Description: Chapter 7: Summary and Opening and Closing Case Studies

Submitted By:

Sr. Names Registration Numbers

1. Khush Bakht BAF173006
2. Sameer Hussain Shah BBA173016
3. Osama Sajjad Butt BBA173034

Section: 1

Course: Management Information System

Date of Submission: 8th June 2020.

Submitted To: Sir Ishfaq Khan.

Chapter 7: Telecommunications, the Internet and Wireless Technology

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 Summary

The chapter dives into the nuts and bolts of networking, the Internet, and telecommunications.
Back in the day, we used traditional telephone networks, snail mail, and fax for business
communication but today technology has advanced into wireless computer networks, the
Internet, e-mail, and smart phones.

Every computer in a network has a network interface card (NIC) built into the motherboard. The
computer is then connected via a coaxial cable or through wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi
networks). The network also has a network operating system (NOS), which coordinates and
communicates the network’s resources. It can be on each computer or on a dedicated server. A
network server can helps perform network functions such as storing data, housing web pages,
and maintaining the network operating system such as Microsoft Windows Server, Linus, and
Novell Open Enterprise Server.

There are four types of networks, the local area network (LAN) for an office or one floor of a
building, the campus area network (CAN) for a college campus or corporate facility,
metropolitan area network (MAN) for a city, and a wide area network (WAN) a transcontinental
or global area.

Using the Internet on a daily basis, for me, didn’t become popular until I was in middle school
and at the time I just used it for e-mail or instant messenger to chat with friends. However, I
didn’t fully understand the concept of the Internet. What is it really? It’s simply a public
communication system that has connected billions of people around the world. We use Internet
service providers (ISP) such as AT&T, Time Warner, and Cox to provide us with Internet at
home, on our iPads, or through a wireless 4G networks on our smart phones. Every computer is
assigned an Internet protocol (IP) address that is used to decode messages sent to and from the
computer.

How would one company manage the Internet and be the governing body across all of the
countries and nations of the world? There isn’t one company but instead there are different
professional organizations and government bodies such as the Internet Architecture Board (IAB),

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the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C). The nation in which the Internet is being operated is responsible for making
laws and the Internet and its users in that county must adhere to those laws.

Wireless communication has become the most popular form of network use and has
revolutionized our ability to do business 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Smart phones have
basically provided us mini-personal computers. Wireless carriers offer 3G and now 4G speed
networks that allow us to stream high quality HD videos and have lightning fast Internet on our
phones anywhere in the world. Networks like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Hotspots allow users to have
cheap or free Internet access away from their traditional home Internet provider. All of these
types of networks, servers, and the Internet help us to do business faster and more efficiently
which has increased the popularity and changed our culture.

Principal components of telecommunications networks and key networking technologies

A simple network consists of two or more connected computers. Basic network components
include computers, network interfaces, a connection medium, network operating system
software, and either a hub or a switch. The networking infrastructure for a large company
includes the traditional telephone system, mobile cellular communication, wireless local area
networks, videoconferencing systems, a corporate website, intranets, extranets, and an array of
local and wide area networks, including the Internet.

Contemporary networks have been shaped by the rise of client/server computing, the use of
packet switching, and the adoption of Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
as a universal communications standard for linking disparate networks and computers, including
the Internet. Protocols provide a common set of rules that enable communication among diverse
components in a telecommunications network. Client/server computing is a distributed
computing model in which some of the processing power is located within small, inexpensive
client computers and resides literally on desktops or laptops or in handheld devices. Packet
switching is a method of slicing digital messages into parcels called packets, sending the packets
along different communication paths as they become available and then reassembling the packets
once they arrive at their destinations.

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In a typical telecommunications network, diverse hardware and software components need to
work together to transmit information. Different components in a network communicate with
each other by adhering to a common set of rules called protocols. A protocol is a set of rules and
procedures governing transmission of information between two points in a network.

