Telecommunications

General Description

Telecommunications is a rapidly growing field. In just one century telecommunications has progressed from telegraph systems capable of sending only a few letters per second over wires to radio and optical communications systems capable of sending voice, pictures, and digital data anywhere in the world at rates up to one billion bits per second. Advances in telecommunications make possible modern devices such as the telephone, radio, television, computer modems, FAX machines, and radionavigation systems. Other devices, such as compact discs (CDs), computer disks, and magnetic tapes are also communication systems since they transfer a message through time (via an optical or magnetic medium) rather than through space.

Relation to Other Areas

Telecommunications is related to most of the areas of electrical engineering. Signals and systems provide the basic signal processing theory that is necessary for the study of all communications systems. The physical phenomena area covers the operation of devices essential for building a communication system such as transistors, laser diodes, and traveling wave tubes. This area also covers antenna systems and wave propagation. The controls area provides theory necessary for the design and analysis of synchronization systems, which are used in most communication systems. Analog electronics covers the implementation of circuits such as amplifiers,oscillators, filters, and mixers. Digital electronics are also used in many modern communication systems.

Job Opportunities

The telecommunications field is rapidly expanding. The field is diverse; some of the current areas of work are: satellite-based worldwide cellular telephone systems, satellite-based direct home broadcasting of audio and video, restructuring of the telephone network, use of fiber-optic cables, wired and wireless computer networks and inexpensive worldwide navigation systems. Other applications of telecommunications are remote utility (electric power, gas and water) meter reading systems, "smart house" systems and security systems. Additionally, there is now a strong political interest in building a new communications infrastructure called the "information superhighway" that will have a major impact on telecommunications systems and the way society uses telecommunications in the next century.