Future Telecommunication Services Research Articles

Three‐dimensional microcoil oscillator fabricated with monolithic process on LSI

AbstractIntegration of three‐dimensional microcoils on high‐performance RF‐LSI is one of the key technologies to realize future wireless telecommunication services and hypersensitive capacitance sensor systems. We designed and fabricated monolithic three‐dimensional microcoils on an LSI substrate. The microcoil has long legs, which will minimize electromagnetic coupling to the LSI substrate. We succeeded in confirming the basic operation of the integrated oscillator circuit in the gigahertz frequency range. It was confirmed that process damage due to plasma ashing, heating at 200 °C, and sputter etching were not observed in the oscillation performance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 95(11): 49–56, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.11404

Cognitive Computation Special Issue on Cognitive Behavioural Systems

Cognitive processes, such as inference, categorization, and memory, are not independent from their physical instantiations. Individuals’ choices, perception, and actions emerge and are dynamically affected and enhanced by the interaction between sensory-motor systems and the inhabited environment that includes the organizational, cultural, and physical context). This interplay brings up instantiations of cognitive behavioural systems. The above considerations led to the idea to dedicate a special issue of Cognitive Computation to this topic, with the aims to initiate a discussion on what has been achieved to-date and look at future perspectives. The volume originated in the European Science Foundation (ESF) Research Network COST Action 2102: Cross Modal Analysis of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication (www.cost.esf.org/domains_actions/ict/Actions/2102) funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST, www.cost.esf.org). COST is an European instrument funded by the ESF supporting cooperation among scientists and researchers across Europe, allowing the coordination of nationally-funded research on a European level, increasing the mobility of Early Stage Researchers and fostering the establishment of scientific excellence in nine key domains, including Information Communication Technology (ICT)—of which COST Action 2102 is part of. The main objective of COST 2102 was to develop an advanced acoustical, perceptual and psychological analysis of verbal and nonverbal communication signals originating in spontaneous body-to-body interaction, in order to identify algorithms and automatic procedures capable of automatically perceiving and distinguishing human emotional states. Researchers involved in COST 2102 are convinced emotions drive our daily life and that research in HumanMachine Interaction cannot continue to neglect this aspect of human behaviour in developing future communication systems. Several key aspects were considered, such as the integration of the developed algorithms and procedures for application in telecommunications, and for the recognition of emotional states, gestures, speech and facial expressions—in anticipation of the implementation of intelligent avatars and interactive dialogue systems that could be exploited to improve user access to future telecommunication services. The Action profited from two former COST Actions (COST 277 and COST 278) that identified new appropriate mathematical models and algorithms to drive the implementation of the next generation of telecommunication services such as remote health monitoring systems, interactive dialogue systems, and intelligent avatars. A. Esposito (&) Department of Psychology and IIASS, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy e-mail: iiass.annaesp@tin.it

Three-Dimensional Micro-Coil Oscillator Fabricated with Monolithic Process on LSI

Integration technique of three-dimensional micro coils on high-performance RF-LSI is one of the key technologies to realize future wireless telecommunication services and hypersensitive capacitance sensor systems. We design and fabricate monolithic three-dimensional micro coils on LSI substrate. The micro-coil has long legs, which will minimize electromagnetic coupling to the LSI substrate. We succeed in confirming the basic operation of the integrated oscillator circuit in GHz frequency range. It is conformed that process damages by plasma ashing, heating at 200 degrees Celsius, and sputter etching process are not observed in the oscillation performance.

Future convergent telecommunications services: creation, context, P2P, QoS, and charging [Guest Editorial

his series is an attempt to provide a holistic view of telecommunications services (having covered previously both enterprise [1] and residential [2] segments). The current issue is the second part of the New Converged Telecommunications Applications for the End User feature topic. In the previous issue ([3]), two published articles described services that rely on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) infrastructure (which is progressively being deployed by telcos), related to lookup services and vehicular technology. In this second part a total of eight articles complete the selection of material fulfilling the call for papers' intention of providing an update and new insights into the applications and services a converged world is bringing, concentrating on application-only topics in the field of services for mass market users.

