Description
Signal Failure: How the Telecoms Industry Lost its Way explores the history of the telecoms industry concentrating on the key period from 1950-2000, enabling practicing telecoms engineers to learn from the experiences and mistakes of the industry's history. The book arises from wider research into the history of the United Kingdom electronics industry. The lessons highlighted are very relevant now for any country that aims to grow by supporting technological industries. The book has relevance well beyond telecoms and in particular show the long timescales affecting technological trends and how these can sometimes conflict with the relatively short horizon of political decisions.
The book is intended for anyone who is interested in how innovation affects the realities of technology entering the marketplace as well as the technology’s economic performance. Telecom professionals will find it gives background to the changes that happened in the UK industry. However, the book is also aimed at people who are interested in trends in the world-wide telecoms and other technology industries. Anyone involved with technological development will find the book relevant as it gives an insight into the issues that occur as significant disruptive technology enters a market.
Table Of Contents
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1 The word of telecoms
1.1 Communications count
1.2 UK then and now
1.3 The UK economy
1.4 The economics of telecoms
1.5 The world’s telecoms industry
1.6 Effect of technology
CHAPTER 2 The UK network
2.1 Evolution of the Network
2.2 BT
2.3 System X
2.4 UK telecoms supply
CHAPTER 3 The mobile revolution
3.1 Mobile technology
3.2 Phone generations
3.3 The international rollout
3.4 Suppliers to the market
CHAPTER 4 Datacoms
4.1 Telegraphy
4.2 Telex
4.3 Data over voice-lines
4.4 Facsimile
4.5 Growth of data services
4.6 High volume data transmission
4.7 Packet switching and the internet
4.8 Effect on the telecoms supply industry
CHAPTER 5 World telecoms supply industry
5.1 North America
5.2 Europe
5.3 Japan
5.4 UK