Telecommunications has evolved into an essential requirement in modern life. In the business world, it has an even more critical role. Contemporary economies can't flourish without effective telecommunication management. That said, managing telecom services and building professional teams have become challenging tasks for companies. But if done right, hosting an expert team of telecom professionals can give businesses a competitive edge.
To better understand the role of telecom professionals and the solutions they offer, you must first know about the telecommunication industry and how it differs from the IT industry.
What is Telecom & Telecom Management?
Telecommunications today broadly refers to any form of transmitted communication between two or more people using technology. However, before the internet revolution, the term telecom was firmly associated with the concept of voice communications. It now includes everything from pictures, videos, and text to music.
Comprises of Different Media
Telecommunication channels comprise any medium that works to help transmit a message through software or hardware. Examples are e-mail platforms, facsimile broadcasts, cellular networks, and mobile operators. Telecommunication Management is the entire management of all facets of telecommunications and access to them, including income, technology, human resource, and infrastructure. With the incorporation of artificial intelligence in the field, telecom management has further advanced too.
How is Telecom Different from IT?
Traditional IT management ensures that a computer network runs smoothly and other high-level services are available within an office or larger organization in order to complete the organization's daily tactical and high-level missions, such as software maintenance and updating, hardware and device purchase, installation, and maintenance, and so on.
Telecom Management Goes Beyond IT
While closely associated with IT, Telecom management solutions go beyond what IT is responsible for. They ensure effective communication across the company through whatever means are authorized within the organization.
It may sound appealing to rely on an IT team to manage telecom services, but this formula is for high-cost, low-quality services as well as for small start ups. IT teams frequently lack current telecom industry knowledge and the ability to negotiate favorable terms and pricing arrangements. Hence, the need for a dedicated telecom professionals is real.
Professional Services Offered By a Telecom Professional
Telecom professionals take care of the following tasks.
• Create, install, and troubleshoot telecommunications systems.
• Work with complicated network and switching systems.
• Configure networks to ensure the smooth transmission of data that achieves the organization's
goal.
• Manage new and existing telecom equipment, as well as hardware and software upgrades.
• Evaluates computer, server, network, and voice technical issues to provide viable solutions.
How To Become A Telecom Professional?
Degree programs in telecommunications can prepare you for working as a telecommunications specialist or a certified telecom professional. You can either pursue a bachelor's or master's degree in telecommunication.
Bachelor's degree program covers the fundamentals of telecom and computer technology, whereas master's degree programs are designed to equip you with more advanced analytical and business management skills. Following are the broad topics covered in the curriculum.
• Introduction to networking, including local and wide-area networks
• Problem-solving solutions in computer technology
• Information security & Protocols
• Financial analysis of telecommunications
• Technology for convergence
• Telecommunications policy and regulations
• Project management
• Network security & risk management
• Data communication & data mining
Categories of Telecom Professionals in the Telecom Industry
Telecom professionals can be broadly classified into the following categories.
Telecom Engineers
Telecom engineers are experts in managing data such as voice, video, calls, and text over different modes of communication. They are responsible for the designing & installation of the telecommunications equipment and ensuring the high quality of data transmission over wired or wireless networks. The telecom engineering field covers radio, television, satellite, computer networks, the internet, and optical fiber solutions.
Telecom Managers
Telecom managers are in charge of all aspects of a telecommunications system including carriers, operators, vendors, hardware, software, payments, contracts, performance reports, maintenance, costing, and upgradation of the communication systems.
Telecom Sales Professionals
With the constant introduction of new telecom products in the market, the competition in the telecom industry is intensifying. This creates job opportunities in business-to-business and general consumer telecom sales. Entry-level sales positions require excellent communication and interpersonal skills, as well as product knowledge.
Customer Service and Support
Companies that provide telecommunications services also require employees to respond to customer concerns or questions about their products. Customer service positions in the telecommunications industry do not typically require extensive experience. Good people skills and a working knowledge of your company's product is enough. Most organizations provide extensive training in their products and prepare you to answer common customer questions.
Tasks, Responsibilities of a Telecom Professional
Telecom professionals oversee the installation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and provision of other professional services. This could require the hands-on work of setting up servers, routers, and modems.
Setting up hardware and installing software could also fall under the jurisdiction of a person working in the telecom sector. They are also responsible for collaborating with all departments within an organization to ensure that the overall communication system operates at peak efficiency.
Addressing individual and departmental concerns, as well as troubleshooting and pinpointing weak points in a company's telecommunications systems, would be priorities. Individuals in the telecommunications field can also expect to be in charge of the following:
• Keeping records on the installation, repair, and replacement of parts and equipment.
• Identifying the telecommunications requirements of businesses and their solutions
• Conducting research on the most recent advances in telecommunications technology.
• Meetings with vendors and sales representatives to discuss new products and upgrades
• Creating a company's telecommunications policies
• Installation of more advanced telephone, voice mail, and email systems for both internal
and external communications.
Telecom professionals are in charge of the following communication technologies:
• VoIP telephone systems
• Voice mail systems
• Networking infrastructure
• Fiber optics
How do Telecom Professionals Help Companies?
Telecom professionals enable companies to optimize every stage of the telecom lifecycle. They improve visibility across your entire telecom process and identify areas where you can save money. The dedicated team implements telecom policies in the true sense and meets service quality standards. They also enhance telecommunication systems to improve core business functions and implement fixes wherever required.
Industry Outlook and Salary Information
The telecommunication industry is continually growing and creating more complex jobs. New technologies are frequently being introduced and existing ones are constantly being upgraded. Thus the industry offers numerous employment opportunities. Salary data isn't available specifically for telecom professionals, but it varies according to nature of job and experience required.
Wrapping Up
To ensure you provide professional services to your customers, consider adding a seasoned telecom professional to your team to work closely with the customers and add a personal touch to your business.
If you are looking for a veteran telecom services provider, Digital Direction can help you with their expert team of telecom professionals.