Here's What Seminar Attendees Like You Are Saying

Hundreds of people like you have benefited from Teracom’s training. Many tell us their Teracom course was their best course ever; filled gaps in their knowledge and tied everything together… knowledge they’ve been needing for years. Here’s a sampling of comments from Teracom alumni:

“Feedback from my team was TERRIFIC. It gave our entire technical Call Center a common foundation, and you seem to have crafted that perfect balance between technical depth, real-world applications, and lively delivery. I couldn't be happier with the results. The things my team learned from this training were applied in real-world situations almost immediately.”
- Rusty Walther, Vice President, Client Services, AboveNet Communications

“Excellent! I learned a lot - everyday terms, definitions, and acronyms. Seminar notebook very helpful. The instructor was the best I ever had – lots of knowledge and experience and stories were GREAT.”
- Serena Laursen, Microsoft

“Thank you for conducting a very successful course last week. It was both informative and interesting and you were able to find the perfect balance of sharing deep knowledge, provide relatable examples and lighten it up with great humor. The feedback that we have received has been extremely positive.”
- Charlotte Kaheru, International Finance Corporation, World Bank

“The seminar delivered exactly what was advertised, at a very high quality. Truth in advertising!”
- Gary Lundberg, Copper Mountain Networks

“Best course we have ever had onsite at 3Com”

“Perfect content; well organized, well paced, building block approach, resulted in a very nice cathedral”
- Jim George, Qualcomm

“Course was excellent! One of the best I have taken. Extremely well organized and presented. Seminar workbook is outstanding - a very valuable reference”
- Kieran Delaney, Maritime Life

“Filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of networking... able to deliver the knowledge effectively and entertainingly. Excellent seminar”
- Kirk Kroeker, IEEE Computer Society

“Layman's terms with humor was very relaxing - helped me concentrate... understanding is now CLEAR ... the manual will be very helpful”
- Linda Côté, Bell Canada

Six Reasons to Take This Course

Teracom’s courses have been taught to wide acclaim across North America since 1992 and are designed for the non-engineering professional needing to fill in the gaps, build a solid base of knowledge… and see how it all fits together.

1. Cut through the buzzwords, jargon and vendor hype to gain the big picture view of communications and networking you can put to use today ... and into the future.
2. Build the career-enhancing knowledge tools you need to succeed in the fast-changing world of communications.
3. Build a structural understanding of telecommunications and networking, allowing you to make meaningful comparisons and informed decisions.
4. Understand mainstream solutions to today's requirements, and obtain templates you can put to immediate use.
5. Obtain detailed workbooks / textbooks that will serve as a valuable reference for years.
6. Understand how it all fits together.

Develop a structure for understanding technologies and solutions, allowing you to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons -- knowledge you can't get on the job, reading trade magazines or talking to vendors.

Course Schedule

We’re constantly adding new dates. To see the latest schedule, please visit teracomtraining.com.

How to Register

Space in our seminars is limited, and may sell out, so please register as early as possible to reserve your place. Register online at teracomtraining.com, or call us at 1-877-412-2700. You will receive a registration package with full details and instructions plus a confirmation letter to sign and return to complete your registration.

Tuition Fees

This three-day intensive course is $1895 In-Person and $1395 Live Online. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex, checks and purchase orders.

Free Bonus! Online Courses & TCO CTNS Certification

As a free bonus, you get the full set of Teracom’s Online Courses. Not only are these an excellent way to take a second pass through various topics, the Online Courses include pictures of equipment and additional lessons beyond those in this course. If you choose to write the optional course exams, and pass, you will also earn the TCO CTNS certification, complete with certificate suitable for framing and letter of reference.

Your Course Materials: An Invaluable Reference

Every course comes complete with a high-quality course book that's been called the best on-the-job reference tool around. Written in plain English, this easy-to-use reference includes copies of all graphics PLUS extensive detailed text notes. Topics are organized in logical groups to give you easy reference after the seminar to the practical experience, theoretical background, and unbiased information on industry technologies, products and trends you'll need. With numerous chapters covering all major topics, you'll obtain an invaluable resource impossible to find anywhere else in one book.

