[Telekom Malaysia]

Site Visit Summary

On 25 March 2014, students from the Faculty of Engineering organized a site visit to

Telekom Malaysia . Twelve students and lecturer Mr Sasni bin Ismail, our lecturer of Data

Communication and Network from Faculty of Engineering made a visit to this site.

Company Profile:

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), Malaysia’s broadband champion and leading integrated information and communications group, offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in broadband, data and fixed-line. As a market leader, TM is driven by stakeholder value creation in a highly competitive environment. The Group places emphasis on delivering an enhanced customer experience via continuous customer service quality improvements and innovations, whilst focusing on increased operational efficiency and productivity.

Leveraging on our extensive global connectivity, network infrastructure and collective expertise, TM is well positioned to propel Malaysia as a regional Internet hub and digital gateway for South-East Asia. TM remains steadfast in its transformation into a new generation communications provider to deliver an enhanced and integrated digital lifestyle to all Malaysians, and opening up possibilities through connection, communication and collaboration, towards our shared vision of elevating the nation into a high-income economy.

As a model corporate citizen committed to good governance and transparency, TM continues its pledge to ensure the integrity of our processes, people and reputation as well as the sustainability of our operations. Our Corporate Responsibility (CR) ethos reinforces responsible behaviour in the four main domains of the marketplace, workplace, the community and the environment. With a focus on ICT, the Group further promotes 3 major platforms i.e. education, community/nation-building and environment, through our Reaching Out programmes.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of Study

Communication is the basic process of exchanging information from one location

(source) to a second location which is (destination) and communication system is the whole

mechanism of sending and receiving as well as processing of information from source to

destination . In telecommunication, a communications system is a collection of individual

communications networks, transmission systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and data

terminal equipment (DTE) usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an

integrated whole. The components of a communications system serve a common purpose, are

technically compatible, use common procedures, respond to controls, and operate in union.

Telecommunications is a method of communication (e.g., for sports broadcasting, mass media,

journalism, etc.). A communications subsystem is a functional unit or operational assembly that

is smaller than the larger assembly under consideration.[1]

Flow of information (channel)Source/sender Destination/receiver

Figure 1 : Basic block diagram of communication system

Data communications are the exchange of data between two devices via some form of

transmission medium such as a wire cable. For data communications to occur, the

communicating devices must be part of a communication system made up of a combination of

hardware (physical equipment) and software (programs). The effectiveness of a data

communications system depends on four fundamental characteristics: delivery, accuracy,

timeliness, and jitter. A computer network or data network is a telecommunications network that

allows computers to exchange data. In computer networks, networked computing devices pass

data to each other along data connections. The connections (network links) between nodes are

established using either cable media or wireless media. The best-known computer network is the

Internet Network computer devices that originate, route and terminate the data are called network

nodes. Nodes can include hosts such as personal computers, phones, servers as well as

networking hardware. Two such devices are said to be networked together when one device is

able to exchange information with the other device, whether or not they have a direct connection

to each other. Computer networks support applications such as access to the World Wide Web,

shared use of application and storage servers, printers, and fax machines, and use of email and

instant messaging applications. [2]

Figure 2: Five component of data communication

System Roles of the Components Example

Transmitter The device that sends the Message Computer, Radio Station

Receiver The device that receives the message Telephone handset, Workstation

Medium The channel over which the message is sent

Radio waves, coaxial cable

Message The information or data being communicated

Video, Text

Protocol The set of rules that guides how data is transmitted and encoded and decoded.

TCP/IP, AppleTalk

1.2 Objective To understand the basic concept of communication. To understand the flow of how data being distributed to customers To identify the advantages and disadvantages of using copper cable

1.3 Problem statement

Telekom Malaysia’s broadband champion and leading integrated information and communications group

Copper cable being stolen Losses in copper Cost

Chapter 2

Literature review

2.0 Main Distribution Frame (MDF)

A Main Distribution Frame (MDF) is a signal distribution frame or cable rack used in

telephony to interconnect and manage telecommunication wiring between itself and any number

of intermediate distribution frames and cabling from the telephony network it supports. The

MDF connects equipment inside a telecommunications facility to cables and subscriber carrier

equipment. Every cable that supplies services to user telephones lines ends up at an MDF and is

distributed through MDF to equipment within local exchanges. An MDF can provide flexibility

in assigning telecommunications facilities at a lower cost and higher capacity than a patch panel.

