Department Of Telecommunications Research Articles

Paradise Lost and Not Regained - A Case Study on Pensioners of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (India)

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, a Government of India controlled Public Sector Unit was christened from the saddle of the Department of Telecommunication, a Central Government organ that was then a part of Posts and Telegraphs Department. When the government of India decided to convert this government department into a public sector unit under the surveillance of Indian Companies Act, 1956, it gave an assurance that the retired employees of Department of Telecommunications who chose to get migrated to BSNL as regular employees shall get pension and other retirement benefits that are due to them under the same pension rules prescribed for the central government employees, but the dearness allowance will be calculated as Industrial Dearness Allowance (IDA) instead of Central Dearness Allowance (CDA). This was recorded as a specially amended Rule 37(A) of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972. In spite of this amendment, the pensioners faced a lot of difficulties in getting their pension settled and this could be achieved only through agitation programs. This article describes the HR and legal issues that are still un-resolved for the erstwhile pensioners of BSNL and also the future uncertainties they may be forced to face.

Cellular Mobile in India: Competition and Policy

Telecommunications in India has been one of the success stories of economic reforms that increased GDP growth to 9% from the earlier “Hindu rate of growth” of 3%. The number of telephone connections per one hundred people, or teledensity, has increased from a low of 0.81 in 1994 to 64.34 at the end of 2010. By most standards this is a creditable achievement. The growth in telecommunication services has also been spectacular clocking some of the fastest growth rates in the world. A closer look at the sector though reveals a less rosy picture. It has become fashionable to compare China and India across most parameters of economic growth and well being. Here, as with other parameters, India does not compare favourably. In 2009 India’s mobile teledensity was 43.48 while that of China’s was 55.973. India also compares unfavourably with other Asian neighbours. It could of course be argued that given her late start and current robust growth rates she will catch up, sooner rather than later. Yet, there are other misgivings. One is the sorry state of rural teledensity and another is the lack of broadband penetration. Further, the telecommunications sector seems to get embroiled in political problems from time to time. Currently, the Controller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has suggested that in the last round of allocation of 2G spectrum using administrative procedures rather than an auction has led to substantial loss of revenue to the government. One estimate has pegged it at 176645 crores (1.76 trillion Rupees). Regardless of the truth of the charge this event has caused some turmoil in the telecommunications sector leading to the resignation of the telecommunications minister and calls for cancellation of licenses. Clearly events of this kind should affect the health of this sector. However, nothing much seems to have happened. It is as if the key drivers of this sector are so strong that minor hiccups don’t make a dent. The other possibility is that if such events had been avoided then telecommunications growth would have been even higher and conditions healthier. In this paper I aim to take a closer look at the cellular mobile segment from the standpoint of competition and policy. The usual assumption is that the cellular mobile segment enjoys strong competition. It would be useful to try and take a closer look at that assumption. It is also intriguing that the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) while not interfering on a regular basis does, at times regulate tariffs on the basis of insufficient competition. The rationale behind the TRAI’s decision seems to be based on casual observation of behaviour and not on robust analysis. The fact that now India has a 3 Competition Commission that is up and running makes the situation even more interesting. Anti-competitive behaviour is also the preserve of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). How the two agencies will coordinate their decisions in the future will be interesting to observe. Other actors like the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), the parent ministry, the incumbent state operators, BSNL and MTNL, also keep the plot ticking over.

METALLIZED FOAMS FOR ANTENNA DESIGN: APPLICATION TO FRACTAL-SHAPED SIERPINSKI-CARPET MONOPOLE

The technology of metallized foam offers a new approach to design wire-like, flat, and 3D antennas. Only the necessary metal skin depth (some microns in UHF band) is deposited over arbitrary shaped structures. Thanks to this technology, new antenna designs have been possible offering low weight, possible shaping, and innovative Corresponding author: J. Anguera (jaume.anguera@fractus.com). † Also with Electronics and Telecommunications Department, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain. ‡ Also with Signal Theory and Communications Dept., Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.

