Telecommunications

& Networks
O’Brien Chapter Six

Harris
Spring 2009
 Objectives
 Developments & trends
 Business value of Internet,
intranet & extranet applications
 Components, functions & types
of telecommunications networks
 Types of telecommunications
network hardware, software,
media & services

Harris
Spring 2009
 ? ? Discussion ? ?

It’s the Network, stupid!

How has telecommunications
changed over past 20 years?
Past 10 years?

Harris
Spring 2009
Trends in Telecommunications
Industry Trends
Industry Trends Toward more competitive vendors, carriers, alliances &
network services, accelerated by deregulation & growth of
Internet & World Wide Web

Technology Trends Toward extensive use of Internet, digital fiber-optic &

wireless technologies to create high-speed local & global
inter-networks for voice, data, images, audio & video-
communications

Application Trends Toward pervasive use of Internet, enterprise intranets &

inter-organizational extranets to e-business & e-commerce,
enterprise collaboration & strategic advantage in local &
global markets
 Network Concepts
 Network
 An interconnected chain, group or system
 Number of possible connections on a network
is N * (N-1)
 Where N = number of nodes (points of
connections on the network)
 Example, if there are 10 computers on a
network, there are 10 * 9 = 90 possible
connections

Harris
Spring 2009
 Metcalfe’s Law
The usefulness of a network equals
the square of the number of users
On a small network, a change in
technology affects technology only
On a large network like the
Internet, a change in technology
affects social, political & economic
systems
Harris
Spring 2009
 Telecommunications
Telecommunications
 Exchange of information in any form
(voice, data, text, images, audio, video)
over networks

Harris
Spring 2009
Trends in Telecommunications
Services available today…
Full Service Spectrum
Entertainment •Broadcast TV
•High-definition TV
•Enhanced pay-per-view
•Video-on-demand
•Interactive TV
•Interactive video games
•Video catalog shopping
Information •Distance learning
Transactions •Desktop multimedia
•Image networking
•Transaction services
•Internet access
•Telecommuting
•Videoconferences
•Video telephony
•Wireless Access
•Cellular/PCS systems
Communications •POTS-Plain old telephone service
 Technology Trends
• Internet Networking Technologies
• Open Systems
• Connectivity
• Interoperability
• Digital Network Technologies
•Higher Transmission Speeds
•Move Larger Amounts of Information
•Greater Economy
•Lower Error Rates than Analog

Harris
Spring 2009
 No Barriers
Overcome geographic barriers
 capture remote transactions
Overcome time barriers
 7x24
Overcome cost barriers
 technology cheap & pervasive
Overcome structural barriers
 link for competitive advantage
 virtual
 Business Value of
Telecommunication Networks
Popular uses of the Internet
Internet Adds Value to Businesses

Inventory
Management
Systems

Headquarters Suppliers

The Internet

Business Partners Customers Remote Offices

Deriving Business Value
Generate Reduce
New Costs of
Revenue Doing
Sources Business

Develop Develop New

New Markets Web-Based
and Channels Products

Increase
Attract
Customer
New
Loyalty and
Customers
Retention

Harris
Spring 2009
 Open Systems
 Information systems that use common standards for hardware,
software, applications and networks
 Internet networking technologies are a common standard for
open systems
 Connectivity:
 Ability of networked computers to easily access &
communicate with each other and share information
 Interoperability:
 The ability of an open system to enable end user
applications to be accomplished using different varieties of
computer systems, software packages & databases provided
by a variety of interconnected networks
 Middleware
Any programming that serves to “glue
together” two separate programs

Harris
Spring 2009
 Digital Network Technologies
 Rapid change from analog to digital network technologies
 Analog: voice-oriented transmission, sound waves
 Digital: discrete pulse transmission
 Digital allows:
 Higher transmission speed
 Larger amounts of information
 Greater economy
 Lower error rates
 Multiple forms of communications on same circuit

Harris
Spring 2009
 The Internet
Over 46 million servers (2004)
710 – 945 million users (2004)
No central computer system
No governing body
No one owns it

Harris
Spring 2009
 Internet Service Provider
ISP
 A company that specializes in providing
easy access to the Internet
 For a monthly fee, you get software, user
name, password and access
ISPs are connect to one another
through network access points

Harris
Spring 2009
 Internet2
Next generation of the Internet
High-performance network
In use at 200 universities, scientific
institutions, communications
corporations

