Communication Technology Update, 10/e, 10th Edition

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TELEPHONY

David Atkin, Ph.D., Joe W. Hallock, M.C., & Tuen-yu Lau, Ph.D.*

The U.S. telecommunications industry stands at a critical juncture. Years of regulation, monopolies, deregulation, company spinoffs and consolidation have shaped the industry's landscape. Recently, the rapid advancement of technological innovation has started to take root, providing both optimistic growth projections and new, less expensive ways to make a phone call. Scholars suggest that the telephone medium—focused on the delivery of analog voice services over copper wire for its first century—is being transformed by digital transmissions of voice, video, and data services via fiber optic and wireless networks (Bates, et al., 2002).

As an engine for economic growth, ...