”

Communication is the sharing of information or messages between two or more entities.


Elements of a Communication System

Source - the originator of the message, whether it is a person or machine.

Transmitter - the equipment that modifies the message (either data or voice) into the form required for transmission.

Communications channel - the means of carrying the signal from the source to the destination.



Transmission media - may be physical, like a copper wire or fiber optic cable, or atmospheric, like radio waves.

Receiver - is the device that captures the message from the communications channel and converts it into a form that the person or machine at the destination can understand.

Destination - the person or machine to whom the message is directed


Flow of Messages

Simplex - the type of communication in which messages flow in only one direction, from source to destination.

Half-duplex communication - occurs when messages travel in both directions between the source and the destination, but in only one direction at a time.

Full-duplex communication - messages can travel over the communications channel in both directions simultaneously.


Flow of Messages


Relative Number of Sources and Destinations

One-to-one communication - a single source sends information to a single destination.

One-to-many communication - a single source simultaneously sends information to multiple destinations.

Many-to-many communication - occurs when many sources issue messages to many destinations.


Relative Number of Sources and Destinations


What is Telecommunication?

Communication that spans a distance.

Voice telecommunication - using electrical signals to transmit human voice across a distance, such as telephones and radio broadcasts.

Video telecommunication - the electrically-based transmission of moving pictures and sound across a distance.

Data telecommunication - the use of electrical signals to exchange encoded information between computerized devices across a distance.


What is Telecommunication?


Voice

The telephony infrastructure includes cross-continental fiber optic cable to facilitate international voice telecommunications and national and regional cabling to connect long distance calls.

It includes numerous local, regional, and national switching centers where phone calls are routed to their destinations by computerized telephone switches.

It also includes local connections (up to three miles in length) to residences and businesses capable of greater connection speed and volume than ever before.

Finally, it includes the sophisticated telephone equipment and applications that users rely on.


Data

Telegraph - one of the first data telecommunications inventions, uses wire to convey electrical pulses that represent letters or numbers over a distance.

Newer data telecommunications technology is not only faster, but also ensures better accuracy due to more reliable transmission media and techniques that enable the receiver to monitor the integrity of the data it has received.


Data

Present-day data telecommunications technologies include:

Encoded information transmitted over traditional telephone lines

Encoded information saved to fixed media, such as a hard disk, floppy disk, or CD ROM

Encoded information exchanged between two computers that are directly connected by a single cable

Encoded information exchanged by a group of connected computers on a network

Encoded information exchanged by two devices over radio waves


Types of Telecommunications Companies

Service providers - those that supply the communications channels for voice and data transmission.

Equipment providers - those that supply the user and connectivity equipment, such as telephones.


Growth of the Telecommunications Industry

The United States government recently released a report citing the number of high-speed lines connecting individuals and businesses to the Internet increased 36% during the first half of the year 2001, for a total of 9.6 million high-speed connections.

The number of minutes Americans spend on interstate long-distance telephone calls has quadrupled in the last 25 years to a total of 600 billion minutes.

As of July 2001, the number of computers that provide files and Web pages to users on the Internet had grown to over 125 million, maintaining a 63% annual growth rate.


Financial Services

Call center - a facility dedicated to fielding customer calls.

Interactive voice response (IVR) system - a method of sending information over the telephone by pressing buttons in response to recorded voice prompts, to answer routine questions.

Automatic call distributor (ACD) - uses computerized devices attached to the phone lines to automatically route calls to specific phone extensions.


Financial Services


Utilities

Recent deregulation (the introduction of competition for services) in the utilities industry has made telecommunications even more critical to this industry.

To persuade their customers not to choose another utility provider, utility companies must strive harder to please their customers, in part by answering questions as promptly as possible.

An advanced call center at a utilities company typically uses both an ACD and an IVR.


Manufacturing

The use of advanced voice, video, and data telecommunications in manufacturing has resulted in faster and more efficient production of goods and at the same time it has also increased global competition.

Supply chain management, an electronic means for connecting a manufacturer with its suppliers and distributors is a notable example of the use of telecommunications in the manufacturing industry.


