Chapter 2

Telecommunications
An Overview of Telecommunications
• Telecommunications is the electronic transmission of signals for
communications
• Telecommunications medium: any material substance that carries
an electronic signal to support communications between a sending
and receiving device
• Elements of a Telecommunications System

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Channel Bandwidth
• Channel bandwidth: the rate at which data is exchanged,
measured in bits/sec
• Broadband communications: a relative term; a telecommunications
system that can transmit data very quickly

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Wireless Communication Channel

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Communications Media
• Two broad categories
• Wired (guided) transmission media: signals are guided along a
solid medium
• Wireless: the signal is broadcast over airwaves as a form of
electromagnetic radiation

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Wireless Technologies
• Wireless transmission involves the broadcast of communications in
one of three frequency ranges
• Radio, microwave, or infrared frequencies
• In some cases, use of wireless communications is regulated
• The signal must be broadcast within a specific frequency range
to avoid interference with other wireless transmissions

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Wireless Communications Options
• Near field communication (NFC): a very short-range wireless
connectivity technology
• Designed for consumer electronics, cell phones, and credit cards
• Bluetooth: a wireless communications specification that describes how
cell phones, computers, personal digital assistants, etc., can be
interconnected
• Ultra wideband (UWB): a short-range communications that employs
extremely short electromagnetic pulses lasting 50 to 1,000 picoseconds
• Transmission range: 10 to 50 meters
• Wi-Fi: A medium-range wireless telecommunications technology brand
owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance
Wireless Communications Applications
Wireless Communications Applications
Wi-Fi Network

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Wireless Communications Options:
Microwave Transmission
• Microwave is a high-frequency
(300 MHz–300 GHz) signal sent
through the air
• Common forms of satellite
communications:
• Geostationary satellite
• Low earth orbit (LEO)
satellite
• Very small aperture terminal
(VSAT)

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Wireless Communications Options:
1G - 4G
• Historical perspective
• 1G (first generation) of wireless communications standards: originated in
the 1980s; based on analog communications
• 2G (second generation) employed fully digital networks; superseded 1G
networks in the early1990s
• 3G supports wireless voice and broadband speed data communications in
a mobile environment at speeds of 2 to 4 Mbps
• 4G wireless provides increased data transmission rates
• Three to 20 times the speed of 3G networks for mobile devices
• 4G networks are based on Long Term Evolution (LTE)
• LTE is a standard for wireless communications for mobile phones based on
packet switching

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Wireless Communications Options:
5G Wireless Communications
• The next major phase of mobile telecommunications standards
beyond 4G
• Anticipated in the early 2020s
• Expected characteristics
• Higher data transmission rates
• Lower power consumption
• Higher connect reliability and more coverage
• Lower infrastructure costs

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Networks and Distributed Processing
• Computer network: the communications media, devices, and
software needed to connect two or more computer systems or
devices
• Network nodes: the computers and devices on the networks
• Organizations can use networks to share hardware, programs, and
databases

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Network Topology
• A diagram that indicates how
the communications links and
hardware devices of the
network are arranged
• Three most common network
topologies
• Star network
• Bus network
• Mesh network

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Network Types
• A personal area network (PAN) supports the
interconnection of information technology close
to one person
• A local area network (LAN) connects computer
systems and devices within a small area (e.g.,
an office or a home)
• A metropolitan area network (MAN) connects
users and their devices in an area that spans a
campus or city

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Network Types: WANs
• A wide area network (WAN) connects large geographic regions
• WANs consist of:
• Computer equipment owned by the user
• Data communications equipment and telecommunications links
provided by various carriers and service providers
• Communications may involve transborder data flow

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Basic Processing Alternatives
• Centralized processing occurs in a single location or facility

• Decentralized processing involves devices placed at various remote

• Distributed processing uses devices placed at remote locations; devices

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Client/Server Systems
• Client/server architecture features multiple computer platforms
dedicated to special functions, e.g., database management, printing, or
communications

• A client is any computer that sends messages requesting services from

• A database server sends only the data that meets a specific query—not
the entire file

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Telecommunications Software
• Network operating system (NOS): systems software that controls
the computer systems and devices on a network
• Network management software:
• Protects software from being copied, modified, or downloaded
illegally
• Locates telecommunications errors and potential network
problems

