E411: Advanced Networking Quiz

Telecommunications History

Telecommunications refers to the exchange of information over large distances using various mediums such as fiber, electromagnetic fields, light, and cable.

Historical Milestones

1667: Robert Hooke invented a string "telephone" that conveyed sounds over an extended wire by mechanical vibrations.
1753: Charles Morrison proposed using electricity to transmit messages using different wires for each letter, leading to the development of the telegraph by Samuel Morse.
1837: Samuel Morse developed and patented a recording electric telegraph, and his assistant Alfred Vail developed an instrument called the register for recording received messages.
1838: The first telegram in the United States was sent by Morse on January 11, 1838, across two miles of wire.
1844: Innocenzo Manzetti first proposed the idea of a "speaking telegraph" (telephone).
1854: Antonio Meucci demonstrated an electric voice-operated device in New York.
1861: Philipp Reis constructed the first speech transmitting telephone.
1871: Antonio Meucci filed a patent caveat for a device he named "Sound Telegaph".
1872: Elisha Gray established Western Electric Manufacturing Company and contested with A.G. Bell for the invention of the telephone.
1875:
- April 6: Alexander Graham Bell's U.S. Patent 161,739 "Transmitters and Receivers for Electric Telegraphs" was granted.
- July 1: Bell used a bi-directional "gallows" telephone that could transmit "voicelike sounds" but not clear speech.
1876:
- January 20: Bell signed and notarized his patent application for the telephone.
- February 11: Elisha Gray designed a liquid transmitter for use with a telephone.
- March 10: Bell transmitted the sentence "Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you!" using a liquid transmitter and an electromagnetic receiver.
1877:
- January 30: Bell's U.S. Patent No. 186,787 for the telephone was granted.
- April 27: Edison filed for a patent on a carbon (graphite) transmitter.
- November 3: Coy applied for and received a franchise from the Bell Telephone Company for New Haven and Middlesex Counties.
1878:
- January 15: District Telephone Company of New Haven was established, providing telephone service for a small area.
- February 21: The first telephone directory was published, listing 50 subscribers.
1915: The first U.S. coast-to-coast long distance telephone call was made, ceremonially inaugurated by A.G. Bell in New York City and his former assistant Thomas Augustus Watson in San Francisco, California.

Philippine Telecoms Milestones

1905: The Philippine Island Telephone & Telegraph Corporation was established with 500 telephone subscribers.
1919: The first wireless (radio) telephone service was established by the Bureau of Post in Mindoro, Palawan, Sulu, Jolo, and Zamboanga.
1928: The Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Company was established after a legislature ordered the merging of four different telephone companies operated by the Americans.
1972: Direct telephone service via satellite was established with the United Kingdom, France, and Singapore.
1989: Republic Act No. 6849 provided for the installation, operation, and maintenance of public telephones in each and every municipality in the Philippines.
1991: The first cellular mobile phone service was operational, called "Mobiline" under PLDT through Piltel, using analog cellular technology (1G).
1994: Islacom and Globe entered the cellular market using GSM (2G) technology.
1995: Republic Act No. 7925 promoted and governed the development of Philippine telecommunications and the delivery of public telecommunications services, opening the industry to more players.
2003: Sun Cellular entered commercially, offering cellular network services.
2016:
- Republic Act No. 10844 created the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), defining its powers and functions, and appropriating funds for other purposes.
- The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) was established.

Wired Technology Overview

Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) is the collective system of wired telephony, commonly known as "landline" network.
PSTN Dialing Mechanisms:
- Rotary or Mechanical Dial: an impulse sending device that breaks the circuit as many times as the number dialed, producing pulses of current and sending it over the subscriber's line to the exchange.
- Pulse-to-Tone Dialing (Touch-Tone Service Telephone): a push-button telephone that contains tone generating circuits, generating two frequencies to identify the key.