Portal:Telecommunication

The Telecommunication Portal

File:Erdfunkstelle Raisting 2.jpg

Earth station at the satellite communication facility Raisting Earth Station in Raisting, Bavaria, Germany

Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information with an immediacy comparable to face-to-face communication. As such, slow communications technologies like postal mail and pneumatic tubes are excluded from the definition. Many transmission media have been used for telecommunications throughout history, from smoke signals, beacons, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs to wires and empty space made to carry electromagnetic signals. These paths of transmission may be divided into communication channels for multiplexing, allowing for a single medium to transmit several concurrent communication sessions. Several methods of long-distance communication before the modern era used sounds like coded drumbeats, the blowing of horns, and whistles. Long-distance technologies invented during the 20th and 21st centuries generally use electric power, and include the telegraph, telephone, television, and radio. Early telecommunication networks used metal wires as the medium for transmitting signals. These networks were used for telegraphy and telephony for many decades. In the first decade of the 20th century, a revolution in wireless communication began with breakthroughs including those made in radio communications by Guglielmo Marconi, who won the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics. Other early pioneers in electrical and electronic telecommunications include co-inventors of the telegraph Charles Wheatstone and Samuel Morse, numerous inventors and developers of the telephone including Antonio Meucci, Philipp Reis, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell, inventors of radio Edwin Armstrong and Lee de Forest, as well as inventors of television like Vladimir K. Zworykin, John Logie Baird and Philo Farnsworth. Since the 1960s, the proliferation of digital technologies has meant that voice communications have gradually been supplemented by data. The physical limitations of metallic media prompted the development of optical fibre. The Internet, a technology independent of any given medium, has provided global access to services for individual users and further reduced location and time limitations on communications. (Full article...)

Selected article -

File:Blackberry Logo.svg

Final logo used since 2004 before shutdown in January 2022

BlackBerry was a maker of smartphones and other related mobile services and devices. The line was originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company BlackBerry Limited (formerly known as Research In Motion, or RIM) from 1999 to 2016, after which it was licensed to various companies. Specializing in secure communications and mobile productivity, BlackBerry was once well known for the keyboards on most of its devices and software services that ran through its own servers. At its peak in September 2011, there were 85 million BlackBerry subscribers worldwide. However, BlackBerry lost its dominant position in the market due to the success of the Android and iOS platforms; its numbers had fallen to 23 million in March 2016, a decline of almost three-quarters. On September 28, 2016, BlackBerry Limited announced it would cease designing its own BlackBerry devices in favor of licensing to partners to design, manufacture, and market. The original licensors were BB Merah Putih for the Indonesian market, Optiemus Infracom for the South Asian market, and BlackBerry Mobile (a trade name of TCL Technology) for all other markets. Historically, BlackBerry devices used a proprietary operating system—known as BlackBerry OS—developed by BlackBerry Limited. In 2013, BlackBerry introduced BlackBerry 10, a major revamp of the platform based on the QNX operating system. BlackBerry 10 was meant to replace the aging BlackBerry OS platform with a new system that was more in line with the user experiences of Android and iOS platforms. In 2015, BlackBerry began releasing Android-based smartphones, beginning with the BlackBerry Priv. BlackBerry, a comedy-drama film about the rise and fall of BlackBerry, was released in 2023. (Full article...)

General images

The following are images from various telecommunication-related articles on Wikipedia.

