A telecommunications network is a group of nodes interconnected by telecommunications links

that are used to exchange messages between the nodes. The links may use a variety of
technologies based on the methodologies of circuit switching, message switching, or packet
switching, to pass messages and signals.

Multiple nodes may cooperate to pass the message from an originating node to the destination
node, via multiple network hops. For this routing function, each node in the network is assigned
a network address for identification and locating it on the network. The collection of addresses
in the network is called the address space of the network.

Examples of telecommunications networks include computer networks, the Internet, the public
switched telephone network (PSTN), the global Telex network, the aeronautical ACARS
network,[1] and the wireless radio networks of cell phone telecommunication providers.

Network structure
In general, every telecommunications network conceptually consists of three parts, or planes
(so-called because they can be thought of as being and often are, separate overlay networks):

The data plane (also user plane, bearer plane, or forwarding plane) carries the network's users'
traffic, the actual payload.
The control plane carries control information (also known as signaling).
The management plane carries the operations, administration and management traffic required
for network management. The management plane is sometimes considered a part of the
control plane.
Data networks
Computer network types
by spatial scope
Data Networks classification by spatial scope.svg
Nanoscale
Near-field (NFC)
Body
Personal (PAN)
Near-me
Local (LAN)
Storage (SAN)
Wireless (WLAN)
Virtual (VLAN)
Home (HAN)
Building
Campus (CAN)
Backbone
Metropolitan (MAN)
Municipal wireless (MWN)
Wide (WAN)
Cloud
Internet
Interplanetary Internet
vte
Data networks are used extensively throughout the world for communication between
individuals and organizations. Data networks can be connected to allow users seamless access
to resources that are hosted outside of the particular provider they are connected to. The
Internet is the best example of the internetworking of many data networks from different
organizations.

Terminals attached to IP networks like the Internet are addressed using IP addresses. Protocols
of the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) provide the control and routing of messages across the
and IP data network. There are many different network structures that IP can be used across to
efficiently route messages, for example:

Wide area networks (WAN)

Metropolitan area networks (MAN)
Local area networks (LAN)
There are three features that differentiate MANs from LANs or WANs:

The area of the network size is between LANs and WANs. The MAN will have a physical area
between 5 and 50 km in diameter.[2]
MANs do not generally belong to a single organization. The equipment that interconnects the
network, the links, and the MAN itself are often owned by an association or a network provider
that provides or leases the service to others.[2]
A MAN is a means for sharing resources at high speeds within the network. It often provides
connections to WAN networks for access to resources outside the scope of the MAN.[2]
Data center networks also rely highly on TCP/IP for communication across machines. They
connect thousands of servers, are designed to be highly robust, provide low latency and high
bandwidth. Data center network topology plays a significant role in determining the level of
failure resiliency, ease of incremental expansion, communication bandwidth and latency.[3]

Capacity and speed

In analogy to the improvements in the speed and capacity of digital computers, provided by
advances in semiconductor technology and expressed in the bi-yearly doubling of transistor
density, which is described empirically by Moore's law, the capacity and speed of
telecommunications networks have followed similar advances, for similar reasons. In
telecommunication, this is expressed in Edholm's law, proposed by and named after Phil
Edholm in 2004.[4] This empirical law holds that the bandwidth of telecommunication networks
doubles every 18 months, which has proven to be true since the 1970s.[4][5] The trend is
evident in the Internet,[4] cellular (mobile), wireless and wired local area networks (LANs), and
personal area networks.[5] This development is the consequence of rapid advances in the
development of metal-oxide-semiconductor technology.[6]