This is Lars -> Professional -> Telecom
Telecom WWW Pointers
We used to think of telephony and data communications as two separate technical
fields, but in the last 5 years, they have all but merged into one.
Everyone I know is working on products that straddle the boundaries.
This merger has been driven from both sides: From the telephone side,
voicemail (centralized answering machines) moved onto a PC-based platform,
and was joined by systems for supporting in-bound and out-bound call-centers.
From the data side, high-performance modems allowed remote access to Local
Area Networks (LANs) from home, or from hotel rooms, and with the explosive
growth of the Internet, everyone needed to call their Internet Service
Providers (ISPs). In the next generation, the equipment for these functions
will be practically indistinguishable, although the boxes may still be
targeted towards one side or the other.
Telephony
Phone Companies
- Goodman's Book Marks: US-Based Long Distance/Local Carriers
US Local Carriers
- Ameritech WWW Server
- Bell Atlantic
with ISDN information
- GTE
- BellSouth
- Pacific Bell
with
ISDN Guide
US Long Distance Carriers
- ATT
AT+T Bell Labs and
800 directory
- MCI and
internetMCI
- Sprint and
SPRintLINK
(also SPRintLINK Gopher)
- WilTel
US resellers
- Cognigen - discount long distance
Overseas
- Telecom New Zealand
- Telekom Deutschland and
some hate mail
from their customers
- UniSource
PTT Telecom Nederland, Telefonica Spain, Telia (in Sweden), ...
(Also runs UNIplus Internet Service)
Marketing Alliances
- Global One
(Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Sprint)
- World Partners
(ATT, Bezek, Telstra, UniSource, NZ, ?)
Equipment Manufacturers
In addition to voice telephony, the public network has a long history
of carrying "on/off" type signaling. The first signaling of this kind
to achieve widespread use was morse code telegraphy, beginning in the
1850's. Later, this was supplemented and eventually supplanted by the
TeleType message terminal system, which allowed the keyboard on an
electric typewriter at one location to control a printing mechanism
at another location. This was invented in the 1930's and when the
computer became common around 1960, the TeleType terminal was used
for computer operators to type commands to the machines, and for
the machines to print the results of their calculations. From there,
it was a simple step to allow computers at separate locations to
communicate with each other in a setup, where each of them pretended
to be a TeleType terminal. Likewise, users at real TeleType terminals
could use a remotely located computer.
Around 1970, the telephone and telegraph companies were merging, and
instead of operating separate networks, where the TeleType terminals
were on a telegraph network, which actually used the opening and closing
of switches to do the signaling, new terminal equipment started to use
tone signaling, so that the TeleType connections could be using the
much larger, more robust and less expensive telephone network.
Computer-Telephony Integration (CTI)
-
Modems! John Navas modem links
- BusCall
is an innovative service from Paul Bunyan Telephone Co in Bimidji
in North Central Minnesota.
Imagine getting a phone call each school-day morning when it's time for
the kids to leave the house to go to the school bus stop ? "Bus 44 will
be at your stop in 4 minutes and 30 seconds". Some people without kids
subscribe just to make sure they can get on the road BEFORE the school
bus, and not be stuck behind it all the way to work.
-
Effect of Internet Use on the Nation's Telephone Network
The telephone companies worry that modem users have different calling
patterns than "traditional" telephone users (they stay on the phone longer).
Technical Specifications and Regulations
Technologies
Lars' Interesting Notes
Go to Lars' Home Page
Revision history:
$Log: index.htm,v $
Revision 1.25 2002/01/17 19:11:53 lars
Rearranged and added links to other websites.
Revision 1.24 2001/01/20 21:10:37 lars
*** empty log message ***
Revision 1.23 2000/06/21 05:09:58 lars
Added cross-references, and supporting links.
Added 25-pair color code.
Cleaned up the index a bit
Revision 1.20 2000/05/26 22:11:04 lars
Added new stuff about cat5 wiring.
Added section about cat5 cables and connectors
Revision 1.17 2000/02/14 06:24:17 lars
Fix broken link to Clarke site.
Update Oslin info with obituary.
Revision 1.15 2000/01/31 04:40:33 lars
Harold Greene obituary.
Miscellaneous updates.
Added new file about telephone systems for small business.
Revision 1.11 1999/11/08 16:48:56 lars
Added links to index.htm files.
Added pointers to area codes, libraries.
Moved links from bookmark file to links page adn subject areas.
Revision 1.8 1999/08/22 23:47:31 lars
Added TelcoMine newsletter.
Deleted some links that no longer worked.
Removed obsolete Rockwell links.
Added pointer to A C Clarke Foundation
Fixed typo in adding V Poulsen article.
Added article about Valdemar Poulsen
Site re-organization.
Revision 1.2 1999/06/01 03:47:27 lars
Cleanup after move into CVS
Updated 97-02-10 by lars@silcom.com