Course 101: Telecommunications Fundamentals Level I

An overview of the telecom industry, buzzwords., technologies, concepts, and trends. Explore the telecom landscape from standards and protocols to premise, access, transport and convergence technologies. Students will understand telecom protocols, basic telephony, premises technologies, access and transport technologies, voice and data convergence, Voice over IP (VoIP), Softswitch, wireless and opticalnetworking.

After successfully completing this course the attendees will:

• Understand the communications industry structure, how it is changing, and how it affects competition
• Comprehend the basics of voice and data communications technologies
• Understand the differences between analog and digital transmission
• Understand the components of voice networks
• Understand private voice and data network design alternatives
• Understand basics of voice traffic engineering
• Understand the basics of local and wide area networks (LANs, WANs)
• Understand technologies such as frame relay, ATM, Ethernet and TCP/IP
• Understand xDSL, cable modems, and wireless technologies
• Understand what is happening in voice/data/multimedia convergence
• Understand voice over IP, cable, DSL, Frame Relay, and ATM
• Explore optical networking and wireless technologies

INTRODUCTION TO TELECOM

• Brief History and Evolution of the Industry
• The Telecom Industry: past, present and emerging trends
• The Modified Final Judgment (MFJ): Divestiture and Deregulation
• Structure of the Public Network (LATAs, IXCs, ILECs, CLECs)
• The Telecommunications Act of 1996
• Current Industry Trends

Basic Voice Telephony

• Basic Voice Characteristics (Pitch, Volume)
• Analog Voice Transmission Analog transmission concepts (bandwidth, modulation)
• Converting sound to 4 kHz analog signals
• Digital Voice Transmission Digital transmission concepts (capacity, bits-per-second)
• Converting sound to digital signals (PCM, codecs)
• Compensating for Transmission Impairments (Attenuation, Noise, Delay, Jitter)

Telecom Network Components, Terms and Concepts

• The Telephone and the Local Loop
• The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
• PSTN Switching Hierarchy (Class 5, Class 4/Tandem, Class 3, 2 and 1)
• Loops and trunks
• Local, Long Distance and International Service Providers
• Transmission Media: Copper, Fiber and Radio
• Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
• Digital Transmission
• Digital voice, video and data; DS0, DS1, DS3
• Transmission Systems
• Optical Networking
• Signaling in the Telephone System
• Data Communications Basics
• IP, Frame Relay and ATM Networks
• Wireless concepts; fixed, cellular: analog, digital
• Fundamentals of Cellular and PCS Wireless: 2G, 2.5G, 3G and 4G

Access and Transport Networks

• Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) for Voice
• North American Digital Hierarchy (DS0, DS1/T1, DS3/T3)
• The International Digital Hierarchy (E1, E3)
• Optical-based Digital Circuit Standards
• Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)
• The International Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)
• Conventional Subscriber Access Alternatives
• Analog subscriber lines
• Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL)
• ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network (BRI, PRI)
• T1/E1, T3/E3, SONET and DWDM
• Wireless services (cellular, PCS, Fixed)
• Call Processing and Signaling System 7 (SS7)

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

• Basic Public Network Topology Intra-LATA services
• Inter-LATA services
• Equal access procedures
• "Dial around" services and providers
• Principles of Voice Traffic Engineering
• Erlang-B Concepts

Private Voice Networks

• Private Network Topologies
• PBXs and tie lines
• Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
• Centrex
• IP PBX

Call Centers

• PBX and Centrex Features Automatic route selection (ARS)
• Direct inward dial (DID)
• Voice mail
• Interactive voice response (IVR)
• Voice recognition systems
• Automated call distributors (ACD)
• Call Center Calculations
• Erlang-C Concepts

Introduction to Data Networking

• Voice and Data Communications Requirements
• The OSI 7-layer Reference Model
• Data Networks Using the PSTN
• PSTN Using Data Networks
• Virtual Circuit-based Wide Area
• LANs/MANs/WANs
• Leased Lines, X.25, ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM, and IP

Network Convergence: Voice and Data

• What is COnvergence?
• Voice Compression
• Voice Over DSL (VoDSL)
• Voice over Cable
• Voice over ATM (VoATM)
• Voice over IP (VoIP)

Review of Advanced Topics

• Global standards and regulations
• Intelligent Networks, IN/AIN
• Operations Administration Maintenance and Provisioning (OAM&P)
• Life Line services and 911/E911
• Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)
• The future of voice and data telecommunications
• SoftSwitch and PSTN interconnection and interoperability