Telecommunications, the Internet, Intranets, and Extranets

Telecommunications – refers to the electronic transmission of signals for communications, and it has the
potential to create profound changes in business because it lessens the barriers of time and distance.
Elements of Telecommunications System

Telecommunications Medium – anything that carries an electronic signal and interfaces between a sending
device and a receiving device.

Transmission Media Types

Guided Media Types
Media Type Description
Twisted – pair wire cable Twisted pairs of wire,
shielded or unshielded
Coaxial cable Inner conductor wire
surrounded by insulator
Fiber – optic cable Many extremely thin
strands of glass bound
together in a sheathing;
uses light beams to
transmit signals
Wireless Media types
Media Type Description
Microwave High-frequency radio
signal sent through
atmosphere and space
(often involves use of
communications
satellites)
Cellular Divides coverage area
into cells; each cell has
mobile telephone
subscriber office
Infrared Signals sent through air
as light waves
Advantage disadvantage
Used for telephone Transmission speed and
service; widely available distance limitations
Cleaner and faster data More expensive than
transmission than twisted twisted – pair wire
pair wire
Diameter of cable much Expensive to purchase
smaller than coaxial; less and install
distortion of signal;
capable of high
transmission rates
Advantages Disadvantages
Avoids cost and effort and Must have unobstructed
to lay cable or wires; line of sight between
capable of high-speed sender and receiver;
transmission signal highly susceptible
to interception
Support mobile users; Signal highly susceptible
costs are dropping to interception
Devices can be moved, Must have unobstructed
removed, and installed line of sight between
without expensive wiring sender and receiver;
transmission effective
only for short distances.

Telecommunications devices
- It is a hardware device allows electronic communication to occur or to occur more efficiently. Almost
every telecommunications system uses one or more of these devices to transmit or receive signals.
Common telecommunications devices
Device function
Modem Translates data from a digital form (as it is stored in the computer) into an analog signal that
can be transmitted over ordinary telephone lines. This process is called modulation. Also
performs a demodulation function to convert the analog signal received back into digital
 form.
Fax modem Facsimile devices, commonly called fax devices, allow businesses to transmit text, graphs,
photographs, and other digital files via standard telephone lines. A fax modem is a very
popular device that combines a fax with a modem, giving users a powerful communications
tool.
Multiplexer Allows several telecommunications signals to be transmitted over a single communications
medium at the same time, thus saving expensive long – distance communications costs.
PBX A communications system that manages both voice and data transfer within a building and
to outside lines. In a PBX system, switching equipment routes phone calls and messages
within the building. PBXs can be used to connect hundreds of internal phone lines to a few
phone company lines.

Carriers and services

3 types of carriers can be divided into three broad categories:
1. Local exchange carriers (LEC) – a public telephone company in the United States that provides service
to homes and businesses within its defined geographical area called its local access and transport area
(LATA)
2. Competitive local exchange carriers – a company that is allowed to compete with the LECs, such as a
wireless, satellite, or cable service provider.
3. Long – distance carriers – a traditional long-distance phone provide.
Automatic Number Identification (ANI) – an equipment can be installed on a phone system to identify
and display the number of an incoming call.

Networks
Computer networks – the communications media, devices, and software needed to connect two or more
computer systems or devices. The computers and devices on the networks are called network nodes.
3 basic processing strategies
1. Centralized processing – the processing alternative in which all processing occurs in a single location or
facility.
2. Decentralized processing – the processing alternative in which processing devices are placed various
remote locations
3. Distributed processing – the processing alternative in which computers are placed at remote locations
but connected to each other via network.
Network architecture
1. Terminal-to-host – an architecture in which the application and database reside on one host computer
and the user interacts with the application and data using a dumb terminal.
2. File server – an architecture in which the application and database reside on the one hose computer
called the file server.
3. Client/server – an architecture in which multiple computer platforms are dedicated to special functions,
such as database management, printing, communications, and program execution.

Network types
1. Personal area network (PAN) – a network that connects computer systems of information technology
within a range of 33 feet or so.
2. Local Area Network (LAN) – a network that connects computer systems and devices within the same
geographic area.
 3. Metropolitan Area Network (WAN) – a telecommunications network that connects users and their
computers within a geographical area larger than that covered by a LAN, but smaller that the are
covered by a WAN
4. Wide Area Network (WAN) – a network that ties together larger geographic regions
5. International networks – a network that links systems between countries.

Communications software and protocols

Communication software – the software that provides a number of important functions in a network, such as
error checking and data security.
Network Operating System (NOS) – the systems software that controls the computer systems and devices on a
network and allows them to communicate with each other.
Communications protocol – a standard set of rules that control a telecommunications connections.

