 MEXICO "Telecommunications Essentials should be on the shelf of every professional working in voice and data networking. It is the first place I go when I need to look up something that I am unsure of or when I encounter a new or unfamiliar term. I have been using Telecommunications Essentials now for two years as the course text for business technology students taking Introduction to Telecom- munications. My course covers the entire book and the students end up with a practical knowl- edge base of the components, technologies, and connectivity that make today's networks work. This new edition is most welcome since it includes new advances in the areas of fiber optics, wireless, Voice over IP, and broadband technologies that have emerged since the publication of the first edition. This new edition will replace my well-worn copy of my first edition of Telecom- munications Essentials, which has served me well SO far." -ROBERT HUDYMA, PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS, RYERSON UNIVERSITY "This is an excellent reference book on telecommunications. It's up-to-date on the latest technol- ogy, it's comprehensive, and most of all, it's easy to read and understand. Lili has the rare ability to explain very complex subjects well. If you need a good reference book on telecommunica- tions, I would start with this." -To CHEE ENG, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS, GARTNER "Lillian makes telecoms fun." -NI QUIAQUE LAI, CFO, HONG KONG BROADBAND NETWORK LTD. "Goleniewski's Telecommunications Essentials sets the stage by discussing forward-looking applica- tions that are made possible by advances in telecommunications technology, including embedded devices, intelligent wearables, intelligent robot squads, and many others. This initial discussion is quite motivating for students and makes them eager to learn about various networking technolo- gies, which are covered quite well in the rest of the book. The first edition (published in 2003) was already a great book for teaching telecommunications essentials, and it is clear that the second edi