Dot-Dash to Dot.Com

Telecommunications is a major global industry, and this unique book chronicles the development of this complex technology from the electric telegraph to the Internet in a simple, accessible, and entertaining way. The book opens with the early years of the electric telegraph. The reader will learn how the Morse telegraph evolved into an international network that spanned the globe, starting with the development of international undersea cables, and the heroic attempts to lay a trans-Atlantic cable. The book describes the events that led to the invention of the telephone, and the subsequent disputes over who had really invented it. It takes a look at some of the most important applications that have appeared on the Internet, the mobile revolution, and ends with a discussion of future key developments in the telecommunications industry.

Andrew Wheen has worked in the telecommunications field since 1982. He has held senior engineering and product management roles with major suppliers of telecommunications equipment and was one of the original architects of the Energis network in the United Kingdom (now Cable & Wireless). More recently, he has worked as a management consultant in the telecommunications and broadcasting industries. Dr. Wheen is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and is a Chartered Engineer. He is married with two children and lives near London.