Course contents: Introduction to Telephone Networks: Network Architecture and Telephone Exchange Hierarchy, Voice Requirements, Signaling. Analogue Local Loop and User End: Telephones (Microphone, Speaker, Bell, Dialer), Local Loop Architecture (Twisted Pair, Box, SLIC), Analogue Local Loop Signaling. Digital Telephone Networks: Analogue (FDM) vs Digital (TDM) Telephony, Digital Transmission Hierarchies (ITU Standards). Voice Digitization: Voice Spectrum, PAM and PCM Systems, Voice Sampling, Voice Quantization (A-Law, μ-Law, Quantization Noise), Voice Compression (DPCM and Delta Modulation). Digital Switching: Space Switching, Crossbar Switch, Clos 3-Stage Non-Blocking Switch and Clos Theorem, Blocking Probability, Time-Domain Switching, Combined Space-Time Switching, Digital Crossconnects, Digital Switching Hierarchies. Voice in SONET/SDH and ATM Networks: SONET Frame Architecture and Rates, Virtual Tributaries, Voice Capacity of SONET Networks, SDH Frame Architecture and Rates, Virtual Containers, Voice Capacity of SDH Networks, ATM Layer Architecture, Description of AAL-1 and AAL-2, Voice Transport in AAL-1 and AAL-2. Signaling in Telephone Networks: Channel Associated Signaling in FDM and TDM Systems (CCITT-R1, CCITT-R2, CCITT #5), Common Channel Signaling (SS6, SS7), Signaling System 7 Architecture (SSPs, SCPs, STPs) and Layers (MTP 1-3, TUP, ISUP, SSCP, TCAP). Intelligent Networks: Intelligent Network Architecture, Formal Call Model, Applications (Portability, Call Forwarding, Toll Free Calls, 800- Calls and Number Translation, Time-of-Day Routing, Private Virtual Network). Access Networks: xDSL basics (multiplexing modulation/demodulation), access architecture, protocol stack (PPPoE, PPPoA), equipment (DSLAMs, BRAS), technologies (ADSL, SDSL, VDSL).

Assessment: Written exams at the end of the semester.