An ANSA overview

With the appropriate architecture, telecommunications services can work with computer applications components to support networked information services. ANSA is an architecture that enables telecommunications services and computer application components to work together despite diversity of programming languages, operating systems, computer hardware, networks, communications protocols and management, and security policies. The architecture is relevant to telecommunications, manufacturing, sales, cooperative working, banking, health service, research, and other applications. It provides a framework for the design and implementation of distributed computer systems supporting networked information services. The framework ensures that different design choices, made for particular applications, present the maximum opportunity for interworking     

CEPT Long Term Telecommunications Studies

The CEPT Long Term Studies Ad Hoc Working Group was formed in March 1971. Its responsibility is primarily with the period between 10 and 30 years hence. During 1971 and 1972, its activities were mainly for "Project 20" (carried out by CEPT for COST). This project had three phases: an assessment of the amount and types of telecommunications services likely to be provided up to 1985 (including new services), an assessment of the technological implications, and an identification of possible areas where cooperative research and development proposals could be formulated. As a result of this work, a short list of 13 topics for possible collaborative research and development studies by administrations was drawn up. Phase 1 of Project 20 had indicated extremely wide variations between administrations in their forecasts for new services. The recent activities of the Working Group have therefore concentrated upon the estimation of long term demand for telecommunications services. A set of studies are in hand (each led by one administration) on the following subjects: the long term growth of telephone service, external factors likely to influence long term demand for telecommunications, possibilities for new telecommunications services arising from technological developments, the application of advanced telecommunications services in the field of education, and the potential of telecommunications as a substitute for face-face-to-face business meetings. Each of these studies is described and discussed.     

New generation network architecture and software design

This article deals with new telecommunications networks, the reasons for changes, and the options telecommunications are facing today. The new generation of network architecture is discussed, and two network evolution case studies are presented as well as the new role of powerful applications in the future development of networks. Special emphasis is on software research and development supporting this “new telecom world”     

Besoins en communications des systèmes de transports intelligents Adéquation des solutions génériques du marché

This article will give an overview about telecommunications in the world of Intelligent Transportation Systems and Smart Devices, and about their ability to comply with the needs of the new Systems. A distinction will be made between critical services which are dimensioning ones, and conventional services when available from the open market. A functional analysis will be used to outline an Architecture, which is telecom-centered, with both transit and distribution facets. State-of-the-Art solutions for large-scale wireless accessing and networking will be reviewed, and characterized according to their degree of suitability. As a conclusion, new axes for telecom research and development will be identified, in order to support new applications, noticeably safety applications.     

Speech coding for telecommunications

The function of a speech coding algorithm is to convert an analogue speech signal into a digital form for efficient transmission over a digital path, or efficient storage on a digital storage medium, and to perform the complementary function of converting a received digital signal back to analogue form. The article reviews those speech coding techniques which are already being extensively used in telecommunications applications. As well as explaining the basic principles employed by these speech coding algorithms to achieve efficient digital encoding, examples of telecommunications services which use these algorithms are presented     

Social Aspects of Communication

Communication services arise as a response to social needs, including personal interaction, collective behavior, learning and socialization, and organized communication. These are met by an increasingly varied range of biosocial and man-machine processes. By the year 2000, it is possible that 20 or more such processes will be in widespread use. The planning and provision of services in response to demand involves a complex set of relationships between industrial production, occupational groups, governmental and nongovernmental service industries and regulatory bodies, primary social groups, and formal institutions. Models of these relationships may be called sociotechnical systems. They are particularly necessary to avoid crude technological determinism, which is present in much writing on the future of telecommunications and overstates the ability of mechanical devices to deal with social issues. The capacity of telecommunications to replace face-to-face interaction, to substitute for transportation, or to revolutionize education is not borne out by the evidence. Research on the social role of the telephone is now producing firmer evidence on which to base policy decisions.     

The convergence of telecommunications and computing: what are theimplications today?

