Telecommunication Systems and Technologies

This theme-level writing aims at introducing the reader audience to the multi-faceted world of telecommunication systems and technologies, which will be addressed in depth by the specific contributions of the following topics provided by the different excellent contributors taking part to the theme. Our goal here is simply to offer a rapid and easy-to-read overview of what the telecommunication world include in terms of technical issues, technologies, management models, organizational aspects, and even visionary perspectives of evolution for the years to come. After a very rapid outline of the telecommunication history, the chapter concisely presents the main technical elements behind telecom acts, by identifying primary models, technologies, and solutions. In particular, we would like to point out how, among all the different technical and organizational evolutions/revolutions of the dynamic telecom world, two primary guidelines have clearly emerged: the success of wireless technologies (especially for last-meter connectivity) and the convergence between the telecom and the Internet infrastructures. These two telecom trends answer a more general tendency towards an envisioned world centered on communications, where possibly mobile users are willing to be immersed in a pervasive, ubiquitous, and always-connected environment fully supporting information/service sharing based on community belonging.