NETWORK AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

A network is a collection of computers, servers, mainframes, network devices, peripherals, or other

devices connected to one another to allow the sharing of data. An excellent example of a network is the
Internet, which connects millions of people all over the world.

Telecommunication is the transmission of signs, signals, messages, words, writings, images and sounds
or information of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems.
Telecommunication occurs when the exchange of information between communication participants
includes the use of technology.

Computer networking and telecommunications is a program that focuses on data telecommunications,

Internet routing, and desktop operating systems. Data communications refers to the transmission of
this digital data between two or more computers and a computer network or data network is a
telecommunications network that allows computers to exchange data.

Networking and telecommunications experts are responsible for creating and maintaining software and
hardware solutions that connect communication systems to computer networks within businesses,
corporations, organizations and government agencies.

Network Architecture

There are several ways in which a computer network can be designed. Network architecture refers to
how computers are organized in a system and how tasks are allocated between these computers. Two
of the most widely used types of network architecture are peer-to-peer and client/server.

Peer-to-Peer

In a peer-to-peer or P2P network, the tasks are allocated among all the members of the network. There
is no real hierarchy among the computers, and all of them are considered equal. This is also referred to
as a distributed architecture or workgroup without hierarchy. A peer-to-peer network does not use a
central computer server that controls network activity. Instead, every computer on the network has a
special software running that allows for communications between all the computers.

Peer-to-peer is mostly used for file sharing. Here is how file sharing works: One computer user makes
some of the files on the hard disk drive available for sharing. Information on these files is made available
to the rest of the users so they can decide if they want to download one or more of these files. Once a
second user has downloaded a file, this can also be made available to the rest of the users. So now there
are two possible sources from which to download the same file. This is how files can be spread over
thousands of users, one download at time.

Client/Server Network

In a client/server network, a number of network clients or workstations request resources or services

from the network. One or more network servers manage and provide these resources or services. The
clients are computers that depend on the server for data and software. Network servers are also
referred to as computer servers, or simply servers. Sometimes a server is described in terms of the
specific service it provides, such as e-mail server, print server or storage server. Some servers, however,
can provide all these services.

NETWORK TOPOLOGY

*topology - the way in which constituent parts are interrelated or arranged

Network topology is the arrangement of the elements of a communication network. It is the layout of
the connections (links, nodes, etc.) of a computer network. Network topology can be used to define or
describe the arrangement of various types of telecommunication networks, including command and
control radio networks, industrial fieldbusses, and computer networks.

A node is a basic unit used in [computer science]. Nodes are devices or data points on a larger network.
Devices such as a personal computer, cell phone, or printer are nodes. When defining nodes on the
Internet, a node is anything that has an IP address.

*Fieldbus - is the name of a family of industrial computer network protocols used for real-time
distributed control

Types of Network Topology:

-Physical topology is the placement of the various components of a network (e.g., device location and
cable installation) It is the actual geometric layout of workstations.

-Logical topology refers to the nature of the paths the signals follow from node to node. This illustrates
how data flows within a network. Distances between nodes, physical interconnections, transmission
rates, or signal types may differ between two different networks, yet their topologies may be identical.
Three Main Network Topologies

Star – All computers and devices are connected to a centrally located hub or switch. The hub or switch
collects and distributes the flow of data within the network. It’s better to use a switch than a hub
because a switch transmits the data to the intended recipient rather than to all hosts on a network.

Bus – All computers and devices are connected in series to a single linear cable called a trunk or
sometimes called a backbone. Both ends of the trunk must be terminated to stop the signal from
bouncing back up the cable. Because the bus topology does not have a central point it is difficult to
troubleshoot problems. Also, a break at any point along the bus can cause the entire network to go
down.

Ring – In this topology, all computers and devices are connected to cable that forms a closed loop. Each
computer on this type of topology acts like a repeater and boosts the signal before sending it to the next
computer. It transmits data by passing a “token” around the network. Hence this type of network is
commonly called a token ring network. Similar to the Bus topology, if one computer fails, the entire
network goes down.