Distraction as a measure of presence: using visual and tactile adjustable distraction as a measure to determine immersive presence of content in mediated environments

To assess and improve the user experience in entertainment products, developers need results of evaluation methods, which in detail measure the relationship between the mediated content and the resulting media experience. This paper proposes a method applying adjustable distraction (AD) to determine presence as immersion (Lombard and Ditton in At the heart of it all: the concept of presence, Department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media, Temple University, 1997) at selectable events (approximated real-time). Two experiments were conducted to investigate its applicability in computer games and movies with respectively visual and tactile AD. The first experiment examined whether the experienced intensity in a survival-shooter game, measured through questionnaires, was proportional to results from the AD method. The intrusiveness of the AD method was also addressed in the experiment by comparing the immersive presence ratings in a between-groups design. The second experiment investigated whether heart rate measurements, intensity ratings and the results of the AD method with vibration as the distraction signal were proportional when test participants watched a movie clip. The outcome of the first experiment indicated that no significant intrusion is caused by the method. In addition, results showed no proportionality between the AD method and intensity ratings. However, as the AD measurements were supported by flow theory, it might be that the results from the AD method using visual distraction are giving a more comprehensive indication of presence as immersion (rather than just the intensity dimension). The second experiment revealed proportionality between the intensity ratings and the heart rate measurements, while the results from the tactile AD method were not proportional. We suspect that this was caused by the great variance found across the test participants’ thresholds of perceivable vibration. Because of this, it is suggested that a thorough screening process is conducted pre-test if the AD method should apply vibration as the distracting stimulus.

Subcultures and Use of Communication Information Technology in Higher Education Institutions

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsCanchu LinCanchu Lin is an assistant professor, Department of Interpersonal Communication, Bowling Green State University.Louisa HaLouisa Ha is a professor and acting chair, Department of Telecommunications, Bowling Green State University.

Idea Cellular’s Acquisition of Spice Telecom

The case discusses the antecedents before the merger between Idea Cellular Ltd and Spice Telecom. It describes the evolution, fast growth and structure of the Indian mobile telecommunications industry; provides a brief profile of the firms involved; describes the merger/deal and highlights the issues involved (especially regulatory) in completing the merger. Idea Cellular Ltd., part of the diversified Aditya V. Birla Group, had announced its intent to acquire Spice Telecom, an independent mobile services company that was operating in two circles—Punjab and Karnataka, but held licenses in multiple circles. As part of the deal, TMI (a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia) swapped its stake in Spice Telecom to acquire stake in Idea Cellular. However, the regulator, Department of Telecommunications (DOT) raised objections on the merger citing the revised M&A guidelines that restricted a company from owning more than a 10 per cent stake in two licenses in the same circles. This case provides learners with opportunities to (a) appreciate the complementarities of the M&A intent of all the firms involved and (b) analyze the deal structure and critically evaluate the options before the two companies in addressing the DOT objections.

Interests, Wireless Technology, and Institutional Change: From Government Monopoly to Regulated Competition in Indian Telecommunications

This paper explores the causes behind the institutional change that promoted regulated private-sector competition in India's booming telecommunications sector. This change occurred incrementally by resolving conflicts of interest driven by the twin engines of fiscal crisis and technological change in cellular telephony. The Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Finance pushed for the change, whereas the Department of Telecommunications resisted it. As private participation succeeded, the relationship between the private sector and government financial organizations made a significant impact on parts of the government that favored change. Cellular technology offered the private sector with a first-mover's advantage because it had gambled on it when government-owned corporations had ignored its commercial potential. Evolutionary change occurred through a process of institutional layering that involved establishing new institutions along the edges of old ones and allowing them to grow differentially. The pace of institutional change accelerated in times of financial crises when the mismatch between policy intention and institutions led to a withdrawal of private investment.

