Telecommunications Engineering

Telecommunications engineering, or telecom engineering, is an engineering discipline that brings together electrical engineering with computer science to enhance telecommunication systems. The work ranges from basic circuit design to strategic mass developments. A telecommunication engineer is responsible for designing and overseeing the installation of telecommunications equipment and facilities, such as complex electronic switching systems, copper wire telephone facilities, and fiber optics. Telecommunication engineering also overlaps heavily with broadcast engineering.

Telecommunication is a diverse field of engineering which is connected to electronics, civil, structural, and electrical engineering. Ultimately, telecom engineers are responsible for providing the method for customers to have telephone and high-speed data services. It helps people who are closely working in political and social fields, as well accounting and project management.

Telecom engineers use a variety of equipment and transport media available from a multitude of manufacturers to design the telecom network infrastructure. The most common media, often referred to as plant in the telecom industry, used by telecommunications companies today are copper, coaxial cable, fiber, and radio.

Telecom engineers are often expected, as most engineers are, to provide the best solution possible for the lowest cost to the company. This often leads to creative solutions to problems that often would have been designed differently without the budget constraints dictated by modern society. In the earlier days of the telecom industry, massive amounts of cable were placed that were never used or have been replaced by modern technology such as fiber optic cable and digital multiplexing techniques.

Telecom engineers are also responsible for overseeing the companies' records of equipment and facility assets. Their work directly impacts assigning appropriate accounting codes for taxes and maintenance purposes, budgeting and overseeing projects.