Introduction to Telecommunications

Overview
Telecommunications systems and technology have changed dramatically in the last 5 years. The current "buzz phrase" is "convergence for voice, video and data networks".
New developments such as Voice Over IP (VoIP), Voice XML and Web Services suggest that there is more change still to come.
The purpose of this course is to lay down some solid foundations that will help cope with all the various new developments. The goals of the course are to:

• demystify the various terms and components of telecommunications systems
• provide the technical basis for selecting between different alternatives

Key Skills

• Understanding the words and meanings underlying the "sea of acronyms" that is the hallmark of telecommunications networks.
• Specifying media for network access
• Using the Internet for transmitting voice, video and data
• Assessing the costs, risks and benefits of alternative technologies

Course Contents
Where telecommunications fits into corporate and organisation networking Types of telecommunications networks

• leased networks
• switched networks
• private networks
• public networks

Analogue and digital transmission technologies

• Copper
• Fibre
• Satellite - geosynchronous, low earth orbit

Communications theory and concepts

• Bandwidth, Loss, Frequency
• Modulation (Amplitude, Frequency, Phase ...)
• Multiplexing - Frequency Division, Time Division, Space Division

T1/E1 - equipment , data rates and formats Clocks, multiplexing and high speed communications

• PDH vs SDH
• Add-drop multiplexers

Classical Telephony

• Local loop
• Analog telephony
• Loop signaling
• Local Exchanges and Private Branch Exchanges
• Blocking probability and PBX trunk group sizing
• the Erlang as a unit of measurement

Digital Telephony

• ISDN - Basic and Primary rate
• E1/T1 explained
• Mobile telephony GSM, GPRS, UMTS (3G)
• Voice and video encoding

Signaling

• types of signaling - channel associated signaling vs. common-channel signaling
• examples
  • DTMF
  • SS7
  • E1 slot-16

Data communications

• Frame Relay
• ISDN
• Modem dial-up
• TCP/IP and PPP
• VPNs

Convergence issues at various levels

• transmission at the link level (e.g. ADSL, cellular networks, cable modems ...)
• network level (e.g. VoFR, VoIP, SIP, QoS, ATM ...)
• application level (e.g. CTI, PBX, Centrex, IP based PBX ...)

New developments

• ethernet WAN technology
• IP over ATM, IP over SDH
• Differentiated services
• Multi Protocol Layer Switching