JOHN G. NELLIST led the development and implementation of fiber optic technology into the British Columbia telephone network as General Transmission Engineering Manager at Telus (formerly BC Telecom). He was appointed overall coordinator for the first field trial of a fiber optic transmission system in 1978 and presented one of the first papers on an operating fiber optic system in 1979 at the International Fiber Optic Conference.With more than forty years of telecommunications experience, John Nellist has published and presented numerous technical papers and articles on the subject. Currently a consultant at Sarita Enterprises, Ltd., Nellist has also coauthored two books with Elliott M. Gilbert, Telecommunications Wiring for Commercial Buildings and Understanding Modern Telecommunications and the Information Superhighway.

• Introduction 11 The Evolution of Telecommunications 3The Telegraph 3The Telephone 3Wireless Communications 4AT&T Monopoly 4Trans-Canada System 4Semiconductors 5Digital Communications 5Satellite Communications 6Fiber Optics 6AT&T Break-Up 6Telecommunications Act of 1996 8The Meltdown 10Conclusion 102 Analog Transmission 12Conclusion 15Review Questions for Chapter 2 153 Digital Transmission 17Conclusion 19Review Questions for Chapter 3 204 Basic Multiplexing Techniques 21Brief History 21FDM 21TDM 22Pulse-Code Modulation 22Conclusion 27Review Questions for Chapter 4 275 Switching Hierarchy 28Brief History '. 28Divestiture 30Conclusion 32Review Questions for Chapter 5 326 North American Digital Hierarchies 34Conclusion 37Review Questions for Chapter 6 377 Transmission 38Transmission Level 39Via Net Loss (VNL) 40All-Digital Network 40Echo Suppressors and Echo Cancellers 43Split Echo Suppressor 44Full Echo Suppressor 45Digital Echo Canceller 45Conclusion 46Review Questions for Chapter 7 478 The Local Subscriber Loop 48Brief History 48The Local Loop 48Digital Subscriber Carrier Systems 50Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines 52Conclusion 54Review Questions for Chapter 8 559 Microwave Radio 56Brief History 56Digital Radio 56Design Considerations 58SONET Radio 60Conclusion 61Review Questions for Chapter 9 6110 Satellite Communications 63Brief History 63Geostationary (GEO) Satellites 65Parking Slots 66Transponders 67The Footprint 68Time Delay 68Global Positioning System 70MEO and LEO Satellites 71Direct-to-Home Satellite System 75Satellite Operators 75Conclusion 76Review Questions for Chapter 10 7611 Switching Systems 78The Strowger Switch 78Panel Switching Syste 79Crossbar Switch 79The First Electronic Switch 80The Digital Switch 81The Optical Switch 84Optical Switches with Electrical Cores 85All-Optical Switches 85Conclusion 90Review Questions for Chapter 11 9012 Private Branch Exchange 92Brief History 92Analog PBX 92Digital PBX 93Conclusion 95Review Questions for Chapter 12 9613 Traffic Considerations 97Brief History 97CCS 97Grade of Service 98Internet Congestion 99Conclusion 101Review Questions for Chapter 13 10114 Video Transmission 102Brief History 102Video Compression 102Switched Data Services 103Video Codecs 103Videophone 104Multimedia 105Conclusion 107Review Questions for Chapter 14 10815 Wireless 109Brief History 109Cellular Telephone Service 109The Mobile Unit 111Personal Communications Services (PCS) 113The Standards 114The Future 115Conclusion 117Review Questions for Chapter 15 11916 The Computer 120Brief History 120Digital Computers 120Microprocessors 123Hard Drive 123End of an Era 125Internet Appliances 125The Evolution of the Silicon Chip 127Bluetooth 127Conclusion 128Review Questions for Chapter 16 13017 The Internet 131Brief History 131Internet Access 132Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line 133Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 134Integrated Services Digital Network 134Cable Modems 136Satellite 137Local Multipoint Distribution System 138Circuit Switched vs. Packet Switched 139Internet Telephony 142Conclusion 143Review Questions for Chapter 17 14418 Lightwave Systems 145Brief History 145New Transcontinental Carriers 149Lightwave Undersea Systems 150Evolution of Lightwave Systems 150Optical Fiber Cable 154Optical Fiber Transmission Parameters 157Fiber Connectors 163Optical Emitters 165Optical Detectors 167Tunable Lasers 168All-Optical Networks 169Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing 169Optical Amplifiers 171Optical Cross-Connects 173System Design Considerations 175Synchronous Optical Network 178Asynchronous Transfer Mode 186SONET Ring Networks 190System Availability 192Cable Placement Choices 193Cable Placement Techniques 195Placement of Underground Cable 196Placement of Aerial Cable 197Placement of Direct Buried Cable 199Field Splicing 203Mechanical Splicing 205Field Testing Using an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer 205Fiber-to-the-Home 209Video-on-Demand (VOD) 209Fiber-to-the-Curb 210Local Area Network 213Ethernet 214IBM Token Ring 215LAN Topology 216Wireless LANs 218Fiber Optic LANs 218Conclusion 224Review Questions for Chapter 18 225Telecommunications Glossary 228Bibliography 250Index 251Answers to Review Questions 259About the Author 269

"...provides a non-technical overview of contemporary telecommunications systems." (SciTech Book News, Vol. 26, No. 2, June 2002)