The standard of excellence set in the critically acclaimed Fundamentals of Telecommunications continues in this Second Edition, by offering a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of telecommunication networks without bogging the reader down in complex math or technical jargon. While focusing on the basics, the book also covers the latest advances in the field, including new chapters on:

• Metropolitan area networks (MANs)
• Voice over packets, including voice over IP (VoIP)
• Television transmission
• Network management

The author, renowned for his many bestselling titles in telecommunications, demystifies all of the components and standards of today's telecommunications world by providing solid coverage and key concepts. Readers learn which choices are available, how to evaluate them, and how to develop strategies that achieve the best balance among cost, security, and performance factors for voice, data, image communication, and more.

Fundamentals of Telecommunications, Second Edition discusses innovative advances needed to understand the ever-growing telecommunications industry:

• General concepts in telecommunications, including what connectivity is and what nodes do
• Voice networks embodied by the public switched telecommunications network (PSTN)
• Digital transmission and networks
• Data communications and enterprise networks
• Switching and signaling, transmission transport, cable television, cellular/PCS, and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)

With updated review exercises and references provided at the end of each chapter, this is an excellent resource for students and professionals who need to understand the tremendous impact and potential of telecommunications.

About the Author

ROGER L. FREEMAN is founder and Principal of Roger Freeman Associates, independent telecommunications consultants, specializing in system engineering in the United States, Canada, and Hispanic America. In the course of over forty-five years' experience in telecommunications operations, maintenance, and engineering, he has served as principal engineer for advanced system planning at the Raytheon Company, technical manager for ITT Marine Europe, and regional planning expert for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), among other positions. In addition to the previous edition of Fundamentals of Telecommunications, Mr. Freeman has written six other books on the subject of telecommunications engineering: Reference Manual for Telecommunications Engineering, Third Edition; Fiber-Optic Systems for Telecommunications; Telecommunication System Engineering, Fourth Edition; Radio System Design for Telecommunications, Second Edition; Practical Data Communications, Second Edition; and Telecommunications Transmission Handbook, Fourth Edition, all published by Wiley. A senior life member of the IEEE, Roger Freeman has lectured at numerous professional conferences and published widely in international telecommunication journals.