Happy New Year!

Welcome back.
Now is the time to register to reserve your spot for training in the winter season.

BOOT CAMP
Live Online February 6-10
In-Person Washington DC March 6-10
In-Person Santa Clara California April 3-7

Relatively new to telecom? Frustrated with all the jargon and buzzwords? Grab this opportunity to get the training you need!

Join thousands of satisfied non-engineering professionals! Bust the buzzwords, demystify the jargon and understand today’s converged broadband IP telecommunications, the technologies and services, the underlying ideas, and how it all fits together.

Stay focused, engaged and learn with a professional instructor.

Eliminate lack-of-knowledge embarrassment and frustration. Be more confident with a solid base of telecommunications knowledge you can build on, from fundamentals to IoT and everything between.

LIVE ONLINE February 6-10
Read the evaluations from a recent classJoin us!

IN-PERSON March 6-10 in Washington DC
IN-PERSON April 3-7 in Santa Clara CA

Restarting public seminars after the pandemic has been kind of like starting a small engine: a few pulls that didn’t work, then ignition, followed by one more pull before it starts.

After several tries, the August in-person BOOT CAMP in Washington DC was so popular, it sold out and we had to close registrations!

Then, November in DC: bupkes. Go figure.

Now, the March in-person BOOT CAMP in DC is beginning to fill up and already has enough registrations to run.

And, finally, after three years, Silicon Valley.
We’re back to a great facility in Santa Clara April 3-7.
Reserve your hotel room early. I’ve got mine!

Five Days or Three?

Specifically designed for non-engineers, Teracom’s renowned telecommunications training is organized into two courses back-to-back to make a full week called BOOT CAMP:

Some people, needing a comprehensive base in telecom, attend only the core training Course 101 the first three days, and get the included CTNS Certification.

Others, who already have a base, attend only the last two days Course 130, for VoIP, the Security module, 5G and IoT with examples like Smart Cities, and get the included CVA Certification.

Most people attend all five days, designated as Course 111 BOOT CAMP, to get the most comprehensive and highest quality telecommunications training available, at a discounted price, with three TCO Certifications included: CTNS, CVA and the prestigious TCO CTA Certification.

Full BOOT CAMP details

Register for BOOT CAMP

Printable BOOT CAMP brochure with detailed outline

This is an easy sell with management.  Your increase in productivity and accuracy will over time far outweigh the cost of a week’s training.  Plus, you get bonus online courses and certification, and high quality printed course books.
Cut-and-paste training request template to submit for approval

Tutorial: Voice Digitization (1)

Last month’s Google Analytics report said a top-three trending page on the teracomtraining.com site was the tutorial on voice digitization.

The material in that tutorial, graphics and text, was created in 1999 for a course workbook. But the fundamentals rarely change, and it is just as relevant and accurate today as it was then. Who are we to argue? Here it is again:

– – –

We look in detail at the voice digitization process to derive the data rate – number of bits per second – required to communicate a digitized voice signal, and understand the steps involved. Once the voice – half of a phone call – is digitized, it can be segmented and carried in IP packets along with everything else in the modern broadband converged IP telecommunications network.

There are three steps in voice digitization: quantization, sampling and coding.

Quantization: Change from continuous in value to discrete in value

Sampling: Change from continuous in time to discrete in time

Coding: Code value of sample into standard-format 1s and 0s

Voice Digitization (1)

Voice Digitization: Quantization, Sampling and Coding

continuous signal is one that exists at all values.  Pick any two values, and there can always be a value between them… like the voltage on copper wires representing your voice when making a phone call.  

discrete signal is one that is defined only at specific values, and is not defined between… like the number of people in a room.

Quantization is the process of changing from a signal that is continuous in value to a signal that is discrete in value. This is accomplished by dividing the possible range of values into a number of bins or levels or steps, and assigning a number to each of these levels.

Later, when asked what the value of the signal is, we say that the signal is “in level #4” rather than quoting its voltage accurate to some number of decimal places.  

Another example of quantization is sugar cubes. Instead of putting some random fractional value of a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee, your choices are “one lump or two”. The sugar has been quantized into uniform increments.

Many hardware chips implement 16-bit quantization, meaning 65,536 levels. These are consolidated into a smaller number of levels by software during the coding step below.

Sampling is the process of changing the signal from being continuous in time to one that is discrete in time: on a regular basis, we measure the value of the signal and record it. The value of the signal is recorded as the quantization bin number it was in.

How often do we need to sample the signal? A mathematician by the name of Nyquist proved that the signal has to be sampled more than twice as often as the frequency bandwidth of the signal to be able to reproduce it. This is called the Nyquist Rule.

