Schedule

This is preliminary list of topics I would like to cover this semester. Depending on the level of interest in the class in certain topics, some of the topics I have listed below may be elaborated on or replaced.

This schedule will evolve in other ways as well. I will be scheduling practitioners of Telecommunications Management to come in and address the class.

January 14

Introduction to the course

Introduction to the Web and Online Resources that will be used throughout the semester.

January 16

I will discuss prototypical voice and data communication applications from a managerial and technical perspective. I will present frameworks to help you characterize these applications in terms of the interactions between technology, task and people. The discussion will be broad ranging and provide an overview of the ground that will be covered this semester. Before coming to class, you should

• Skim Chapter 1 and 14 in the book by Keen

• Read any one of the reports in the document Reengineering through Information Technology

January 21

Prof. Marvin Sirbu will address the class on the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the implications that will have for the telecommunications industry.

Before coming to class

• Read the brief summary from the Benton Foundation about the impact that the act is likely to have.
• Skim the Overview of the Telecommunications Act of 1996

January 23

We will complete our overview discussion and review the Telecommunications Business Decision Sequence.

Case Discussion: Mini Case 1-2 in Keen. Reengineering work flows at Shearson Lehman.

Before coming to class:

• Read MiniCase 1-2 and be ready to discuss it. Give some thought to the operational and strategic choicess that must be made in deploying such technology. Characterize the technology using the frameworks discussed in class on Jan 16. Given the availability of new Internet-enabled technologies, would you do things differently?

• Skim Chapter 2 to get a brief review of technology fundamentals.

• Read Chapter 3.

To operationalize the ideas in the case, develop a university application of the telecommunications-based imaging technology described in the case. We will discuss some of these in class.

January 28

Telecommunications Technology I: Fundamentals

We will discuss different types of "Business" Information (voice, video, data, and image), their bandwidth requirements and the implications that these requirements have for an organization's telecommunications infrastructure.

Before coming to class

• Read Chapter 2 in Keen.

January 30

• Transmission concepts and overview of alternative transmission media
• Introduction to communication techniques: signal encoding, asynchronous and synchronous communication

Before class

• Read Chapter 5 from Keen

Feb 4/6

Telecommunications Technology II: Fundamentals

• The need for flow control, error detection and correction and link control protocols
• Transmission Efficiency: multiplexing and compression
• economic analysis of networks with and without multiplexors

• Read Chapter 6 from Keen and review lecture notes

Feb 11

Mid Term Exam I will be given on February 11

Feb 13

Networking

Having discussed communication between two directly linked devices, we now discuss communication over a network. We will discuss both voice and data networks. In each case we will introduce the enabling technology -- circuit or packet switching as the case may be and discuss operational and strategic management issues.

• Read Chapter 8

Feb 18/20

Networking: Voice Networks

I will introduce circuit switching and discuss the principal service offerings in the marketplace. We will also discuss different types of carriers - local exchange carriers, inter-exchange carriers and bypass carriers. In addition, we will review the history of regulation in this industry and the continuing changes that are fundamentally changing the marketplace.

• Circuit Switching
• Private and Public Switched Telephone Networks
• Common Channel Inter-Office Signalling
• Bulk Rate Offerings; VPN, WATS, Advanced 800 services
• PBX vs. Centrex; the managerial case
• History of regulation in this industry

Before class

• Read Chapter 8 from Keen

February 25/27

Networking: Data Networks

We will review the essential features of packet switching technology and discuss public data networks and the services available in the marketplace. Strategic and operational management of data networks will also be discussed.

• Packet switching
• X.25 Networks
• Fast packet switching technologies (ATM, Frame relay, SMDS)
• Public and private data networks
• Value Added Networks (e.g., Compuserve, Tymnet)

March 4/6

Networking: Local Area Networks

This is a brief overview of this important technology. The objective is to complete our discussion of network infrastructure. I will focus on Ethernet-based technologies and ways in which these networks interconnect with other networks to create enterprise wide networks.

• Basic LAN Technology: focus on Ethernet-based networks
• LAN Standards
• LAN's: operational and strategic issues

March 11/13

We will continue to discuss Local Area Networking topics

Chapter 8, Continued

The second mid term exam will be given on March 13

March 18/20

Introduction to Internetworking

This series of lectures will provide an overview of this complex topic. Our focus will be on reviewing the TCP/IP and OSI protocols in order to understand the functionality of various inter networking devices. The role of internetworks in facilitating intra- and inter-organizational applications will be discussed.

Read Chapter 7 from Keen

March 25/27

Spring Break

April 1/3

We continue our discussion of Internetworking. However, our focus will be on strategic issues. In particular, we will study the importance of internetworking as an enabler of cross functional applications.

Read Chapter 7 from Keen

The remainder of the course will focus on strategic uses of Telecommunications Technology . In particular we will examine the ways in which acquisition and procurement have been greatly modified and reengineered in both public and private sector organizations using telecommunication-based technologies such as EDI.

The Walmart EDI case

Chapters 10 and 11 from the Keen book discuss issues of general relevance to strategic applications.

April 8/10

Discussion of Walmart EDI Case, Continued

April 15/17

We will continue our discussion of EDI and electronic commerce using several online resources that I point to in the section Textbooks and other resources.. Of these, I want everbody to review the following materials which discuss EDI and Electronic Commerce in the public sector. Specific chapters will be assigned for class discussion.

• Streamlining Procurement Through Electronic Commerce

  This document describes the business case for electronic commerce and edi and also discusses technical infrastructure required to enable it. The ideas presented apply equally to public and private sector organizations. The document is in adobe acrobat format. You can download a copy of the acrobat reader. We will discuss the use of EDI in the Federal Government using Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of the NIST report.

April 22/24

April 29/May 1

The term paper is due on April 29. It will also be presented to the class on the same day.

The final exam is on May 1