Today, most people are probably familiar with and a user of the following two different types of networks:
| 1. | Telephony |
| * Traditional, wired, telephony, like as your home phone, office phone Even if these are also becoming increasingly based on IP networking (Voice over IP, VoIP) * Wireless, cellular, telephony - your mobile phone |
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| - Independently of if calling from a mobile or fixed phone, you can call anyone else in the world on the telecom network by simply dialing a phone number. | |
| 2. | (IP-based) Data communications |
| All sorts of data communication networks based on Internet Protocol (IP), like Internet and Intranets including in your home, in the office, at airports, in coffe shops, et c... (Think Wi-Fi). You address the resource to communicate with using an IP address or hostname. |
These are the two-way networks we use daily. Other common networks include Radio and Television.
So, what is really a 'network'?
Google 'definition of network'
| synonyms: | web, lattice, net, matrix, mesh, crisscross, grid, reticulum, reticulation;
"a network of arteries"
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Graphic from wikipedia's Timeline o f communication_technology (R:2016-08-05)
| Networks |
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