The most common kind of MDF is a long steel rack that is accessible from both sides.

Termination blocks are arranged horizontally on one side at the front of the rack shelves. The

jumpers lie on the shelf and move through a steel hoop in order to run through vertically

arranged termination blocks. A typical MDF can hold hundreds of thousands of jumpers and

dozens of them can be changed every day for decades without tangling when administered by

experienced professionals. Jumpers are twisted pairs of cable, each one corresponding to an

individual telephone line.[3]

The location for the MDF can vary in large buildings, but the correct location is either on

the ground floor or basement/car park. MDF for large buildings are usually locked in a

communications room and require access from a building manager. Small shops will usually

have a small MDF located inside but near the front of the premises and there can only be one

MDF in any one building. In Telco talk the MDF is also referred to as the Network Boundary

Point. The Network Boundary Point is where the legal responsibility of the Telcos' finish. From

this point into the premises, the lines are privately owned and therefore all maintenance is the

responsibility of the property owner. Although the owner is not responsible for maintenance up

to this point, they are obligated to look after the telephone cabling and failure to do so will result

in costly repairs by the big telcos. [4]

Figure 3 : MDF frame

Figure 4 : Residential house phone connection

Distribution point

Figure 5 : Distribution point in Kuala Selangor

TOMA

SOMA

ACESS SYSTEM

MDF

Exchange A

Exchange C

Exchange B

2.1 Public switched telephone network ( PSTN )

The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the aggregate of the world's circuit-

switched telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators,

providing infrastructure and services for public telecommunication. The PSTN consists of

telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks,

communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables, all interconnected by switching

centers, thus allowing any telephone in the world to communicate with any other. Originally a

network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital in its

core and includes mobile as well as fixed telephones. The technical operation of the PSTN

adheres to the standards created by the ITU-T. These standards allow different networks in

different countries to interconnect seamlessly.

Figure 6 : PSTN connection

2.2 Digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM)

Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer ( DSLAM) is a network device, often located

in telephone exchanges, which is used by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to route incoming

DSL connections to the Internet. Since a "multiplexer" combines multiple signals into one, a

DSLAM combines a group of subscribers' connections into one aggregate Internet

connection.For example, a DSL access multiplier may receive signals from all the DSL modems

in a certain neighborhood and patch them through to the Internet backbone. The DSLAM

processes each incoming connection and may limit the bandwidth of certain DSL lines. Most

DSL service providers use multiple DSLAMs to help route incoming and outgoing traffic in the

most efficient way possible. This equipment benefits providers because it supports various kinds

of DSL. In addition to Internet connections, DSLAM can provide routing and dynamic IP

address assignment for the service provider's customers.[5]

Figure 7 : DSLAM connection

2.3 Multi-service access node (MSAN)

A multi-service access node (MSAN), also known as a multi-service access gateway

(MSAG), is a device typically installed in a telephone exchange (although sometimes in a

roadside serving area interface cabinet) which connects customers' telephone lines to the core

network, to provide telephone, ISDN, and broadband such as DSL all from a single platform.

Prior to the deployment of MSANs, telecom providers typically had a multitude of separate

equipment including DSLAMs to provide the various types of services to customers. Integrating

all services on a single node, which typically backhauls all data streams over IP or Asynchronous

Transfer Mode can be more cost effective and may provide new services to customers quicker

than previously possible. MSAN system can support legacy and broadband services access

technologies (Figure 7 . In this solution, MSAN connects to PSTN network via V5 interface for

the delivery of TDM-based voice services; MSAN connects to ATM or IP core network for data

services.[6]

Figure 7 : MSAN connection

2.4 Copper wire

Copper has been used in electric wiring since the invention of the electromagnet and the

telegraph in the 1820s. The invention of the telephone in 1876 created further demand for copper

wire as an electrical conductor. Copper is the electrical conductor in many categories of

electrical wiring. Copper wire is used in power generation, power transmission, power

distribution, telecommunications, electronics circuitry, and countless types of electrical

equipment. Copper and its alloys are also used to make electrical contacts .