Get a sneak preview of the course materials via the tutorials at www.teracomtraining.com.

Detailed Course Description

Broadband, Telecom, Datacom and Networking for Non-Engineering Professionals is our core training - three intensive days of training designed for non-engineering professionals, on the key elements of broadband, datacom, telecom and networking, from jargon and fundamentals to the current technologies. We progress through key concepts in a logical order from start to finish.

Part 1: The Fundamentals

The first part is six chapters covering the fundamentals of telecom, explaining concepts, filling gaps and establishing a solid base of knowledge. First is a big picture view with a high-level pass introducing all the course topics. We then progress logically: how carriers provision telecom circuits, telecom fundamentals, and IP packet network fundamentals. Then we explain the Internet as a business: web services like AWS, ISPs, cloud computing and data centers. We review the services available today by category - residential, business and wholesale. The fundamentals are rounded out with digital media concepts: how voice is digitized, digital images, digital video, digital quantities and digital text.

1. Introduction to Telecommunications

We begin with a big-picture, comprehensive introduction to broadband telecom: the ideas of broadband and convergence, today's telecom network, the various parts of the network, and three key technologies: IP, Ethernet and MPLS, explaining what they are and what they do. We cover end-to-end how a circuit is implemented, and identify typical residential, business and wholesale services.

A. History of Telecommunications
B. Convergence
C. Broadband
D. Today's Telecom Network
E. Network Core
F. Ethernet, IP and MPLS
G. Network Access
H. Telecommunication Service Implementation
I. Carrier Interconnect
J. Residential, Business and Wholesale Services

2. Telecom Fundamentals

You'll receive a firm foundation in the fundamental concepts of telecom: elements of a circuit; clients, servers, peers and terminals; how pulses are used to represented bits on fiber; and how modems are used to represented them in wireless, cable TV and DSL. Next you'll learn how shared capacity is used to carry traffic from many users on common facilities through Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), overbooking and Bandwidth on Demand.

A. Circuits
B. Terminals, Clients, Servers and Peers
C. Pulses: Representing Bits on Digital Circuits
D. Modems: Representing Bits in Frequency Channels
E. Serial and Parallel
F. Sharing: FDM on CATV, Radio and Fiber
G. Sharing: Channelized TDM
H. Efficient Sharing: Bandwidth on Demand and Statistical TDM

3. Network Fundamentals

Next, you'll receive a firm foundation in network fundamentals and jargon. Today's converged telecom network developed from what we use to call "data communications", that is packets in frames. Staying out of the details, we cover basic circuit configurations, learn how routers relay packets between circuits, and how packets are transmitted between devices in frames. We fill gaps and bring you up to speed on MAC frames, IP packets and MPLS labels, including the purpose of each and how they work together.

A. Unbalanced Configurations: CATV, PON, WiFi, CAN-BUS
B. Balanced: LANs and Ethernet
C. Frames and MAC Addresses
D. Networks
E. Packets and IP Addresses
F. IP Packets in MAC Frames
G. IP Packets
H. MPLS Labels

4. The Internet, Cloud Computing and Data Centers

The Internet began in order to send text email messages and is now converged broadband communications worldwide. Here, we explain what exactly an Internet Service Provider (ISP) does, and how they can get packets delivered worldwide. We review browsers and apps, web clients and web servers, and then explain the huge business of cloud computing, web services and data centers.

A Network to Survive Nuclear War
B. The Inter-Net Protocol
C. Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
D. Domain Name System (DNS)
E. Web Clients: Browsers and Apps
F. Web Servers: HTTP, HTTPS, HTML
G. Web Services
H. Cloud Computing and AWS
I. Data Centers
J. Net Neutrality

5. Telecom Services

A complete foundation in telecom must include understanding where the money is, which is in services with recurring billing. We organize services into the categories of Residential, Business and Wholesale, and identify the current choices and offerings in each category. We include Broadband Internet, Internet VoIP with a PSTN phone number, and video streaming for residences; in the business category VPNs, PRI, Centrex, and SIP trunking; and wholesale services wavelengths, dark fiber, Carrier Ethernet and IP transit.

