The role of information systems in Telecommunications

Introduction:
Think about the time of emergency when someone needs to talk in abroad! There was so
harassment in getting line, line was not clear, distance call rate was so high that sometimespoor people could not avail it easily. But now the situation is totally changed. Now-a-days
technology is available in the hand of root level people. Life is very easy now. Employment
opportunity has been increased. Government has also been benefited by the revenue from this
sector. Information technology has got acceleration by mobile phone technology. New and
modern technology is coming in the near future.
Telecommunications Networks and their Scope
Telecommunication is the science of communicating information over distance by electronic
transmission of impulses, as by telephone, telegraph, television, satellites, and radio. Another
way, it can be said, telecommunication is any process or group of processes that allows the
transmission of audible or visible information or data over long distance by means of
electronic or electric signals. The electronic transmission of information over distances,
called telecommunications, has become virtually inseparable from computers: Computers and
telecommunications create value together.
Components of a Telecommunications Network
Telecommunications information may be in the form of voice telephone calls, data, text,
images, or video. Today, telecommunications are used to organize more or less remote
computer systems into telecommunications networks. These networks themselves are run by
computers. A telecommunications network is an arrangement of computing and
telecommunications resources for communication of information between distant locations. A
telecommunications network includes the following components:
1. Terminals for accessing the network
2. Computers that process information and are interconnected by the network
3. Telecommunications links that form a channel through which information is transmitted
from a sending device to a receiving device.
4. Telecommunications equipment that facilitates the transmission of information.
5. Telecommunications software that controls message transmission over the network.

Scope of Telecommunications Networks

Two principal types of telecommunications networks can be distinguished from the point of
view of their geographical scope. They are:
1. Local area networks
2. Wide area networks
Local area network (LAN): is a privately owned network that interconnects processors,
usually microcomputers, within a building or on a campus site that includes several buildings.
Characteristics of a LAN:
a. LANs are the principal tool of workgroup computing
b. LANs ensure high-speed communication within a limited area and enables the users to
share facilities (peripherals) connected to it.
c. Usually include a large-capacity, secondary storage device, where database and
applications software are maintained, managed by a microcomputer acting as a file server that
delivers data or program files to other computers.
d. Facilities (peripherals) may include jukebox optical memory and fast printers
e. Frequently, one of the facilities (peripherals) in a LAN is the gateway hardware and
software that give the network users access to other networks.
f. More group members may connect to the network from remote sites using wireless
telecommunications.
g. Links and equipment of LANs are owned by the user company, and these networks are
generally much faster than WANs.
h. LANs are generally composed of a network of microcomputers
Wide area network (WAN): is a telecommunications network that covers a large
geographical area.
Characteristics of a WAN:
a. The information system of an entire organization may be structured as a hierarchy. The
WANs system architecture looks very much like an organization chart.
b. WANs connect all the divisional minicomputers to the headquarters mainframe with a
variety of local microcomputers and terminals located at remote sites connected, in turn, to
the minicomputers.
c. WANs provide the backbone through which all other nodes (computers and terminals)
communicate.

d. WANs often use telecommunication links and equipment provided by specialized vendors,
called common carriers.
e. WANs serve to interconnect multiple LANs and can make specific resources available to a
large number of workstations.
Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) - are telecommunications networks that interconnect
various local area networks within a metropolitan area, that is, within approximately a 50mile range.
Characteristics of a WAN:
a. Purpose of MANs is to interconnect various LANs within a metropolitan area, that is,
within approximately a 50 - mile range.
b. Generally, the speed of MANs is equal to that of LANs and they use similar technology.
Inter organizational Information Systems - are shared by two or more companies.
Characteristics of Interorganizational Information Systems:
a. These systems help several firms share information in order to coordinate their work,
collaborate on common projects, or sell and buy products and services.
b. Internet has emerged as a global public network of networks
c. Some inter organizational systems are employed in knowledge work
d. Can be used to connect a firm's computers to the information systems of its customers,
suppliers, and business partners, and are also used to execute business transactions.

