Telecommunications are already a constant in people's lives and today it is not possible to conceive the world without them. But what are telecommunications? It is a set of techniques that allow remote communication, which may refer to the room next door or to a spacecraft located millions of kilometers away. The origins of telecommunications date back many centuries, but it is at the end of the 19th century, with the application of emerging technologies at that time, when its accelerated development begins. This development has been going through different stages that have been chained faster and faster: telegraphy, radio, wireless telegraphy, telephony, television, communications satellites, mobile telephony, broadband, Internet, fiber optic, new generation networks and many other pages that have yet to be written.
Nowadays, telecommunications are essential for people, companies and Public Administrations and their importance is multiplied with the number of users. The more users connected to the telecommunications systems, the greater the possibilities and communication needs.
From that user's point of view, its use is based on a series of terminals (landlines, mobile phones, smartphones, computers, tablets, etc.) through which you access a wide range of fixed or mobile telecommunications services, voice or data. As a complementary element of the terminals, and so that it is possible to enjoy the services, there is a set of telecommunication networks that are created and maintained by the operators and service providers. Although for the end user it is not important on many occasions the knowledge of the existence of the networks and which one they are using, they are what make the services possible. These networks now have the most advanced technologies such as mobility, broadband, Internet (IP) protocols, fiber optics, communications satellites, submarine cables, etc. From them it is possible to offer the user what he demands:
Telecommunications serve to transmit information, but that information can take infinite forms or be packaged in multiple ways, which are framed under the concept of content. Telecommunications networks and services handle content that can be of any nature: movies, music, training courses, web pages, documents, photographs, videos or simple voice. With the current technological possibilities, these contents can be stored on a server located anywhere and accessible from all parts of the planet. That is, they are stored in the "cloud", which allows them to be available with all kinds of devices and wherever you are.
With the increasing diffusion and availability of tablets and smartphones, applications (apps) have taken a leading role . These are more or less simple programs, which allow you to do specific things, play or access information on specific topics, both leisure and entertainment as professionals. Applications can be free or paid, easily downloaded and installed on smart terminals, so that their use is fast and immediate.
Since the appearance of the Internet many years ago , the Network is the best example of what telecommunications in the 21st century mean, in terms of possibilities, content availability and interest of universal access. Internet, together with social networks , broadband and mobility, are the pillars of an element that is transforming society and taking it to a society of information and knowledge and a new digital world. In short, what are telecommunications? Well, they are a tool that is changing the world and everything that happens in it and making possible things that recently were nothing more than a digital dream.