Different types of networks

There are two ways to communicate a message in a network: an analog signal or a digital signal.
The principal physical transmission media are twisted copper telephone wire, coaxial copper
cable, fiber-optic cable, and wireless transmission. The total amount of digital information that
can be transmitted through any telecommunications medium is measured in bits per second
(bps). One signal change, or cycle, is required to transmit one or several bits; therefore, the
transmission capacity of each type of telecommunications medium is a function of its frequency

There are many kinds of networks and ways of classifying them. Local area networks (LANs)
connect PCs and other digital devices within a 500-meter radius and are used today for many
corporate computing tasks. Wide area networks (WANs) span broad geographical distances,
ranging from several miles to continents and are often private networks that are independently
managed. Metropolitan area networks (MANs) span a single urban area. Campus area network
(CAN) span up to 1,000 meters (a mile); a college campus or corporate facility

Digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies, cable Internet connections, and T1 lines are often
used for high-capacity Internet connections.

How do the Internet and Internet technology work, and how do they support
communication and e-business?

The Internet has become an indispensable personal and business tool.

The Internet is the world’s most extensive public communication system. It’s also the world’s
largest implementation of client/server computing and Internetworking, linking millions of
individual networks all over the world. An Internet service provider (ISP) is a commercial
organization with a permanent connection to the Internet that sells temporary connections to
retail subscribers. EarthLink, NetZero, AT&T, and Time Warner are ISPs. Individuals also
connect to the Internet through their business firms, universities, or research centers that have

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designated Internet domains. The Internet is a worldwide network of networks that uses the
client/server model of computing and the TCP/IP network reference model. Every computer on
the Internet is assigned a unique numeric IP address. The Domain Name System (DNS) converts
IP addresses to more user-friendly domain names. Worldwide Internet policies are established by
organizations and government bodies such as the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Internet data traffic is carried over transcontinental high-
speed backbone networks that generally operate in the range of 155 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps.

The Internet is based on client/server technology. Individuals using the Internet control what they
do through client applications on their computers, such as web browser software. The data,
including e-mail messages and web pages, are stored on servers. A client uses the Internet to
request information from a particular web server on a distant computer, and the server sends the
requested information back to the client over the Internet. Client platforms today include not
only PCs and other computers but also smartphones and tablets. Major Internet services include
e-mail, newsgroups, chatting, instant messaging, Telnet, FTP, and the web. Web pages are based
on Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and can display text, graphics, video, and audio.
Website directories, search engines, and RSS technology help users locate the information they
need on the web. RSS, blogs, social networking, and wikis are features of Web 2.0. The future
Web 3.0 will feature more semantic search, visual search, prevalence of apps, and
interconnectedness of many different devices (Internet of Things).

The web is the most popular Internet service. It’s a system with universally accepted standards
for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information by using a client/server
architecture. Search engines attempt to solve the problem of finding useful information on the
web nearly instantly and, arguably, they are the killer app of the Internet era.

Unified communications integrates disparate channels for voice communications, data

communications, instant messaging, e-mail, and electronic conferencing into a single experience
by which users can seamlessly switch back and forth between different communications modes.
Presence technology shows whether a person is available to receive a call.

Firms are also starting to realize economies by using VoIP technology for voice transmission and
virtual private networks (VPNs) as low-cost alternatives to private WANs.

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The principal technologies and standards for wireless networking, communication, and
Internet access

Cell phones, smartphones, tablets, and wireless-enabled personal computers have morphed into
portable media and computing platforms that let you perform many of the computing tasks you
used to do at your desk, and a whole lot more. Smartphones such as the iPhone, Android phones,
and BlackBerry combine the functionality of a cell phone with that of a mobile laptop computer
with Wi-Fi capability. This makes it possible to combine music, video, Internet access, and
telephone service in one device. A large part of the Internet is becoming a mobile, access-
anywhere, broadband service for the delivery of video, music, and web search.

