Telecommunications technology has been used since ancient times to communicate information over a distance. Modern breakthroughs include the telephone, radio, television, fax machine, and computer. To be considered telecommunication technology, it must have a transmitter, a medium, and a receiver. The telephone and broadcasting systems use electromagnetic waves, while computers are connected to local area networks or the internet.
Telecommunications technology includes anything used by humans to communicate information over a distance. The concept has been around since the earliest days of human history when smoke signals and drums were used to inform one person or groups of people of an event or situation. However, major breakthroughs since the late 1800s have brought the field of telecommunications into the modern era. Already with the telegraph it was possible to travel long distances with information. More recent developments include the telephone, radio, television, fax machine, and computer, each with its own unique properties that benefit humanity’s information exchange.
For something to be considered a telecommunication technology, it must hold three specific properties that define its actions. First, some sort of transmitter must fit information into a signal, like a drummer hitting a specific combination of beats to represent an event. This signal must then be transmitted over some sort of medium, such as the echo caused by a valley where the drummer is located. Third, a receiver captures the signal and converts it into usable information for the recipient. Like the drum example, all modern forms of telecommunication, from cell phones to Internet connections, use this same concept.
One of the most popular telecommunications devices is the telephone, a device that transfers voice information from one place to another. Two main types of telephones are used in modern society: the analog landline telephone and the satellite cell phone. Landline telephones were first established as a telecommunications network in the late 1800s using a complex system of cables located around the world. Cellular technology was first implemented in the 1970s using a network of satellites and radio towers. Fax machines, which use the landline telephone network, also use the same method to transfer paper information.
The broadcasting system, which includes radio and television networks, uses a different format to transmit information. Both systems use electromagnetic waves that send audio and video information from one location to another. This can be achieved through an analog or digital method. The underlying methodology for both principles was created during the early 1900s and quickly became the primary methods of information transfer throughout the next century. A challenge with this form of technology is the fact that different frequencies are used for different platforms and locations around the world.
Networked computers are very common in the modern world and are connected to a local area network or the world wide web. This telecommunication technology allows users to send and receive a variety of information formatted as text via email or webcam video. There are several types of connections available to make this technology work. Early connection techniques included fixed-line analog-to-digital modems, while more recent methods included Ethernet lines and wireless connections using electromagnetic waves.
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