CHAPTER ONE

History and Evolution of Telecommunication

networks
Contents
 Introduction to telecommunication network
 What is telecommunication
 Significance of telecommunication
 Telecommunication Networks
 Evolution of Telecommunication Networks
 Standardization
 Standardization organizations

Telecom Network By Engineer Matios Zenebe 1

Introduction to Telecom
What is telecommunication?
Tele means “distant”
Communication is a way of a exchanging information.
Telecommunication is a way of exchanging information between two points which are separated
by some distance.

Most of the time the two points in telecom are end users
In telephone com
• Calling subscriber (a person who originates a call)
• Called subscriber (a person whom the call is originated)

In same case like computer communication

• Source (the one transmitting the signal)
• Destination (the one receiving the signal)

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Cont.
The main idea behind modern telecommunication is to allow anybody in any part
of the world to be able to communicate with anybody in any part of the world.
Telecommunications has been defined as a technology concerned with
communicating from a distance.
 Telecom can be categorized as
 Bidirectional and Unidirectional
 Electrical and mechanical
 Based on technologies radio, TV, Data
network, telephone, …

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Significance of Telecommunication
Telecom networks makeup the most complicated equipment in the world.
Let us think only of the telephone network
Fixed line telephone users

When any of these telephones requests a call, the telephone network is able to
establish a connection to any other telephone in the world.
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Cont.
​ITU estimates that at the end of 2019, 53.6 per cent of the global population, or 4.1 billion
people, are using the Internet.

Per 100 inhabitants

Global numbers of individuals using the Internet,
4,500 total and per 100 inhabitants, 2001-2019* 100
4,000 90
millions
Individuals using the Internet (in millions) 80
3,500 Individuals using the Internet per 100 inhabitants
3,000 70
60
2,500
50
2,000
40
1,500 30
1,000 20
500 10
0 0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
*
Note: * Estimate
Source: ITU World Telecommunication /ICT Indicators database

Note that: No other system in the world exceeds the complexity of telecommunications
networks.

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Cont.
Telecommunications services have an essential impact on the development of a
community and play an essential role on many areas of everyday living.
We can consider some examples
Entertainment: Sport, Music, Movies, …
Banking, Automatic Teller Machines (ATM), Telebanking;
Aviation, Booking of tickets;
Sales, Wholesale and order handling;
Credit card payments;
Booking of hotel rooms;
Material purchasing by industry;
Government operations, such as taxation

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TELEGRAPH
In 1844, Samuel Morse built a device called the telegraph.
The transmitter consisted of a person and a sending key, which when pressed by the
person, created a flow of electricity.
This key had three states:
“Off” which meant the key was not pressed;
“Dot,” which meant the key was pressed for a short time and then released; and
“Dash,” which meant the key was pressed for a longer time and then released.
Each letter of the alphabet was represented by a particular sequence of dots and
dashes.
The most commonly used letters in the alphabet were represented by the fewest
possible dots or dashes. This system of representing letters is the well-known Morse
code.
Examples: “e” is equivalent to single “dot” and “t” is equivalent to single “dash”

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Cont.
 The Morse telegraph combines three basic elements of electricity:-an electric battery, a
circuit, and an electromagnet.
Circuit

Electromagnet
Battery

Morse Telegraph – Set up

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 Working principle of Morse telegraph

A key opens and

closes the circuit.

Dot
Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/oncea
ndfutureweb/database/seca/cas Dash
e2-artifacts/menu-video.html

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TELEPHONE
The system use similar device as a transmitter and receiver which is able to perform both
functionalities.

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Working principle
When Monica speaks, the sound wave reaches the bottom end of the telephone.
The bottom end of the telephone has a diaphragm which makes a vibration when the
sound wave reaches there.
Behind the diaphragm the phone has an electric ckt which consists bunch of carbon
granules, 4V source, and copper wire.
Carbon granules act like variable resistance, the resistance variation is depending on the
vibration of diaphragm.
When the diaphragm pushed back by sound wave, it causes the granules to mush
together and become low resistive.
When the diaphragm popped out by sound wave, it causes the granules to separate and
become highly resistive.
Overall, vibrations in the diaphragm (its “pushing back” and “popping out”) cause the
same vibrations (frequencies) to appear in the current of the electrical circuit .