Cellular networks are evolving toward high-speed, high-bandwidth, digital packet–switched

transmission. Broadband 3G networks are capable of transmitting data at speeds ranging from
144 Kbps to more than 2 Mbps. 4G networks capable of transmission speeds of 100 Mbps are
starting to be rolled out.

Major cellular standards include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), which is used
primarily in the United States, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), which is
the standard in Europe and much of the rest of the world.

An array of technologies provides high-speed wireless access to the Internet for PCs and mobile
devices. These new high-speed services have extended Internet access to numerous locations that
could not be covered by traditional wired Internet services and have made ubiquitous computing,
anywhere, anytime, a reality. Standards for wireless computer networks include Bluetooth
(802.15) for small personal area networks (PANs). It links up to eight devices within a 10-meter
area using low-power, radio-based communication and can transmit up to 722 Kbps in the 2.4-
GHz band, Wi-Fi (802.11) for local area networks (LANs), and WiMax (802.16) for
metropolitan area networks (MANs).

The 802.11 set of standards for wireless LANs and wireless Internet access is also known as Wi-
Fi. The first of these standards to be widely adopted was 802.11b, which can transmit up to 11
Mbps in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz band and has an effective distance of 30 to 50 meters. The
802.11g standard can transmit up to 54 Mbps in the 2.4-GHz range. 802.11n is capable of

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transmitting over 100 Mbps. Today’s PCs and netbooks have built-in support for Wi-Fi, as do
the iPhone, iPad, and other smartphones.

A surprisingly large number of areas in the United States and throughout the world do not have
access to Wi-Fi or fixed broadband connectivity. The range of Wi-Fi systems is no more than
300 feet from the base station, making it difficult for rural groups that don’t have cable or DSL
service to find wireless access to the Internet. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) developed a new family of standards known as WiMax to deal with these
problems. WiMax, which stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is the
popular term for IEEE Standard 802.16. It has a wireless access range of up to 31 miles and
transmission speed of up to 75 Mbps

Radio frequency identification (RFID) systems provide a powerful technology for tracking the
movement of goods by using tiny tags with embedded data about an item and its location. RFID
readers read the radio signals transmitted by these tags and pass the data over a network to a
computer for processing. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are networks of interconnected
wireless sensing and transmitting devices that are embedded in the physical environment to
provide measurements of many points over large spaces.

Over time, more and more everyday physical objects will be connected to the Internet and will
be able to identify themselves to other devices, creating networks that can sense and respond as
data changes

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 Opening Case Study

“Wireless technology makes Dundee precious metals good as gold”

Question 1: Why did wireless technology play such a key role in this solution?

Dundee Precious Metals (DPM) is a Canadian-based, international mining company engaged in

the acquisition, exploration, development and mining, and processing of precious metal
properties. One of the company’s principal assets is the Chelopech copper and gold mine east of
Sofia, Bulgaria; the company also has a gold mine in southern Armenia and a smelter in
Namibia.

Earlier Dundee Precious Metal was dependent on the manual processes in the large underground
production environment. The process was inefficient and at the same time there were not able to
track the resources. It was also affecting the downtime of the equipment and dealing with the
emergencies. They were not able to track or communicate with the workers. Workers had to use
the radio access points underground to report the work and conditions. The solution that
management was looking for ways to increase the productivity, track the equipment and workers,
and at the same time smoothen the communication process was provided by wireless technology.
Finally, the management decided to introduce the hi-speed wireless internet network, RFID tags
and Aero Scout software, wireless access points, extended antennas and communication boxes,
and VoIP phones. The network made it much easier to track and supervise mining activities from
above ground. For this, they had to revise the job roles and processes as well as give training to
the employees. There was drastic change in the working pattern after the introduction of this
technology. The workers were able to be in touch with the above ground staff, above ground
staff was able to track the workers and equipment. They were able to save the time and increase
the productivity. It also resulted in the cost reduction and higher efficiency of all the resources.

