Telecommunications Advances Essay, Research Paper

Today, telecommunications technology affects lives to a greater degree than ever

before. Communication has evolved over many years from the earliest attempts at

verbal communication to the use of sophisticated technology to enhance the

ability to communicate effectively with others. Every time a telephone call is

made, a television is watched, or a personal computer is used, benefits of

telecommunication technologies are being received. The concept of

telecommunications may be defined as the transmission of information from one

location to another by electronic means. Telecommunications is using electronic

systems to communicate. Life is changing constantly and has been changing faster

since the rapid advancements in telecommunication. Because of continuing

attempts to find better and more efficient ways to communicate, the process of

communication has steadily improved. Many of these improvements were made

without the use of electronic technology. Human beings? earliest attempts at

communication were through nonverbal means such as facial expressions and

gesturing. The use of these nonverbal signs, prehistoric people were able to

communicate emotions such as fear, anger, and happiness. More specific motions,

such as pointing, allowed them to convey more information . Verbal communication

probably started with a series of disorganized but meaningful sounds (grunts and

snarls). These sounds slowly developed into a system of organized, spoken

language that truly allowed humans to share information (Croal 59). Writing,

which is the use of symbols to represent language, began with early cave

drawings, progressed to picture writings such as hieroglyphics, and finally

evolved into the handwritten language we use today (Croal 61). As civilization

developed, people found it necessary to communicate their ideas to one another

over greater distances. The earliest method of transporting information was to

carry it from place to place; but as the development of commerce made speed an

essential part, greater effort was expended to increase the rate at which ideas

were transmitted (Croal62). The search for rapid transport of information led to

the formation of the pony express in 1860 (Cozic 77). Although the pony express

required several weeks to carry mail from the East Coast to the West Coast, it

was a vast improvement over the earlier methods. The pony express was not the

only time humans teamed up with animals to attempt to improve communications.

Dogs and pigeons were used to carry messages, especially during wartime . Most,

if not all, of the early forms of communication had two significant problems.

Both the speed at which information could be effectively communicated and the

distance over which information could be sent were severely limited. With the

advancements in forms of electronic communication, these problems were solved.

It was even before the pony express that a true technological breakthrough was

made. In 1844, the first electronic transmission occurred when Samuel Morse

developed a system of dots and dashes to symbolize letters of the alphabet. A

transmission device called the telegraph was used to send the coded signals over

wires. The telegraph was to become the primary method of reliable and rapid

communication during the American Civil War . It took quite a few years to link

the major cities of America by telegraph wires, but by 1861 the pony express was

replaced . Telegraphic communication became a major part of America?s business

and military history. One of the early telegraph companies, Western Union,

became the dominant carrier. Today, Western Union, through the use of modern

technology, transmits information twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Actual voice communication over distance finally became possible in 1876 when

Alexander Graham Bell held the first telephone conversation with his assistant,

Thomas Watson . This alternative to written communication rapidly helped the

telephone become the world?s most important communication tool. By 1866 the

first successful attempt to link Europe and America by undersea cable had been

accomplished. This cable was capable of carrying telegraph data only . The

telephone today remains a vital tool, and like the telegraph, the telephone is

constantly being improved by modern technology . By 1900, the goal of

communication technologists was to find a method of transmitting messages over

long distances without the need for wires. That dream became reality in 1901

when Gugliellmo Marconi and two assistants stood on a hill in Newfoundland and

listened carefully to their receiver. Faintly they heard the Morse code

?dot-dot-dot,? the letter s. the signal had traveled 1,700 miles from

Cornwall, England, and it represented the first successful wireless

transmission. This success led Marconi to form Marconi Wireless Telegraphy

Company. It was not until the Titanic disaster in 1912, however, that wireless

transmissions became commercially profitable. As the Titanic was sinking, the

ship?s radio operator transmitted distress signals over his wireless

telegraph. A passing ship, the Carpathia, which sped to the Titanic?s location

and rescued 700 of the 2,200 people aboard, picked up the signals. Shortly after

this disaster, most maritime nations required wireless telegraphs on all large

ships. The Marconi experiment eventually led to the development of the radio. On

an evening in November, 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,

went on the air with the first live radio broadcast. By 1922, 564 radio stations

were on the air. Today, thousands of radio stations broadcast our favorite

music, news, weather, and sports information . As important as it was, the

impact of the transmission of sounds by wire and by wireless methods seems

minor, when the effect of television, the device that permits the transmission

of both sounds and images. In 1926 J.L. Baird, working with the British

Broadcasting Company (BBC), became the first person to transmit a television

picture, and in 1936 the world?s first television service was introduced . By

1948, twenty television stations were on the air. The first color television

service began in the United States in 1954 . Sociologist James K. Martin

believes ? The impact of television is legendary and has totally changed the

way American families live? . Modern telecommunications rely on modern

technology and one of the most important elements of that technology is the

computer. Today?s computer industry is moving with great momentum. Most

schools are equipped to teach computer skills, and it is no longer rare for a

student to come to first grade with a basic understanding of computers gained

from the family?s personal computer . In 1930 an American electrical

scientist, Vannevar Bush, constructed the first analog computer . However, the

person credited with developing the first digital computer is Howard Aiken of

Harvard University, who completed his project in 1944 . Analog signals are a

constant flow of information, whereas digital signals are a series of short

bursts of information. Historian Mark Halls says, ?most historians point to

ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) as the real beginning of

computer technology? . Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania built this

giant computer in 1946. ENIAC utilized vacuum tubes to control computer

functions. The concept of storing programs in a computers memory is credited to

John van Neumann, an American mathematician. It was in 1951 that the developers

of ENIAC constructed Univac I, which became the first computer to be

mass-produced . The traditional U.S. postal service is not oriented to meet

needs for instant information access, so many mailboxes have become electronic.

Electronic messages can be sent any hour of the day or night using a computer, a

modem, and a telephone. These electronic messages may be read, filed, stored,

erased, printed, and rerouted. A computer used in conjunction with the telephone

line and a television set allows homeowners to view merchandise, compare prices,

and do electronic shopping. No longer are bank customers dependent on bankers?

hours to withdraw money or to obtain account information . Many school libraries

have a new reference resource, an electronic encyclopedia. Libraries connect to

electronic encyclopedias with personal computers. Facts can be read on the

screen or sent to the printer. Through the use of telecommunications, the

opportunity to access vast amounts of information located in large commercial

data bases are beyond belief. Within a matter of seconds, a computer can access

information and can appear on its screen. Today, information services bring new

learning opportunities and data into the home through telecommunications ). The

information age has already arrived, and telecommunication technology has played

an important role in it. It has already had an impact on what have been

considered traditional methods of transmitting information over distances. This

new technology has also changed the methods by which information is manipulated

and stored. Telecommunications is changing the way people work, play, live and

think.