• Image 1Historical marker commemorating the first telephone central office in New York State (1878) (from History of the telephone)
  Historical marker commemorating the first telephone central office in New York State (1878) (from History of the telephone)
• Image 2The Australian Broadcasting Corporation logo, first introduced in 1975 and based on the Lissajous curve (from History of broadcasting)
  The Australian Broadcasting Corporation logo, first introduced in 1975 and based on the Lissajous curve (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 3An exposed view of the Picturephone's rear circuit board (courtesy: Richard Diehl) (from History of videotelephony)
  An exposed view of the Picturephone's rear circuit board (courtesy: Richard Diehl) (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 4The Marconi Company was formed in England in 1910. The photo shows a typical early scene, from 1906, with Marconi employee Donald Manson at right. (from History of broadcasting)
  The Marconi Company was formed in England in 1910. The photo shows a typical early scene, from 1906, with Marconi employee Donald Manson at right. (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 5Around 1920, radio broadcasting started to get popular. The Brox Sisters, a popular singing group, gathered around the radio at the time. (from History of radio)
  Around 1920, radio broadcasting started to get popular. The Brox Sisters, a popular singing group, gathered around the radio at the time. (from History of radio)
• Image 6The first mass-produced Czechoslovak TV-set Tesla 4001A (1953–57) (from History of television)
  The first mass-produced Czechoslovak TV-set Tesla 4001A (1953–57) (from History of television)
• Image 7Oliver Lodge's 1894 lectures on Hertz demonstrated how to transmit and detect radio waves. (from History of radio)
  Oliver Lodge's 1894 lectures on Hertz demonstrated how to transmit and detect radio waves. (from History of radio)
• Image 8Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone which produced a strong telephone signal. (from History of the telephone)
  Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone which produced a strong telephone signal. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 9Reginald Fessenden (around 1906) (from History of radio)
  Reginald Fessenden (around 1906) (from History of radio)
• Image 10The master telephone patent, 174465, granted to Bell, March 7, 1876 (from History of telecommunication)
  The master telephone patent, 174465, granted to Bell, March 7, 1876 (from History of telecommunication)
• Image 11Early experiment demonstrating refraction of microwaves by a paraffin lens by John Ambrose Fleming in 1897 (from History of radio)
  Early experiment demonstrating refraction of microwaves by a paraffin lens by John Ambrose Fleming in 1897 (from History of radio)
• Image 12The Kyocera VP-210 Visual Phone was the first commercial mobile videophone. The Personal Handy-phone System (PHS) phone was introduced in Japan (1999). (from History of videotelephony)
  The Kyocera VP-210 Visual Phone was the first commercial mobile videophone. The Personal Handy-phone System (PHS) phone was introduced in Japan (1999). (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 13Swedish Prime Minister Tage Erlander using an Ericsson videophone to speak with Lennart Hyland, a popular TV show host (1969) (from History of videotelephony)
  Swedish Prime Minister Tage Erlander using an Ericsson videophone to speak with Lennart Hyland, a popular TV show host (1969) (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 14Donald Manson working as an employee of the Marconi Company (England, 1906) (from History of radio)
  Donald Manson working as an employee of the Marconi Company (England, 1906) (from History of radio)
• Image 15Family watching TV, 1958 (from History of television)
  Family watching TV, 1958 (from History of television)
• Image 16Manfred von Ardenne in 1933 (from History of television)
  Manfred von Ardenne in 1933 (from History of television)
• Image 171917 wall telephone, open to show magneto and local battery (from History of the telephone)
  1917 wall telephone, open to show magneto and local battery (from History of the telephone)
• Image 18The French Matra videophone (1970) (from History of videotelephony)
  The French Matra videophone (1970) (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 19Ad for the beginning of experimental television broadcasting in New York City by RCA in 1939 (from History of television)
  Ad for the beginning of experimental television broadcasting in New York City by RCA in 1939 (from History of television)
• Image 20Philipp Reis, 1861, constructed the first telephone, today called the Reis telephone. (from History of the telephone)
  Philipp Reis, 1861, constructed the first telephone, today called the Reis telephone. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 21Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1856–1894) proved the existence of electromagnetic radiation. (from History of radio)
  Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1856–1894) proved the existence of electromagnetic radiation. (from History of radio)
• Image 22Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
  Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 23The first commercial AM Audion vacuum tube radio transmitter, built in 1914 by Lee De Forest who invented the Audion (triode) in 1906 (from History of radio)
  The first commercial AM Audion vacuum tube radio transmitter, built in 1914 by Lee De Forest who invented the Audion (triode) in 1906 (from History of radio)
• Image 24Artist's conception: 21st-century videotelephony imagined in the early 20th century (1910) (from History of videotelephony)
  Artist's conception: 21st-century videotelephony imagined in the early 20th century (1910) (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 25Guglielmo Marconi (from History of broadcasting)
  Guglielmo Marconi (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 26Ferdinand Braun (from History of television)
  Ferdinand Braun (from History of television)
• Image 27 Bell prototype telephone stamp Centennial Issue of 1976 (from History of the telephone)
  Bell prototype telephone stamp
  Centennial Issue of 1976