EXAMPLES OF TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS

Computer networks - A computer network is a set of computers connected together for the purpose of
sharing resources. The most common resource shared today is connection to the Internet. Other shared
resources can include a printer or a file server.

The connection between computers can be done via cabling, most commonly the Ethernet cable, or
wirelessly through radio waves. Connected computers can share resources, like access to the Internet,
printers, file servers, and others. A network is a multipurpose connection, which allows a single
computer to do more.

The Internet - The Internet (contraction of interconnected network) is the global system of
interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices
worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and
government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical
networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such
as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic
mail, telephony, and file sharing.

Internet speed. The Akamai Technologies Q1 2017 State of the Internet report contained information
that, though average internet connection speed had increased 20% year-on-year, the Philippines, at 5.5
Mbit/s, once again had the lowest average connection speeds among surveyed Asia Pacific
countries/regions.

Different Types of Internet Connections

Dial-Up (Analog 56K) - A dial-up connection is any connection that is connected through a regular phone
line. When that phone line is connected to a modem and then configured to dial a specific number, a
user can access the Internet. It is the slowest form of Internet connection, but that is a result of also
being the most inexpensive–if not free–form of Internet access available to users. Since a computer or
other device shares the same line as the telephone, they can’t be active at the same time.

In data communications, a kilobit is a thousand (103) bits. It's commonly used for measuring the amount
of data that is transferred in a second between two telecommunication points. Kilobits per second is
usually shortened to Kbps

DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line- It is an ultrafast, always-on Internet connection that uses existing
copper wire telephone lines. Unlike dial-up modems, DSL doesn't use any dial or connect/disconnect
process and can deliver data at speeds of 8 Mbps (depending on the location and the network
infrastructure). A file that takes minutes to download using the fastest dial-up modem takes only
seconds to download using a DSL modem.

Although DSL uses existing telephone lines, it uses a different frequency range on that telephone line.
This means you can talk on the telephone and use the Internet simultaneously.

Difference between Dial –Up and DSL

A dial up connection is basically an analog signal carried over standard phone lines and translated on
each end by computers. Because of limitations by phone lines, these signals are not carried very quickly,
usually between 20-50 kbps.

DSL, or Digital Subscriber Line, is a service that carries digital data transmission over standard twisted
pair phone cable. The signal is carried in the unused frequency ranges on the copper wires. DSL Internet
service providers have technology that's a lot newer than dial-up technology. With a DSL connection,
phone calls and Internet access operate on different frequencies (on the same line), so the two never
overlap with one another. Basically, you can always get online and talk on the phone at the same time.
DSL is a far superior connection in terms of speed and convenience.

Cable provides an internet connection through a cable modem and operates over cable TV lines. There
are different speeds depending on if you are uploading data transmissions or downloading. Since the
coax cable provides a much greater bandwidth over dial-up or DSL telephone lines, you can get faster
access Like digital subscriber line and fiber to the premises services, cable Internet access provides
network edge connectivity

Cable is widely considered to be faster than DSL, so if speed is your prime consideration, a cable internet
connection is the way to go. Historically, cable was seen as a less secure option because residential cable
internet is provided using a shared line, which everyone in the neighborhood uses.

Wireless or Wi-Fi, as the name suggests, does not use telephone lines or cables to connect to the
internet. Instead, it uses radio frequency. Wireless is also an always “on connection” and it can be
accessed from just about anywhere. Wi-Fi is a low-cost option relative to other forms of wireless
Internet service. Equipment is inexpensive (many newer computers have the needed hardware built in),
and Wi-Fi hotspots remain free in some locales. Availability can be a problem, however. You won't find
public Wi-Fi access in most suburban and rural areas.

Satellite - Internet access provided through communications satellites. Modern consumer grade satellite
Internet service is typically provided to individual users through geostationary satellites that can offer
relatively high data speeds with newer satellites using Ku band to achieve downstream data speeds up
to 506 Mbit/s.

