1. 1 Telecom.ppt Basic Telecommunications Vocabulary, concepts, more “bullet proofing” Touch on just a few basic points –essentials of technology and where it’s going –essentials of regulation and where it’s going Raise for discussion certain management issues

2. 2 Telecom.ppt Basic Telecom Terms and Concepts, 1 Transmission facilities –Twisted pair –Coaxial cable –Microwave –Satellite –Fiber optics –Wireless Signaling –Analog--continuous –Digital--discrete

3. 3 Telecom.ppt Basic Telecom Terms and Concepts, 2 Analog signaling –AM, FM, etc. –Limitations »Error correction »Encryption Digital signaling –Computer friendly –Facilitates »Error correction »Encryption –Fits with fiber optic transmission facilities –“The way the world is going” Modems –“Modulator--demodulator” –A to D and D to A –Because the voice network is analog »At the handset

4. 4 Telecom.ppt Basic Telecom Terms and Concepts, 3 Switching –The cloud –The cloud is expensive –Switching makes better use of the cloud Kinds of switching –Circuit switching –Message switching –Packet switching »And the Internet »And ATM –Broadcasting –Cellular

5. 5 Telecom.ppt Basic Telecom Terms and Concepts, 4 Voice networks –RBOCs –Other local telcos –Long distance carriers –Cable companies? Data networks –LAN –WAN –etc. –Often (usually) use voice network transmission facilities Cable TV networks –Microsoft and $1 billion/yr R&D on the set top box

6. 6 Telecom.ppt Where Do Networks Come From? Long distance carriers –AT&T, MCI, Sprint, etc. “Common carriers” VANs –And the Internet The Internet and ISPs Private networks

7. 7 Telecom.ppt Telecom Standards and Regulation Voice network regulation (U.S.A.) –1934-1981 –1982-present »RBOCs etc.--local loop provider regulated, but less so under the Telcom Act of 1996 »Long distance: largely unregulated Data communications? –Basically, anything goes –But whose transmission facilities are used? »Largely: from the voice networks Voice networks –Interconnected world-wide »Standards »Legal requirements Data networks? Cable? Recent (de)regulatory actions

8. 8 Telecom.ppt The Internet The world’s first network for making data calls –NB telex History and culture –ARPA net, nuclear attack –NSF net and the open community –Governance Design policies –Simple protocols (e.g., TCP/IP) –Public and open Continuing rapid growth –Electronic commerce »Consumer-oriented »Business-to-business –User base growing beyond “young male nerds” Cost of use?

9. 9 Telecom.ppt The Last Mile Problem What it is Possible solutions –Upgrades of existing plant –Cable –Fiber optics –Wireless The competitive scene TODAY –Cable companies (and Microsoft) –DSL and the telcos (and Microsoft) –Other telcos Why is the computer industry mucking in the last mile problem? Prognostications?

10. 10 Telecom.ppt The Protocols Problem(s) Important concept: layered architectures for telecommunications –OSI reference model, 7 layers –Also important for software in general –Abstraction as a way of handling complexity Importance of standardization –de jure –de facto –Internet? Development of standards to date –Telephony –Data communications »And the Internet For electronic commerce? –Incomplete Managerial/decision issues?

11. 11 Telecom.ppt Further Issues for Discussion Outsourcing of network provision and management –Options –Management issues Imagine you are about to receive a sales call… Commitment to standards –Which ones? –Who to believe, trust, or bet on? Assuming AAA networks (the Internet on steroids), –Productivity opportunities? (and what will it take to realize them) –Industrial-organizational consequences?

12. 12 Telecom.ppt This slide unintentionally left blank

13. 13 Telecom.ppt Computer Mediated Communication (CMC): 1 Telex –A world-wide telecommunications system –Up and running for > 100 years –Digital signaling Telephone –A world-wide telecommunications system –Up and running for > 50 years Isn’t this enough? –What’s missing?

14. 14 Telecom.ppt CMC: 2 Telephones are everywhere. –From an arbitrary telephone you can call nearly any other telephone. Computers are.... all over. –From an arbitrary computer, why can’t you make a data call to nearly any other computer? Data communications is inherently easier (in many ways) than voice communication. –So why can’t you make those data calls?

15. 15 Telecom.ppt CMC: 3 Increasingly, you can make those data calls –And there’s a lot of great stuff out there now Call on special networks –NSF Net –Compuserve –Prodigy –etc. And THE INTERNET... –An internet: a network of networks –The Internet: The Mother of All Internets The world we are coming to –“Anything, anytime, anywhere...”