Mixed Deck — All Telecommunications Topics Flashcards
100 cards from real Telecommunications practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 20 Mixed Deck — All Telecommunications Topics flashcards as text
What is a SIP trunk?
Answer: A virtual connection linking a PBX to a carrier's SIP network
A SIP trunk is a virtual connection between an IP-PBX and an ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) for making and receiving calls.
What is the primary difference between TCP and UDP?
Answer: TCP provides reliable delivery with acknowledgments; UDP is connectionless with no guarantees
TCP guarantees delivery through acknowledgments and retransmissions, while UDP is faster but provides no delivery guarantees.
What wavelength does standard single-mode fiber primarily use for long-haul transmission?
Answer: 1550 nm
1550 nm (C-band) is the preferred wavelength for long-haul single-mode transmission because optical fiber has minimum attenuation at this wavelength.
How many layers are in the OSI model?
Answer: 7
The OSI model has 7 layers: Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, and Application.
What is the typical core diameter of single-mode fiber?
Answer: 8-10 µm
Single-mode fiber has a core diameter of approximately 8-10 µm, which allows only one propagation mode of light.
What does OSI stand for in networking?
Answer: Open Systems Interconnection
OSI stands for Open Systems Interconnection, a conceptual framework for understanding how network protocols interact.
GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites orbit Earth in which orbit type?
Answer: MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) at ~20,200 km
GPS satellites operate in MEO at approximately 20,200 km altitude with a 12-hour orbital period, providing global coverage while remaining in range of ground receivers.
Which codec is known for narrowband voice quality at 64 kbps?
Answer: G.711
G.711 is the standard PCM codec used in traditional telephony and VoIP, operating at 64 kbps with toll-quality audio.
What is the purpose of STIR/SHAKEN in US telecom?
Answer: Authenticate caller ID to combat robocall spoofing
STIR/SHAKEN is a framework that digitally signs and verifies caller ID information to reduce illegal caller ID spoofing and robocalls.
What is the purpose of BGP in the internet?
Answer: Exchange routing information between autonomous systems
BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is the inter-domain routing protocol that manages how packets are routed between autonomous systems on the internet.
Which topology connects all devices to a single central cable?
Answer: Bus
A bus topology connects all devices to a single shared backbone cable, now largely replaced by star topologies.
What causes back-reflection in fiber optic connectors?
Answer: Light reflected back toward the source at connector interfaces
Back-reflection (optical return loss) occurs when a portion of light reflects back toward the transmitter at connector or splice interfaces.
What is jitter in VoIP communications?
Answer: Variation in packet arrival times
Jitter is the variation in latency between consecutive voice packets, which causes audio quality issues if not buffered.
What does an SLA (Service Level Agreement) typically specify for telecom services?
Answer: Guaranteed uptime, latency, jitter, and packet loss thresholds
A telecom SLA defines measurable performance commitments including availability (uptime), latency, jitter, and packet loss that the carrier guarantees.
What is the purpose of a subnet mask?
Answer: Identify the network and host portions of an IP address
A subnet mask separates the network portion from the host portion of an IP address to enable proper routing.
What connector type is most commonly used in enterprise fiber deployments in the US?
Answer: LC
LC (Lucent Connector) connectors are the most widely deployed in modern enterprise and data center fiber installations due to their small form factor.
What is E.164 number formatting used for?
Answer: Standardizing international telephone numbers
E.164 is the ITU-T standard that defines the format for international telephone numbers (e.g., +1-800-555-0100).
In satellite communications, a 'spot beam' antenna pattern refers to:
Answer: A focused antenna beam that illuminates a small geographic area with higher power density
A spot beam concentrates the satellite's radiated power onto a small geographic region, delivering higher EIRP and enabling frequency reuse between non-overlapping spot beam areas.
What is the primary function of a repeater in a network?
Answer: Regenerate and amplify signals
A repeater regenerates and amplifies signals to extend the range of a network segment.
What is Frame Relay primarily known as in telecom history?
Answer: A legacy packet-switched WAN technology using virtual circuits
Frame Relay was a popular WAN packet-switching technology using permanent virtual circuits (PVCs), largely replaced by MPLS and broadband.