Harris
Spring 2009
 GE Power Systems: Using the Internet

• Creation of a Power Plant Entirely on the

Internet
• Holding Virtual Meetings
• Blueprints Exchanged and Modified in Real
Time on the Web
• Customers Can Watch as Turbine is Built
from Anywhere
• 20-30% Reduction in Time to Build Turbine
• 1-2% Increase in Turbine Output
• 30% Increase in Sales Revenue
 An Intranet
 A network inside an organization
 That uses Internet technologies (such as Web
browsers and servers, TCP/IP protocols, HTML,
etc.)
 To provide an Internet-like environment within
the organization
 For information sharing, communications,
collaboration & support of business processes
 Protected by security measures
 Can be accessed by authorized users through the
Internet
The Role of Intranets Internet
Communication and
Collaboration
Communicate and
Everyone
Existing
E-Mail, Voice- collaborate with e-mail,
Mail Systems discussion forums,
chat, and conferencing Intranet
Intranet F
Enterprise
Business Operations Information I
and Management Portal
Existing R
Secure, universal
Databases access to view E
and
and use corporate
Enterprise
and external data
W
Applications
Employees A
L
Web Publishing L
HTML, MS Office, Extranet
XML, Java, and Author, publish, and
Other Document share hypermedia
Types documents
Customers,
Suppliers,
and Partners
Intranet Portal Management
Existing Centrally administer
Hardware clients, servers,
and security, directory,
Networks and traffic
 Extranet
Network links that use Internet
technologies
 To connect the Intranet of a business
 With the Intranets of its customers,
suppliers or other business partners

Harris
Spring 2009
 The Role of Extranets
Connecting Enterprise to Consumers, Business
Customers, Suppliers, and Other Business Partners

Partners,
Consultants, Consumers
Contractors

The Internetworked
Enterprise

Suppliers and Distributors

Business Consumers
 Part II
E-Commerce – revisit impact of
networking on commerce
Telecommunications Networks
 components
 types
 media
 hardware, including those black
boxes
 software

Harris
Spring 2009
 Case 2: Maryland and Colorado
Serving their customers without using wires
 Earth Alert Emergency Management System in
Maryland provides
 Devices to communicate warning to individuals
before a disaster &
 Tools to collect timely information after a
disaster
 Aurora Colorado
 Connects police & fire department vehicles via
wire-less connections

Harris
Spring 2009
 Case Study Questions
1. What is the business value of advanced mobile
technologies to Maryland’s emergency
management services?
2. In what other government services could GPS
serve to provide business value? Give some
examples.
3. Are there disadvantages or risks associated with
the deployment of GPS systems to monitor the
location of people? Explain.

Harris
Spring 2009
 Telecommunications network
Any arrangement where a sender
transmits a message to a receiver over
a channel consisting of some type of
medium

Harris
Spring 2009
 Components of Telecommunications Network

Telecommunications
4
Processors
1

2 3 2 5
Telecommunications
Software

PCs, NCs, Telecommunications

and Other Channels and Media Computers
Terminals
Harris
Spring 2009
 Wide Area Network (WAN)
 Telecommunications network that covers a
large geographic area

Source: Courtesy of Cisco Systems Inc.

 Typical Local Area Network
Connect computers within a limited physical
area such as an office, classroom, or building

PC PC PC Shared
Database and
Software Packages

Network
Server
Shared
Printer

PC PC

Internetwork Processor to Other Networks

 Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
A secure network that uses the
Internet as its backbone but relies
on firewalls, encryption & other
security
A pipe traveling through the
Internet

Harris
Spring 2009
VPN
 Client/Server & Network Computing
 Networks are the central computing resource of
the organization
 Thin clients: network computers & other clients
provide a browser-based user interface
 Clients: End user personal computers or
networked computers (thin clients)
 Interconnected by LANs
 Servers: manage networks
 Processing shared between clients & servers

Harris
Spring 2009
 Client/Server Networks
Functions of the Computer Systems

Mainframe
Large Servers

Client Systems Servers

• Functions: • Functions: • Functions: Central
Provide user Shared database control,
interface, perform computation, security, directory
some/most application management,
processing on an control, heavy-duty
application. distributed processing.
databases.
 Client-Server or Network Computing
Where does the application run?

