Applications of Telecommunication

Telecommunication allows people to send messages to each other, even if they live on different continents. To find out more about applications of telecommunication, read on...

Can you imagine life without a radio or a television? Telecommunication is transmission of text, still images, audio, video and data for the sake of communication. Electronic equipment such as radio and television help us transfer information to one another. Telecommunication allows people to interact over long distances. Telecommunication has played a significant role in people's lives since the 19th century. Some applications of telecommunication are telegraph, telephone, radio, television and Internet.

Telegraph

Telegraph was invented in 1844. Messages known as telegrams were sent through wires along railroad tracks. Telegraph was used to broadcast up-to-date news all over the country. The Associated Press, a news agency, was founded in 1848, to utilize the telegraph technology. Western Union became the first and foremost telegraph company. It formed a telegraph line joining the West Coast to the East Coast. Later, the International Telegraph Union was established to allow for interchange of messages. Then, the exchange of messages was made possible between North America and Europe. Telegraph was discontinued after World War II, and Western Union became a financial services company.

Telephone

The American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT& T) was formed in 1885. The company became a monopoly in providing telecommunication services to businesses and consumers. Other companies contested AT& T's dominance of the market. In 1982, there was a case against AT& T which was accused of unfair business practices. AT& T broke up and the 'Baby Bells' operating companies, were spinned off. Competitors now challenge AT& T in the telephone sector. Wiretapping a telephone to listen or record conversations is illegal. The incumbent company in the local telephone market has to allow smaller companies to use its network for a price. The incumbent company wanted to raise the price that smaller companies had to pay for such use. The incumbent company also had to integrate services such as long-distance, local and Internet for the smaller companies. On the other hand, the incumbent company had to pay up, when its customers made local calls to smaller companies' customers.

Radio

The radio was first used to improve the army's capability and strength. Afterward, businessmen realized that the radio offered a chance to make profits. They started to broadcast radio and generated income by selling advertisements. The government started to allot frequencies to radio stations. The government also restricted monopolies to ensure that there were a variety of programs, and forbade the broadcasting of indecent material.