- Telephone systems are essential for various methods of modern telecommunication and data transmission. All phone calls are routed through phone systems, whether they're traditional systems or hybrid systems (such as cell-phone systems or Internet-based VoIP systems). Such phone communications would not be possible without the installation and maintenance of phone systems. Phone systems are also significant because they're used not just for voice transmission, but also for data transmission. For example, both faxes and the Internet use phone systems to carry data. Without phone systems, the entire era of modern telecommunication and the Internet would not be possible.
- Landline telephone systems consist of a network of insulated, hardwired telephone lines that are capable of carrying audio and communication data (e.g., Internet data). On the consumer's end is the physical phone equipment. Outgoing data is input into the phone equipment's transmitter through an audio receiver (for voiced phone calls) or through a modification device (such as a modem for Internet data). The outgoing data is converted into a series of electronic pulses and sent to a central telephone exchange through the telephone lines. The exchange then re-routes the data appropriately. For example, if it is a voiced phone call, the exchange interprets the pulses to determine the telephone number the data is intended for. The exchange then sends a signal through the phone system to the phone on the other end. If the phone is available, the exchange sends an incoming signal (commonly interpreted as a telephone ring) to signal the consumer on the other end to pick up the phone. The incoming data is then converted back into voiced data and transmitted through an audio speaker. Thus, the telephone exchange acts as the system's intermediary. When one telephone is hung up, the phone sends an electronic signal to the exchange to tell it to disconnect the call.
- The history of telephone systems is convoluted. The actual date of the telephone's invention, and the name of its inventor, have yet to be agreed upon by historians and technology experts. Several individuals created prototypes of the modern telephone and telephone system around the same time. Many of these inventors even sued each other to prove which of them was the original inventor. Regardless, the first models of working telephones were created in the 1800s using analog telephone systems. In the late 1990s, telephone systems were used for new purposes (e.g., faxes and the Internet). In the early 2000s, new versions of phone systems became more mainstream, including Internet-based phone system technology.
- Most telephone systems used in the Western world are based on analog technology. However, the advent of the Internet has created new innovations in telephone systems. One of the Internet-based phone technologies to have the biggest impact on telephone systems is Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) technology. VoIP telephone systems have gained considerable traction among home and business consumers who are attracted to its customizable features and relatively lower cost. A VoIP telephone system uses specialized Internet phones and a high-speed Internet connection. It works somewhat like an analog phone. Instead of being sent through a telephone line, the data is converted into computer data packets and sent over the Internet. Thus, costs are generally lower, because there are none of the long-distance fees traditionally associated with analog phone systems.
- According to the International Telecommunication Union, the number of consumers who use phone systems for various telecommunication purposes continues to grow yearly. There are over 4 billion users of analog and cell phone systems. Over 30 percent of these users still use traditional, hardwired phone systems. Many of the largest phone systems are based in Western, developed countries like the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. However, phone systems are growing in popularity in other countries. For example, more than 110 million people use phone systems in India. Meanwhile, Latin America and Asia account for more than half of the world's cell-phone-system users.
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