Electrical engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the study and application of electrical energy, electronics and electromagnetism. The field became an identifiable occupation in the 19th century after the electric telegraph and electrical power supply was commercialized. The role of electrical engineering in the telecommunication industry should therefore be appreciated.
The telecommunications industry provides services such as telephone, television and internet among other services to individuals and institutions throughout the world. It is the primary means of communication for businesses, households, government institutions and other institutions thus telecommunications firms provide an essential service to the world economy. The telecoms industry is divided into four sectors: satellite, wired, wireless and other telecoms establishments. The largest sector of this industry continues to be comprised of wired telecommunications carriers. Electrical engineering has played the following roles in the growth of telecommunication industry:-
Research.
Electrical engineers worldwide are involved in research activities aimed at producing state of the art devices which can be used in the transmission of electrical power and signals. It is this kind of research that has led to the discovery of data transmission through glass fibres in fibre optic cable. Fibre optic cables have since become the fastest means of transmitting large bundles of data at the speed of light. This technology has brought so much growth in the industry by creating job opportunities to many engineers and business opportunities to entrepreneurs. Inventions made by electrical engineers that can be applied better in the telecommunication industry have made the telecommunication industry grow in leaps and bounds to become the fastest growing industry in the world.
Training and advancement.
Telecommunication engineering is a branch of electrical engineering. For many years the role and training of the two engineering disciplines had not been differentiated but later on some institution started offering telecommunications option as a major in electrical engineering. Therefore telecommunication engineers in most countries are trained electrical engineers with a telecommunications major.
Power systems.
The role of electrical engineering in the telecommunication industry is appreciated more when you look at electrical power systems in the telecommunication industry. Every telecommunication device requires some source of power in order to transmit or receive signals, and that is where electrical engineers come in. Electrical engineers are employed to design power systems which will be used to power transmitters and other apparatus in the industry.
Recent developments in the telecommunications industry have led carriers to expand their data transmission capacities, known as "bandwidth," by using fiber optic cables instead of the traditional copper cables. Fiber optic cable, which transmits light signals along strands of glass, provides faster and higher capacity transmissions.
Carriers are connecting fiber optic cables to residential areas, enabling them to offer cable TV, high-speed Internet, and telephone communications over the same line. Wireless telecommunications carriers are installing several new technologies to allow high speed data transmission and improved Internet access in an effort have and advantage in a highly competitive market that has wired Internet carriers. The role of electrical engineers in the telecommunication industry is further seen in the research and installation of these technologies.
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