The final step is coding. The value of the signal taken at each sample (the level number) must be coded into 1s and 0s so that it can be efficiently transmitted or stored in a computer.  

We are interested in using standard coding methods like G.711 for landlines or the AMR codec used for cellular, so that any device or software app can decode the value at the far end.  Skype uses a proprietary coding method, meaning that only the Skype app can be used to decode the values at the far end; whatsapp, for example, is not compatible.

The codes representing the value of the samples are then transmitted to the far end.

At the far end, the reverse process is performed: re-creating the analog waveform from the received codes by de-coding the level number, generating a voltage with a value equal to that of the center of the level, and smoothly changing the voltage in this manner as each new code comes down the line.

The objective of doing all of this is to move the analog voice signal from the near end microphone to the far end speaker, without adding in any noise.

Bonus: the digitized voice can be carried in IP packets interspersed with video, data and Internet traffic, on the modern broadband converged IP network.

There is in fact a small amount of noise added in, up front, as part of the analog-to-digital conversion. This is the quantization error, the difference in value between the center of the level, and where the signal actually was.

How do we make the quantization error smaller on average? Make the levels finer. How many levels does the telephone company use? Enough so that a human can’t hear the quantization error noise on the line. Read the exciting conclusion in

NEXT TUTORIAL:  Voice Digitization 2

ALL TUTORIALS

Telecom 101 Solstice Sale $99

Order Now. Use Coupon 1346 to get the softcover for $99. (Regular price $179.)

Packed with information, authoritative, up to date, covering all major topics – and written in plain English – Telecom 101 is an invaluable textbook and day-to-day reference on telecommunications for non-engineers.

This is the best comprehensive book on telecommunications available anywhere: based on the course materials for Teracom’s famous instructor-led Course 101 Broadband, Telecom, Datacom and Networking for Non-Engineers, the selection of content, its order, timing and pacing have been tuned, refined and constantly updated over years to effectively define and deliver the core set of technical knowledge needed by anyone serious in the telecom business today.

Telecom 101 Sixth Edition is right up to date with discussion of aircraft interfering with 5G in the C-band.

Telecom 101 covers the technologies, the players, the products and services, jargon and buzzwords, and most importantly, the underlying ideas… and how it all fits together.

In one book, you get consistency, completeness and unbeatable value: a wealth of clear, concise, organized knowledge, impossible to find in one place anywhere else!

Reviewing the Telecom 101 Table of Contents, you’ll find that many chapters are like self-contained reference books on specific topics; get all of these topics bound in one volume for one low price.

Compare this to hunting down and paying for multiple books by different authors that may or may not cover what you need to know- and you’ll agree this is a very attractive deal.

Telecom 101 is an economical and convenient way to self-study… these are the materials to an instructor-led course that costs $1895 to attend.

Written by our top instructor, Eric Coll, M.Eng., Telecom 101 contains decades of knowledge and learning distilled and organized into an invaluable study guide and practical day-to-day reference for non-engineers: career- and productivity-enhancing training… an investment in life-long knowledge that will be repaid many times over.

Order softcover now
Use coupon 1346 for the Solstice Sale price of $99
Plus 7.95 shipping to US lower 48 States and Canadian provinces
Sale ends after the big party that caps off the week of solstice feasting (Jan 2)

Hardcover Telecom 101 is also on sale

eBook: available on AmazonGoogle and Apple

Join thousands of satisfied customers. Get your copy today!

Boot Camp Santa Clara, California

Have you been waiting for an In-Person Telecommunications course on the west coast?
Your wait is over!

Telecom Boot Camp – Apr 3-7 2023 Santa Clara, California.

Course 101 Apr 3-5 2023
Course 130 Apr 6-7 2023
Which should you take?

Registration is now open.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Boot Camp 2023

Plan your training for the new year now!

BOOT CAMP Live Online – Feb 6-10 2023
BOOT CAMP In-Person Washington DC – March 6-10 2023

BOOT CAMP Live Online, also called a virtual telecom course, has been so well received, what we thought was a temporary solution for the pandemic is scheduled on an ongoing basis.

Advantages which are budget-friendly and appreciated by management like:
Significant cost savings
High-quality color course books shipped directly to students
Get dispersed team members up to a common speed
Well-suited to work from home
No travel costs
Online courses and certifications included

Boot Camp In-Person
Time for a change of scenery and career-enhancing training!
Live, in-person, in-classroom training is the gold standard in training: the best you can get.
Attendees often network, and go out to lunch together.
Stretch your legs in the evening with a stroll along the reflecting pool, or checking out the scene of the crimes at the Capitol!

