First of all, my day job is with a telecommunications company. Although I work in a clerical position, some elements of telecommunications are quite familiar to me. There for, some of the material in this book was just a refresher. But it was a much-needed refresher course.

This book is broken down into three parts. The first part covers the fundamentals of telecommunications. The second part is called Industry Overview and covers the various elements of the current telecommunications industry. And the third part of the book deals with the Internet, Wireless Communication and advanced technologies.

Right out of the starting block, Ms. Dodd tells us all about analog and digital telephone signals. Learn about how the signal gets lost over a distance with analog and what digital does to improve loss. You are taught the difference between bit and baud rates and why they are important in data transfer. What's the big deal about bandwidth? It's all covered in chapter 1.

The second chapter goes through things like PBX stations and Key systems. Learn what the terms ACD and CTI mean. You are taken through the various media types like twisted copper pair and fiber optics.

Chapter 3 goes through the breakup of AT&T and the divestiture of the Bell companies. Having been there when it happened, I think the description of the breakup is pretty accurate. The antitrust decisions of Judge Harold Green (not related to Mean Joe Green, but could have been) had a great bearing on the telephone competition that is now in place.

Chapter 4 covers the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and what it does for local competition. Chapter 5 is all about the Public Network. Learn about dedicated services and private lines. Central office are covered, both End and Tandem Central Offices

Chapter 6 deals with T1,T3 and ISDN lines. Lean about DSL (just now being offered in my city), and what it does for data transfer speed. There is a section on Frame Relay and another on Asynchronous Transfer Mode. Chapter 7 takes you through modems and other access devices.

Other chapters include The Internet, Convergence and Wireless Services.

This book covers all of the elements of today's telecommunications. Whether you're a novice or an old hand at understanding telephony, this book is a great reference. As a matter of fact, I showed this book to a co-worker and we both agreed that it should be required reading for all telecommunications workers.

You can find The Essential Guide To Telecommunications at your local bookstore. Barnes and Noble has the book listed in their Business Basics review newsletter. The list price for the book is $ 34. 95.

For more books from Prentice Hall, check out their web site at www.phptr.com.