Telecommunications Links
Telecommunications links may be implemented with various communication media, with a
corresponding variety of characteristics. The main feature of a medium is its potential
transmission speed, also known as channel capacity, which for data transmission purposes is
expressed in bits per second (bps). An alternative measure of transmission channel capacity is
bandwidth - the range of signal frequencies that can be transmitted over the channel.
Six potential media are employed to implement telecommunication links:
1. Twisted pair
2. Coaxial cable
3. Fiber Optics cable
4. Terrestrial Microwave

5. Satellite Transmission
6. Radio Transmission
Three of the above transmission media are classified as guided media - in which the signal
moves along an enclosed path. Guided media require wiring. They include:
1. Twisted pair
2. Coaxial cable
3. Fiber optic cable
Three of the above transmission media are classified as wireless media - the signal is
broadcast (radiated in many directions) over the air or space and received through an antenna.
They include:
1. Terrestrial Microwave
2. Satellite Transmission
3. Radio Transmission
Characteristics of Communications Media:
Twisted Pair a communications medium consisting of a pair of wires.
Coaxial Cable a communications medium that consists of a relatively thick central conductor
shielded by several layers of insulation and the second conductor just under the cable's shell
Fibre Optics high-capacity communications medium that consists of many strands of pure
glass with a data carrying core in the middle, surrounded by a reflective coating and a
protective sheath.
Terrestrial Microwave long-distance telecommunications by means of microwave signals
travelling on the surface of the earth.
Satellite Transmission form of microwave transmission in which the signal is transmitted by
an earth station to a satellite which rebroadcasts the signal to the receiving station.
Radio Transmission wireless communications technology that transmits voice or data over
the air using a lower frequency band than microwaves.
Note: Transmission speeds keep on rising, particularly in the fibre optics area. We are now
moving toward a global infrastructure of gigabit-speed fibre optic links relying on digital
transmission. In this multimedia environment, data, text, voice, images, and video will travel
at speeds of billions of bits per second.

Analog and Digital Communications

Most of the lines in the telephone systems of the world at present are analog. Signals are
transmitted as continuous waves. This is a satisfactory way to transmit voice, but digital data
sent by computers (sequences of pulses representing 0s and 1s) must be converted into an
analog signal for transmission over an analog line. The analog data must then be converted
back into digital before entering the memory of the receiving computer. The conversion of
data from digital form into analogue for transmission and then back into digital at the
receiving end is done by a pair of interface devices called modems (modulator-demodulator).
Modem-based telecommunications have created a significant bottleneck in an environment
where computer and peripheral speeds have increased dramatically. The solution is end-toend digital communications, in which signals are sent as streams of on/off pulses. Digital
lines are capable of much faster communication and digital circuitry is now cheaper than
analog. All the new equipment now installed in telephone networks is indeed digital.
Trend: There is a shift toward digital telecommunications is taking place throughout the
world. A digital system for telecommunications, called TI carrier, is in wide use in parts of
the telephone network.
Future: Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) - a completely digital
telecommunications network standardized by an international committee. Although ISDN
services are available in some areas, including most of the US, worldwide ISDN is not
expected to become operational until after the year 2000
Using Telecommunications for Business Process Redesign and to Seek Competitive
Advantage
Telecommunications give an organization the capability to move information rapidly between
distant locations and to provide the ability for the employees, customers, and suppliers to
collaborate from anywhere, combined with the capability to bring processing power to the
point of the application. All of this offers firm important opportunities to restructure its
business processes and to capture high competitive ground in the marketplace. Through
telecommunications, this value may be:
1. An increase in the efficiency of operations
2. Improvements in the effectiveness of management
3. Innovations in the marketplace
Telecommunications may provide these values through the following impacts:
1. Time compression: Telecommunications enable a firm to transmit raw data and
information quickly and accurately between remote sites.
2. Overcoming geographical dispersion: Telecommunications enable an organization with
geographically remote sites to function, to a degree, as though these sites were a single unit.
The firm can then reap benefits of scale and scope which would otherwise be unobtainable.