  (from History of the telephone)
• Image 28Right side view, housing removed, one of its printed circuit boards exposed (courtesy: Richard Diehl) (from History of videotelephony)
  Right side view, housing removed, one of its printed circuit boards exposed (courtesy: Richard Diehl) (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 29Color bars used in a test pattern, sometimes used when no program material is available (from History of television)
  Color bars used in a test pattern, sometimes used when no program material is available (from History of television)
• Image 30A German rotary dial telephone, the W48 (from History of the telephone)
  A German rotary dial telephone, the W48 (from History of the telephone)
• Image 31Baird in 1925 with his televisor equipment and dummies "James" and "Stooky Bill" (right) (from History of television)
  Baird in 1925 with his televisor equipment and dummies "James" and "Stooky Bill" (right) (from History of television)
• Image 32Typical low-cost webcam used with many personal computers (from History of videotelephony)
  Typical low-cost webcam used with many personal computers (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 33Stock telegraph ticker machine by Thomas Edison (from History of telecommunication)
  Stock telegraph ticker machine by Thomas Edison (from History of telecommunication)
• Image 34An early Smart TV from 2012 running the discontinued Orsay platform (from History of television)
  An early Smart TV from 2012 running the discontinued Orsay platform (from History of television)
• Image 35Apple iPhone smartphone (from History of the telephone)
  Apple iPhone smartphone (from History of the telephone)
• Image 36Philo Farnsworth in 1924 (from History of television)
  Philo Farnsworth in 1924 (from History of television)
• Image 37Reis's telephone around 1861, first device called telephone (from History of the telephone)
  Reis's telephone around 1861, first device called telephone (from History of the telephone)
• Image 38Caricature of Sir John Reith, by Wooding (from History of broadcasting)
  Caricature of Sir John Reith, by Wooding (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 39Ferdinand Braun (from History of broadcasting)
  Ferdinand Braun (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 40British Post Office engineers inspect Guglielmo Marconi's wireless telegraphy (radio) equipment in 1897. (from History of radio)
  British Post Office engineers inspect Guglielmo Marconi's wireless telegraphy (radio) equipment in 1897. (from History of radio)
• Image 41AT&T Picturephone (Mod II) fully enclosed in its housing, control pad at bottom (courtesy: Richard Diehl) (from History of videotelephony)
  AT&T Picturephone (Mod II) fully enclosed in its housing, control pad at bottom (courtesy: Richard Diehl) (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 42Reginald Fessenden, the "father" of radio broadcasting in the US (from History of broadcasting)
  Reginald Fessenden, the "father" of radio broadcasting in the US (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 43Charles Logwood broadcasting at station 2XG, New York City, circa November, 1916 (from History of broadcasting)
  Charles Logwood broadcasting at station 2XG, New York City, circa November, 1916 (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 44AT&T magazine advertisement announcing commercial launch of Picturephone service. (from History of videotelephony)
  AT&T magazine advertisement announcing commercial launch of Picturephone service. (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 45Lee DeForest broadcasting Columbia phonograph records on pioneering New York station 2XG, in 1916 (from History of broadcasting)
  Lee DeForest broadcasting Columbia phonograph records on pioneering New York station 2XG, in 1916 (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 46The Nipkow disk. This schematic shows the circular paths traced by the holes, which may also be square for greater precision. The area of the disk outlined in black shows the region scanned. (from History of television)
  The Nipkow disk. This schematic shows the circular paths traced by the holes, which may also be square for greater precision. The area of the disk outlined in black shows the region scanned. (from History of television)
• Image 47The "Kerbango Internet Radio" was the first stand-alone product that let users listen to Internet radio without a computer. (from History of broadcasting)
  The "Kerbango Internet Radio" was the first stand-alone product that let users listen to Internet radio without a computer. (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 48DBS satellite dishes (from History of television)
  DBS satellite dishes (from History of television)
• Image 49Antonio Meucci, 1854, constructed telephone-like devices. (from History of the telephone)
