Telecom

The electronic transmission of information over distances, called telecommunications, has become virtually inseparable from computers: Computers and telecommunications create value together.

Components of a Telecommunications Network

Telecommunications are the means of electronic transmission of information over distances. The information may be in the form of voice telephone calls, data, text, images, or video. Today, telecommunications are used to organize more or less remote computer systems into telecommunications networks. These networks themselves are run by computers.

A telecommunications network is an arrangement of computing and telecommunications resources for communication of information between distant locations.

A telecommunications network includes the following components:

1. Terminals for accessing the network

2. Computers that process information and are interconnected by the network

3. Telecommunications links that form a channel through which information is transmitted from a sending device to a receiving device.

4. Telecommunications equipment that facilitates the transmission of information.

5. Telecommunications software that controls message transmission over the network.

Scope of Telecommunications Networks

Two principal types of telecommunications networks can be distinguished from the point of view of their geographical scope. They are:

1. Local area networks

2. Wide area networks