TCC: Telecommunications infrastructure and administration

 

This online course introduces the underlying physical infrastructure of a telecommunications system and the commercial, standardisation and regulatory aspects of telecoms provision.

 

Target audience:

This course is designed for managers who require an appreciation of those aspects of telecommunications provision that are unique to the sector. The course is especially suitable for those joining the telecoms industry.

 

Course prerequisites:

This course does not assume any prior knowledge of telecommunications.

 

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

• describe and compare the roles and structure of telecommunications networks with reference to their resilience to faults and the transmission media employed.
• describe the measures taken to maximise the capacity and coverage area of a mobile system’s radio access network.
• describe how all or part of the infrastructure of a mobile network can be shared by operators to reduce costs. 
• describe the structure and role of the physical elements of a PSTN local access network with reference to the benefits of employing optical fibre.
• describe how the infrastructure of an access network can be shared by different operators.
• describe the need for technical standards and the roles of, and relationships between, the various standards bodies. 
• describe the regulation and licensing of telecoms services, including legal aspects such as wayleaves and code powers, the role of national regulators, and lawful interception legislation.
• describe the interconnection of networks with reference to topics such as roaming, peering arrangements, and interconnection agreements between operators. 
• describe the role and facilities typically provided by clearing houses, roaming hubs and IP exchanges for mobile operators.  
• discuss financial considerations such as billing, accounting rates, and call termination charges.
• explain the term “net neutrality” and describe how regulators view issues relating to traffic discrimination on the Internet.

 

Delivery platform requirements:
Computer study:

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.

Tablet study:
This course is designed for study on a tablet through the learntelecoms App which is available for Apple® iPad® and for Android™.
Minimum requirements:
learntelecoms App for Android: 7in tablet or larger with ARMv7 processor running Android 2.3 or higher.
learntelecoms App for iPad running iOS 6.1 or higher.

 

Number of modules: 3 
Approximate study time: 4 hours 

Download and view the course specification in Adobe PDF format