Bayesian Network-Based Service Context Recognition Model

Service context refers to the environmental information which influences the service execution. The processing of service context information is the foundation of the future intelligent telecommunication services in the ubiquitous convergent network. As the complexity and variability of the real world, there exists a large number of uncertain service context information, such as the imprecise information collected by sensors, data noise, and inaccurate location by different location technologies. Hence, it is crucial to recognize the correct service context environment based on unreliable context information. In recent years, context computing and context-awareness have become a major topic of research in an ubiquitous computing field. Ontology technology is often used to support context modeling and reasoning. And the probability theory, especially the Bayesian network, is adopted to deal with uncertainty. However, much of the existing relevant research work mainly concentrated on the modeling and reasoning of context information. But the way to construct and evolve the service context recognition model supporting uncertain reasoning effectively and systematically has not involved. In addition, most of the relative work is only the qualitative analysis, and lacks the quantitative performance analysis and experimental verification. What is more, the research on how to apply context-awareness technology to the telecommunication field and support the intelligence and individualization of the service is scarce. In this article, we combine context-awareness technology with telecommunication service network, and discuss the mechanism of service intelligence in ubiquitous convergent network environment. Then a construction method of the service context recognition model based on the Bayesian Network is put forward. The process of constructing the Bayesian network-based service context recognition model is mainly divided into the following steps: First, according to different service requirements and scenarios, the specific context problem domain should be specified; second, constructing the service context recognition model, which includes the determination of the topology structure and the node probability distribution of Bayesian network; third, when the preliminary Bayesian network-based service context recognition model is constructed, it could be initially applied to the practical system to do the clustering or causality analysis; and last, when the model cannot satisfy the need, the model update should be performed based on the feedback information of the evaluation step and the newly-generated plentiful sample data. This approach has been applied to intelligent access adaptation processing of call service in the office environment. The experimental results show that this approach can strengthen the intelligence of service and compensate for restrictions of certain reasoning.

Extending TINA with Secure On-Line Accounting Services

Concepts and principles of TINA (Telecommunications Information Networking Architecture) are introduced with the objective of correcting problems of the current centralized service control and service data model in an IN (Intelligent Network). It is becoming increasingly clear that the future sophisticated telecommunication services, e.g., multimedia, and multi-party conferencing, breaking away from the traditional telephony call model will need the solutions for rapid and efficient introduction, deployment, operations, and management. In this paper, we discuss accounting features and requirements, as well as security services in the TINA management context. We will introduce and present an implementation of a model for a security management, based on secure objects, cryptography and certificate distribution. In order to provide secure services, secure objects that have security functionality, such as authentication and access control, have been defined. Secure objects in our model are CORBA objects. The security domain is also called SBS (Security Base Server), provides security services and has an SMIB (Security Management Information Base) that contains security policies, cryptographic algorithms, and other relevant information. A prototype has been implemented and some experimental results are presented.

IMT-2000 wireless terminal mobility over object-oriented distributed platforms

The international mobile telecommunications systems 2000 (IMT-2000) system is being developed as a solution to the rapid growth and the diversity of mobile services. Concurrently, the telecommunication information networking architecture (TINA) service framework is providing a general software architecture for future telecommunication networks and services, based on the use of distributed object-oriented technology. The TINA service framework appears to complement the IMT-2000 system, by providing an integrated communication and computing infrastructure. Both the IMT-2000 and TINA principles are considered to be determinant for the provision of future services. However, the TINA service framework does not actually incorporate wireless networks. Similarly, the use of object-oriented distributed platforms in TINA, which is seen as a fundamental basis for future service, has not been studied in IMT-2000. This paper first summarizes the principles of the IMT-2000 system and the TINA service framework. It then presents the design and engineering issues of an IMT-2000 terminal mobility service that uses the TINA service framework. It terminates with an initial specification of a mobile object service, and scenarios for the re-use of existing standards. Although, the support of mobility on TINA is still under study in various fora and projects, the technical contents of this paper reflects the original evaluation and synthesis carried out by the authors to provide IMT-2000 wireless mobility on object-oriented distributed platforms such as CORBA and that conforms to the TINA principles.

