Principles of Telecommunications

The textbook is designed specifically for those involved in the IT field as either a student or working professional. It presents basic communications theories in a manner that intentionally avoids the lengthy mathematical derivations found in similar texts designed for the electrical engineering student, while providing easily understood equations and concepts necessary for the understanding of telecommunications concepts. The first five chapters of this textbook covers basic theories in electricity, the electromagnetic spectrum, optical signals, analog and digital signals, modulation, networking, transmission mediums, and radio frequency (RF) communications. This is followed by chapters describing how these basic concepts are applied to today's modern digital networks such as local area networks (LANs), wireless local networks (WLANs), wireless personal area networks (WPANs), wide area networks (WANs), the public switched telephone network (PSTN), broadband access methods, the Internet, and cellular smartphone communications. The final chapter covers satellite communications theory including orbital mechanics and link analysis. The concepts discussed in this textbook gives the reader an ability to better understand the potential, as well as the limitations, of modern IT systems.