Client
Network Host System
Server
Superserver

User Interface
Application Processing Central database control
Application Control Heavy duty processing
Distributed Database

NetPC
Application DB
Server Server

Browser-based
User Interface
Web OS DBMS
Application Software
 Peer-to-peer networks
Networks that connect from one PC to
another PC
Common use is the downloading and
trading of files

Harris
Spring 2009
Peer-to-Peer Network
 Telecommunications Media
Twisted Pair Communication
Coaxial Cable Satellites
Fiber Optics Cellular
Terrestrial Technologies
Microwave Wireless LAN
 Wireless Technologies
 Terrestrial microwave
 Earthbound microwave systems that transmit
high-speed radio signals in a line-of-sight path
 Between relay systems spaced approximately
30-miles apart
 Communications satellites
 Satellite serves as relay stations for
communications signals
 Uses microwave radio signals

Harris
Spring 2009
 Wireless Technologies
 Cellular and PCS telephone and pager systems
 Divide the geographic area into small areas or cells
 Each cell has transmitter or radio relay antenna to send
message from one cell to another
 Wireless LANs
 Radio signals within an office or building
 Connect PCs to networks
 Bluetooth
 Short-range wireless technology
 To connect PC to peripherals such as printer

Harris
Spring 2009
 Wireless Web
 Connect portable communications devices to the
Internet
 Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
 Problem of “The Last Mile”
 Network providers use fiber optic to
provide backbone
 But houses are connected to the
backbone via twisted-pair
 Cannot get the benefit of the faster,
better technology

Harris
Spring 2009
Telecommunications Processors & Software
 Modems  Network
 Multiplexers Operating
 Internetwork System
Processors  Telecomm
 Switches Monitor
 Routers  Middleware
 Hubs  Network
 Gateways Management
 Fire walls Software
 Connecting Networks
Those black boxes

Hub
 all messages pass thru the hub
Bridge
 only “needed” msgs pass thru bridge
 two LANS using same protocol

Harris
Spring 2009
 Connecting Networks

Switch
 more than 2 LANs or segments
 same protocol
Router/Gateway
 two LANS using any protocols
 only needed messages pass thru

Harris
Spring 2009
Typical Internet Connection

Network Interface Card

Frame
NIC Relay
Ethernet
Hub Switch Router Switch Router

NIC

Corporate Local Area Network Internet Provider

Core Frame Remote

ATM Router ATM Router Relay Access
Switch Switch Switch Device

Modem
Internet Backbone Internet Provider Private Home
 Network Topologies
Topologies or Network Structures
Star
Ring
Bus
Mesh

Client/Server May Use Any

Combination
 Network Topologies

Used to be just point to point

Network Architecture and Protocols
The OSI
TCP/IP Model
• Provides communications services
Application for end user applications
Layer

Application or Presentation
• Provides appropriate data
Process Layer Layer
transmission formats and codes

• Supports the accomplishment

Session of telecommunications sessions
Layer

• Supports the organization and

Transport transfer of data between nodes in
Host-to-Host Transport Layer Layer the network

• Provides appropriate routing by

Internet Protocol (IP) Network establishing connections among
Layer network links

Data Link • Supports error-free organization

Network Interface Layer and transmission of data in the
network

• Provides physical transmission of

Physical Layer Physical data on the telecommunications
Layer media in the network
Comparing modem & other technologies
 Bandwidth Alternatives
Narrow Band
Medium Band
Broadband
Switching Alternatives
 Internet Telephony
Using an Internet connection to pass
voice data using IP
Voice over IP (VoIP)
Skips standard long-distance phone
charges

Harris
Spring 2009
Case 3: Voice Over IP is the Real Thing
 VoIP works by
 Digitizing a voice signal,
 Chopping it into packets &
 Sending them over a company’s network
or the Internet
 Packets are reassembled at the destination
 Minnesota Department of Labor has cut its
monthly phone bill in half

Harris
Spring 2009
 Case Study Questions
1. What are the main benefits that can be gained by
companies that switch to VoIP systems?
2. What are some of the major cost factors that may
limit a positive rate of return from investments in
VoIP projects?
3. Should more companies switch to VoIP systems?
Visit the websites of Avaya and Cisco Systems to
view their VoIP news, products & services to
help you answer.

Harris
Spring 2009
 Skype
 http://www.skype.com/
Make calls from your computer —
free to other people on Skype and
cheap to landlines and cell phones
around the world.

Harris
Spring 2009
Harris
Spring 2009