3. Restructuring business relationships: Telecommunications make it possible to create

systems which restructure the interactions of people within a firm as well as a firm's
relationships with its customers. Operational efficiency may be raised by eliminating
intermediaries from various business processes.
The systems and services provide by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission
Systems & Services (SS) is an important division of BTRC. The regular activities of this
division are to approve new services and tariff of new and existing services & value added
services. This is to monitor the market communication & promotional activities for
maintaining a bilateral relationship and to communicate with the Ministry of Posts &
Telecommunications (MoPT) and other government organizations/offices. Besides, SS
division maintains bilateral relationships & communicates with not only the
telecommunication license holding entities but also with ICT related non-governmental and
International organizations & offices. It also arranges the support and protects the rights of
new service providers and provides the nation-wide dissemination of important SMS on
national interests. It also arranges counselling & dispute settlement among
telecommunication license holders, vendors, third party service providers and customers
through maintaining a complaining center.

In addition, this division performs various specialized activities for the Commission like
promoting a competitive market for telecommunication service providers, bringing out
instructions and guidelines, initiation of new services and ensuring a amicable atmosphere,
etc., for the investors. BTRC is the focal point for organizations like International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), Asia Pacific Telecomm unity (APT), Commonwealth
Telecommunications Organization (CTO), and International Corporation for Assigned Names
& Numbers (ICANN) and Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA)
in Bangladesh, where SS Division represents BTRC.

The important activities of SS division are discussed below:

1) Mobile Financial Services: Web/International Recharge, E-Ticketing, Inward
remittances, Utility Bill payment, Mobile banking etc. are the various services
provided under this. Mobile Financial Services contributing a vital role in the
economy through financial transaction.
2) Call Centre based Information Services: Information services like Health Line,
Agriculture Info, Education Line, Legal Line, Blood Bank Info, Travel Line etc. are
provided by call centre based information service organizations. Systems and Services
division monitors the operators helpline to protect customers right.
3) Tracking Service: Mobile customers can determine the position of their vehicles
and can manage them by using this service. Basing on the customer demand, this
service is also used for tracking human/materials/vehicles/water vehicles etc.
4) Directory / Recharge / Live Information Service: Mobile operators in co-operation
with companies having data based facilities, provide Yellow Page, Directory Services,

Dictionary Services, Public Examination Results, Stock Exchange Info, Entertainment

Services etc.

5) News Service: In order to keep the people updated with latest news of home and
abroad news services have been introduced through SMS, IVR based News / Alert
Service. To provide this kind of service, Services and Systems division create specific
policies for the operators.

Formulation of operation manuals (Guideline, Directives) for telecom sector:

This division works to create space for new technologies, to automate the life style & to
introduce various new value added services for the customer satisfaction for ensuring
the best performance of the telecommunication sector. Comprehensive operating
manuals are a necessity for introducing any new service/technology. Besides,
telecommunication, in addition to IT, has now turned into ICT phase, which requires
relevant guidelines/directives for having related license/permit/approval. Regulatory &
Licensing Guideline is unavoidable for time to time materialization of Governments
telecom policy.
BTRC is playing its role for development of the telecom system & overall regulation of
the telecom sector. According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Act-2001,
Section 31 (2) (Ta), Interim Directives are provided by the Commission for sustaining
the healthy environment and for increasing the customer satisfaction. After a certain
period of time, these directives are considered as permanent directives. SS division
initiates the rough guidelines/directives and other regulatory documents on behalf of the
BTRC. Recently initiated guidelines, directives under process along with other
important activities of BTRC are given below:
1)
Guidelines on Subscriber Registration, Connection Activation & Fraud
Management System (Proposed).
2)

Guidelines on Mobile Number Portability (proposed).

3)
Regulatory & Licensing Guidelines
Telecommunication Technology.

on Third Generation (3G)

4)

Management of Bangladeshs Country Code Top Level Domain

5)

Telephone / Mobile SIM / RUIM registration directives

6)

Formulation of interim guidelines for Internet Protocol Telephony

7)
Interim Tariff Directives on International Outgoing Call Settlement Charge
and Call Charge.
8)
Interim guidelines for International outgoing calls, call settlement charges
and call charge fixing.
9)

Issuance of directives for Do Not Disturb related issues.

10) Formulation of guidelines on National Telecommunication Consumer

Protection.