Common communications protocols

Protocol Description
Open system interconnection(OSI) A protocol that divides data communications functions into seven
distinct layers to simplify the development, operation, and
maintenance of complex telecommunications networks
Transmission control protocol / The primary telecommunications protocols of the internet,
internet protocol (TCP/IP) developed in the 1970s
Bluetooth The telecommunication specification that describes how cellular
phones, computers, faxes, personal digital assistants, printers and
other electronic devices can be connected wirelessly over short
distances
IEEE 802.11b(Wi-Fi) A protocol establish a wireless LAN
IEEE 802.11g A faster version of Wi-Fi protocol, enabling data transmission at up to
54Gbps
IEEE 802.16 (WiMax) A protocol designed to support wireless MANs and be compatible
with European standards
IEEE 802.20(Mobile Broadband A protocol that operates with existing cellular towers and promises
Wireless Access, MBWA) the same coverage area as a mobile phone system with the speed of
a Wi – Fi system.

Network switching Devices

Device Function
Bridge A device used to connect two or more networks that use the same
communications protocol
Switch A telecommunications device that routes incoming data from any
one of many input ports to a specific output port that takes that data
toward its intended destination
Router A device or software in a computer that determines the next
network point to which a data packet should be forwarder toward its
destination
Hub A place of convergence where data arrives from one or more
directions and is forwarded out in one or more directions
Gateway A network point that acts as an entrance to another network.
Use and functioning of the internet
Internet – a collection of interconnected networks, all freely exchanging information.
ARPANET – a project started by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in 1969 as both an experiment in
reliable networking and a means to link DoD and military research contractors, including a large number of
universities doing military-funded research.
Internet Protocol (IP) – the communications standard the enables traffic to be routed from one network to
another as needed.

How Internet Works

Transmission control protocol – a widely used transport – layer protocol that is used in combination with IP by
most internet applications.
Backbone – one of the internet’s high – speed, long distance communications links.
Uniform – resource locator (URL) – an assigned address on the Internet for each computer.
Ex.http. www.course.com
http – specifies the address method and tells your software to access this particular file using Hypertext
Transport Protocol. This is the primary method for interacting with internet
www – part of the address signifies that the address is associated with the world wide web.
Course.com – part of the address is the domain name that identifies the Internet host site.
Top level domain affiliations
Affiliation ID Affiliation
com Business organizations
edu Educational sites
gov Government sites
net Networking organizations
org organizations

Internet service Provider (ISP) – a company that provides individuals or organizations with access to the
internet.
The World Wide Web
World wide web (www) – a collection of tens of thousands of independently owned computers that work
together as one in an internet service.
Home page – a cover page for a web site that has graphics. Titles , and text.
Hypermedia –the tools that connect that data on web pages, allowing users to access topics in whatever order
they want.
Hypertext Markup Language HTML- the standard page description language for web pages
HTML tags – the codes that let the web browser know how to format test – as a heading, as a list,, or as body
text – and whatever images, sound, and other elements should be inserted.
Web browser – the software that creates a unique, hypermedia – based menu on a computer screen,
providing a graphical interface to the web.
Search engines – a web search tool

Internet and telecommunication services

Service Description
e-mail Enables you to send text, binary files, sound, and images to others
Instant messaging Allows to two or more people to communicate instantly on the internet
Career information and job Enables you to get up – to – date information on careers and actual jobs.
searches
Web logs (blogs) Allows people to create and use a web site to write about their
 observations, experiences, and feelings on a wide range of topics
Chat rooms Enables two or more people to have online text conversations in real
time.
Internet phone Enables you to communicate with others around the world by linking
internet and traditional phone services.
Internet video conferencing Supports simultaneous voice and visual communications
Content streaming Enables you to transfer multimedia files over the internet so that the data
stream of voice and pictures plays more or less simultaneously
Shopping on the web Allows people to purchase products and services on the internet
Web auctions Lets people bid on products and services
Music, radio, and video on the Lets users play or download music, radio, and video.
internet

Net Issues
a. Management issues
b. Service and speed issues

Privacy, fraud and security

Spyware – consists of hidden file and information trackers that install themselves secretly when you
visit some internet sites.
Cookie – a text file that an internet company can place on the hard disk of a computer system to
track user movements.
Fraud
Security with encryption and firewalls
Cryptography – the process of converting messages into a secret code and changing the encoded
messages back to regular text.
Encryption – the conversion of a message into a secret code
Digital signature – a technique used to verify the identity of a message sender for processing online
financial transactions.
Firewall – a device that sits between an internal network and the internet, limiting access into and out
of a network based on access policies.