1.1 Overview and Scope of Society

ComSoc is a community--a community consisting of diverse industry, government, and educational professionals with a common interest in advancing all communications technologies. To that end, the Society sponsors publications, conferences, educational programs, local activities, and technical committees that:

• Foster original work in all aspects of communications science, engineering, and technology; and encourage the development of applications that use signals to transfer voice, data, image, and/or video information between locations.
  
  
• Promote the theory and use of systems involving all types of terminals, computers, and information processors; all pertinent systems and operations that facilitate transfer; all transmission media; switched and non-switched networks; and network layouts, protocols, architectures, and implementations. The Society strongly advances developments toward meeting new market demands in systems, products, and technologies such as personal communications services, multimedia communications systems, enterprise networks, and optical communications systems.

Although consisting of individual members, ComSoc is a nonprofit organization that works closely with public/private organizations and educational institutions where members work and/or study. Through this three-way partnership, ComSoc:

1. Works together to make enterprises more competitive in the information age:
   
   As a key player in the world's evolving communications industry, members are invited to take advantage of the invaluable services and information that the IEEE Communications Society can provide for you, your staff, and your organization.
   
   
2. Sets communications industry trends:
   
   Since its founding in 1952, the IEEE Communications Society has taken the lead in the dissemination of innovative technological advances, as it has evolved into the communications industry's primary information resource.
   
   
3. Adds value as a corporate partner:
   
   Over the years, the IEEE Communications Society has worked with thousands of manufacturers, service providers, regulatory agencies, and learning institutions to the mutual benefit of both organizations.
   
   
4. Makes employees more productive and competitive:
   
   IEEE Communications Society membership gives employees access to key industry leaders through its periodicals, conferences and meetings covering technologies in all areas of the communications industry. Members and their organizations can also take advantage of many other types of career development and professional learning opportunities. Local Chapters can participate in community outreach efforts in conjunction with Society initiatives to advance industry technologies and improve their image and secure their future.

In the past fifty years, ComSoc has become the premier international forum for the exchange of ideas on communications technologies and information networking.

Scope (Field of Interest)

The scope of the Society shall embrace all aspects of the advancement of the science, engineering, technology and applications for transferring information between locations by the use of signals. This includes: sources and destinations involving all types of terminals, computers and information processors; all pertinent systems and operations to bring about this transfer; guided and unguided transmission media; switched and unswitched networks, and network layouts, protocols, architectures and implementations.