Telephone system: This entry includes a brief characterization of the system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
Arabsat—Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia).
Autodin—Automatic Digital Network (US Department of
Defense).
CB—citizen's band mobile radio communications.
cellular telephone system—the telephones in this system are radio
transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a regular telephone exchange.
Central American Microwave System—a trunk microwave radio relay system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each other.
coaxial cable—a multichannel communication cable consisting of a central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies.
Comsat—Communications Satellite Corporation (US).
DSN—Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense Communications System (US Department of Defense).