Telecommunication
Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 6 "Tertiary and Quaternary Activities"; Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
Telecommunication is long-distance communication by electronic means. The telephone, radio, television, satellites and the internet all work this way. It cut the time to send a message from weeks to minutes. Mobile phones made it direct and instant. As a result, the telegraph, Morse code (messages sent as dots and dashes) and telex are now almost obsolete.
Example
In 2020 an undersea optical fibre cable connected Chennai with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A person in Port Blair can now make video calls and use fast internet straight away. Before, they had to depend on slower satellite links.
Don't confuse with
- Mass media: one source sends the same content to a huge audience, as radio, television and newspapers do. Telecommunication also covers private, two-way messages such as phone calls.