The Evolution of Telecommunications

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the technological, economic, and organizational forces that have shaped the evolution of telecommunications networks toward the Internet era. It traces the historical progression from circuit-switched systems to packet-based architectures, analyzing the trade-offs, standards negotiations, and global interoperability challenges that influenced design decisions. By exploring the interplay between innovation, investment constraints, and international policy, the book offers critical insights into how past choices impact current network capabilities and future directions, including emerging paradigms such as AI-driven optimization and quantum networking.