Telecommunication and its evolution

The World seems to be shrinking thanks to modern telecommunications,which unables us to send messages across the globe in an instant. Telecommunication is the use of technology to send and receive information -such as speech,music,pictures and documents-over long distances.

Examples of telecommunication (telephony technologies )

• Mobile phones,
• Land Lines, 
• satellite phones 
• voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)

Few more examples

• Radio,
• Television

Network
Telecommunication devices send information across a network of links that create a pathway between sender and receiver.The information travels as electrical pulses along copper cables,as flashes of light along optical fibres (thin strands of glass of glass), or as radio or microwave signals between dishes or towers,buildings and satellites.

The forerunner of modern telecommunications was the telegraph,which sent messages by electrical wires.Telecommunication is not only always associated with electrical devices but also mechanical devices such as semaphore.

TIMELINE

• 1793-frenchman Claude Chappe invents semaphore which sends messages using moving arms on towers.

• 1844-In the USA,Samuel morse builds the world’s first telegraph line

• 1876-Scottish born Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone

• 1878-First telephone exchange opens in New Haven,USA

• 1901-Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi astounds the world by transmitting a radio signal across the Atlantic ocean,from England to canada.

• 1956-Undersea telephone cable installed in Atlantic

• 1962-Satellite is first used to make telephone calls

• 1977-optical fibres are used in telephone calls

• 1990s-email gain mass appeal around the world.

Different ways of telecommunication

Messaging technology

Until recently,a fax machine was the best way to send a written message Quickly.However,e-mailing from a computer now allows all kinds of information to be sent instantly around the world,including large computer files.Text messaging via mobile phones is another new technology that is rapidly evolving.

Smoke signals

smoke signals as a kind of visual telegraph. Puffs of smoke were time-released by smothering a fire with a blanket, then quickly removing and replacing the blanket. Widely used by the American Indians, smoke signals could communicate short messages over long distances, assuming a clear line of sight.

Signal lamp

A signal lamp, the optical version of the telegraph, is a powerful lamp with shutters that block the light in long or short durations to translate to the dots and dashes of Morse code. A heliograph is another optical telegraph — a mirror used to reflect light to mimic a signal lamp.

Strides

Strides in telecommunications have changed the outline drastically.people now have multiple ways to see and hear what is occurring on the other side of the world in real time.They can share things with each other anywhere and anytime .Satellite technology, television, the Internet and telephony keep the globe connected in a humming buzz of interactive voices and pictures. In short, telecommunications has come a long way from smoke signals.

Courtesy : http://blog.oureducation.in/telecommunication-and-its-evolution/