As has been widely recognized for some time, the computing and telecommunications technologies are converging. This has meant different things at different times. In this review paper, we describe the current stare of convergence, and speculate about what it may mean in coming years. In particular, we argue that as a result of the horizontal integration of all media (voice, audio, video, animation, data) in a common network and terminal infrastructure, telecommunications and networked-computing applications are no longer distinguishable. Considering that the old terminology is no longer meaningful, we attempt to codify networked applications in accordance with their functionality and immediacy. As application functionality is increasingly defined in software, with commensurate cost-effective programmable terminals and means for distribution of applications over the network itself, we argue that user-to-user applications will be greatly impacted, moving into the rapid-innovation regime that has characterized user-to-information-server applications in the recent past. Finally we identify a number of areas where different technical approaches and design philosophies have characterized telecommunications and computing, and discuss how these technical approaches are merging and identify areas of needed research. We do not address complementary forms of convergence at the application or industrial level, such as convergence of the information and content-provider industries, but rather restrict attention to the infrastructure and technology     

Exploring Ambidextrous Innovation Tendencies in the Adoption of Telecommunications Technologies

As the importance of information technology has increased within the business domain, so too has the significance of innovating within those information technologies. The recent proliferation of telecommunications technologies, coupled with conventional information technology, has resulted in a new class of applications with important competitive implications. An important issue for organizations, then, is the causal sequence that leads to more innovative telecommunications adoption. Previous innovation research has shown radical and incremental innovation employing vastly different strategy-structure sequence configurations. Two proposals have been offered on how an organization can effectively innovate incrementally and radically: first, through the use of semi-structures, and second, by utilizing both configurations simultaneously, termed ambidextrous. This paper seeks 1) to determine whether organizations are balancing innovation efforts, and 2) if so, are organizations managing the effort using semi-structures or an ambidextrous approach. The research is conducted within the telecommunications industry by employing theoretical typologies of radical and incremental innovation developed in the literature. Based on a sample of 154 organizations the findings suggest that organizations are indeed using a balanced approach to overall innovativeness by using paradoxical, dual models of innovation simultaneously. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed     

Introduction to the special issue on strained-layer optoelectronicmaterials and devices

Strained layer quantum-well heterostructure semiconductor lasers and other optoelectronic devices are having an impact on nearly all applications of optoelectronics and especially fiber optic telecommunications. In this special issue on strained-layer optoelectronic materials and devices, the most recent advances in this fast-moving area of research are represented by 11 invited papers and 18 contributed papers. The research reported here covers an impressive range from detailed calculations and experimental data on the valence band structure and optical gain of strained layer heterostructures to the laser operating characteristics of devices made from these structures     

Gallium arsenide finds a new niche

The use of a very-large-scale integrated GaAs circuits for applications where high speed at room temperatures is needed, such as in computers or telecommunications, is examined. The advantages and disadvantages of a logic family called direct-coupled FET logic (DCFL) which couples the speed of GaAs with a significantly lower power dissipation than any other alternative are discussed. Material, fabrication, and packaging concerns associated with DCFL are considered. Some GaAs devices being produced in volume, at rates of several hundred a month, are described. The potential impact of these devices on the computer and telecommunications markets is addressed     

The intelligent antenna. A smart solution to improved performance

The paper summarises a number of applications where antenna characteristics are made to adapt dynamically to the environment. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, it is broadcasting and telecommunications rather than the military domain that has the most wide-ranging examples in common use. Most systems at present are, however, rule-based rather than true expert systems. New developments which include the application of heuristic reasoning and learning from past experience in such systems are bringing closer the concept of the intelligent antenna.     

The impact of forensic computing on telecommunications

The increasing use of telecommunications, particularly the development of e-commerce, is steadily increasing the opportunities for crime in many guises, especially IT-related crime. In response, there is an urgent new demand for forensic computing, that is, the examination of IT equipment and systems in order to obtain information for criminal or civil investigations. This field is not yet well developed, but its needs will in the future begin to influence telecommunications as investigations are extended to include the use of the communications infrastructures and services. IT security technologies alone are not sufficient to deal with this. The telecommunications industry, its customers, and regulators will face difficult challenges in the provision and use of systems that will be safe, reliable, and auditable. These challenges will need solutions addressing technical, legal, regulatory, and social issues and will not be easily resolved. This article summarizes the state of forensic computing, its likely future development, and its impact on telecommunications, and identifies several research and development issues.     

