The evolution of phone Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The evolution of phone - Research Paper Example The first operating telephone sets were restricted by the wire that connected pairs of telephones. Since then, the evolution of the telephone has passed through a range of important yet exciting stages, including the introduction of the automatic branch exchange with a series of switches instead of the human operator, the emergence of dial exchanges, and the induction of wireless communication that paved the way for worldwide communication. Alongside these developments, arrays of features of the handsets also underwent a sea change to yield the latest generation of smartphones. Interestingly, however, the basic technology has remained mostly unchanged for more than a hundred years (Dennis 1). The most rapid expansion of the telephone industry occurred during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Following a brief explanation of the basic principles of the telecommunication systems, this essay discusses the amazing progression of the device from the initial cranking set to the smartphone, describing the associated developments in the size, shape, material and features of the device. The changes that have occurred in the telecommunication infrastructure such as the computerization of the switching system, digital transmission using fiber optic cables, transmission towers for cell phone networks, and telecommunication satellites have also been dealt with. Finally, how the telephone affects our day to day lives by impacting the economy and the society is elaborated upon. Basic information The basic requirements of a telecommunication system include, at the place of origin, a speaker, a transducer that converts the original information energy into electrical energy to produce the information signal, an amplifier to increase the power of the signal to compensate for losses occurring during transmission, a wire or cable link to transmit to its destination the signal travelling at 60% the speed of light (â€Å"Telecommunication†). Besides the above, at t he destination point another transducer converts the received signal back to its original energy form, while a second amplifier increases the power of the signal. Telecommunication System Components The components of a complete telecommunication system comprise of (1) the source of the message, for example, a voice signal which as stated earlier is converted by a transducer to electrical signals; (2) a transmitter that modulates the signal suitably for transmission. The reason is that the original audio frequency created in a low frequency waveform is unsuitable for transmission and needs to be translated to a higher frequency that can be transmitted; (3) a channel or a carrier system, which is nothing but the transmission path that transfers the modulated signal to the receiver via a medium. The different channels that are made use of are wires or cables, radio waves and light waves; (4) a receiver that receives the incoming signal after selection of the appropriate signal from a g amut of signals passing through the channel. The receiver also demodulates the signal to reproduce the original information; and (5) a destination device that further processes the signal that is, receives, stores or re-transmits the signal (â€Å"