Essential Guide to Telecommunications, The, Third Edition

Essential Guide to Telecommunications, The, Third Edition

by Annabel Z. Dodd
Released September 2001
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780130649072

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Book description

The completely updated nontechnical telecom guide for business people and other professionals.

  • Advanced cellular networks

  • Optical technologies

  • Globalization

  • Convergence

  • The Internet

  • Cable modems and DSL

    • In the past two years, the telecommunications industry has undergone major changes. The Essential Guide to Telecommunications, Third Edition, is your complete guide to the new realities of telecommunications. This new edition reflects all of today's most critical issues, trends and technologies. In addition to providing crucial insights into the fast-changing competitive landscape, Annabel Dodd provides important information about the structure of, and key players in, the industry.

    The Essential Guide to Telecommunications, Third Edition will give you an easy-to-comprehend, broad understanding of this fast-changing industry. Coverage includes:

  • Optical technologies expanded

  • Advanced cellular networks: 2.5G and 3G standards

  • Speech recognition, call centers and PBXs

  • Comprehensive coverage of key players and the state of telecommunications in Europe, Asia, and Latin America

  • Updated and expanded coverage of the Internet and convergence

    • What readers of the previous editions had to say:

    "With jargon-free definitions, clear schematic drawings and its steady narrative drive,The Essential Guide to Telecommunications is a reassuring testament to the human ability to comprehend and communicate at some fundamental level even the most bewildering technology."

    —David Warsh, The Boston Globe

    "This book cuts through all the jargon and mysterious acronyms to give easily understood explanations of telecommunications, from the basics to the latest technology. I refer to it on a regular basis and constantly recommend it to others."

    —Michael Rieke, Editor of the Dow Jones Bandwidth Intelligence Alert

    "It is fair to say that Annabel Dodd has done more to demystify the industry for more people than anyone else in Massachusetts. For those who don't know bandwidth from a band saw or optical networks from an ophthalmologist, Dodd's book offers valuable insights into the products and services that fall under the telecommunications umbrella."

    —Katherine Raphaelson, Director, Massachusetts Telecommunications Council

    "This book is written for those who have little or no technical background. It's an easy-to-read overview of much of the technology available now and great if you have no patience for technical terminology."

    —George Runkle, The Motley Fool, Inc.

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. Praise for The Essential Guide to Telecommunications
    3. Essential Guide Series
    4. Preface
    5. Acknowledgments
    6. Fundamentals
      1. Basic Concepts
        1. Analog and Digital
        2. Bauds, Bits, Bytes and Codes—Getting Down to Basics
        3. Bandwidth—Measuring Capacity
        4. Compression and Multiplexing
        5. Protocols and Architectures
        6. LANs, MANs and WANs
      2. Telephone Systems, Peripherals and Cabling
        1. Telephone Systems—PBXs, Centrex and Key Systems
        2. Add-On Peripherals for Key Systems, Pbxs and Centrex Systems
        3. ACDs—Specialized Equipment to Handle Large Volumes of Calls
        4. Media: Wireless, Fiber and Unshielded Twisted Pair Copper
    7. Industry Overview
      1. The Bell System and Regulatory Affairs
        1. The Bell System Prior to and After 1984
        2. Local Competition Prior to the Telecommunications Act of 1996
        3. Factors Leading to Passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
        4. The Telecommunications Act of 1996
        5. Post Telecommunications Act of 1996 Developments
        6. Impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
        7. Appendix
      2. Network Service Providers and Local Competition
        1. Local Competition
        2. Carriers
        3. Bandwidth Trading: The Commoditization of Bandwidth
        4. Local Service Providers
        5. Summary
      3. The Public Network
        1. Switched Services—Local and Long Distance Calling
        2. Dedicated Services
        3. Virtual Private Networks—Connectivity for Remote Access, Intranets and Extranets
        4. “The Last Mile” or Access Networks
        5. Optical Networking
        6. Network Intelligence and Signaling
        7. Convergence—Technical Advances Leading to Improvements in IP Networks
        8. Examples of Converged Networks
        9. Document Sharing and Click to Talk
        10. Summary
    8. Advanced Technologies, The Internet and Wireless
      1. Specialized Network Services
        1. T-1—24 Voice or Data Paths Over One Telephone Circuit
        2. ISDN—Integrated Services Digital Network
        3. Digital Subscriber Line Technology
        4. Frame Relay—A Shared Wide Area Network Service
        5. Gigabit Ethernet—Ethernet Over Fiber in Metropolitan Areas
        6. ATM—ASYNCHRONOUS TRANSFER MODE
        7. SONET—Synchronous Optical Network
      2. Analog, Cable TV and Digital Modems and Set-Top Boxes
        1. Transferring Data From Computers to Telephone Lines
        2. DCE—Connections to Telephone Lines
        3. Modems—Analog Telephone Lines for Transmitting Data from Digital Devices
        4. NT1S—Connecting Devices to an ISDN Line
        5. CSU/DSUS—Connecting Devices to a Digital Line
        6. Cable Modems—Using Cable TV Facilities for Data Communications
        7. Set-Top Boxes
        8. Appendix: Modem Standards
      3. The Internet
        1. The History of the Internet
        2. The World Wide Web—Linking and Graphics
        3. Email—Computers That Send, Store and Receive Messages
        4. Internet Service Providers, Application Service Providers and Portals
        5. Search Engines
        6. Internet Addresses
        7. Electronic Commerce and Advertising on the Web
        8. Privacy on the World Wide Web
        9. Legal Issues
        10. Open Cable—Cable Companies as Both ISPs and Network Service Providers
        11. Intranets and Extranets
        12. Security on the World Wide Web—Establishing Trust
        13. Conclusion
      4. Wireless Services
        1. Historical Background of Mobile and Cellular Services
        2. Spectrum Allocation
        3. Mobile Telephone Service—Technologies
        4. Mobile Carriers
        5. The Mobile Market
        6. The Transition from Second to Third Generation Mobile Networks
        7. Mobile Internet Access, Messaging Services and Bluetooth
        8. Specialized Mobile Radio—Originally Voice, Later Data
        9. Paging Services
        10. Satellites
        11. Time Division Multiple Access, GSM and Code Division Multiple Access Air Interfaces
      5. Globalization
        1. The Impetus to Deregulate
        2. Latin America
        3. Asia
        4. Europe
        5. Africa and the Middle East—Emerging Markets
        6. Conclusion
      6. Glossary
      7. Bibliography
      8. About the Author
    9. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Essential Guide to Telecommunications, The, Third Edition
    • Author(s): Annabel Z. Dodd
    • Release date: September 2001
    • Publisher(s): Pearson
    • ISBN: 9780130649072