McGraw-Hill Telecommunications Factbook (McGraw-Hill Series on Telecommunications) Book

The telecommunications industry is growing at an unprecedented rate and business survival literally depends on a company's ability to communicate effectively. Aimed at a wide audience including managers, engineers and non-technical readers--many of whom may be charged with the task of acquiring telecommunications products and services--The New McGraw-Hill Telecoms Factbook builds on the success of the first edition by delivering an essential overview of current and emerging technologies.The first section on telecommunication fundamentals provides an insight into the technologies used to transfer information and starts with a briefing on analogue-to-digital conversion techniques, modem operations and data compression. This is presented in a clear, easily digestible format and is used as a stepping-stone to the following chapters on transmission systems, multiplexing, circuit switching, packet communications and broadband services such as B-ISDN, ATM and SONET.The section on voice services discusses the processes involved in installing premises equipment and looks at the various options available for providing a structured cabling system that can deliver both voice and data communications. There are numerous references to US regulatory and service provision structures and trade names but, commendably, the Factbook doesn't stray from its primary objective so the discussions on network design, traffic engineering formulae and cost calculations are equally applicable elsewhere. Data services receive the same treatment with clear introductions to ethernet networks and associated hardware in local, metropolitan and wide area environments and the Factbook rounds off with an informative discussion on terrestrial and satellite wireless based services. --Dave MitchellRead More