Telecommunication Systems

Course Contents:

Voice Over IP Concepts

• The Transition to Digital
• Analog Signals-Slower, More Prone to Errors
• Digital Signals
• Adding Meaning to Signals-Codes and Bits
• A Byte = A Character
• Baud Rate Versus Bits per Second-Electrical Signal Rates Versus Amount of Information Sent
• Codes-Adding Meaning to Bits
• Measuring Speed and Capacity
• Broadband Service-Multiple Data Streams
• Improving Utilization-Compression and Multiplexing
• Compression-Shrinking Data to Send More Information
• Multiplexing-Let's Share
• Interoperability-Protocols and Architectures
• Protocols-A Common Set of Rules
• Architectures-How Devices Fit Together in a Network
• Types of Networks-LANs, MANs, and WANs
• LANs-Local Area Networks
• LAN and WAN Devices-Higher Speeds, Lower Prices
• Home LANs-Sharing High-Speed Internet Access
• MANs-Metropolitan Area Networks . . . Links Within Cities
• WANs-Wide Area Networks . . . Links Between Cities
• Higher Speed Services for LAN Traffic
• Carrier and Internet Service Provider Networks

VoIP Systems, Circuit Switched PBXs and Cabling

• Telephone Systems-Voice over IP, PBXs, and Centrex Systems
• What Is a Private Branch Exchange (PBX)?
• IP PBXs for the Enterprise
• Impetus for Change
• Architecture of IP-Based Systems . . . How the Pieces Fit Together
• Voice Quality and Security
• Barriers to Acceptance of Voice over IP
• Endpoints-IP Telephones Connected to Layer 2 Switches
• PBX Trunks-Switch-to-Switch Connectivity
• Demarcation-The Location at Which Telcos Wire Trunks
• Circuit Switched PBXs-Proprietary Platforms
• Centrex-Telephone Company Supplied Service
• IP Centrex-Phone Companies Hosting Voice Over IP
• Direct Inward Dialing-Bypassing the Operator for Incoming Calls
• Key Systems-Multi-featured for Smaller Organizations
• Hybrid PBX/Key Systems
• Wireless Options for PBXs
• Advanced Applications for Telephone Systems
• Call Accounting-Billing Internal Departments
• Call Detail Recording for Carriers-Generating Data for Billing
• Voice Mail-Storing and Retrieving Messages
• Voice Mail Components
• Unified Messaging Integration of Voice Mail, Fax Mail, and E-mail
• Unified Messaging Systems on the LAN
• Multi-application Platforms in Carrier Networks
• Speech Recognition

Industry Overview

• The Bell System after the 1984 Divestiture
• Divestiture of the Bell System from AT&T in 1984
• The Decline of AT&T
• Independent Telephone Companies- Mostly in Rural Areas
• The Emergence of Local Competition Prior to 1996
• Competitive Access Providers (CAPs) to Bypass Access Fees
• Uneven Competition for Local Telephone Service Throughout the U.S.
• The Critical Nature of Facilities
• Factors Leading to Passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
• Wireless Services for Local Exchange Service-Spectrum Auctions
• The Telecommunications Act of 1996
• Universal Service Fund-Affordability and Availability
• Post Telecommunications Act of 1996 Developments
• FCC Rulings, Legal Challenges, and Progress Toward Deregulation
• FCC Enforcement of Access to Local Networks after Bells Gain In-Region Long Distance
• Impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
• State of the Industry . . . Key Segments
• Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) Post-1996 Mergers
• Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs)
• Agents
• Resellers
• Wholesale Carriers-Carrier-to-Carrier Sales
• CLECs-A Dwindling Industry Segment
• CLECs-Local, Data, and Long Distance Services
• Pending Purchase of AT&T and MCI-The Impact of Consolidation
• Shrinking Numbers of Competitors-Financial Turmoil
• What Went Wrong?
• Intermodal Competition-Cable TV, Wireless, and Utilities
• Cable TV Multiple Service Operators (MSOs)-Wired to the Max
• Mobile Wireless Services
• Utilities-The Third Pipe
• Regulatory Issues
• Unbundled Network Elements (UNEs)-Competitors Leasing Parts of RBOCs' Networks
• The Impact of Higher Leasing Rates
• Regulating Cable Modems-Cable, Information, or Telecommunications Services?
• Voice Over IP-Regulatory Issues
• Access Fees-A Shift in Balance Between Local and Long Distance Costs

