A comprehensive overview of today's networked world, offering just the right amount of technical detail.

Now updated to cover the latest wireless and broadband technologies, this lucid overview describes today's communications systems and networks–voice, data, video, and multimedia–and explains how they are likely to evolve and converge. Communications Systems and Networks delivers plain-English explanations of all the technical fundamentals–and puts everything in context by addressing standards, regulations, and the real-world outlook for legacy, contemporary, and emerging technologies. Whether you're a networking pro who wants to gain some perspective or you just want to understand our increasingly interconnected world, this is the one book you need to see the big picture.

Inside, you'll find clear explanations of:

• Essential concepts such as circuits, switches, and digital and analog transmission
• Transmission media—from twistedpair to satellite, microwave, infrared, and fiber optics
• Data communications, from LANs and WANs to broadband and 3G wireless
• Recent and emerging voice technologies, including Voice over Frame Relay (VoFR), Voice over ATM (VoATM), Voice over IP (VoIP), and Voice over DSL (VoDSL)
• Broadband access technologies, including Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable modems, Free Space Optics (FSO), and Wireless Local Loop (WLL)
• Internet and Web standards, topology, technologies, and protocols, including WAP and i-Mode
• Video and multimedia networking, from HDTV to videoconferencing systems
• Network convergence issues, such as standards, regulation, addressing, and Quality of Service (QoS)
• The latest regulatory flash points, from line sharing to Internet wiretapping

• Chapter 1 Fundamentals of the Technology: Concepts and Definitions
• Chapter 2 Fundamentals of TV Transmission Systems: Technologies and Applications
• Chapter 3 Voice Communications Systems: KTS, PBX, Centrex, and ACD
• Chapter 4 Messaging Systems: Facsimile, Voice Processing, and Electronic Mail
• Chapter 5 Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
• Chapter 6 Fundamentals of Data Communications
• Chapter 7 Conventional Digital and Data Networks
• Chapter 8 Local Area Networks (LANs): Connectivity and Internetworking
• Chapter 9 Broadband Network Infrastructure
• Chapter 10 Broadband Network Services: Frame Relay, SMDS, ATM, GbE and l0GbE, BISDN, and AINs
• Chapter 11 Wireless Networking: Emphasis on Mobility
• Chapter 12 The Internet and World Wide Web
• Chapter 13 Video and Multimedia Networking
• Chapter 14 Network Convergence
• Chapter 15 Regulation: Issues and (Some) Answers
• Appendix A Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Symbols
• Appendix B Standards Organizations and
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs)