SRD: Telecoms networks and services

 

This course provides an overview of the role, structure and capabilities of modern telecommunications networks and the facilities of telecommunication services offered to residential and business customers. This course can be studied on its own or as part of the "PTT Level 3 Award in principles of telecommunications" study programme.

 

Target audience:

This course is designed for those who require an introduction to the fundamental technical concepts that underpin modern telecommunications. The course is suitable for those joining the industry in a technical role especially those in an apprenticeship.

 

Course prerequisites:

General secondary school education.

 

Course objectives:
By the end of this course you will be able to:

• describe the basic infrastructure and services provided by telecommunications networks.
• describe the role of the various telecoms standards and regulatory bodies. 
• describe the features, capabilities and components of copper and optical fibre based transmission links.
• describe the applications and capabilities of terrestrial radio links used in modern telecommunications networks.
• describe the applications and capabilities of geostationary and low earth orbit satellite systems.
• describe the capabilities, functional components and facilities of systems that provide fixed line national and international telephone services.
• describe the capabilities of the various generations of mobile communications systems in terms of the services and facilities they provide.  
• describe the technical and commercial issues relating to mobile service delivery.
• describe the philosophy behind the Internet, its infrastructure and basic operation, and the role of the various organisations that administer and operate the Internet.
• describe the capabilities of modern data services, the role of service level agreements and the different ways of accessing communications services. 
• describe the role, structure, components, and capabilities of a national transmission network. 
• describe the benefits of employing a next generation network and the role of its main components. 

 

Delivery platform requirements:
To access the course, a computer running a browser such as Internet Explorer 6+, Google Chrome, Firefox 2+ or Safari is required. The computer should have Internet access and be running Flash version 8 or above. A screen resolution of at least 1024x768 is necessary.

Number of modules: 9 
Approximate study time: 10 hours 

Download and view the course specification in Adobe PDF format