On the application of epidemical spreading in collaborative context-aware computing

Pervasive Computing Research Group, Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Ilissia, 15784, Athens, Greece. We investigate the very important concept of collaborative context awareness. Applications operating in nodes with spatial proximity and network connectivity exchange the contextual information (context) captured by their sensors (or other similar data sources). Such scheme improves the characteristics of the context aware application (e.g., robustness). The exchange of context in our model is progressed beyond a simple flooding scheme. We adopt an epidemic model, which relays information in a stochastic manner. In our model, nodes have a reasoning capability, which can further process and transform the incoming context. The derived context can be relayed throughout the network. This multi-epidemic model relies on semantic dependencies, which are modeled through a hierarchical representation scheme. We investigate the efficiency of the proposed architecture in light of different spreading parameters. Our simulations take into account the temporal validity of the exchanged context (i.e., relayed information remains valid for a certain period of time), the status of the sensing elements and the mobility of nodes. Our findings are quite promising for the emerging area of context aware application engineering.

Análise dos processos de gestão do conhecimento no departamento comercial de empresa do setor de telecomunicações de Santa Catarina

O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar os processos de gestão do conhecimento aplicados no departamento comercial de empresa do setor de telecomunicações de Santa Catarina. Partindo dessa perspectiva, foram estudadas as teorias relacionadas aos processos da gestão do conhecimento, no que tange à geração, ao compartilhamento, à armazenagem e ao mapeamento dos conhecimentos. Referente à metodologia, desenvolveu-se um estudo quantitativo, qualitativo, descritivo, e estudo de caso. Os dados primários foram obtidos através de questionários aplicados aos colaboradores do departamento comercial e de entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com Diretor comercial, Gerente, Coordenador e Supervisora. Os dados secundários decorrem de levantamento bibliográfico. Identificou-se que os processos de geração de conhecimentos são diferenciados em cada setor do departamento, os processos de armazenagens desses conhecimentos não são totalmente eficazes visto que nem todos os conhecimentos são registrados pelos colaboradores. O compartilhamento dos conhecimentos é realizado mediante realização de reuniões, e-mails e informativos, porém, nem todos os conhecimentos são compartilhados entre os colaboradores do mesmo grupo de trabalho e com os demais colaboradores da empresa. Ainda é importante destacar que não existe um mapeamento formalizado de conhecimentos e competências dos indivíduos, suas tarefas e responsabilidades.

The Politics of Telecommunications Regulation: State–Industry Alliance Favouring Foreign Investment in India

This paper explores the political economy of three significant policy decisions of the Congress–United Progressive Alliance government between November 2005 and February 2006. These decisions improved the regulatory incentives for the smaller and efficient firms in the Indian GSM industry, which were heavily dependent on foreign investment for their expansion. India's telecommunications sector became more attractive to foreign investors as a result of these regulatory changes. This was a notable departure from the past when government policy had favoured large domestic investors using CDMA technology who were not dependent on foreign capital. A globalisation friendly policy change occurred after a Centre-Left United Progressive Alliance coalition came to power. The paper argues that these decisions, which promoted both competition and foreign investment, occurred due to the increased sensitivity of the Department of Telecommunications towards the needs of the relatively smaller GSM service providers, driven by considerations of efficiency. They were not driven by a crisis of private investment, foreign pressure, or stealth. The shift occurred in normal times when the Department of Telecommunications under a persistent ministerial stewardship took on a regulator, which was less interested in engineering this shift. This globalisation-friendly strategy depended to a large extent on the particular industrial sub-sector that the ruling party or coalition supported for spreading telecommunications in India.

Book Review: Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations (3rd Ed.)

Nelson, B., Phillips, A., Enfinger, F., & Steuart, C. (2008). Guide to computer forensics and investigations (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 693 pages, ISBN: 1-4180-6733-4 (paper). Reviewed by Keyu Jiang (kjiang@fhsu.edu) and Ruifeng Xuan (r_xuan@scatcat.fhsu.edu), Department of Information Networking and Telecommunications, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS 67601 Nelson, Phillips, Enfinger, and Steuart’s book is about the science of computer forensics and its implications in crime investigations. This book is not intended to provide comprehensive training in computer forensics, but introduce the science the science of computer forensics and its implications in crime investigations. It focused on establishing a solid foundation for those who are new to this field. Nelson, Philips, Enfiger, and Steuart are experienced experts in different areas of computer forensics. Different expertise makes this book could benefit many groups of people at different educational level and industrial background. (see PDF for full review)

