Telecommunications is the transmission of information over distances by electronic means. It includes phone calls, internet, radio, television, and satellite. The term covers the technology, the infrastructure, and the industry. It is how the world stays connected.

The telegraph was the first telecommunications network. Samuel Morse sent the first message in 1844. The telephone followed in 1876. Radio, television, and satellites expanded the reach. The internet transformed it again. Now voice, video, and data travel over the same networks.

Key technologies

• Wired: copper, coaxial, fiber
• Wireless: radio, microwave, satellite
• Switching: circuit, packet
• Protocols: TCP/IP, SIP, SS7
• Media: voice, video, data

Telecommunications is regulated. Governments allocate spectrum, license carriers, and set rules for privacy and competition. The industry is capital-intensive. Building networks costs billions. Rural areas often lack service because the economics do not work. The digital divide is a telecom problem.