DEFINITION OF TELECOMMUNICATION:

Telecommunication is the assisted transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. Telecommunications devices convert different types of information, such as sound and video, into electronic or optical signals. E.g. Earlier days - smoke signals, drums, semaphore, flags or heliograph. Modern days - telephone, television, radio, computer.

BASIC ELEMENTS:
A basic telecommunication system consists of three elements: a transmitter that takes information and converts it to a signal a transmission medium that carries the signal a receiver that receives the signal and converts it back into information. For example, in a radio broadcast the broadcast tower is the transmitter, free space is the transmission medium and the radio is the receiver. Often telecommunication systems are two-way with a single device acting as both a transmitter and receiver or transceiver . For example, a mobile phone is a transceiver. Point-to-Point communication: Between one transmitter and one receiver. E.g. Telephone line. Broadcast communication: Between one powerful transmitter and numerous receivers. E.g. Radio broadcasts.

TRANSMITTING THE SIGNAL:

Telecommunications systems deliver messages using a number of different transmission media which includes copper wires, fiber-optic cables, communication satellites, and microwave radio. Categorization of telecommunication medium: Wire-based (or wireline) telecommunication --Provides the initial link between telephones and the telephone network --A reliable means for transmitting messages Wireless telecommunication --Telecommunications without wires --Provides increased mobility and flexibility --Also offers high-speed Internet access

GENERATION OF MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM: First Generation The first generation of Mobile Telephony (written 1G) operated using analogue communications and portable devices that were relatively large. It used primarily the following standards: AMPS - Advanced Mobile Phone System TACS - Total Access Communication System ETACS - Extended Total Access Communication System

Second Generation

The second generation of mobile networks (written 2G) marked a break with the first generation of cellular telephones by switching from analogue to digital. The main 2G mobile telephony standards are: GSM - Global System for Mobile communications CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access GSM transmits voice and low volume digital data, for example text messages (SMS, for Short Message Service) or multimedia messages (MMS, for Multimedia Message Service). The GSM standard allows a maximum data rate of 9.6 kbps. Extensions have been made to the GSM standard to improve throughput. One of these is the GPRS (General Packet Radio System) service, theoretical data rates 114Kbit/s, practical data rate - 40 Kbit/s. As this technology does not fit within the "3G" category, it is often referred to as 2.5G. EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) as 2.75G, quadruples the throughput improvements of GPRS. In reality, the EDGE standard allows maximum theoretical data rates of 473 Kbit/s.

Third Generation The most important of these characteristics of 3G are: high transmission data rate: 144 Kbps with total coverage for mobile use, 384 Kbps with medium coverage for pedestrian use, 2 Mbps with reduced coverage area for stationary use. world compatibility, compatibility of 3rd generation mobile services with second generation networks, The main 3G standard UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System W-CDMA - Wideband Code Division Multiple Access HSDPA - High-Speed Downlink Packet Access