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Cont.
The channel is a copper wire. The vibrating current generated by the transmitter is
carried along this wire to the receiver.
The receiver consists of two parts:
 Receiving (top) part of the telephone and Carl’s ear.
The current, arrives at the top end of the telephone which consists a device called an
electromagnet and right next to that is a diaphragm.
The current, containing all of Monica’s talking frequencies, enters into the
electromagnet.
This electromagnet causes the diaphragm to vibrate with all of Monica’s talking
frequencies.
The vibrating diaphragm causes vibrations in the air, and these vibrations travel to Carl’s
ear.

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TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS
Telecom Network consists of Exchanges, Trunks, and Subscriber lines.
 Subscriber lines (SLs) are circuits between a subscriber and the local exchange.
 Exchanges are switching elements able to manage the connection establishment and termination.
 Trunks are circuits between exchanges, there might be trunk group (TG) between a pair of exchanges .

Fixed line telephone network

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Cont.
Calls:
A call requires a communication circuit (connection) between two subscribers.
In Fig. (a), Sp is on a call with Sq who is attached to the same exchange. Calls of this type
are known as interexchange calls.
In Fig. (b) consists of a temporary path across exchange A, trunk a temporary path across
exchange B, and SLr.
The connections of call are set up (switched “on”) at the start of a call and released
(switched “off”) when the call ends.

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Cont.
Call Setup and Call Release
The setup and release of connections in telecommunication networks are triggered by
signals. Starting and ending a call involve signalling between the subscribers and their
local exchanges.
Let’s consider a call between subscriber p and r
• P request for service to exchange A by lifting the
handset of a phone and signal telephone number
of r.
• Exchange A determines the exchange serving r (B),
then reserve the idle trunk and send seizure signal
followed by r’s number.
• Exchange B checks if r is idle, then send ringing
signal and tone to p and r.
• r lifting the phone, answering signal to exchange B.
Signalling for the setup of the connection then stop ringing tone and signals, set up path and
signal exchange A that call has been answered.

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Evolution of Telecommunication Networks

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Standardization
Communication networks are designed to serve a
wide variety of users who are using equipment
from many different vendors.
To design and build networks effectively, standards
are necessary to achieve
 Interoperability,
 Compatibility, and
 Required performance in a cost-effective
manner
Open standards are needed to enable the
interconnection of systems, equipment, and
networks from different manufacturers, vendors,
and operators.

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Cont.
The most important advantages
 Standards enable competition
 Standards lead to economies of scale in manufacturing and engineering
 Standards make the interconnection of systems from different vendors possible
 Standards make users and network operators vendor independent and improve
availability of the systems
 Standards make international services available
 International standards are threats to the local industries of large countries but
opportunities to the industries of small countries
 Political interests often lead to different standards in Europe, Japan, and the United
States

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Cont.
Influence of standardization on our everyday lives
 International telephone numbering and country codes
 Telephone subscriber interfaces
 Television and radio systems
 Frequencies used for satellite and other radio communications.
 Connectors and signals for PC, printer, and modem interfaces
 Cellular telephone systems
 LAN
 PCM coding and primary rate frame structure: This coding and structure make
national and international digital connections between networks possible.

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Standards Organizations
There are two levels of standards making bodies.
1. National organizations: establish standards for its own country
2. International organizations: formulates standards to interconnect networks and
organization worldwide.
International organizations
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
 Is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for telecommunications.

 Standardization work is divided between two major standardization bodies: ITU-T

and ITU-R.
• International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT/ ITU-T),
“T” -Telecommunications.
• International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR/ITU-R), “R” - Radio.

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Cont.
International Standards Organization/ International Electro-technical Commission
(ISO/IEC)
Is a joint organization responsible for the standardization of information technology.
ISO has done important work in the area of data communications and protocols.
IEC in the area of electromechanical (for example, connectors), environmental, and
safety aspects.
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Forum is an open organization of
cellular system manufacturers
Tele management Forum (TMF) is an organization of system manufacturers that works to
speed the development of network management standards.

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Cont.
National Organization
American organizations
 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), http://www.ieee.org/

 The Electronic Industries Association (EIA), http://www.eia.org

 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

 The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), http://www.tiaonline.org

European Organizations
 The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

 The European Committee for Electro-technical Standardization (CEN).

 European Conference of Posts and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)

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