Benchmarking

The role of infrastructure in economic development can hardly be over emphasized. The advanced economies of the US, of Europe and of Japan, all developed their infrastructure first. In response to the business needs of faster, cheaper, and more varied modes of communication, the telecommunication sector in many countries has been undergoing rapid technological and structural changes over the past few years. Since the mid 80s, the telecommunication sector in India, too, has undergone major transformations. Private participation in the manufacture of end user equipment and services, reorganization of the monolithic Department of Telecommunication, and raising finances from public for investment in the state owned factories and organizations have been some of the policy initiatives of the government. In a scenario where the features of the Indian telecom sector such as under investment, amalgamation of regulatory and operational functions, ill-defined sector policies, and lack of financial and administrative autonomy are common to many other developing countries, the consequences of sectoral changes have implications both for decision makers at the national level as well as in other developing countries. This article attempts to review the practices for bridging the gap between current performance levels and the projected potential of Indian telecom sector at the international standard. This is evident by the empirical data tested which is collected by the different sources and then complied at one level to reach out at some conclusions.

Two-level Clustering of Web Sites Using Self-Organizing Maps

Web sites contain an ever increasing amount of information within their pages. As the amount of information increases so does the complexity of the structure of the web site. Consequently it has become difficult for visitors to find the information relevant to their needs. To overcome this problem various clustering methods have been proposed to cluster data in an effort to help visitors find the relevant information. These clustering methods have typically focused either on the content or the context of the web pages. In this paper we are proposing a method based on Kohonen's self-organizing map (SOM) that utilizes both content and context mining clustering techniques to help visitors identify relevant information quicker. The input of the content mining is the set of web pages of the web site whereas the source of the context mining is the access-logs of the web site. SOM can be used to identify clusters of web sessions with similar context and also clusters of web pages with similar content. It can also provide means of visualizing the outcome of this processing. In this paper we show how this two-level clustering can help visitors identify the relevant information faster. This procedure has been tested to the access-logs and web pages of the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the University of Athens.

PROMOTING THE PENGUIN: WHO IS ADVOCATING OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE IN COMMERCIAL SETTINGS?

The authors discusses the use of open source software (OSS) as opposed to proprietary closed source software in companies. Some of the questions proposed wonder who within an organization advocates the use of OSS and the reasons behind their beliefs. The authors acknowledge three levels of engagement with OSS, use of OSS, modifying OSS projects, and initiating OSS programs. Defined with technologys' technolgy support groups are five levels of employees defined as software architects, developers, testers, project managers, and general managers. Their study which used detailed interviews was conducted with input from the telecommunications department of a multinational electronics company.

Voice Research and Treatment in the Czech Republic

Voice Research and Treatment in the Czech Republic

Personal digital assistants in teledermatology

British Journal of DermatologyVolume 154, Issue 4 p. 801-802 Personal digital assistants in teledermatology C. Massone, C. Massone Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorG.P. Lozzi, G.P. Lozzi Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, Austria Department of Dermatology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorE. Wurm, E. Wurm Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorR. Hofmann-Wellenhof, R. Hofmann-Wellenhof Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorR. Schoellnast, R. Schoellnast Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorI. Zalaudek, I. Zalaudek Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorG. Gabler, G. Gabler Department of IT and Telecommunications, Graz University Clinics and General Hospital, Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorA. Di Stefani, A. Di Stefani Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, Austria Department of Dermatology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorH. Kerl, H. Kerl Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorH.P. Soyer, H.P. Soyer Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this author C. Massone, C. Massone Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorG.P. Lozzi, G.P. Lozzi Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, Austria Department of Dermatology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorE. Wurm, E. Wurm Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorR. Hofmann-Wellenhof, R. Hofmann-Wellenhof Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorR. Schoellnast, R. Schoellnast Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorI. Zalaudek, I. Zalaudek Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorG. Gabler, G. Gabler Department of IT and Telecommunications, Graz University Clinics and General Hospital, Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorA. Di Stefani, A. Di Stefani Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, Austria Department of Dermatology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorH. Kerl, H. Kerl Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this authorH.P. Soyer, H.P. Soyer Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036 Graz, AustriaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 08 March 2006 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2006.07175.xCitations: 22 H. Peter Soyer. E-mail: peter.soyer@meduni-graz.at Conflicts of interest: C.M., R.H-W., G.G. and H.P.S. are, respectively, moderator, scientific director, webmaster and scientific director of http://www.telederm.org, and H.P.S. is medical director of e-derm-consult GmbH. The web application on which telederm.org runs has been developed and provided by e-derm-consult GmbH. http://www.telederm.org is a nonprofit project. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume154, Issue4April 2006Pages 801-802 RelatedInformation

