How telecommunications have become inherently integral to our lives

By: Lana Bawaneh

The word telecommunications comes from the Greek prefix tele-, which means "distant," combined with the Latin word communicare, which means "to share."

From the beginning of time, people tried to figure out many ways to communicate remotely with each other. Starting with the primitive methods of communication to deliver some kind of messages, such as drums and smoke signals to mechanical communication devices such as the telegraph. Back then, the telegraph helped a lot in shortening the communications from days, weeks, and even months to only hours.

The technology also extended with new inventions such as the telephone, the radio, television, and later, video telephony, satellites, mobile phones, and the Internet. All of these technological advances changed how people live and communicate.