Other important activities:

Besides carrying out the above activities, SS division is also performing other important
activities of which the important ones are discussed below:
1) National Security Related activities: BTRC & the Operators are constantly
assisting Law & Order enforcement agencies, Anti Corruption Commission, Customs,
Courts & other offices/organizations for protecting the national security of
Bangladesh. As a part of these activities, Call Detail Record (CDR), Subscribers
Acquisition Form, Recharge / Balance Information, Location Based Tracking, VOIP /
Illegal Telecommunication service detection, unregistered connection (RIM/SIM)
termination etc. assistance and information are provided.
2) Formation of (BD-CSIRT): For countering Cyber Crime, an organization named
Bangladesh Computer Security Incident Response (BD-CSIRT) has been formed,
through which internet based crimes are suppressed. Various Government
organizations website filtering through BD-CSIRT are provided to assess the
vulnerability of these sites regarding cyber security. Lots of anti government and anti
religion content for which objections are raised from DGFI and different govt.
organizations are, blocked through IIG (except Facebook and such content which are
not possible to block). Also the offensive contents against which objections come
from general public is also blocked at the IIG. To increase the power of BD CSIRT
for internet safety, the purchase order is on process to procure the specialized internet
safety hardware/software. If it is possible to establish this specialized equipment then
we can block the contents which strikes our existing law and religion at IIG level.
3) Public Awareness related activities: This division is responsible for sending
important free SMS nationwide (only national level facts/activities) for enhancing
public awareness/educational/services oriented facts in response to the request by
various ministries, government, international, multinational, service oriented and
educational offices/organizations. In implementation of this task, Cellular Mobile
Operators play an important and praiseworthy role.
4) Steps adopted for Telecommunication activities during Natural disaster: Although
Bangladesh is now partially capable of communicating through VSAT / Satellite
during disaster; she will become completely capable in near future, as a part of
gradual development in this sector. As a part of this activity, all Gateway (IGW &
IIG) operators have to keep aside 10% (as reserve) Bandwidth Capacity of their fibreCable Capacity for the crisis period. The Commission may consider for reserve
capacity enhancement of Gateway operators including giving away Teleport
(network-hub rich large satellite earth station which is considerably satellite
bandwidth capacity rich) licenses.

5) Environment friendly Telecommunication System: For the last one decade, the
modern world is mostly concerned about long time health hazard of continuous use of
various machine/system in line with technological development. BTRC has taken
steps for inclusion of necessary guidelines regarding Green Telecom (so that
network/system does not cause any long term health hazard) in various ongoing (draft
preparation stage) Regulatory & Licensing Guidelines. Besides, BTRC can go
forward for ensuring Green Telecom through the materialization of Quality of Service
Guideline & Spectrum-Emission Control Guideline. With the help of these activities,
we can also step forward in constructing Bangladesh rich with world standard
telecommunication services.
6) Current Voice, SMS and Data Tariff: At present, BTRC approved minimum call
rate is BDT 0.25 per minute and Max BDT 2.00 per minute in case of mobile phone
voice call. The average call rate is BDT 0.83 per minute in different packages offered
by mobile phone operators in Bangladesh. By the way, it may be noted that in 2001,
the average call rate was BDT 9.86 per minute i.e. it has been decreased by BDT 8.77
per minute over last 10 years. It is hoped that it will continue in the coming years.
Max. 10 sec pulse regulation has enabled the subscribers to have lower rate. The
different packages offered by different operators have led to price-war to attract the
subscribers. It is not any type of illegal or fraud activities rather it is a competition
among the operators to expand the businesses.
7) International SIM: International Operators SIM are now available in Bangladesh.
As a result, people who are going abroad do not have to use high cost roaming
facility. Instead, they can buy international SIM before going abroad.
8) International Incoming Call Charge: International Incoming call charge has been
reduced to 3.45 cent, whereas it was 4 cent in 2007. Collecting more information,
BTRC is examining the possibility of decreasing the call rate by considering the
market demand and customers benefit.

Conclusion: Telecommunication Business is alive on the base of information system. Every

sector or every stage of this business is regard on the information system which we have
discussed on top. It is surely can say that information will be more strong powerful tools in
future business.