Applications and support technologies for mobility and enterprise services

For enterprises, large and small, mobile services are becoming increasingly critical. Companies are no longer static or bound to their office premises. Instead, they have full mobility needs, with global customers, many of them also on the move, a growing number of remote offices that need to be interconnected, telecommuters who work from home, employees that are always traveling, with longer times out of the office and in the field. The six articles in this special issue cover mobile convergent communications (IMS corporate services), mobile e-health/e-inclusion applications, networked workspaces, and mobile device collaborations.     

Guest editorial

Emerging technologies bring very high-speed connectivity for residential users through both fixed and mobile access: fiber to the home/curb/... (FTTx), Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 3.0, WiMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE), satellite. Typical speeds are reaching 100 Mb/s, even 1 Gb/s. Furthermore, symmetrical channels are offered (as opposed to asymmetrical digital subscriber line [ADSL]). Already in 2008 (source: FTTH Council) almost 3 million consumers used direct fiber optic connections in the United States, more than 10 million in Japan, and about 15 million worldwide. This enhanced capacity certainly removes the barriers and constraints of limited broadband offers, paving the way to future digital services for the home.     

IPv6 networks over DVB‐RCS satellite systems

Satellite plays an important role in global information infrastructure (GII) and next generation networks (NGNs). Similarly, satellite communication systems have great advantages to support IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) networks as a technology that allows universal access to broadband e‐services (audio, video, VPN, etc.). In the context of DVB‐S2 (digital video broadcast‐satellite) and DVB‐RCS (digital video broadcast‐return channel via satellite) standards, this paper presents the current SatSix project (satellite‐based communications systems within IPv6 networks) within the European 6th Framework Programme, which is implementing innovative concepts and effective solutions (in relation with the economical cost) for broadband satellite systems and services using the technology presented above. This project is promoting the introduction of the IPv6 protocol into satellite‐based communication systems. Moreover, through SatSix, the industry is addressing the next generation Internet, IPv6. It also enhances its competitive position in satellite broadband multimedia systems by exploiting the common components defined by the European DVB‐S2 and DVB‐RCS satellite broadband standards. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.