A. Residential

1. Broadband Internet
2. POTS & PSTN Phone Calls
3. VoIP Internet Telephone Service
4. "Basic Cable" and Video-on-Demand

B. Business

1. Internet with Security, DNS
2. "MPLS Services" and MPLS VPNs
3. Internet VPNs
4. Centrex
5. PRI & PBX Trunking, SIP Trunking

C. Wholesale

1. Bulk: Wavelengths, Dark Fiber, Carrier Ethernet
2. Software-Defined Network (SDN)
3. Internet Transit
4. Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

6. Digital Media: Voice, Video, Images, Quantities, Text

The converged network carries all types of media: voice, text, video, and images in packets. Digitizing the media is the essential first step, which means representing media using 1s and 0s, so it can be carried in packets. You'll learn how voice is digitized and then reconstructed applying the G.711 64 kb/s standard. You'll see that the same principles are applied to images in formats like jpg, and to mp4 videos. We review binary and hexadecimal, and then finish with unicode for emojis and text.

A. Analog and Digital: What Do We Really Mean?
B. Continuous Signals, Discrete Signals
C. Voice Digitization (Analog → Digital Conversion)
D. Voice Reconstruction (Digital → Analog Conversion)
E. Digital Voice: 64kb/s G.711 Standard
F. Digital Video: H.264 / MP4, HD, 4K
G. Digital Images: JPG, GIF, PNG
H. Digital Images in Emails: MIME
I. Digital Quantities: Binary and Hex
J. Digital Text: ASCII and Unicode

Part 2: Telecom Technologies

In the part two of the course, we focus on the three main technologies used to transmit information from one location to another which we group into wireless, fiber and copper. You'll learn about mobile network components and operations, the wireless spectrum, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, fixed wireless broadband home internet and satellites. We cover optical basics, networks configured with point-to-point fibers using Optical Ethernet, fiber to the premise, in the core and metro, and wave-division multiplexing. We round out the discussion with copper-wire technologies: POTS and DSL on twisted pair, T1, Hybrid Fiber-Coax cable TV systems and the categories of LAN cables.

7. Wireless

In this segment, we focus on wireless transmission. We identify basic principles of operation and the components of a mobile network. We explain the requirements for mobility, coverage and capacity, and the reason cellular radio systems are used. You’ll understand how mobile to land-line (PSTN) phone calls are connected, and about roaming, mobile Internet and virtual operators. We cover mobile 4G LTE and 5G, plus fixed wireless broadband home internet. You'll learn about WiFi and the 802.11ax standard, and finally satellite communications.

A. Radio Fundamentals
B. Spectrum
C. Mobile Network Components and Operation

1. Towers
2. Transceivers
3. Backhaul
4. Mobile Switches & MTSOs

D. Cellular and Handoffs
E. PSTN Phone Calls with the Phone App ("Voice Minutes")
F. Mobile Internet ("Data Plan")
G. Broadband Delivery: Cellular + WiFi
H. Mobile Operators, MVNOs and Roaming
I. Spectrum-Sharing Technologies: FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, OFDM
J. 4G LTE
K. 5G New Radio (NR)
L. 3.5 GHz Fixed Wireless Broadband Internet
M. WiFi: 802.11 Standards & Wireless LANs
N. LEO and GEO Satellites

8. Fiber Optics

The network core is created by connecting routers to other routers point-to-point with fiber. Telephone companies used to run copper wires to access every home in a suburb. They are now investing to run fiber to access every home. In this segment, you'll learn the basics of fiber, wavelengths, WDM and the makeup of fiber cables. You'll learn how Optical Ethernet implements the fiber connections, plus how Optical Ethernet is used in fiber to the premise via PONs (Passive Optical Networks) in the core and in metro areas.

