It has been said that a modern telecommunications system is the nervous system of any firm. No business can survive in the contemporary marketplace without it. To extend the metaphor, telecommunications are the ways the different parts of the corporate body keep in communication; transmitting information, relaying instructions, making instant response and feedback possible. Moreover, telecommunications are increasingly the method by which the corporation perceives and interacts with the outside world, meaning customers, suppliers, clients, regulators and so on. Broadly speaking, modern telecommunications define the way we live and work today, and as such, an efficient, effective and up to date telecommunications system is a vital investment for any firm.
The role of telecommunications
Telecommunications originally developed around the telephone as the central communication device. This revolutionized the world at that point, allowing long distance and eventually global communication directly and immediately between individuals for the first time. In the 21st century, digital communication has supplanted analog, with this communication broadened to include the transmission of all kinds of data. A list of the functions provided by modern telecommunications would include not just telephony but email, internet access and web-based communication, broadcast and interactive TV, video conferencing, fax, instant messaging and so on. Documents, images, audio and video can be instantly transmitted around the globe, and with the advent of 3D printing this may increasingly apply to physical objects.
Work smarter
Modern telecommunications allow more to be achieved in less time and at lower cost, with fewer resources. In retail and wholesale, phone and online ordering is far more cost efficient. In any business, it is now easier for employees to access information and act on it. They also no longer need to work in the office, and with smartphone technology the world is now one great virtual office, with physical location no barrier to efficient, coordinated action.
Changing the world
The efforts of those engaged in bringing modern telecommunications to those parts of the world that had previously been left out of this revolution cannot be overestimated. One example is entrepreneur and philanthropist Ehsanollah Bayat, who established Telephone Systems International in Florida in order to develop a commercial telephone network in his native Afghanistan. Returning home after the Taliban had been ousted in 2001, his firm partnered the following year with the Afghan Ministry of Communications to establish the Afghan Wireless Communications Company. As the nation’s first mobile phone company, they have connected over 4 million Afghans, directly enabling the growth of business and industry in the country. Further information can be found at the Afghan Wireless page.
Communication is the lifeblood of any industry, and for any business that wishes to prosper, modern telecommunications are an essential tool. Even the smallest firms now need to act globally in order to remain competitive, and modern telephones and internet connections make this possible. If a firm cannot access the information it needs immediately, it is at a severe disadvantage, and if customers or clients cannot contact a firm by phone or email, they will doubtless go elsewhere. We live in an increasingly connected world where no one can afford to be left out.
