Section 1: The Need to Communicate

"What we are building now is the nervous system of mankind, which will link together the whole human race, for better or for worse, in a unity which no earlier age could have imagined." These words by Arthur C. Clarke clearly define the ultimate objective of global communications.

When Captain Arthur Phillip landed in Sydney Cove in 1788 he had to wait almost two years before he received any messages from the outside world. With the regular passage of ships from Europe the time a message took to reach Australia was reduced to around 60 days.

Communication at a distance had been carried out for centuries but the form of communication was very limited. It was generally restricted to methods such as smoke signals, drums, light beacons, or in the case of the early settlers, letters from the home they had left behind.

In 1872, after the remarkable construction of the Overland Telegraph Line, it was possible to send telegraph messages to Europe in a matter of hours. The Overland Telegraph line was called "the magic chain" by the governor of New South Wales, Sir Hercules Robinson. The electric pulses in the form of Morse Code that travelled along that line connected Australia to the rest of the world and began the communication age which revolutionised our country.

The revolution continued with the introduction of the telephone in Australia in 1878, having only been invented two years earlier in 1876. It seemed, however, that there was an unbridgeable gap between the kinds of signals used in the telegraph and the telephone. Telegraph signals are digital in nature, as a number of either 'on' or 'off' signals. Telephone signals were transmitted as a wave that continuously varied its shape. This wave type of information is known as an analogue signal because it is analogous (similar) to the speech signal. Analogue signals can lose quality when they are transmitted over a distance because the wave can change shape.

The quality of early phone calls was fairly poor and this is where the word "phoney" came from. Phoney describes something that is not real and this was a good description of how voices sounded on early phones. Digital information does not lose quality although, like analogue signals, they need to be boosted over long distances. (Refer to Telstra's Kit No 1 "From Dots to Data" for more details about the difference between digital and analogue signals). Today more and more of telecommunications are digital, although when we make a phone call we may not be aware of the difference.

Even though our network is rapidly becoming fully digital the revolution is still not over! In some ways it has only just begun. The changes that are likely over the next few years will make the current system seem as quaint as Morse Code along a single iron wire does to us today.

Ways we communicate:

1. Society is becoming more and more complex. It is said that we live in a post-industrial society where the most important product is information. This information needs to be carried from place to place or from person to person and telecommunications is the vital key to the whole process.
2. We live in a competitive environment. We continually strive to improve every aspect affecting our lives, including wanting the best products and services at the best price.
3. Scientific discoveries and technological innovation have made the changes possible and they have been driven by a demand from business and society.
4. Each generation has greater expectations than the previous generation. The founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford made the following comment about his famous T-model Fords early this century. "The customer can have any colour they like, as long as it is black." Today we want things that are personalised to our individual taste. This has led to an ever increasing demand for a variety of products.

Changes in communications themselves also have an impact on our society. It has been said that Australia suffered the "tyranny of distance". However nothing has done more to remove this than telecommunications. Australia is rapidly becoming integrated with the world; economically, scientifically and culturally.

Is the idea of a country's location important when distance is no longer important in communication? It could be argued that in a truly global village our links with Europe, Africa, Asia or America will be just as "easy" and just as important as our links with people in other states of Australia.

Travel becomes a paradox in a global village. Instant and unlimited communication reduces the need to travel but as it exposes us to new markets and new ideas, it probably means that the amount of travelling will increase. Increased communication makes for a better understanding of people world-wide and a keener appreciation of common interests. It also enhances world trade and allows greater cooperation on international ventures.

The information superhighway has become a buzz word throughout the world and what was once in the realm of science fiction is rapidly becoming a reality. Australia is at the leading edge of technology and is a world leader in the exciting challenge ahead.