The microcomputer converter of the telex signal

This paper deals with a structure and a description of the microcomputer converter of the telex signal (MCTS) that we developed for the Slovak Telecom. The microcomputer converter was developed within the International contract between Hungary Telecommunication Association Matav, Slovak Telecom in Bratislava, and Department of Telecommunications at the University of Zilina. We made the following tasks: design, debugging and testing of the resident program of the converter. After evaluation of the prototype by the company Matav 150 pieces of the converters, were manufactured and then successfully implemented in the TELEX exchange in Slovak Telecom in Bratislava for continuous operation.

UMTS uplink simulator

This paper presents the link level simulator developed at the Telecommunication Department of the University of Žilina. The simulator was developed as part of the project VEGA No. 1/0140/03 "Effective radio resources management methods in next generations of mobile communication networks" and it will be used in the more complex radio interface simulator of the next generation of mobile communication network built at our department. Students studying some problems about spread spectrum methods will also use the simulation model in some subjects, e.g. Digital communications, Mobile Radio Networks.The simulator was developed in MATLAB Simulink and is made on a block principle, which allows adapting and configuring the model as necessary.In this contribution we present the model solution and some simulation results in an uplink direction. The intention of the contribution is not to present new and original results (similar simulators were previously developed in many institutions [1,2]), but to give an overview what will be realized at our department in the field of mobile communication networks.

Linking Home Care and the Workplace through Innovative Wireless Technology: The Worker Interactive Networking (WIN) Project

Family caregivers are a critical component in home care. Employee caregivers carry an additional set of demands that overlay their caregiving responsibilities. Work accommodations may result in loss of work time, pay, and benefits with detrimental income and retirement implications. Can technology be used to better manage the dual demands of employment and caregiving? Through the aegis of the Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Technology Opportunity Program, this question is addressed through the development and testing of an innovative telecare system designed to support working caregivers concerned about vulnerable adults or older adults at home. Known as the Worker Interactive Networking (WIN) Project, an Internet-based telecommunication program was developed to promote workplace intergroup support and links to a home-based wireless sensor monitoring system (Nursense) that informs and alerts the worker about his or her personalized areas of oversight concern. This article presents the background and development of this application, the nursing framework, and the implications for home care.

GIS plays key role in NYC Rescue and Relief Operation

New York City, Sept. 17—The posters of missing loved ones are pasted onto New York City walls and street signs six days after 2 hijacked commercial airlines destroyed the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan on September 11. Several miles uptown from “ground zero,” heightened security hovers around the city's Office of Emergency Management rescue and relief command center, an around‐the‐clock operation. Police, firefighters, military, officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, communications technicians, and a beehive of others work in controlled chaos in this cavernous, convention center‐sized hall, lined with computers and adorned with several American flags.After the original command center at 7 World Trade Center collapsed to rubble as an after‐effect of the plane strikes, city officials scrambled to recreate it. Alan Leidner, director of New York's citywide geographic information systems (GIS), and who is with the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, knew that maps would be an integral component of the rescue and relief efforts. Maps provide emergency workers and others with accurate and detailed scientific data in the form of visual aids upon which they can make informed decisions.