Telecommunications Primer: Data, Voice and Video Communications

I had to come up to speed on the current telecom technology now. This book answered my needs with a thorough intro to the latest technologies including (gasp!) clear illustrations and enough detail to convey understanding without drowning me in arcane details. The glossary is especially well done. It is not a simple minded survey leaving out the important details; instead it provides clear definitions and directs the reader who needs more info with useful references. It is indeed a primer. If you need all the hideous (glorious?) details, get Freeman's magnum opus.

I have looked at many books that cover a wide variety of topics in telecom but didn't find one that covered everything and gave functional details. Digital Telephony (by Bellamy) is good if you are solving differential calculas problems and it still does not give enough details (functional engineering wise).The title says PRIMER but it is a good detailed reference also and illustartions and diagrams are very helpful. I am writing as a telecom software developer ofcourse.