Customer comments on this Youngstown Ohio Book
 Baaad to the Binding
This book may seem like a great intro book to those well-versed in Telecommunications. However, the book does a terrible job of explaining terms and jargon. A word, for example, will be used for several pages before being defined. There are very few practical examples and metaphors to illustrate concepts and add interest to the book. There are no photographs here either, only basic illustrations which do not clarify concepts, but instead require explaination.
All of my classmates are disgusted that we are required to use this text. Plans are being set for a post-semester Essential-Guide-to-Telecommunications bonfire!
 Telecom with great industry overview
This third edition was basically written by mid-2001, in the shakeout of the dotcoms. In spite of the intervening period of almost 4 years, the book feels relatively up-to-date on the technical side although the recent mergers in the telecom industry might need to be addressed by the author.
The book, as stated by the author, is intended to clarify technologies, trends, and history in the telecom industry. Although it provides an overview of tech, that is not is its strength; placing the terminology in the context of the structure and the history of the telecom industry is. The book is not meant for IT specialists but people like myself that need to know enough about hardware, protocols, and systems to ensure clear communication about the telecom needs of the enterprise.
Although the book is not as technical as some might like, I felt the author did a thorough job covering the structure of telecom industry and the impact of the regulatory environment, not just in the developed countries but the emerging markets of the global marketplace also. The international background, histories, mergers and aquisitions help provide a context.
Interestingly, Dodds foresaw the importance of VoIP internationally as well as the fixed wireless leap for emerging markets. Those topics remain on the front burner. All in all, this is great book to start with. It explains all the key technologies with adequate detail while exploring options for SMBs with significant trends placed in a historical and regulatory context. I recommend it for the "new kids on the block".
Good Intro/Overview of the Telecom world
I just finished reading this book and overall found it to be very informative. It covers a general overview of everything from the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to telecommunications around the world. Landline, wireless, and internet are all covered along with the technologies that make them work. With that being said, this book will NOT make you an expert in telephony or any specific area of telecommunications. It is however, a great start. The one problem I had with the book was numerous grammatical errors. I found that in some cases I had to mentally disassemble and rebuild a sentence to understand what was trying to be said. I would (and have) recommend this book to a coworker and/or friend getting started with telecommunications.
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