  Antonio Meucci, 1854, constructed telephone-like devices. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 50The Regency TR-1, which used Texas Instruments' NPN transistors, was the world's first commercially produced transistor radio in 1954. Size: 3×5×1.25 inch (7.6×12.7×3.2 cm) (from History of radio)
  The Regency TR-1, which used Texas Instruments' NPN transistors, was the world's first commercially produced transistor radio in 1954. Size: 3×5×1.25 inch (7.6×12.7×3.2 cm) (from History of radio)
• Image 51Top of cellular telephone tower (from History of the telephone)
  Top of cellular telephone tower (from History of the telephone)
• Image 52The Philco Predicta, 1958. In the collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (from History of television)
  The Philco Predicta, 1958. In the collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (from History of television)
• Image 53Elisha Gray, 1876, designed a telephone using a water microphone in Highland Park, Illinois. (from History of the telephone)
  Elisha Gray, 1876, designed a telephone using a water microphone in Highland Park, Illinois. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 54A replica of one of Claude Chappe's semaphore towers (optical telegraph) in Nalbach, Germany (from History of telecommunication)
  A replica of one of Claude Chappe's semaphore towers (optical telegraph) in Nalbach, Germany (from History of telecommunication)
• Image 55Australian radio sets usually had the positions of radio stations marked on their dials. The illustration is a dial from a transistorised, mains-operated Calstan radio, circa 1960s. (Click image for a high resolution view, with readable callsigns.) (from History of broadcasting)
  Australian radio sets usually had the positions of radio stations marked on their dials. The illustration is a dial from a transistorised, mains-operated Calstan radio, circa 1960s. (Click image for a high resolution view, with readable callsigns.) (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 56Code of letters and symbols for Chappe telegraph (Rees's Cyclopaedia) (from History of telecommunication)
  Code of letters and symbols for Chappe telegraph (Rees's Cyclopaedia) (from History of telecommunication)
• Image 57Early pioneers of radio science and technology in the United States including Charles Steinmetz, David Sarnoff, Irving Langmuir and Alfred Goldsmith in 1921, photographed next to the antenna feed wires of the New Brunswick Marconi Station, one of the first transatlantic radio links. Photo includes Albert Einstein as a visiting guest. (from History of radio)
  Early pioneers of radio science and technology in the United States including Charles Steinmetz, David Sarnoff, Irving Langmuir and Alfred Goldsmith in 1921, photographed next to the antenna feed wires of the New Brunswick Marconi Station, one of the first transatlantic radio links. Photo includes Albert Einstein as a visiting guest. (from History of radio)
• Image 58Emil Voigt, founder of 2KY on behalf of the Labor Council of New South Wales. This photo was taken in earlier days when Voight was a prominent British athlete, and winner of the Gold Medal for the five mile race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. (from History of broadcasting)
  Emil Voigt, founder of 2KY on behalf of the Labor Council of New South Wales. This photo was taken in earlier days when Voight was a prominent British athlete, and winner of the Gold Medal for the five mile race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 59Antonio Meucci's telephone. (from History of the telephone)
  Antonio Meucci's telephone. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 60Old Receiver schematic, c.1906 (from History of the telephone)
  Old Receiver schematic, c.1906 (from History of the telephone)
• Image 61RCA 630-TS, the first mass-produced television set, which sold in 1946–1947 (from History of television)
  RCA 630-TS, the first mass-produced television set, which sold in 1946–1947 (from History of television)
• Image 62Tivadar Puskás proposed the telephone switchboard exchange in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
  Tivadar Puskás proposed the telephone switchboard exchange in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 63"Doc" Herrold is shown at the microphone of KQW, early 1920s. (from History of broadcasting)
  "Doc" Herrold is shown at the microphone of KQW, early 1920s. (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 64The master telephone patent granted to Bell, 174465, March 10, 1876 (from History of the telephone)
  The master telephone patent granted to Bell, 174465, March 10, 1876 (from History of the telephone)
• Image 651896 Telephone (Sweden) (from History of the telephone)
  1896 Telephone (Sweden) (from History of the telephone)