VoIP, the Public Switched Telephone Network, and Signalling

• Convergence in Public Networks
• Circuit Switching-Network Inefficiencies and Convergence
• Impediments to Adoption-Training, Embedded Assets, User Adoption, and Fear of the Unknown
• VoIP Networks-Putting the Pieces Together
• Softswitches-Standards-Based Platforms for Call Control
• Media Gateways (Border Elements)-Switching and Interoperability Between Networks
• Peer-to-Peer Music, Instant Messaging, Online Games, and VoIP
• Outsourcing-The Role of IP
• Voice Over Broadband for Residential Consumers
• Voice Over IP Service in Homes
• Customer Acquisition-Agents, Retail Outlets, and Amazon.com
• Document Sharing and Online Web conferencing
• Web conferencing to Share Documents
• The Public Switched Telephone Network
• Switched Services-Local and Long Distance Calling
• Attributes of Real-Time Switching Services
• Store-and-Forward Switching-Nonsimultaneous Sending and Receiving
• "The Last Mile" or Access Networks
• End and Tandem Central Offices
• Wireless Local Loop-Low Customer Acceptance
• Broadband Over Power Lines-Telephone Signals Over the Same Fiber that Carries Electricity
• Carrier Hotels-Interconnecting Carriers and Providing Secure Space for Equipment
• Interconnections Between Carriers-Transport
• Signalling-The Glue that Holds the PSTN Together
• Overview of Signalling-Uniform Signalling Developed by AT&T
• Signalling System 7-Links Between Carriers
• SS7 Components
• VPNs and Specialised Network Services
• Virtual Private Networks-Remote Access and Interoffice Connections
• Rationale for Virtual Private Networks Between Offices
• Productivity Away from the Office-VPNs for Remote Access
• Virtual Private Network Technology
• Security-Firewalls, Protection Against Viruses, and Other Attacks
• Frame Relay-A Shared Wide Area Network Service
• Access to Frame Relay-56 Kilobits to T-3
• Frame Relay to Access Other Networks
• Frame Relay Service-Permanent Virtual Circuits and Committed Information Rate
• Voice on Frame Relay-Instead of Private Lines
• Dedicated, Private Lines
• Dedicated Services-Wide and Metropolitan Area Networks
• Network Topologies-How Sites Are Connected
• T-1-24 Paths and T-3-672 Paths Over One Telephone Circuit
• T-1: 1,544,000bps; E-1: 2,048,000bps Speeds
• T-3, J-3, and E-3-North America, Japan, and the Rest of the World
• A Fat Pipe for Data-Unchannelized T-1
• T-1 Inefficiencies-Time Slots Running on Empty
• CSU/DSUs-Digital Modems: Testing and Clocking
• ISDN-Integrated Services Digital Network
• Basic Rate Interface ISDN-Higher Usage in Europe and Japan Than the United States
• Primary Rate Interface ISDN-23 Bearer and One Signaling Channel
• NT1s and TAs: Modem-Like Devices for ISDN
• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)-An Interim Technology or a Vehicle for Video and IP?
• The DSL Marketplace
• Business Class DSL-Static IP Addresses
• DSLAMs-Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers
• Television Over DSL Service-ADSL2+ and VDSL2
• DSL-No Truck Roll; Self Service
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Ethernet Sales Channels
• Challenges to Wider Deployment
• Multiplexers Equipped with Reconfigurable Optical Add and Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs)
• Ethernet Enterprise Service-Internet, VPN Access, and Private Lines
• ATM-Asynchronous Transfer Mode
• ATM's Speed Is Due to Three Characteristics
• DSLAMs and ATM-Oversubscription
• Mapping IP and Ethernet Traffic onto ATM
• Elements of an ATM Network
• SONET-Synchronous Optical Network
• Optical Carrier (OC): North American; Synchronous Transport Mode (STM): International
• SONET Rings-For Greater Reliability
• Second Generation-Next Generation SONET
• SONET with Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing Capability
• Third Generation SONET-Connectivity to Ethernet
• SONET Offerings for Enterprises
• Entertainment, Cable TV, and Last - Mile Fibre systems
• Cable TV Architecture-Upgrades, Capacity, Speed, and Reliability
• Cable TV Offerings
• Set-Top Boxes-Interfaces to Satellite TV and Cable TV
• Direct Broadcast Satellite TV-Reaching Customers Wirelessly
• Broadcast, Over-the-Air Television
• Towers-Terrestrial Wireless Transmissions
• Affiliates-Transmitting Programming to Consumers
• Digital Television-Less Spectrum Used, Improved Quality
• Digital Cable TV-Lower Resolution Than HDTV
• Digital TV Standards Worldwide
• Digital Delivery-Entertainment over the Internet
• U.S. Postal Mail with E-commerce for Movie Delivery
• Digital Radio-Subscription Versus Advertising Support
• HD Radio--High Definition Radio
