This book is designed to help telecommunications managers prepare themselves and their companies for the 1990s by providing a practical guide to researching, buying, and consulting on office telecommunications systems. The author covers voice communications technologies and products, local, metropolitan, and wide area networks for data transmission, and the various bypass technologies available today, including satellite, microwave, and fiber optic based systems. A detailed section on management aspects of telecommunications discusses the process of defining company telecommunications requirements, strategic telecommunications planning, and future trends in telecommunications. Must reading for every telecommunications manager this book provides a solid basis for successful systems planning and trouble—free implementation.