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Use and Functioning of the Internet
• The Internet is international scope with users on every continent
• Internet sites have a profound impact on world politics
• Internet censorship
• Some countries try to control Internet content and services

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Internet Growth: Number of Internet
Hosts

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Use and Functioning of the Internet
(cont’d.)
• ARPANET
• Ancestor of the Internet
• Project started by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in
1969
• Internet Protocol (IP) enables computers to route communications
traffic from one network to another
• Internet2 is a faster alternative Internet

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How the Internet Works
• Backbone: one of the
Internet’s high-speed, long-
distance communications
links
• Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP): the widely
used transport layer protocol
that most Internet
applications use with IP
• IP address: a 64-bit number
that identifies a computer on
the Internet
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How the Internet Works (cont’d.)
• Uniform Resource Locator (URL): a Web address that specifies the
exact location of a Web page using letters and words that map to
an IP address and a host location
• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is
responsible for managing IP addresses and Internet domain
names

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Several Ways to Access the Internet
Cloud Computing
• A computing environment in which software and storage are
provided as an Internet service and accessed with a Web browser
• Advantages to businesses
• Businesses can save on system design, installation, and
maintenance
• Methods of deployment
• Public cloud: service providers offer their cloud-based services
to the general public
• Private cloud: cloud technology is used within the confines of a
private network

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Cloud Computing (cont’d.)

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The World Wide Web
• Developed by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN
• Originally conceived of as an internal document-management
system
• The Web has grown to become:
• A primary source of news and information
• An indispensable conduit for commerce
• A popular hub for social interaction, entertainment, and
communication

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How the Web Works
• The Internet
• The infrastructure on which the Web exists
• Made up of computers, network hardware such as routers and
fiber-optic cables, software, and the TCP/IP protocols

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How the Web Works: Information and
Services
• Web components combining to deliver information and services
over the Internet
• Server and client software
• The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http)
• Standards
• Mark-up languages

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How the Web Works:
A Hyperlink-Based System
• Hyperlink: highlighted text or graphics in a Web document that,
when clicked, opens a new Web page
• Web browser: Web client software used to view Web pages
• Examples: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari

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How the Web Works:
Web Sites and Web Pages
• Web site: a collection of pages on one particular topic, accessed
under one Web domain
• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): the standard page
description language for Web pages
• HTML tags tell the Web browser how to format text and elements
to be inserted.
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): a markup language that defines
the visual appearance of content in a Web page
• Extensible Markup Language (XML): a markup language designed
to transport and store data on the Web

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Web Programming Languages
• Java
• An object-oriented programming language from Sun
Microsystems based on C++
• Allows small programs (applets) to be embedded within an
HTML document

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Web Services
• Standards and tools that streamline and simplify communication
among Web sites
• XML
• The key to Web services
• Used within a Web page to describe and transfer data between
Web service applications

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Developing Web Content and
Applications
• Popular tools for creating Web pages and managing Web sites
• Adobe Dreamweaver CC, RapidWeaver 5, Microsoft Expression
Web, and Nvu
• Mashup: two or more Web applications combined into a new
service

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Internet and Web Applications
• Web 2.0 and the social Web
• Online information sources
• Search engines and Web research
• Web portals
• Blogging and podcasting
• Online media and entertainment
• Shopping online
• Travel, geolocation, and navigation
• Internet utilities

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Web 2.0 and the Social Web
• Web 2.0: the Web as a computing platform that supports software
applications and the sharing of information among users
• Social networking Web sites enable users to share information
abut themselves and to find, meet, and converse with others
• Rich Internet applications are available that run in a Web browser
and do not require local installation

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Web Evolution
Online Information Sources
• News
• The Web is a powerful tool for keeping informed about local,
state, national, and global news
• Education and training
• Web is ideally suited as a tool for sharing information and a
primary repository of information on all subjects
• Distance education offers classes via the Web

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Search Engines and Web Research
• Search engine
• Information on the Web is found by specifying keywords
• The market is dominated by Google
• Spiders are automated programs that scour the Web
• Wikipedia:
• Is an online encyclopedia
• Entries can be inaccurate and biased

