The up–to–date edition of the bestselling guide to the basics of telecommunications and digital technology Understanding Telecommunications and Lightwave Systems presents a nontechnical treatment of how voice, video, and multimedia can simultaneously travel over today?s evolving telecommunications systems. This updated Third Edition provides a comprehensive overview of the telecommunications field as well as a detailed introduction to the latest lightwave technology. The author?s examination of recent techniques and developing technologies in telecommunications includes: ? Third–generation cell phones with microbrowser capabilities ? Changes in the global PCS network ? Optical switching and transmission parameters ? Lightwave systems and Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing ? A new chapter (Chapter 17: The Internet) that examines this multimedia structure and the network economy it has created ? Satellite communications, new transcontinental...