Mapping the integration of artificial intelligence intotelecommunications

The relationship between two rapidly evolving technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and telecommunications, is examined. The current use of AI is primarily as expert systems, designed to aid in diagnosing complex equipment in an offline mode. Factors that led to deployment of expert systems in telecommunications domains are examined, and the possible future evolution of both technologies is charted. It is found that both technologies share common drivers, which contribute to the mapping between future telecommunications trends and AI capabilities. This leads to an exploration of how specific applications, such as natural language processing, distributed AI, and speech recognition, may be used with expert systems in the future intelligent network     

Impact of new chip technologies on telecommunications

Microelectronics has revolutionized the architecture and design concepts of telecommunications products dramatically. Its strength is based on the combination of three different disciplines: technology, design automation and device architecture. The evolution in all these topics will be described and illustrated with several examples of telecommunications applications. At present vlsi circuits are used in three important business segments of the telecommunications market: switching, transmission and end-user systems. The technology requirements for these applications are followed by a brief discussion on reliability requirements and future technology trends.     

Quality of telecommunication systems after sales: evaluation offield data

The hardware reliability of telecommunications systems is subject to extremely stringent demands. A computer-based quality information system used to record field experience with digital switching systems in use throughout the world is described. The evaluation and use of the field data are discussed, and methods of failure rate prediction are examined. These approaches are compared to predictions made using the standard SN 29500 for some typical integrated circuits     

OSS opportunities in open source software — CRM and OSS standards

In many industry verticals, open source software is proving to be a credible alternative to proprietary software. When compared to proprietary software, open source software can offer a number of benefits such as stronger customer involvement, lower costs and better quality. Despite these benefits, the take-up of open source software by incumbent telecommunications providers has been virtually zero, choosing instead to focus on major proprietary commercial-off-theshelf (COTS) packages due to prior strategic investments and negative preconceptions about open source software. Although an immediate change in take-up is not expected, the pressure to reduce operational support systems (OSS) costs is steering telecommunications providers to research potential opportunities for using open source software within their OSS. This paper addresses some of those opportunities. The general opportunities are presented using specific examples from current research. Potential short-term opportunities, using readily available open source customer relationship management (CRM) applications, and potential mid-to long-term opportunities, using open source OSS integration software, are analysed and evaluated. The paper concludes with a recommendation on what telecommunications providers should do to further investigate the opportunities presented by open source OSS.     

Context-aware systems — a primer for user-centred services

Convergence in the telecommunications industry provides an excellent platform and opportunity for new context-aware services. Context awareness, i.e. being able to harvest environmental information and use it to meet or anticipate user needs, is a key enabler for personalised applications and services that will be attractive to users in the future. This paper explores relevant research studies that have been undertaken, and proposes a new architecture for realisation of a context-aware system.     

Technology standards-setting in the US wireless telecommunications industry: A study of three generations of digital standards development

This article focuses on the evolution of technology standards-setting in the US wireless telecommunications industry during the decades of the 1980s and 1990s. The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand and model the organizational process and environmental influences employed to develop three generations (i.e. second generation (2.0) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), second generation (2.5) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and third generation (3.0) Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA)) of de jure US wireless digital telecommunications standards. Through the use of a multi-case study approach, the research study focuses on inter-organizational strategic cooperation among wireless telecommunications firms proposing competitive technology designs in the standard development process. Based on data collected in these three case studies, wireless standard development models are “mapped” for the TDMA, CDMA and WCDMA technologies. Moreover, a generic, conceptual wireless technology standard development model is “mapped”, a further refinement of an earlier seminal model of telecommunications standard-setting. Finally, conclusions are reached, with both theoretical and practical implications, and suggested areas of future research (in the form of a set of research hypotheses) are presented.