Customer Reviews

Telecommunications Essentials, Second Edition: The Complete Global Source (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have to hand it to the authors, Lillian Goleniewski and Kitty Jarrett, for producing hands-down the most readable and comprehensive book out there on Telecom. I have had to slog through some of the worst writing to study this subject, and it was a breath of fresh air to crack this one open and start reading.

The authors cover every aspect of the field in great depth, and in such clear language that both the expert and the novice can benefit from this book. This will be required reading for all of my students, and I highly recommend other professors in the Telecom field to follow suit.

Well done!

This was my telecom textbook, and I literally pored over it. What a thorough resource. It is clear the whole time you read it that the author is enthralled with the scientific concepts underlying the means of intelligent communications. It can overwhelm you from time to time, but it's not for lack of clarity -- and whenever you're ready to re-immerse yourself in more information, the book is there for you.

As an electronic engineer and graduate student, I found the book to be very comprehensive in discussing various emerging and present telecommunication technologies. The book would describe quite accurately the technology without bogging you down with unnecessary details. It manages to be brief while still providing valuable data for the telecommunications professional, and broad enough to cover a wide spectrum (no pun intended) of material. And most importantly, it isn't a bore to read.
I recommend this to anyone seeking a basic to intermediate knowledge of a broad array of telecommunciations concepts and applications.

If you seek to know just about everything there is on Communications in general, Telecom infrastructure, latest technologies in used today, then read this book. I was fan electrical engineering student when I bought this book back in April 2011. I was looking for a book that explained to me in a very clear and easy to understand manner, the things that they leave out at college. There is no theory whatsoever in this Bible of Telecom, as I like to call it. Everything that is explained in here is in use in today's networks and the author does a magnificent job trying to explain everything that goes behind the Big Black Telco Curtain in very precise, yet thorough manner. From the very basics of the PSTN, all the way to MIMO cellular technologies. The best thing is that everything she explains from a very experienced, down to earth, real life point of view and you really feel that even though she seems opinionated on some issues, you feel like you are hearing a Jedi Master talking to his young Apprentice. Anyways, it feels good to read this book if you are into learning about Telecom/Datacom.

There is even a certification that Mrs. Goleniewski offers through her online website.[...]
You can use the book to take the exam an obtain a certificate.

The back of this book contains very deep, glossary from every single acronym and term you might come across the book and in the industry.

My recommendation is to make this your first book on the subject. If you have other books, then this would be too much to just compliment.

Firstly, I am a strong fan of Ms. Lili. I have personally met the author during a 3-day seminar during my PETRONAS days back in 1994. At that time, I was attending what the best telecomm training course the market can offer as well worth its price.


WHY WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND TELECOMM PROPERLY:

Compared to other training courses, Ms Lili was about 2x-3x times more expensive but what is that to an oil-and-gas company where network downtime to a gas-compressing subsidiary can cost around RM100,000 an hour (1994 exchange of RM2.50@US$1) equivalent to US$40,000.

At that time, IT Support has to figure out how to support a heterogeneous mix of one IBM 3745 mainframe, few UNIX boxes, tens of Novell 2.x servers. Several network protocols ran inside the various pipes/lines such as SNA, TCP-IP and MS Netbeui, and my pet project OS/2 NetBIOS, and Novell SPX. Most network segments are on Ethernet, and a couple are on Token-Ring.

Needless to say, troubleshooting network traffic particularly eliminating "jabbers chipping echoes etc" was to put it mildly a "challenge." One of the fire-fighting effort required bringing in a US consultant with a pony-tail using Data-General "Sniffer" equipment!

For IT Support to figure out how to support the big project at that time, mainly getting SAP gateways remaining up, we need to understand what it was we were having, as well as understand how the newer telecomm technologies are going to do to the overall picture.

At that time, we have the whole possible mix of telecomm devices such fixed leased lines, dial-up backup, and few sprinklings of VSAT and wireless. Of course you cannot learn all that in a 3-day class. And I don't think I learn that at school too. What I learned became obsolete after I graduated !


WHY WE NEED THIS BOOK:

This is where this book comes in. To provide good IT support, so that users would not pester Helpdesk folks, we need really good technical references. Of course, we need that initial mind-enlightening class to understand the "big-picture." The details you can get that free easily off the web nowadays; understand how the big picture works is will make it easier for us to understand the complex details.



WHAT THIS BOOK COVER:

Covered the whole range of Telecom technologies ranging from basic stuff such as circuits and channels to transmission type such as analog vs digital. The book then cover the traditional media such as twisted-pair, coax, fibre and telecomm devices such as microwave and satellite.

The depth of technical details amazes me to have everything in one book covering IP protocols, ports, and Quality of Service. Main trends are covered such as optical networking, broadband and wireless for both LAN, and WANs..

I really like Lily's supplementary notes on the various indicators on industry adaption of specific technologies as well as their technological history. Basically if you need to know something on Telecomms, there will be some pages on that topic here. .


COMPARED TO 1sT EDITION:

Compared to the 1st edition, this is thicker by a double! We have a whopping 865 pages, although still much less than Yellow Pages

In the 2nd edition, I realized the author has diligently tracked the technology updates which is what most people wanted.


WISH LIST FOR NEWER EDITION OR NEW BOOK ALTOGETHER:

Since I am now into management consulting for E-Government and E-Commerce, some discussion on cost structure for would be VERY ATTRACTIVE especially to decision-makers in developing countries with low phone/network penetration.

I believe if I am all powerful African president wanting to have my own mobile telecoms company, I would want to have a reference that will give some estimates on trenching cost, and base-station costs. That will surely help my nephew who is going to be the CEO of that company some idea of what sort of loan and spending that has to be incurred. Farfetched ? Well this is a wish-list!


TELECOMMS MUST BE A PART OF YOUR COMPANY IT STRATEGIC PLAN:

Overall for techies out there, recognizing important trends in the telco industry is VERY VERY important for your corporate management. Having a feel of where everybody is going is critical to their Telecommunications Infra roadmap. This is where this book come into value.

The Telecomms Infrastructure road map will determine what decisions are required for infrastructure procurement, leasing or investment. Thus, the Telecomm chapter is an important part of a company IT Strategic Plan (ISP).

Subsequently, this ISP will exist if senior management is really serious to get their brilliant and precious Business Strategic Plan up and running. Unless if the company is just SOHO with only 1-2 computers and they pass files using flash-disks! Otherwise the senior management is just talking.

I wanted a book with all the network technologies, such WiMAX, FTTH and NGNs. This book contains all this information.

It is concerning that even after downloading the sample again and restarting the Kindle this sample book is not formatting correctly. The text runs off the bottom of the page no matter what font size is utilized. If the text to speech function is used there is audio that one cannot see. No other samples or books that I have fail this way.

I'm still waiting this book. I bought this book more than one month ago. The answer that I got when i was asking about the book was "Wait until next month and let us know if you don't receive..."

Is a shame, but I have to say that i won't buy again on amazon...

regards

Arnau Alcaraz