A. Optical Basics
B. Fiber and Cable Construction
C. Distance-Limiting Factor: Dispersion
D. Optical Wavelengths and Bands
E. Wave-Division Multiplexing: CWDM and DWDM
F. Optical Ethernet
G. Network Core: Regional Rings and POPs
H. Metropolitan Area Network
I. Fiber to the Premise

1. Passive Optical Network (PON)
2. Active Optical Network
3. MAN Stations and Stubs

9. Copper

The physical access circuit in suburbs and cities, before wireless and fiber, was two copper wires for telephone and cable TV service. These wires are used today to deliver broadband. In this segment, you'll learn how the twisted pairs, put in place originally for analog POTS telephone service, are used to deliver DSL broadband service; how broadband on coaxial cable is moved by cable modems; and how both are delivered to the neighborhood on fiber then on copper to the premise. To finish, we explain digital on copper wires: T1s and LAN cables.

A. Twisted Pair Loops

1. The PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network
2. Analog Circuits
3. The Voiceband
4. Plain Ordinary Telephone Service (POTS)
5. DTMF
6. DSL and VDSL2
7. Fiber to the Node plus DSL to the Premise

B. Hybrid Fiber-Coax

1. CATV: Fiber to the Node plus Coax to the Premise
2. Cable Modems
3. DOCSIS

C. T1 and E1
D. LAN Cables and Categories

Part 3: Equipment, Carriers and Interconnect

In the third part, we cover the equipment, connected by the wireless, fiber and copper explained in Part 2, to form networks, and the purpose and place of each. You'll learn where and how physical connections are made for PSTN phone calls, CLEC services and for Internet traffic.

10. Telecom Equipment

In this segment, we review the various types of telecom equipment, starting with the essentials for the broadband telecom network: IP/MPLS routers and Ethernet switches, comparing costs and capabilities. Next, we review the various types of broadband customer premise equipment. To explain call managers, soft switches and SIP servers, we compare them with legacy PBXs and CO switches to see the fundamental differences. We finish with gateways and how gateways convert packets to channels.

A. Broadband Network Equipment: Ethernet Switches and Routers
B. Broadband Customer Premise Equipment
C. CO Switches, PBXs and Remotes
D. Call Managers, Soft Switches and SIP Servers
E. Gateways

11. Carriers and Interconnect

For customers of different carriers to commmunicate, the carriers' networks must be physically connected. In this segment, we explain how the Internet is implemented, with transit agreements and peering at Internet Exchange buildings. We also explain about POPs in toll centers: where and how local exchange service providers: mobile providers, ILECs and CATV, connect together and connect to other carriers to enable phone calls using a PSTN phone number; and how calls are set up using SS7. We end by explaining where a CLEC fits in the story by collocating equipment in wire centers.

A. IX: Interconnect for Internet Traffic
B. Toll Centers: Interconnecting PSTN Telephone Calls
C. IXCs and LECs: Implementing Long-Distance Competition
D. Switched Access and POPs
E. CATV and Wireless Local Exchange Carriers
F. SS7
G. COs and Wire Centers
H. Local Competition: CLEC – Collocation plus ILEC Dark Fiber

Part 4: Networking

The final part of the course is focused on IP networking and MPLS. We start with the OSI Reference Model explaining its layers and providing a structure for discussion: what the layers are, what a layer is, the functions of each layer, and the standard protocols for each layer. Then we discuss Layer 2: broadcast domains, Ethernet, 802 standards and VLANs. Next, Layer 3: IP addresses, IP routers, DHCP, Network Address Translation, public and private addresses and IPv6. We cover MPLS, the core traffic management system, and how it is used to implement VPNs, service integration, classes of service and traffic aggregation. We conclude with a roundup of technologies, a top-down review and peek into the future of telecommunications.

12. The OSI Layers and Protocol Stacks

To interoperate systems, so many functions must be performed that a structure is needed to organize the functions in order to treat separate issues separately. We begin part four with the ISO 7-Layer Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model, the most commonly-used structure. We explain what a layer is, each layer's purpose, give examples of protocols used to implement layers like TCP and IP, and provide a practical view of how protocol stacks work for applications like VoIP and web surfing.

