What are communication media?
Communication media relate to the provision and receipt of data or information. In telecommunications, these are transmission and storage tools or channels for data storage and transmission.
Various media are used to transfer data from a computer terminal to the central computer or to other computer systems within some type of network.
There are two forms of communication media:
Analog: Includes conventional radio, telephone, and television broadcasts
Digital: computer-mediated communications, computer networks and telegraphy
The most commonly used data communication media include:
- wire pairs
- coaxial cable
- microwave transmission
- communications satellites
- fiber optic
The communication medium serves as a channel for connecting various computing devices so that they can interact with one another. Modern communication media enable communication and data exchange via e-mail, teleconferencing, Internet forums and many other forms of communication across a large number of people.