What is the effect of poor signal-to-noise ratio on telecommunications?

A poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) significantly affects telecommunications by making the signal more susceptible to interference. When the SNR is low, the strength of the signal being transmitted is close to the level of background noise, which can lead to difficulty in distinguishing the actual data from the noise. This means that external factors, such as electromagnetic interference or other signal disturbances, can have a much greater impact on the quality of the communication.

In telecommunications, a higher SNR is desired as it indicates that the signal is much clearer than the noise, allowing for better data integrity and communication quality. Conversely, in a situation of poor SNR, data errors can increase, leading to dropped calls, poor audio quality, or interruptions in data transmission. This susceptibility to interference can significantly degrade the performance of communication systems, affecting everything from voice calls to data connections.