Next Boot Camp Courses

BOOT CAMP In-Person
Washington DC January 23-27 2023

Time for a change of scenery and career-enhancing training!  

Live, in-person, in-classroom training is the gold standard in training: the best you can get.

Attendees often network, and go out to lunch together.

Stretch your legs in the evening with a stroll along the reflecting pool, or checking out the scene of the crimes at the Capitol!

Here’s a copy-and-paste training request letter.

BOOT CAMP Live Online
December 5-9 2022

BOOT CAMP Live Online, also called a virtual telecom course, has been so well received, what we thought was a temporary solution for the pandemic is scheduled on an ongoing basis.

Advantages like:

  • Significant cost savings
  • High-quality color course books shipped directly to students
  • Get dispersed team members up to a common speed
  • Well-suited to work from home
  • No travel costs
  • Online courses and certifications included

are budget-friendly and appreciated by management.


Here is a cut-and-paste training request form to send to your boss!

Next Boot Camp In-Person

Boot Camp In-Person
Washington, DC Oct 24-28, 2022

The August Boot Camp In-Person class was full.

Reserve your spot for October now and don’t miss out on the opportunity to be face-to-face with your instructor.

The best telecommunications training you can get: ask questions and interact.

From the fundamentals to latest technologies, Boot Camp is specifically designed for non-engineers.

“Awesome course, really. Just very, very good.” – Tim Wilson, Ciena

Read more testimonies.

Next BOOT CAMP Live Online September 26-30

  ✓ Guaranteed to Run

BOOT CAMP Live Online has been so well received, what we thought was a temporary solution for the pandemic is scheduled on an ongoing basis.

Advantages like:

  • Significant cost savings
  • High-quality color course books shipped directly to students
  • Get dispersed team members up to a common speed
  • Well-suited to work from home
  • No travel costs

Online courses and certifications included are budget-friendly and appreciated by management.
Here is a cut-and-paste training request form to send to your boss!

Tutorial: Network Core Nodes

Section 10.6.4 of Telecom 101: Sixth Edition 2022

A carrier’s network core, colloquially referred to as their backbone, provides high-capacity, high-availability connections, notionally between cities.

The connections can be between Central Offices, wire centers, toll centers, other switching centers, CATV head ends, Mobile Telephone Switching Offices, Internet Exchanges and/or data centers.

Fiber optics is used as the basis of the connections since it can support very high numbers of bits per second. Lower-speed (and lower-cost) circuits are used to provide access to this core to users.

FIGURE 121 NETWORK CORE NODE

At the end of each fiber that makes up the network core is a router. The router is sometimes called a network node, after the French word for knot. In some cases, the entire building housing this router is called a node.

A knot, because in addition to connecting core fibers to other cities, the many local access fibers to buildings, neighborhoods, cell sites and everything else are also connected to the core at this node.

Figure 121 provides a closer look at the architecture of a core network node.

DWDM (Section 10.4) is used on core fibers to increase the capacity connecting routers in different cities to bit rates measured in the Terabits per second.

A gateway router is placed as a point of traffic control between access circuits on the right and the core router on the left. This gateway router also implements MPLS (Chapter 17), which is used to manage capacity on the network circuits.

Terminating a physical fiber means plugging it into an Optical Ethernet SFP transceiver inserted in a hardware port in a rack-mount device.

Routers are built with a relatively small number of hardware ports between which they can relay packets at line speed. Some of these ports would terminate core fibers, and others terminate connections to aggregation devices for access fibers via that node’s gateway router as illustrated in Figure 121.

Layer 2 switches (Section 15.4) with up to hundreds of Optical Ethernet hardware ports each are used to terminate the access fibers, which can number in the thousands.

Layer 2 switches are also data concentration or aggregation devices, interspersing traffic from all of the access circuits into high-speed streams to feed to the router. Everything works in both directions at the same time.

Layer 2 switches also implement VLANs (Section 15.5), a critical tool for segregating different users on the same access fibers in cooperation with additional Layer 2 switches connected downstream, as described in the next section.

– – –

This is one small piece of Telecom 101.

Join thousands of satisfied customers, and get the entire book today!

TCO CTNS Study Guide On Sale $69

CTNS Study Guide 2nd Edition is now available in hardcover, softcover and eBook Editions!
Softcover Edition On Sale for $69. Save $20.

The CTNS Study Guide is an ideal companion to CTNS online courses and day-to-day reference. 406 pages, printed in color, professionally bound.

Grab your print copy today at a very reasonable price.

On sale until Jun 30, 2022 or while quantities last.

Purchase T4210 CTNS Study Guide Softcover and apply coupon 1343.