• Passive Optical Networking
• PONs-Fiber to the Premises, Curb, Basement, or Neighborhood; FTTx
• Passive Optical Network Standards
• The Internet
• The Evolution of the Internet
• UNIX, Telnet, and File Transfer Protocol
• World Wide Web-Based on the Client Server Model
• Internet Advisory Boards
• Peering-To Exchange Data Between Carriers
• ISPs: With Software Platforms for Enhanced Offerings
• Hosting-Outsourcing Web Pages
• Messaging and the Growth of Spam
• Multimedia Attachments-Photographs, Movies, and PowerPoint
• E-mail Formatted in HTML-Another Vehicle for the Spread of Viruses
• Spam-Clogging Inboxes with Junk Mail
• Interactivity Tools: Usenet, Chat, Mailing Lists, and Blogging
• Internet Addresses
• Registries-Management of Entire Top-Level Domains
• Registrars-Assigning Domain Names to Organizations
• Thirteen Root Servers Worldwide-The Basis for Internet Routing
• Assignments of Numeric IP Addresses to ISPs and Carriers
• Public and Private IP Addresses
• Portals, Search Engines, and E-commerce
• Portals-The Door to the Internet
• Search Engines-Vehicles for Advertising Revenue
• Electronic Commerce
• Advertising on the Web-Instant Access to Offers
• Popular E-commerce Sites
• Privacy Concerns, Commerce, and National Security
• Freedom of Speech, Access to Information, and Protection of Children
• Intranets and Extranets
• Intranets-Web Technology for Corporate Access
• Extranets-Web Access for Customers, Partners, and Vendors
• Mobile Services
• The Development of Cellular Networks
• Cellular, Wireless, Cordless, and Mobile
• Precellular Mobile Networks
• First Generation Analog Cellular-Advanced Mobile Phone Services (AMPS)
• Second Generation Digital Mobile Air Interfaces
• Frequency
• Ranges of Frequency-Spectrum Blocks
• Spectrum Caps-Limiting the Amount of Spectrum Per Carrier
• Allocation
• Implication of Spectrum Ranges
• Spectrum for Higher-Speed 3G Services
• Unlicensed Spectrum for 802.11 and WiMAX
• Multiband Versus Multimode
• Mobile Carriers
• The United States
• Europe
• China
• India
• The Structure of Second Generation Digital Mobile Networks
• A Cell Site-Connections Between Customers and Mobile Networks
• Switching and Signaling
• Coverage Gaps-Rural Locales, Inside Buildings, and Congested Metropolitan Areas
• Number Portability-Wireless to Wireless and Wireline to Wireless
• Roaming Using Mobile Devices in Other Networks
• Push-to-Talk-Mobile Walkie-Talkie Service
• Enhanced 911
• The Criticality of Mobile Networks-Emergency Preparedness
• Evolving to Third Generation Packet Networks
• Comparing Third Generation Technologies
• The Transition to WCDMA-GPRS and Then EDGE
• WCDMA-Wideband Code Division Multiplexing
• The Evolution to CDMA2000 1X (Voice and Data) and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO (Data Optimized-High Data Rate)
• 3G Compatible Handsets-Multimode Capabilities for Roaming
• The Path to IP Converged 3G Networks
• 802.20: IP Mobile Broadband Wireless Access-MobileFi
• Mobile Networks for Video-Using Incompatible Technologies
• Mobile Commerce, Enhanced Services, and Operating Systems
• The Battle for Operating System Dominance
• Camera Phones
• Ring-Back Tones-Mobile Music Instead of Ringing
• Mobile Commerce-Mobile Devices to Make Purchases
• The IP Multimedia System and Interoperable Multimedia
• 3G Applications for Enterprises
• Specialized Mobile Radio-Slow-Speed Packet Data and Push-to-Talk
• Specialized Mobile Radio-Packetized Data Networks for Two-Way E-mail and Field Services
• Satellites and Paging
• Satellite Networks
• Satellite Telephones-For Emergencies and Remote Areas
• VSAT Service-Small Satellite Dishes
• Paging Services

Wi-Fi, Wireless Broadband, Sensor Networks, and Personal Area Networks

• 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)
• The Terms 802.11, WLAN, and Wi-Fi
• The Criticality of Standards
• The Main Standards: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g
• 802.11n-Improving Range (Area Covered), Capacity, and Data Rates
• WLAN Infrastructure: Access Points and Switches
• In Enterprises
• Hotspots-Wi-Fi Inside Public Places
• In Homes-To Avoid Running Cables
• Wi-Fi Networks for Voice Over IP (VoIP)
• Managing Security on WLANs
• Compared to 3G: Mobility, Coverage, and Data Rates
• Broadband Wireless Access
• WiMAX: Broadband Access, Based on 802.16
• Adapting 3G for Wireless Broadband Access: UMTS TDD and WCDMA
• Personal Area Networks (PANs)
• Bluetooth
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
• Ultra-Wideband-High-Speed, Short Distance Links
• Sensor Networks-The 802.15.4 Standard
• ZigBee-A Protocol For Sensor Networks