Telecommunications

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telecommunications is long-distance communications in which a conglomeration of information-sharing networks is tied together. The word tele in Latin means distance; thus, telecommunication is distance communication. It is the merger of communications and computers. The term telecommunications refers to devices and systems that transmit electronic or optical signals across long distances. It is a process by which people around the world contact one another to access information instantly and to communicate from remote areas. It involves a sender of information and a recipient linked by technology, such as a telephone system. It is a medium for delivering news, data, information, and entertainment—locally, nationally, and internationally.

Communication began as early as the existence of humankind. The evolution of communication systems has included primitive sign language, pounding drums, smoke signals, fire signals, the telegraph, the telephone, wireless communication, and satellite communication. To succeed in this world, communication has become a vital tool in everyday living. With telecommunications systems, individuals access information, bank, and shop online; and professionals are linked together by very complex computer networks. Communications technology has reshaped the world. Radio, television, computers, the Internet, and wireless networks have made it easier and more affordable to stay in touch. Communication has become a way of life. Communications technology has revolutionized the way people stay connected.

Telecommunication messages are transmitted in a variety of ways. Messages are sent from one sender to a single receiver (point-to-point) or from one sender to many receivers (point-to-multipoint). Point-to-point transmission includes personal communications such as a telephone conversation or a facsimile (fax).

Telegraphs, phones, radios, and television modify electronic signals; this form of transmission is known as analog transmission, used to transmit electrical voltages representing variations in sound levels. Computers and other electronic equipment transmit digital information. This means that the transmission is sent over wires, cables, or radio waves and then decoded by a digital receiver.

Personal computers (PCs) communicate with each other via networks using the phone network, such as the Internet. Computers rely on broadband networks provided by telephone and cable companies to send music, text, photography, and video over the Internet at high speeds. Different types of transmission media are employed, including copper wires, fiber-optic cables, communication satellites, and microwave radio. Telecommunications media use wire-based or wire-line communications to link phones and phone networks to transmit messages, or use wireless communication that employs technologies such as cordless phones, cell phones, pagers, and satellites.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESOURCES

The most widely used resource is the Internet. The Internet enables students and teachers to participate in discussions, conduct research, and access electronic libraries and databases. This tool has been referred to as the "virtual classroom." One major component of the Internet, the World Wide Web, has gained popularity through the use of Web browsers, enabling the end user to access information on a variety of subjects.

The trend of distance learning is growing. The instructor and students participate in an interactive setting separated geographically by time and place. The objective of distance learning is providing equitable access to quality education and yet meets the unique differentiated learning styles and needs of individual students. Technologies used for distance education include satellite delivery, television broadcast, compressed video, computer conferencing, multimedia, audio conferencing, radio, and videotapes. Remote education and training activities in one's home will continue to become increasingly common.

The telephone has become a self-service information-access device. Individuals use a phone and/or the Internet to check bank balances, transfer funds, pay bills, check interest rates, obtain stock quotes, and place trades. One can locate retailers, purchase goods and services, and make flight arrangements—confirming flight information and seat assignments without speaking with an airline agent.

Computers have become an integral part of twenty-first century lives through a variety of ways. The Internet enables users to communicate with friends and colleagues in an efficient manner. It provides the opportunity to provide education and conduct research in innovative and individual ways that are constantly changing.

Electronic business (e-business) is any type of transaction, banking, or investing that occurs online. Consumers can conduct their banking and use credit cards to make purchases, and vendors can accept payments online. Consumers can shop around, investigate and explore, research products and services, and make intelligent buying decisions.

Selling products directly to consumers via the Internet has grown significantly, with telecommunications being used as a sales channel for marketing goods and services. With telemarketing advancing, customer service has increased in importance as a competitive tool for telemarketing companies to provide quick service.

NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Since the 1990s, government-sanctioned telecommunications monopolies have given way to markets opened to competition yet subject to heavy regulations. Technological advances are causing fragmented markets to converge. Firms face increased competition in their traditional markets even as technology simultaneously offers them new business opportunities. The industry is responding with consolidation, while regulators struggle to keep up the pace.