A. Protocols and Standards
B. ISO OSI Reference Model
C. OSI 7-Layer Model
D. Physical Layer: DSL, 802.3, DOCSIS
E. Data Link Layer: 802 MAC
F. Network Layer: IP and MPLS
G. Transport Layer: TCP and UDP
H. Session Layer: POP, SIP, HTTP
I. Presentation Layer: ASCII, Encryption, Codecs
J. Application Layer: HTML, SMTP, English …
K. Protocol Stack in Operation: Eg. Babushka Dolls
L. Standards Organizations

13. Ethernet, LANs and VLANs

Ethernet is used for linking devices point-to-point in all network parts, thus implementing OSI model Layers 1 and 2 together. In this segment, we review the basic principles of LANs and Ethernet formalized by stardards in the 802 series, plus the concepts of broadcast domains, MAC addresses and MAC frames. You'll learn how Layer 2 switches, also called LAN switches, connect devices, and use VLANs to separate devices for basic network security.

A. MAC Frames, MAC Addresses and Broadcast Domains
B. Ethernet and 802 standards
C. Layer 2 / Ethernet Switches
D. VLANs

14. IP Networks, Routers and Addresses

This segment is focused on IP which is used to implement Layer 3. We start with IP addressing: address classes, DHCP, subnets, static and dynamic addresses, private and public addresses and Network Address Translation. We use a simple IP network to show how routers relay packets from link to link to implement the network, and also serve as a point of control denying communications based on port number and/or IP address. We finish this segment with IPv6 addressing.

A. IPv4 Address Classes
B. Subnets: Prefix and Subnet Mask
C. DHCP, Static and Dynamic Addresses
D. Assigning Subnets to Broadcast Domains
E. IP Network: Routers and Routing Tables
F. Routers and Customer Edge (CE)
G. Public and Private IPv4 Addresses
H. Network Address Translation (NAT)
I. IPv6
J. IPv6 Address Types and Address Allocation

15. MPLS and Carrier Networks

In the future everything, including television and phone calls, will be carried in IP packets. However, IP in itself does not provide any way to manage or prioritize traffic to guarantee picture quality or call quality. MPLS is used in a carrier's network core to implement those functions. In this segment, we cover the basics of carrier networks and the need for Service Level Agreements. You’ll gain practical knowledge on how MPLS works and how carriers use it to implement different Classes of Service, VPNs, traffic aggregation and service integration.

A Carrier Packet Network Basics
B. Class of Service (CoS) and Service Level Agreements
C. Provider Equipment at the Customer Premise
D. Virtual Circuit Technologies
E. MPLS
F. MPLS VPNs for Business Customers
G. MPLS for Service Integration
H. MPLS and Diff-Serv Supporting Classes of Service
I. MPLS for Traffic Aggregation

16. Wrapping Up Course 101

The final segment brings together all of the concepts with a top-down review. You’ll gain valuable insights into telecom methodology and project management. We review broadband, telecom, datacom and networking services, technologies and solutions. We conclude by peeking at the future of telecommunications, when the Internet and telephone network become the same thing.

A. Technology Deployment Steps
B. Requirements Analysis
C. High-Level Design
D. Review: Circuits and Services
E. Technology Roundup
F. Private Network
G. Carrier IP Services
H. The Future

Our goal is to explain the underlying concepts, providing you with a practical understanding of telecom technologies and services without bogging down on details. In addition, the course book includes extra reference material, intended to be a valuable resource for years to come. Plus, you get the online courses with unlimited repeats, certification and companion reference etextbook included.

Taking this course, you will gain a solid base of structured knowledge that you can apply to specific projects and build on in the future. An investment in career- and productivity-enhancing knowledge skills that will be repaid many times over. Many people who take this course tell us they “wish they’d had this training years ago”.

Start at the beginning. Understand the fundamental ideas. Understand mainstream technologies that implement these ideas. Learn the acronyms, abbreviations and jargon. Get an unbiased big-picture view that will give you the knowledge you need to ask the right questions, make meaningful comparisons and informed decisions.

Join us at a scheduled public seminar, or have Teracom come to you for a private course.

Visit teracomtraining.com for more information. Cheers!

