Free Essay Sample «Telecommunications»

Telecommunication is electronic transfer of information from the place of origin to the required destination. Business data communication is a subset of telecommunication that involves data transmission to and from computer system components and computers. It is the manner, in which data communication is utilized in order to enable effective information exchange among businesses. Business data communication occurs through telecommunication, which allows businesses to connect with individuals instantly (Stamper & Case, 2002).

There are various telecommunication concepts used in the system of business data communication. They include a network, links, channel, circuit switching, and packet switching (Rooney, 2006). The first concept refers to many interconnected computers, receivers, and channels of communication that convey messages amongst themselves. There are two types of communication networks, namely, analog and digital. The latter consists of routers that work hand in hand to convey information to the right user. The analog network contains switches that set up a link between users (two or more). In both networks, repeaters are necessary in order to amplify the signal during transmission over long distances (Starllings & Van, 2002). Repeaters assist in combating attenuation, which could have made it difficult to distinguish a signal from noise. In digital networks, it is easier to amass their output in memory.

A channel of communication refers to the medium that transmits a signal from the source to the recipient. For example, in optical communications, the channel used is glass optical fiber (Starlings & Van, 2002). Another example of the physical channel medium is a sound communication atmosphere. In telecommunications, a channel refers to a section of a medium of transmission that sends multiple information streams concurrently. For example, two radio stations may transmit radio waves in a particular area at different frequencies, one at 96.00MHz and the other at 100.1MHz.

Transmission links carry electronic conduction either through the atmospheric air or physically. Examples of physical ones include coaxial cables, fiber optic wires, and a pair of twisted telephone wires. Transmission links through the atmospheric air include infrared and satellite transmissions (Rooney, 2006). The former entail a straight-line movement of tremendously short wavelengths. The infrared conduction technology is used in remote controls, for example, television and radio remote controls. Satellite transmission is used for long distances. In radio stations, signals are sent to satellites, which then transmit waves to a distant ground location.

Circuit switching is a method used in networks to transfer messages. It is used for introducing telephone calls (Stamper & Case, 2002). During circuit switching, there is routing of a signal through several nodes from the source to the destination, and the path that is selected is set during the session duration. During the latter, the path is dedicated since it only deals with one user at a time. It is applied in telephone calls (Rooney, 2006).

Packet switching transmits messages in networks. The data to be conveyed is separated into minute blocks known as packets. Coding is done to each packet, and they are sent independently through the network (Hioki, 2001). The code given to a packet is a destination address. Different packets take dissimilar routes in the network in order to get to the destination node (Rooney, 2006). When all packets get to the designated destination, they are gathered together according to their code numbers and presented to the recipient. Packet switching lacks the dedication of paths from the source to the destination. Therefore, it is a more efficient network usage than circuit switching (Hioki, 2001). Packet switching transfers data through the Internet. For example, when sending an email, the message passes through the process of packet switching until it reaches its destination.

In conclusion, business data communication interconnects with telecommunications since most concepts used in the first sphere are found in telecommunications. Nevertheless, the two concepts are differentiable. Concepts used in business data communications include a channel, packet switching, circuit switching, links, and a network.