Description

This book will provide a comprehensive survey of telecommunications technologies and services, at a reasonable level of technical depth, and in the author’s unique plain-English, commonsense style. Recent developments in technology to be explored will include:

• Power Line Carrier (PLC)
• Broad over Power Line (BPL)
• Passive Optical Network (PON)
• 802.11g
• Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)
• 802.16 & WiMAX

This work will expand on the discussion of a number of other technology topics that have become subjects of greater interest in the last three or four years since the publication of Communications Systems and Networks, 3rd Edition and competing works:

• Fiber Optics
• Storage Area Networks (SANs)
• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
• CATV Networks
• Wireless
  • Bluetooth
• Cellular
  • 2.5G & 3G
  • Photos
  • Video
  • Ring Tones & Ring-Back Tones
• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
  • IP PBX
  • IP Centrex
• Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) vs. H.323
• Regulation & Convergence

Divestiture and Revestiture, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Fundamentals of the Technology: Concepts and Definitions.

1.1 Fundamental Definitions.

1.2 Dedicated, Switched, and Virtual Circuits.

1.3 Two-Wire versus Four-Wire Circuits.

1.4 Bandwidth.

1.5 Analog versus Digital.

1.6 Loading Coils, Amplifiers and Repeaters.

1.7 The Conversion Process: Modems and Codecs.

1.8 Multiplexers (Muxes).

1.9 Switches and Switching: The Basics?and Then Some.

1.10 Signaling and Control.

1.11 References.

Chapter 2. Fundamentals of Transmission Systems: Technologies and Applications.

2.1 Electromagnetic Spectrum.

2.2 Transmission Media Selection Criteria.

2.3 Twisted-Pair: An Introduction to Telephone Wire.

2.4 Shielded Copper.

2.5 Coaxial Cable.

2.6 Microwave Radio.

2.7 Satellite Radio.

2.8 Free Space Optics (FSO).

2.9 Fiber Optics.

2.10 Powerline Carrier (PLC).

2.11 Hybrid Transmission Systems.

2.12 References.

Chapter 3. Voice Communications Systems: KTS, PBX, Centrex, and ACD.

3.1 Key Telephone System (KTS).

3.2 Private Branch Exchange (PBX).

3.3 Centrex.

3.4 Automatic Call Distributors (ACDs).

3.5 Computer Telephony (CT).

3.6 IP Systems.

3.7 Futures.

3.8 References.

Chapter 4. Messaging Systems.

4.1 Facsimile (Fax) Systems.

4.2 Voice Processing Systems.

4.3 Electronic Mail (E-Mail).

4.4 Instant Messaging (IM).

4.5 Mobile Messaging: SMS and MMS.

4.6 Unified Messaging & Unified Communications.

4.7 References.

Chapter 5. Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

5.1 Network Characteristics.

5.2 Numbering Plan Administration (NPA).

5.3 Domains.

5.4 Signaling and Control: An Expanded View.

5.5 Network Services.

5.6 Portability: A Special Issue.

5.7 Equal Access: Another Special Issue.

5.8 VoIP: The Next-Generation PSTN.

5.9 References.