Emergence of communication technology
'A prehistory of the cloud tells the story of how the cloud grew out of older networks, such as railroad tracks, sewer lines, and television circuits, and often continues to be layered on top of or over them.' - explained by Tung-Hui Hu a former network engineer based in the U.S. Subject to the new digital media cycle, new communication technology are developed within the same epistemic space as the amorphous admixture of the telephone network, cable network and the internet. Hu, T. (n.d.). A prehistory of the cloud.
Living through the era where communication technology and social media has had exploded in the quantity of human creativity, that almost everyone nowadays have accessed to the tool of high-tech social application which enable us to reach outline whenever we wished to. In which, apps like "FaceTime", "WhatsApp Audio Call", "Facebook Video Chat", "Skype", "Tango" etc. There are multiple option of open sources enable users to make phone calls functioned by simply touching the screen or applied with voice changer.
The transformation of Telephone line Copper wire -> Fibre Optics -> Internet connection
Modern communication technology acquired a new accomplishment since the early 19th century when mechanical acoustic devices developed to a telephone which invented by Alexander Graham Bell with five other inventors in 1876s. They achieved the key breakthrough of converting sound waves into an electric signal which travelled along a wire to receiver, combined the audio transmission technology of mechanical acoustic devices with the long-distance electrical data transmission of the electrical telegraph. Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018) At that time, before internet was even existed, telephone and the telegraph are used in wire-based electrical system. In which, the old telephone exchange system connections were made by a human operator manually connect copper wires by using a switchboard. The biggest problem here with the telegraph was its dash Morse code system that limited the device that only allowed to send and receive one message at one time, which mean multi-phone call is not allowed, as well as causing inconvenience issue of unnotified miss calls.
Hur, J. (2018). History of the Telephone
Lasted until nearly a whole century in 1970s, telephone line with its transcontinental telephone service construction eventually exploded with massive growth after Optical Waveguide Fibers was greatly developed by a team of corning glass researchers - Robert Maurer, Donald Keck and Peter Schultz, thus the first optical telephone communication system was installed under downtown Chicago in 1975s. Optical fibre then rapidly replaced the old-fashioned copper wire, this is due to the fact that the mobility of fibre optical carried 6,500 times more information than copper wires, its cable contains transmission of light through long fibre rods of transparence materials such as glass or plastic that it used for transmitting voice, images, and other data at close to the speed of light.
Meanwhile the advancement of telecommunication technology continuously to grow, the entity of internet eventually developed in 1980, whilst the internet access successfully connected to telephone line through a hardware, such as a modem or a router. In terms of telecommunication technology, this process is defined as 'Internet Telephony', which is a type of communication technology associated with switched electronic transmission of voice call and voice messages, fax and digital form of information application to be transmitted by using the internet as a connection medium through the internet protocol's packet. All telephony relies on the conversion of audio inputs into a form that is adequate to be determines a long distance across a particular medium, be it copper wire or fiber optics, and the subsequent conversion to an audio output at the destination. The topology defined by networks which also enhanced its intensity and frequency of interaction between the internet provider and the receivers. GCFLearnFree.org. (2018).
wikiHow. (2018).
Is the network "Immaterial Virtual" or "Material Physical?"
Electric signal <-> Radio signal
What we so called "wireless" telecommunication technology and internet network is not 100% wireless and hypothetical. In fact, all of these infrastructural cables do physically existed behind the wall and under the ground in our living environment, so as to transmitting and receiving multiplex datas, electric signals, voices, messages, through the wires every single moment.
Give an example: Cordless phone was the first ever existed wireless phone, its basic operating principle was relied on radio technology and electric signal via the landline. Simply speaking, a cordless phone is basically a combination telephone and radio transmitter. Cordless phone comes with two major parts which is the base and handset: The base unit is plugged into main power with a landline phone connection, as it receives an incoming call through the phone line, its electric signal will convert it to an FM radio signal whilst broadcasted its signal through landline to another party. In an opposite way, the handset receives radio signal from the base, its radio signal converts back to an electrical voice signal to the speaker. In subsequence, a cordless phone allows user to speak on the phone while moving freely at home or in certain yard.
Cabinet, Exchange (After1980s)
The Telephone Exchange System Wireless Broadband -> Landline -> Cabinet -> Exchange
The same principle as a cordless phone, a wireless router converts incoming signals yet broadcasts them around an area. This signal is then picked up by wireless-enabled devices, such as laptops and tablets, thence, the router or the modem support wireless broadband connectivity throughout the house. However, the hardware itself also came with a coaxial cable or a landline to connect to the cable output, as well as a power cable to connect to an electrical outlet.
Scoop.it. (2018). Internet Tools.
Green: Exchange of the Internet Provider
Blue: House, Flat, Property
The Public Switched Telephone Network is a wired system through which landline telephone calls are made and received and the circuit is based on circuit switching. In order to connect one phone to another, a phone call will be routed through a number of switches which operate on local, regional, national or international systems. Connections which are established between the two phones is referred to as a circuit.
---
All in all, the whole transformation of telecommunication technology between these 14's decades developed rapidly, astonished, exhilarated and inspired. Even though telephone was gradually replaced by mobile phone, or it has already been replaced by smart phone and application softwares today. However, the prospection of telecommunication technology is yet appreciable if tele-computerisation and 5G wireless technologies is a possible option for the future's prospective of communication technology.
Reference:
Getty Images. (2018). Switchboard. [online] Available at: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/telephone-operators-receive-long-distance-calls-from-news-photo/3302030 [Accessed 16 Apr. 2018].
Hu, T. (n.d.). A prehistory of the cloud.
GCFLearnFree.org. (2018). Computer Basics: Connecting to the Internet - Full Page. [online] Available at: https://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/connecting-to-the-internet/1/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2018].
Scoop.it. (2018). Internet Tools. [online] Available at: https://www.scoop.it/t/internet-tools-by-galesha-henry [Accessed 16 Apr. 2018].
wikiHow. (2018). How to Install a Modem. [online] Available at: https://www.wikihow.com/Install-a-Modem [Accessed 16 Apr. 2018].
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Alexander Graham Bell | Biography, Inventions, & Facts. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Graham-Bell [Accessed 16 Apr. 2018].
Hur, J. (2018). History of the Telephone. [online] Available at: https://bebusinessed.com/history/history-of-the-telephone/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2018].
Comments