2.4.1 Twisted pair cable

Twisted pair cabling is the most popular network cable and is often used in data networks for

short and medium length connections (up to 100 meters or 328 feet).This is due to its relatively

lower costs compared to optical fiber and coaxial cable.Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables are

the primary cable type for telephone usage. In the late 20th century, UTPs emerged as the most

common cable in computer networking cables, especially as patch cables or temporary network

connections. They are increasingly used in video applications, primarily in security cameras.

Figure 8: Twisted pair cable

2.4.2 Coaxial cable

Coaxial cables were extensively used in mainframe computer systems and were the first

type of major cable used for Local Area Networks (LAN). Common applications for coaxial

cable today include computer network (Internet) and instrumentation data connections, video and

CATV distribution, RF and microwave transmission, and feedlines connecting radio transmitters

and receivers with their antennas.

Coaxial cables can go longer distances and have better protection from EMI than twisted

pairs, coaxial cables are harder to work with and more difficult to run from offices to the wiring

closet. For these reasons, it is now generally being replaced with less expensive UTP cables or

by fiber optic cables for more capacity. Today, many CATV companies still use coaxial cables

into homes. These cables, however, are increasingly connected to a fiber optic data

communications system outside of the home. Most building management systems use proprietary

copper cabling, as do paging/audio speaker systems. Security monitoring and entry systems still

often depend on copper, although fiber cables are also used.

Figure 9: Coaxial cable

2.5 Fiber optic

Fiber optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to

another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic

carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. It is first developed in the 1970s, fiber-optic

communication systems have revolutionized the telecommunications industry and have played a

major role in the advent of the Information Age. Because of its advantages over electrical

transmission, optical fibers have largely replaced copper wire communications in core networks

in the developed world. Optical fiber is used by many telecommunications companies to transmit

telephone signals, Internet communication, and cable television signals. [7]

An optical fiber (or optical fibre) is a flexible, transparent fiber made of high quality

extruded glass (silica) or plastic, slightly thicker than a human hair. It can function as a

waveguide, or “light pipe”, to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. Power over Fiber

(PoF) optic cables can also work to deliver an electric current for low-power electric devices.

The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of optical

fibers is known as fiber optics.[8]

The process of communicating using fiber-optics involves the following basic steps:

Creating the optical signal involving the use of a transmitter, relaying the signal along the fiber,

ensuring that the signal does not become too distorted or weak, receiving the optical signal, and

converting it into an electrical signal.

Figure 10 : A bundle of optical fibers

Figure 11 : Transmission of light

Chapter 3

Methodology

3.0 Basic communication system

Information source

An information source is a source of information for somebody, i.e. anything that might

inform a person about something or provide knowledge to somebody. Information

sources may be observations, people, speeches, documents, pictures, organizations etc.

They may be primary sources, secondary sources, tertiary sources and so on.

Input signal

Transmitted signal

Received signal Feedback

Output signal

Information source

transmitter

channel

receiver

destination

noise

Transmitter

is to convert the input message or information into electrical signal such as voltage or

current or into electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, microwaves and light waves

Channel (transmission medium)

is the link or path over which information flows from transmitter (source ) to receiver

(destination

Receiver

receives the electrical signals or electromagnetic waves that are sent by the transmitter

through the channel

main process is demodulation or detection of the received signal

Destination

is where the user receives the information

Feedback

Feedback is essential in communication so as to know whether the recipient has

understood the message in the same terms as intended by the sender and whether he

agrees to that message or not. Receivers are not just passive absorbers of messages. They

receive the message and respond to about the subject matter about what they have

understood. This response of a receiver to sender’s message is called Feedback.

Sometimes a feedback could be a non-verbal, smiles, sighs and other times, it is oral. It

can also be written like replying to an e-mail, etc.

3.1 Ring topology

TM in Selangor State is using ring topology to interconnect between

different towns and regions for example it interconnects Kuala Selangor, Sasaran ,

Sabak Bernam, Kapar and Klang as shown in Figure 12 are connected in ring shape

. In a ring topology, each device has a dedicated point-to-point connection with only

the two devices on either side of it. A signal is passed along the ring in one

direction, from device to device, until it reaches its destination. Each device in the

ring incorporates a repeater. When a device receives a signal intended for another

device, its repeater regenerates the bits and passes them along .[2]

Figure 12 : Ring topology

Kuala Selangor

Sasaran

Sabak Bernam

KaparKlang

3.1.1 Advantages ring topology

This type of network topology is very organized. Each node gets to send the data when it

receives an   empty token. This helps to reduces chances of collision. Also in ring

topology all the traffic flows in only one  direction at very high speed.

