Telecommunications industry in 21st century is not about networks anymore, it is all about what the customer wants, it is all about services. There is no other industry sector going through such a large-scale change in its underlying core business model. The industry has moved from being network centric with few basic services like voice, TV, and broadband, to a fast paced, vibrant customer centric industry with tens of new services launched every month. The old setup with separate industries for voice, video, and data is shattered. In its place, is a brand new industry providing converged services spanning across Communication, Media, and Entertainment (CME) businesses. An explosion of new technologies like IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Next Generation Networks (NGN), WiMax, 3G/4G are supporting this trend. New services like IPTV, Mobile TV, VoIP, and Web 2.0 based Value Added Services (VAS) are redefining the possibilities.

To understand these complex changes happening on so many fronts, it is first important to understand the basic concepts behind how the telecommunication industry works. This book provides:

* overview of the telecommunications industry, types of services and who provides them * basic concepts of technologies involved in delivering audio, video, and data services over wireline, wireless, satellite, and cable mediums * overview of new services like IPTV, VoIP, Mobile TV and Value added services (VAS) * overview of how the business works on day to day basis by describing eTOM® operations like Fulfillment, Assurance, and Billing (FAB) business processes * overview of industry standards and regulation * impact of new technologies like Convergence, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), next generation networks (NGN), WiMax, 3G/4G, and Web 2.0

Jayraj Ugarkar is a Principal Consultant with Infosys Consulting. He has been in the IT industry for over 14 years, with the last 9 spent working in the Telecommunications industry for Infosys, ATT, & Amdocs. He has regularly consulted with top names in the industry including British Telecom, Telekom South Africa, and Sprint. Jayraj holds a MBA from John E Simon School of Business St.Louis, USA, and a Bachelors degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from SDM College of Engineering and Technology, India. He is based out of London, UK.