Online Tools That Supplement the Book

As founder and president of the LIDO Organization (www.telecomessentials.com), I have been involved in providing educational and advisory services to developers, suppliers, regulators, investors, consultants, and users of telecommunications technologies and networks since 1984. I want to share my knowledge of telecommunications with people in the format that best fits their learning styles. Some learn best in a classroom situation, where they can make eye contact with the instructor, view graphics while the instructor is explaining concepts, and ask questions in person. LIDO has been providing seminars for these learners for 17 years. Some people prefer to learn at their own pace, and they like the convenience and ability to track down further information that online learning affords. For these people, LIDO has provided e-learning programs (Web-delivered or via software license) since 1999. Yet other people learn best from books when they can carry their learning tool with them anywhere and read and reread as time and circumstances allow. Therefore, I decided to write this book, to provide a comprehensive source on telecommunications essentials.

A 1775 quote from Samuel Johnson summarizes LIDO's approach to knowledge solutions in telecommunications: "Knowledge is of two kinds: We know a subject or we know where we can find information upon it." LIDO presents this book to help you learn, and it offers the Telecom Essentials Learning Center (www.telecomessentials.com/learningcenter) to help you keep learning. The Telecom Essentials Learning Center offers a number of helpful resources to help reinforce your telecommunications knowledge:

Online quizzes The online quizzes allow you to test your knowledge after reading each chapter. The quizzes are designed to reinforce what you have learned and assess those areas where you might wish to review the chapter.

Online telecommunications glossary The telecommunications vocabulary seems to grow daily. You can use the online glossary to search thousands of terms to find definitions quickly.

Student discussion forums These forums are your place to meet other individuals interested in the telecom field. You will find groups where you can discuss course materials and current events in telecom and where you can make valuable connections with individuals around the world to help advance your telecom knowledge and contact bases.

Links to thousands of related Web sites Each chapter is supported with links to recommended books, recommended magazines, and a comprehensive list of key sites to visit. This portal includes more than 6,000 links to important destinations in the world of telecom.

The TelecomEssentialsLearningCenter will help you to keep learning long after you have mastered the essentials of telecommunications.

As a LIDO student, you can also enjoy full access to Telecom WebCentral (www.telecomwebcentral.com). At Telecom WebCentral, you will have at your fingertips up-to-the-moment information on the latest applications and financial and legal news, as well as connections to telecom career groups and newsgroups.

Whether in seminar, book, or e-learning format, LIDO explains telecommunications technologies very clearly and in an entertaining and interesting fashion to a very diverse professional audience. It also supports ongoing learning by providing knowledge exchanges and e-business opportunities in a Web-based knowledge center and community. LIDO seminars are offered worldwide, and the perspectives you gain from this book, or by attending LIDO seminars, or from e-learning programs are not U.S.-centric. They provide knowledge and understanding of telecommunications environments on a global basis.