There is no need for network server to control the connectivity between workstations.

Additional components do not affect the performance of network.

Each computer has equal access to resources.

3.1.2 Disadvantages of ring topology

Each packet of data must pass through all the computers between source and destination.

This makes it slower than Star topology.

If one workstation or port goes down, the entire network gets affected.

Network is highly dependent on the wire which connects different components.

CHAPTER 4

DISCUSSION

4.0 Advantages of using fiber optic instead of copper cable

Less expensive - Several miles of optical cable is cheaper which has equivalent lengths

of copper wire. This saves your provider (cable TV, Internet) and your money. Lower cost

in the long run as lesser maintenance job required compared to copper cable.

Thinner - Optical fibers can be drawn to smaller diameters than copper wire.

Higher carrying capacity - Because optical fibers are thinner than copper wires, more

fibers can be bundled into a given-diameter cable than copper wires. This allows more

phone lines to go over the same cable or more channels to come through the cable into

your cable TV box.

Less signal degradation - The loss of signal in optical fiber is less than in copper wire.

Light signals - Unlike electrical signals in copper wires, light signals from one fiber do

not interfere with those of other fibers in the same cable. This means clearer phone

conversations or TV reception.

Low power - Because signals in optical fibers degrade less, lower-power transmitters can

be used instead of the high-voltage electrical transmitters needed for copper wires. Again,

this saves your provider and your money.

Digital signals - Optical fibers are ideally suited for carrying digital information, which

is especially useful in computer networks.

Non-flammable - Because no electricity is passed through optical fibers, there is no fire

hazard.

Lightweight - An optical cable weighs less than a comparable copper wire cable. Fiber-

optic cables take up less space in the ground.

Flexible - Because fiber optics are so flexible and can transmit and receive light, they are

used in many flexible digital cameras for the following purposes:

Difficult to be stolen as usually fiber optic cable are installed below the ground.

Difficult to place a tap or listening device on the line, providing better phyisical network

security.

4.1 Disadvantages of fiber optic

Price - Even though the raw material for making optical fibres, sand, is abundant and

cheap, optical fibres are still more expensive per metre than copper. Although, one fibre

can carry many more signals than a single copper cable and the large transmission

distances mean that fewer expensive repeaters are required.

Fragility - Optical fibres are more fragile than electrical wires.

Affected by chemicals - The glass can be affected by various chemicals including

hydrogen gas (a problem in underwater cables.)

Opaqueness - Despite extensive military use it is known that most fibres become opaque

when exposed to radiation. 

Requires special skills - Optical fibres cannot be joined together as a easily as copper

cable and requires additional training of personnel and expensive precision splicing and

measurement equipment.

Chapter 5

Conclusion

From this visit students are able to understand better and apply the knowledge of the

communication system which was learned during Data and Communication Network classes.

Student can also observe how the distribution line is made up for communication to region and

city. Other than that we also could clearly see the advantages of using ring topology and what

happens if there is failure in one the workstation .

TM Malaysia has use different material to supply communication connection to

costumer. Copper wire being used for many years as a main material, now advance

technology introduced fiber optic as new material . From this site visit we can conclude that the

fiber optic has more advantage compared to copper wire which is being widely used in Selangor

and many more urban areas . Although there is some disadvantages of fiber optic but its better

when we consider in performance , efficiency , durability of lasting and cost wise compared to

copper wire .

References

1. Schwartz, M., Bennett, W. R., & Stein, S. (1996). Communication systems and techniques. New York: IEEE Press.

2. Behrouz a farahan data and communication network3. http://www.techopedia.com/definition/2233/main-distribution-frame-mdf 4. http://www.phoneworks.net.au/Residential_Services/network_boundary.php 5. http://www.techterms.com/definition/dslam6. http://www.sabafam.com/flexible 7. Bell Labs breaks optical transmission record, 100 Petabit per second kilometer barrier , Phys.org,

29 September 20098. Thyagarajan, K. and Ghatak, Ajoy K. (2007). Fiber Optic Essentials. Wiley-Interscience. pp. 34

Check conclusion part and problem statement