• Image 66Broadcasting pioneer Frank Conrad in a 1921 portrait (from History of broadcasting)
  Broadcasting pioneer Frank Conrad in a 1921 portrait (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 67Naomi ("Joan") Melwit and Norman Banks at the 3KZ microphone, in the late 1930s (from History of broadcasting)
  Naomi ("Joan") Melwit and Norman Banks at the 3KZ microphone, in the late 1930s (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 68First television test broadcast transmitted by the NHK Broadcasting Technology Research Institute in May 1939 (from History of television)
  First television test broadcast transmitted by the NHK Broadcasting Technology Research Institute in May 1939 (from History of television)
• Image 69The 1969 AT&T Mod II Picturephone, the result of decades long R&D at a cost of over $500M. (from History of telecommunication)
  The 1969 AT&T Mod II Picturephone, the result of decades long R&D at a cost of over $500M. (from History of telecommunication)
• Image 70In the 1920s, the United States government publication, "Construction and Operation of a Simple Homemade Radio Receiving Outfit", showed how almost any person handy with simple tools could a build an effective crystal radio receiver. (from History of radio)
  In the 1920s, the United States government publication, "Construction and Operation of a Simple Homemade Radio Receiving Outfit", showed how almost any person handy with simple tools could a build an effective crystal radio receiver. (from History of radio)
• Image 71Private conversation, 1910 (from History of the telephone)
  Private conversation, 1910 (from History of the telephone)
• Image 72The British Broadcasting Corporation's landmark and iconic London headquarters, Broadcasting House, opened in 1932. At right is the 2005 eastern extension, the John Peel wing. (from History of broadcasting)
  The British Broadcasting Corporation's landmark and iconic London headquarters, Broadcasting House, opened in 1932. At right is the 2005 eastern extension, the John Peel wing. (from History of broadcasting)
• Image 73Actor portraying Alexander Graham Bell in a 1932 silent film. Shows Bell's second telephone transmitter (microphone), invented 1876 and first displayed at the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia. (from History of the telephone)
  Actor portraying Alexander Graham Bell in a 1932 silent film. Shows Bell's second telephone transmitter (microphone), invented 1876 and first displayed at the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia. (from History of the telephone)
• Image 74"Fiction becomes fact": Imaginary "Edison" combination videophone-television, conceptualized by George du Maurier and published in Punch magazine. The drawing also depicts then-contemporary speaking tubes, used by the parents in the foreground and their daughter on the viewing display (1878). (from History of videotelephony)
  "Fiction becomes fact": Imaginary "Edison" combination videophone-television, conceptualized by George du Maurier and published in Punch magazine. The drawing also depicts then-contemporary speaking tubes, used by the parents in the foreground and their daughter on the viewing display (1878). (from History of videotelephony)
• Image 75A French Gower telephone of 1912 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (from History of the telephone)
  A French Gower telephone of 1912 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (from History of the telephone)
• Image 76A 19th century acoustic tin can or "lovers' telephone" (from History of the telephone)
  A 19th century acoustic tin can or "lovers' telephone" (from History of the telephone)
• Image 77WNBT (later WNBC) schedule for first week of commercial TV programming in the United States, July 1941 (from History of television)
  WNBT (later WNBC) schedule for first week of commercial TV programming in the United States, July 1941 (from History of television)

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Selected biography -

File:Thomas Edison2.jpg

Edison c. 1922

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory. Edison was raised in the American Midwest. Early in his career he worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. In 1876, he established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed. He later established a botanical laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida, in collaboration with businessmen Henry Ford and Harvey S. Firestone, and a laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, that featured the world's first film studio, the Black Maria. With 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries, Edison is regarded as the most prolific inventor in American history. Edison married twice and fathered six children. He died in 1931 due to complications from diabetes. (Full article...)

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