PLDT ALPHA Enterprise Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) solution provides organizations with last-
mile, wireless, satellite-based Broadband Internet, Voice, and Virtual Private Networking (VPN)
connectivity. It uses the SES NSS-11 Satellite with a full reach across the Philippine archipelago. This
solution enables effective communication, seamless collaboration, and optimized operations, because
remote sites can now always stay connected to their main office and other branches. They may also use
it as a back-up connectivity option in case primary connections are compromised.
Cellular technology provides wireless Internet access through cell phones. The speeds vary depending
on the provider, but the most common are 3G and 4G speeds. A 3G is a term that describes a 3rd
generation cellular network obtaining mobile speeds of around 2.0 Mbps. 4G is the fourth generation of
cellular wireless standards. The goal of 4G is to achieve peak mobile speeds of 100 Mbps.

TYPES OF TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS

There are many different network structures that TCP/IP can be used across to efficiently route
messages.

* TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a standard that defines how to establish and maintain a
network conversation via which application programs can exchange data. TCP works with the Internet
Protocol (IP), which defines how computers send packets of data to each other

An Internet Protocol address (IP) is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer
network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions:
host or network interface identification and location addressing.

The types of telecommunication networks are:

Wide area networks (WAN) - A wide-area network is any telecommunications network or computer
network that extends over a large geographical distance/place. Wide-area networks are often
established with leased telecommunication circuits.

Metropolitan area networks (MAN) - is similar to a local area network (LAN) but spans an entire city or
campus. MANs are formed by connecting multiple LANs. Thus, MANs are larger than LANs but smaller
than wide area networks (WAN).

Local area networks (LAN) - A local area network may serve as few as two or three users (for example,
in a small-office network) or several hundred users in a larger office. LAN networking comprises cables,
switches, routers and other components that let users connect to internal servers, websites and other
LANs via wide area networks.

Internet area networks (IAN) - An Internet area network (IAN) is a concept for a communications
network that connects voice and data endpoints within a cloud environment over IP, replacing an
existing local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) or the public switched telephone network
(PSTN).
Personal area network, or PAN - A personal area network is a computer network for interconnecting
devices centered on an individual person's workspace. A PAN provides data transmission among devices
such as computers, smartphones, tablets and personal digital assistants.

Campus area networks or Corporate Area Networks (CAN) - CAN is a computer network made up of an
interconnection of local area networks (LANs) within a limited geographical area. The networking
equipments (switches, routers) and transmission media (optical fiber, copper plant, Cat5 cabling etc.)
are almost entirely owned by the campus tenant / owner: an enterprise, university, government etc.

Unlike a wide area network (WAN), a CAN is managed and maintained by a single entity, such as the
campus IT team. The network administrators can monitor, allow, and limit access to the network.
Firewalls are typically placed between the CAN and the Internet to protect the network from
unauthorized access. A firewall or proxy server may also be used to limit the websites or Internet ports
users can access.

Virtual private networks (VPN) - A virtual private network, or VPN, is an encrypted connection over the
Internet from a device to a network. The encrypted connection helps ensure that sensitive data is safely
transmitted. It prevents unauthorized people from eavesdropping on the traffic and allows the user to
conduct work remotely. VPN technology is widely used in corporate environments.

Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or sometimes Small Area
Network (SAN) - allow storage devices to exist on their own separate network and communicate directly
with each other over very fast media. This system allows a disk storage device to copy data directly to a
backup device across the high-speed links of the SAN without any intervention from a server.

BENEFITS OF NETWORK AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telecommunications facilitates interaction and information transfer over large distances. Businesses use
telecommunications to expand and grow their networks. With Internet, computer, and telephone
networks, businesses can allocate their resources efficiently.

Businesses have particularly taken advantage of teleconferencing, video conferencing and video calling
systems to steer collaboration among employees. By adopting a sophisticated telecommunication
system, many businesses have realized improved productivity, better customer service and increased
growth.
Management Information System

Reported by:

Maria Liza S. Nadurata

Cecille Guillermo