Transportation

Examples of the transportation industry’s use of telecommunications include:

computerized flight control for airport traffic

software that issues maps and directions based on a given starting point and destination

government-sponsored transportation hotlines that inform callers about road construction and hazardous road conditions

systems for suggesting the most efficient route between multiple locations


Retail

E-business - the use of data telecommunications to conduct business transactions.

The apparel and sportswear segment of the retail industry uses particularly sophisticated and unique telecommunications technology for their online business.

Before the products even reach a retailer’s point of sale (such as a Web site), telecommunications technology helps with manufacturing, quality control, inventory, distribution, and product shipping.


Healthcare

Telemedicine - a field that brings patients and healthcare professionals together by exchanging voice, video, and data over distances when they can’t meet face-to-face.

Improves the quality of healthcare because ailments can often be diagnosed and treated faster.

Also streamlines the record-keeping process for clinicians who spend a great deal of time entering data about their cases.


Government and Education

Many government agencies use advanced telecommunications to provide faster and easier access to public services.

Telecommunications also plays a significant role in education. In South Carolina, a large public school district is improving education through distance learning.

Distance learning - the use of telecommunications technology to inform, educate, or train students across distances.


New Frontiers for Telecommunications Technology

Fiber optic cable - a transmission media that contains thin strands of fiber in its core and uses pulses of light to convey signals.

Capable of carrying higher amounts of data, voice, or video within a given time span than any other type of media.


New Frontiers for Telecommunications Technology cont’d


Careers in Telecommunications

No matter what type of telecommunications position you seek, the following will serve you well:

The ability to install, maintain, and troubleshoot the system of cables and wires that carry telecommunications services

A thorough knowledge of the public telephone network, and the carriers and regulations that are part of it

Familiarity with enhanced telephone services (such as IVR and ACD)

A mastery of the basic principles of electricity



No matter what type of telecommunications position you seek, the following will serve you well:

A clear understanding of how computers accept and interpret data from other computers over a network

The ability to design, install, and troubleshoot basic networks

An understanding of how the Internet works

Familiarity with wireless transmission methods04/28/2329 Modified by: Brierley


Areas within the field of telecommunications that you might consider specializing in: Networked convergence of voice, video, and data

Electronics and circuit design and engineering

Development of telephony and computer applications

Wireless telephony and networking

Information security


Telecommunications Standard Organization

Standards - documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria that stipulate how a particular product or service should be designed or performed.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - ensures that the test results from one manufacturer can be accurately compared to other manufacturers’ results.

Both ANSI and ITU are involved in setting standards for Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) communications.


ANSI

The ANSI (American National Standards Institute) - an organization composed of over a thousand representatives from industry and government who together determine standards for the electronics industry.

ANSI does not dictate that manufacturers comply with their standards, but requests them to voluntarily comply.


TIA and EIA

The EIA (Electronics Industry Alliance) - is a trade organization composed of representatives from electronics manufacturing firms across the United States.

TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) - focuses on standards for information technology, wireless, satellite, fiber optics, and telephone equipment.


IEEE

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) - an international society composed of engineering professionals.

Its goals are to promote development and education in the electrical engineering and computer science fields.


ATIS

ATIS (The Association for Telecommunications Industry Solutions) - a North American trade association made of thousands of companies that provide communications equipment and services.

Its membership reviews emerging technology and agrees on standards and operating procedures to ensure that services and equipment supplied by multiple companies can be easily integrated.


ISO

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) - a collection of standards organizations representing 130 countries with its headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Its goal is to establish international technological standards to facilitate global exchange of information and barrier-free trade.


ITU

The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) - a specialized United Nations agency that regulates international telecommunication usage, including radio and TV frequencies, satellite and telephony specifications, networking infrastructure, and tariffs applied to global communication.

Provides developing countries with technical expertise and equipment to advance their technological base.


U.S. Government Regulatory and Legislative Bodies

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - founded in 1934 in response to the growth and need for control over the telecommunications industry, is the primary national regulatory agency involved in telecommunications.

Public Service Commission (PSC) - the states’ equivalent to the FCC.


Summary

Communication is the conveyance and understanding of meaningful information from one entity to another.

Data telecommunication refers to use of electrical signals to exchange encoded information between computerized devices across a distance.

Within the field of telecommunications, professionals typically divide its services into three categories: voice, video, and data.

The telephone is the primary means of transmitting and receiving voice signals.


Telecom – an Overview

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