The worldwide history of telecommunication

The first comprehensive history of the Information Age how we got there and where we are going The exchange of information is essential for both the organization of nature and the social life of mankind. Until recently, communication between people was more or less limited by geographic proximity. Today, thanks to ongoing innovations in telecommunications, we live in an Information Age where distance has ceased to be an obstacle to the sharing of ideas.

The Worldwide History of Telecommunications is the first comprehensive history ever written on the subject, covering every aspect of telecommunications from a global perspective. In clear, easy-to-understand language, the author presents telecommunications as a uniquely human achievement, dependent on the contributions of many ingenious inventors, discoverers, physicists, and engineers over a period spanning more than two centuries.

From the crude signaling methods employed in antiquity all the way to today's digital era, The Worldwide History of Telecommunications features complete and fascinating coverage of the groundbreaking innovations that have served to make telecommunications the largest industry on earth, including:

• Optical telegraphy
• Electrical telegraphy via wires and cables
• Telephony and telephone switching
• Radio transmission technologies
• Cryptography
• Coaxial and optical fiber networks
• Telex and telefax
• Multimedia applications

Broad in scope, yet clear and logical in its presentation, this groundbreaking book will serve as an invaluable resource for anyone involved or merely curious about the ever evolving field of telecommunications.

Contents

• Introduction and period before 1800
  • Introduction
  • Evolution of Telecommunications up to 1800
  • Optical Telegraphy

• Period from 1800 to 1850
  • Evolution of Telecommunications from 1800 to 1850
  • Optical Telegraph Systems Worldwide
  • Electrical Telegraphy

• Period from 1850 to 1900
  • The Evolution of Telecommunications from 1850 to 1900
  • Electrical Telegraph Systems Worldwide
  • Image Telegraphy
  • Telephony
  • Telephone Switching
  • Radio Transmission
  • International Cooperation

• Period from 1900 to 1950
  • The Evolution of Telecommunications from 1900 to 1950
  • Worldwide Telephone Penetration
  • Electromechanical Telephone Switching
  • High-Frequency Radio Transmission
  • Phototelegraphy
  • Teleprinter
  • Copper-Line Transmission
  • Radio-Relay Transmission
  • Cryptography
  • International Cooperation

• Period from 1950 to 2000
  • Evolution of Telecommunications from 1950 to 2000
  • Radio-Relay Networks
  • Coaxial Cable Transmission
  • Satellite Transmission
  • Optical Fiber Transmission
  • Electronic Switching
  • Telex
  • Telefax
  • Cellular Radio
  • Telephony and Deregulation
  • Multimedia
  • International Cooperation

• Appendices
• Index