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Using Operators in Google Web Searches
Keywords and
Operator Entered Search Engine Interpretation
vacation Hawaii The words “vacation” and “Hawaii”
Maui OR Hawaii Either the word “Maui” or the word “Hawaii”
“To each his own” The exact phrase “To each his own”
virus -computer The word virus, but not the word computer
Star Wars Episode +I The movie title “Star Wars Episode,” including the Roman
numeral I
~auto loan Loan information for both the word “auto” and its
synonyms, such as “truck” and “car”
define:computer Definitions of the word “computer” from around the Web
red * blue The words “red” and “blue” separated by one or more words

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Web Portals
• Web portal: a Web page that combines useful information and links
and acts as an entry point to the Web
• Vertical portals are pages that provide information and links for
special-interest groups
• Corporate portals provide access to work-related resources

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Web Portals: Communication and
Collaboration
• Email
• Instant messaging
• Microblogging, status updates, and news feeds
• Twitter is a Web application that allows members to report on what they are
doing throughout the day
• Conferencing
• The Internet has made it possible for those involved in teleconferences to
share computer desktops
• GoToMeeting enables employees to attend training without leaving their
assigned stations
• Telepresence systems use high-resolution video and audio with high-
definition displays
• Apple iChat and Skype allow video chats

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Blogging and Podcasting
• Web log (blog): a Web site that people can create and use to write
about their observations, experiences, and opinions on a wide
range of topics
• Video log (vlog): blogging with video content
• Podcast: an audio broadcast over the Internet

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Online Media and Entertainment
• Content streaming: a method of transferring large media files over
the Internet
• The data stream of voice and pictures plays continuously as
the file is being downloaded
• The Internet and the Web have made music more accessible than
ever
• Artists distribute their songs through online radio, subscription
services, and download services
• Downloaded music may employ Digital Rights Management (DRM)
technology to limit the user’s ability to make copies

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Online Media and Entertainment:
Movies, Video, and Television
• Hulu Web site and Internet-based television platforms (e.g., Netflix
and Joost) provide television programming
• Vudu provides access to online movies
• YouTube supports the online sharing of user-created videos

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Online Media and Entertainment: E-
Books and Audio Books
• An e-book is a book stored digitally
• Apple’s iPad changed the eBook industry by providing a form factor
that is similar to but larger than the Kindle
• There are dozens of eBook formats; some are proprietary
• Audio books have become more popular due to the popularity of
iPods and iPhones

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 Online Games and Entertainment
• Video games are expected
to generate over $100
billion annually The market
for Internet gaming is very
competitive and constantly
changing
• Many video games are
available online
• Game consoles such as the
Wii, Xbox, and PlayStation
provide multiplayer options
for online gaming

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Shopping Online
• Shopping on the Web can be convenient, easy, and cost effective
• E-tail stores:
• Are online versions of retail stores
• Provide access to many products that may be unavailable in
local stores
• Online clearinghouses, Web auctions, and marketplaces provide a
platform for businesses and individuals to sell their products and
belongings
• www.eBay.com is the most popular online auction or marketplace
• Businesses benefit from shopping online

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Travel, Geolocation, and Navigation
• The Web has had a profound effect on the travel industry and the
way people plan and prepare for trips
• Mapping and geolocation tools
• MapQuest
• Google Maps
• Bing Maps
• Geographic information systems (GIS) provide geographic
information layered over a map
• Geo-tagging is possible on Twitter and Facebook
• Geolocation information poses a risk to privacy and security

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Internet Utilities
• Telnet: a network protocol that enables users to log on to networks
remotely over the Internet
• Secure shell (SSH) provides Telnet functionality through a more
secure connection
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) supports file transfers between a host
and a remote computer

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Intranets and Extranets
• Intranet: an internal corporate network built using Internet and
World Wide Web standards and technologies
• Extranet: a network based on Web technologies that links selected
resources of a company’s intranet with its customers, suppliers, or
other business partners
• Virtual private network (VPN): a secure connection between two
points on the Internet
• Tunneling: the process by which VPNs transfer information by
encapsulating traffic in IP packets over the Internet

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Summary of Internet, Intranet, and
Extranet Users
Type Users Need User ID and Password?
Internet Anyone No

Intranet Employees and managers Yes

Extranet Business partners Yes

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End of Chapter 2