Bring This Course To Your Location or Arrange a Private Virtual Training

Since 1992, we have provided high-quality on-site training in telecommunications for non-engineering professionals at AT&T, Verizon, Bell Canada, TELUS, Qualcomm, 3Com, Cisco, Intel, Alcatel, Nortel, Teleglobe, the National Security Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency, US Coast Guard, US Air Force, Office of Naval Intelligence, MindSpring, APEX Telecom, Equifax, Transamerica Insurance, The Hartford, American Broadband, Cap Gemini, ComSec Establishment, MicroCell Telecom, TDS Telecom, Kyocera, Winstar, Western Wireless, US Cellular, Ericsson/Hewlett-Packard, Entergy, Intelsat, RangeTel, Alltel, Vertek, DSCI, Cox Cable, Florida Power and Light, Frontier Communications, Western Iowa Telephone, Genuity, LG Electronics, Panasonic, SouthEast Telephone, State of Nebraska, State of Montana, Tektronix, Bermuda Telecom, UTS and the Universal Service Administrative Company
... to name a few.
Plus, we have a GSA contract with pre-approved government pricing

Now this same course is available as a virtual course with a live instructor over Zoom or Microsoft Teams - maintain social distancing and still get the same great training.

Private training courses have special advantages:

• Your team will gain a solid knowledge base and be up to a common speed.
• We put in place productivity-enhancing structured knowledge and fill in the gaps.
• Training together is a strong team-building exercise.
• Significant reductions in training costs can often be achieved.
• Each student receives a detailed course workbook which will be a valuable reference long after the course.

We have established a solid reputation for delivering successful private team-training programs which are high-quality. We’d like to do the same for you!
Please contact us at 1-877-412-2700 or visit the private training courses page for more information.

Online Courses and Certifications

Get up to speed and build a solid base of knowledge in broadband, telecom, datacom, networking, IP, MPLS, VoIP and wireless… with certification to prove it. Based on Teracom's proven instructor-led training courses developed and refined over thirty years, Teracom online courses are top-notch, top-quality and right up to date with the topics and knowledge you need.

We've partnered with the Telecommunications Certification Organization for certifications. Register for a Certification Package, complete the courses and exams, and earn TCO Certification, with diploma, letter of reference and more. With the Unlimited Plan, you can repeat the courses and exams as many times as you like… which means you are guaranteed to pass if you're willing to learn.

Teracom online telecom training elearning courses are a full multimedia experience. The text spoken by the instructor is displayed on the right side of the screen while animated diagrams, pictures, bullets and video are displayed on the left. Each lesson in a course has several parts, followed by informal quiz questions to ensure key points are understood. Every course includes a full-color course completion certificate suitable for framing.

Take advantage of these courses for individual learning, or for an entire organization. The scalable myTeracom Learning Management System can register and manage all of your people, and generate management reports showing progress and scores with the click of a button.

You can also select individual courses, or select from other packages of discounted courses as best meets your learning needs. Our most popular, the Certified Telecommunications Network Specialist (CTNS) Certification Package, is included with Course 101 Broadband, Telecom, Datacom and Networking for Non-Engineers or available separately. It includes the following courses:

• 2241 Introduction to Broadband Converged IP Telecom
• 2206 Wireless Telecommunications
• 2221 Fundamentals of Voice over IP
• 2201 The PSTN
• 2212 OSI Layers and Protocol Stacks
• 2213 IP Addresses, Packets and Routers
• 2214 MPLS and Carrier Networks

Please visit teracomtraining.com for more information on Online Courses and Certifications.

About the Author

Eric Coll is an international expert in telecommunications, data communications and networking and has been actively involved in the industry since 1983. He holds Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering (Electrical) degrees.

Mr. Coll has taught telecommunications technology training seminars to wide acclaim across North America since 1992, and has broad experience working as an engineer in the telecommunications industry. He has worked for Nortel's R&D labs as a design engineer on projects including digital voice and data communications research and digital telecom network equipment design, and on satellite radar systems, consulting on Wide Area Network design, and many other projects in capacities ranging from detailed design and implementation to systems engineering, project leader and consultant.