|
|
|
Telecom engineers have a big scope
Cellular phones were introduced in Pakistan in the late 80s and in just two decades the growth was really phenomenal. Today the Cellphone penetration has surpassed the teledensity of fixed phones. On the other hand the Electronic Media scene here is also very fertile after when the shell cracked a few years ago. In this scenario there is a high demand of Telecommunication Specialists to monitor broadcast and network 24/7. This prompt growth in these industries has created ample scope for people joining Telecommunication engineering. With respect to a high demand just within a short span of five years several Engineering universities have introduced this discipline in their curriculum.
Now before moving forward, let’s see what Telecommunication actually is. Well, this sort of communication could be point-to-point, point-to-multipoint or broadcasting, which is a particular form in which the message transfers from the transmitter to the receivers.
The discipline caters to communication over long distances. The elements of a telecommunication system are a transmitter, a medium (line) a channel imposed upon the medium, and a receiver. The transmitter is a device that transforms or encodes the message into a physical phenomenon; the signal. The transmission medium, by its physical nature, is likely to modify or degrade the signal on its path from the transmitter to the receiver. The receiver has a decoding mechanism capable of recovering the message within certain limits of signal degradation.
One of the roles of the telecommunications engineer is to analyze the physical properties of the line or transmission medium, and the statistical properties of the message in order to design the most effective encoding and decoding mechanisms.
The various fields which can be pursued as a career in this industry include voice processing units, telephone technology, wireless technology, cellular technology, touchstone telephones and microwave and satellite communication systems.
Another important aspect which the Telecom Engineer takes care of is called the bandwidth. A low bandwidth channel, such as a telephone for instance cannot carry all of the audio information that is transmitted in normal conversation, causing distortion and irregularities in the speaker’s voice, as compared to normal, in-person speech.
A Telecom Engineer provides specific electrical/telecommunication expertise relevant to the engineering activities to be carried out for the design of all the onshore facilities to be built in order to optimize the development and completion of the Experimental Programme project. He assures a suitable and reliable validation of the documentation and drawings provided by Project Manager and monitor any technical modification required by the project.
He will install, maintain, test, and repair telecommunications equipment such as Telephones, telephone switches, desktop PCs, LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks), computer routers and bridges, microwave equipment (including remote mountain tops), battery and generator back-up systems for power, fibre optic and copper cables, mobile radios in vehicles and base stations in offices and at mountain tops.
Keep manuals and records for the equipment, test equipment, and “tools of the trade.” Keep track of the user’s phone numbers, radio call signs, and serial numbers of the equipment that each client has in their possession. Research and order replacement parts for the numerous types of equipment in service as well as take care of maintenance.
Responsibilities of a Telecom Engineer
• Coordination of the revision of all the electrical and telecommunication documentation issued by the project engineering company or contractors (e.g. technical reports, specifications, procedures, drawings, etc).
• Coordination of the technical validation or non-acceptance of electrical and telecommunication drawings, reports, procedures and technical specifications.
•Assessment of the compliance of the electrical and telecommunication design documentation with technical standards, quality assurance and control requirements.
• Execution of in-house studies/or analysis and calculations as and when necessary.
• Interface and co-ordination with other project disciplines to ensure smooth, reliable and timely flow of data, and information.
• Monitoring and reporting on detail design progress.
• Review and evaluate any proposals/requests for technical modification and provide technical support in decision making.
• Provide technical assessment relevant to site queries submitted by contractors.
• Regular attendance in audits organized by supervisory state bodies and coordination of activities for submission of reports to the state bodies required skills/certificates
The Telecom Engineer mostly reports to supervisors, engineers, and department managers while the staffs below him are apprentices, installers, and outside temporary agency workers, etc.
Pre-requisites of a Telecom Engineer
• A degree in Electrical or Telecom Engineering or equivalent.
• Good technical and interpersonal and skills.
• Full understanding of the importance of planning and executing team projects.
• Knowledge of computer based engineering technical tools, AUTOCAD, Excel, Access, Words, Project or equivalent packages.
• Ability to assist in management reviews of existing projects.
• Active approach to the decisional process.
• Working knowledge of all relevant discipline codes and standards
• Fluency in English.
• Knowledge of design, installation and operation of facilities, with stringent requirements in terms of HSE.
What young aspirants should do?
An aspiring Telecommunication Technician should concentrate on Computer and Electronics classes. Work part-time to learn the demands of the profession on-hand. Find someone who is doing the kind of work you are considering and ask them to tell you about their job. (Don’t be shy, people like to talk about their jobs but you need to be prepared to sift through their comments and decide if they are answering your questions or just whining).
| Few words from telecom pros |
| Usman Qureshi is Director Network Planning and Design in a cellular service providing company operating in Pakistan. His qualification is MS Electrical Engineering. Usman said he is responsible for planning and design of network. He works with different departments to understand the requirements and accordingly plan the network to best suit the requirements both from commercial as well as quality perspective. He said there are very good prospects of this profession in Pakistan as it is becoming more and more economically stable and the communication requirements are emerging everyday. His advice to youngsters is to never give up. “You will face daunting challenges but to succeed you need to believe in yourselves and give it your best shot. Failures encountered should not dampen your desire to work harder. Thrive on challenge”, says Usman. Saad Omer works in another leading Multinational Telecom company. Saad has done MS in Telecom Engineering from LUMS. According to him the nature of work of any telecom engineer can vary from visiting the tower sites to planning the network, working with the core network equipment and its operation, looking after VAS services (like SMS, MMS, GPRS), to several other possibilities. In his eyes there is a wide variety of perspective a telecom company can offer to its employees. According to Omer Electrical or Telecom Engineering is a must-have educational degree for most of the technical departments of any telecom company. One should be aware of the basic cellular communication theories and concepts (which is the basic curriculum of EE and TE). A good knowledge of networks and IT would definitely give you an edge over the others. Telecom holds a great future everywhere. New technologies are being developed and the newer ones will be around to dazzle our mind. It would be great for everyone who is and would be a part of this virtual revolution. The key of success is hard work and devotion. “You might find yourself staying at work for extended hours and putting more than what one can. But you should trust yourself on it that each and every learning moment would come back to you as a gift in your future career” Saad asserts. HA |
|
|
|
|