Growth opportunities in telecommunications have shifted to customized services, such as asynchronous transfer and packet-based on demand. New technologies have transformed the telecommunications business from horizontal services and carrier control of networks to become customer-rather than carrier-centric.

In the coming years the borderless enterprise, using such technologies as real-time Internet applications and data sharing, will be turning business inside out in an effort to improve efficiency and customer service—and changing the rules for the telecommunications industry. To accomplish this, businesses will be using Internet protocol (IP) and broadband. IP powers the consumer Internet, the corporate extranet, and wide area networks of service providers. Moving out of the data world, it has now become a cornerstone of the converged networks, offering combined data and voice over IP implementations. Borderless enterprises are the mobile enterprises, conducting business through mobile personnel using a wide variety of devices to access and process information. In the communications market, mobile and data are the fastest-growing segments.

IMPLICATIONS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

The complex world of telecommunications will continue to be full of challenges and provide one of the most exciting occupational fields in modern society. Development of new technology is constant, and its use in the technical systems that make up a telecommunications network create opportunities for further development of services for the consumer. The telecommunications industry is often referred to as an enabling industry.

The telephone, PC, and television will continue to exist and develop in parallel. The PC is used as a general-purpose office terminal for desktop conferences, data communication, electronic mail (e-mail), and information retrieval. Cordless and mobile telephones will complement the use of the PC.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that the telecommunications industry encompasses voice, video, and Internet communication services. Overcapacity, technological advances, mergers, and outsourcing will effect change in the job growth in this industry. The rapid technological changes in telecommunications will demand up-to-date technical skills and education; the individuals possessing these skills will have the best job opportunities.

The expansion of communications networks and the need for telecommunications providers to invest in research and development will create opportunities for electrical and electronics engineers. The use of increasingly sophisticated computer technology, however, will increase the employment of computer professionals, which includes computer software engineers, computer support specialists, and computer systems analysts, thus creating employment for engineering and computer and information systems managers. Rising demands for telecommunication services will result in a resumption of job growth in the industry.

Residential and business demands for high-capacity communications will lead to upgrades of telecommunications networks. Wireless demands and construction of a new generation of wireless systems will help the wireless portion of the industry. Individuals with up-to-date technical skills and communication degrees will have the best employment opportunities.

Implementing universal personal telecommunications requires access to network intelligence. Advanced computer support and coordination of the fixed mobile and paging networks is essential for the network operator to have in place. Universal personal telecommunication means calling a person directly instead of a terminal. Subscribers are assigned a personal number on which they can be reached regardless of their whereabouts.

CONCLUSION

Telecommunications is a technology on which every business depends. It is more than just phones. Technology convergence has advanced, enabling consumers to use phones, browse Web sites, talk to their families over the Internet, buy goods and services via TV, and carry music collections on a flash drive.

Electronic communication such as telephone calls, e-mail, cable TV, and satellite broadcasts is a vital part of personal life and is important to business. Businesses are a part of the telecommunications industry. They are concerned with communications as they build and install communication equipment such as fax equipment, video cameras, compact disk players, PCs, and telephones. Companies that create messages or content that the technologies carry, such as movies, books, and software, are also concerned with telecommunications; they need to communicate and coordinate their products and services to inform others outside their business. They are a part of the media or telecommunications industries. Telecommunications in operations of any business provides effective services and products to customers. It gives individuals access to worldwide information and services.

The Internet and the proliferation of mobile devices such as the mobile phone and personal digital assistants have changed the way businesses communicate. Key challenges that face business enterprises are mobility, customer satisfaction and cost optimization. With emerging technologies—such as Session Initiation Protocol, Voice eXtensible Markup Language, Web services, and speech recognition—a new generation of multimedia applications and services enables business enterprises to face these challenges. New technologies bring new services and business opportunities. Collaboration and communications have become the cornerstones of successful competition and effective customer service. These changes reshape the requirements for enterprise communications and networking.

see also Communications in Business ; Electronic Mail ; Telecommuting

bibliography

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Mary Nemesh