The use and success stories of networking technologies is not limited to Dundee Precious Metals.
The new technologies have helped so many businesses to grow and improve the overall
productivity. Today is the age of communication and high technology networking and
communication tools being available which have further evolved into new generation
technologies like business analytics, business intelligence, big data, data mining, etc. There is lot
of scope for the businesses to learn and introduce in the future.

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Question 2: Describe how the new system changed the production process at the
Chelopech mine.

The new system involved an underground wireless Wi-Fi network and radio frequency
identification (RFID) to help change the production process of the Chelopech Mine. The Wi-Fi
system allowed “electronic devices to exchange data wirelessly at the Chelopech mine to
monitor the location of equipment, people, and ore throughout the mine’s tunnels and facilities.

This would help speed up the data flow from traditional methods. With this technology Dundee
has been able to extend the working range of the access points to significantly higher ranges and
also increase the range around curves. This helps increase productivity because data can transfer
at high speeds to a control room where decisions can be made or warnings can be distributed.

The second technology that Dundee used is RFID tagging. The company tagged workers,
equipment, and vehicles. This allows for precision location tracking to account for all assets and
workers. This is a great solution for safety as the control room can see where everyone and
everything is at any time and when issues arise everyone can be directed to move to a safer area.
This also allows for the control room to route vehicles so that two vehicles do not impede each
other or block traffic, increasing both safety and productivity. Both of these solutions can greatly
increase productivity and change the production process to ensure everyone is safe and
accounted for.

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 Closing Case Study

“RFID Propels the Angkasa Library Management System”

Q1: How can RFID technology simplify basic library processes like the lending and returns
of books?

RFID technology has simplified the basic library processes like the lending and returns of books.
Borrowers just need to simply place books and other material they want to borrow on the touch
screen, and hand over their cards to the library staff.

The screen will automatically reads RFID tags, while the card reader opens up a member’s
profile on the system for the staff to view. After that the receipt will be generated, and with the
date of return clearly. This system eliminates the need for physical records, stamping, and other
time-consuming activities involved in the process of checking a book out of a library. In
addition, the system also minimizes human error.

Besides, returning books is also much easier now by using RFID technology, the borrowers just
need to simply dropping their books at any time into a specially designed “drop box” machine in
the library. There is a scanner within the drop box and it will scan the RFID tag of the dropped
book and marks it as returned in the system. The return details will be updated accordingly and a
proof-of-return slip is issued automatically straight away after the book being returned. The
whole process is accomplished through a link between the RFID system and the library’s host
computer. This eliminates the need for staff who would earlier have had to process all book
returns manually, and is also convenient for borrowers, since they are allowed to return their
books even when the library is closed and most importantly, the status of returned items is
updated instantly, which means other members who are waiting for a particular item can acquire
it at once.

Q2: What kind of technology does your school or university library use? Does IT play a
crucial role in managing operations?

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RFID technology has been adopted by UCSI University a few years ago. The technology helped
to reduce the time of borrowing and returning the books just like what mentioned in the case
study. Students in UCSI University return book by only inserting the book into the designated
drop box in front of the library, and it helps to make the process more efficient and eliminate the
manual process by the librarians and staff working in the library. By adopting the technology,
not only librarian and library staff’s working burdens have been reduced, student’s time has been
saved and it might be one of the reasons students are more willing to borrow books from their
own university as it is not very troublesome and more satisfied.

Q3: How is RFID technology helping the Allianze University College of Medical Sciences
library to detect and prevent the theft of books?

Through the installation of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) gates in libraries, RFID
tagging is extremely useful in preventing theft. The EAS gates are linked to the library’s
surveillance station. Just like alarm systems in stores, a library member attempting to leave with
an unissued item would trigger an alarm, because the gates can sense the book’s RFID tag within
a range of 1 meter without interference of magnetic items. When someone passes through with
an unissued item, an alarm is sounded and the gates are raised, an alarm is sounded, and the
camera at the gates takes a photograph of the person and sends it to the surveillance station.
Theft detection is a stand-alone technology that operates independently of the library database,
but it is an integral part of managing the library at AUCMS.

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