Advanced service provisioning based on mobile agents

Service provisioning is currently a challenging issue to offer future telecommunication services efficiently and at the same time in a flexible and user-friendly manner. As a contribution of the ACTS CAMELEON [CAMELEON project: http://www.comnets.rwth-aachen.de/~cameleon and CLIMATE ACTS cluster for intelligent mobile agents in telecommunication environments: http://www.fokus.gmd.de/cc/ima/climate/] project to the VHE (Virtual Home Environment) concept of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) [ETS ITS 22.70 Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), service aspects: Virtual Home Environment (VHE). UMTS Draft Version, 3.00, 1998], this paper describes an advanced approach for service execution and service provisioning based on agent technology. The mobile and autonomous agent paradigm is a promising new approach for flexible service provisioning as well as automatic feature updates in terminals and network nodes. This paper describes an Adaptive Profile Manager, which is an agent-based mechanism that allows a telecommunication user access to his personalised services independent of the used end device (mobile phone, Laptop, PDA, among other devices). The service presentation is adapted to the corresponding end device considering its capacity and system features as well as the specific user profile.

TINA – Architectural basis for future telecommunications services

Today telecommunications service provision and management is coined by international standards for Intelligent Network (IN) and Telecommunications Management Network (TMN). However, with the increasing acceptance of object-oriented software modelling techniques and Open Distributed Processing (ODP) standards, a new architecture beyond IN and TMN is gaining momentum, known as Telecommunications Information Networking Architecture (TINA). TINA is considered to be the architectural framework for the unified provision of future telecommunications and management services within a common distributed processing environment. This paper provides an overview of the basic TINA concepts with particular emphasis on the TINA service architecture, which provides the principle framework for the distributed realization of future telecommunications services.

Multicast scheduling for VOD services

Recent developments in networking technologies, coupled with the advent of high-capacity storage devices and improved coding schemes, will make it feasible to provide many advanced multimedia communications services. Among future telecommunication services, the VOD (Video On Demand) service is emerging as one of the most promising services. In this paper, we propose a new VOD service scheme that utilizes the dynamic multicasting capabilities of future networks. We first describe an overall VOD service architecture that consists of CPEs (Customer Premise Equipments), SCCs (Service Control Centers), and ISs (Information Stores). Based on the assumptions that each subscriber has local storage space and the video transfer speed is faster than the playback speed, we develop a new service scheme where video signals are multicasted to multiple subscribers simultaneously. To realize the potential benefits of multicasting, we propose two scheduling algorithms: EDS (Earliest Deadline Scheduling) and MMS (Most Multicasting Scheduling). Finally, we study the performance of multicasting scheme and compare the performance of the two scheduling algorithms via computer simulation. The simulation results show that multicasting increases the service capacity of an SCC significantly.

IN and TMN: the basis for future information networking architectures

A number of different activities are underway to develop concepts for the provision of future open service environments, also referred to as information networking architectures. The most important concepts identified in this context are the Intelligent Network (IN) architecture, which allows for the flexible and uniform provision of a variety of future telecommunication services by the definition of functional network elements and a set of generic service building blocks, and CCITT's Telecommunication Management Network (TMN), providing a range of management functions above a set of support systems, needed to operate, control and maintain future telecommunication networks and services. After a brief description of the basic ideas of both concepts, the paper analyses the commonalities of the IN and TMN concepts, and identifies areas of possible integration for an integrated network and service management in a common telecommunication environment providing the basis for future information networking architectures.

How WARC '92 will affect mobile services

The US proposals to, and the decisions of, the 1992 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC '92) that relate to mobile and mobile-satellite services are described. Mobile-satellite service (MSS) issues addressed at WARC '92 include new allocations for low Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite operations, new MSS spectrum allocations, and modifications to current allocations used to support mobile-satellite operations. Allocation issues on the agenda of WARC '92 that related to the terrestrial mobile services include allocations for mobile services between 1 and 3 GHz, allocations for aeronautical public correspondence, and designation of frequency bands for future public land mobile telecommunications services. A number of proposals which were put forward by the US to support MSS allocations and operations that did not explicitly require allocations to the MSS are discussed. >

Applying open network provision to ISDN and intelligent networks

Abstract The rapid evolution of network technologies and the opening up of public networks in Europe and world-wide have resulted in a variety of different concepts and models for the future telecommunication world. Looking for a functional model for the flexible and open provision of future telecommunication services, also referred to as value added services, a thorough analysis of the different proposed models is required in order to understand the implications of these models and their relationships. The relevant models identified are the Open Network Provision (ONP) framework, the Intelligent Network (IN) concept and the OSI Reference Model and related distributed processing standards. The paper proposes a compound functional model based on the afore-mentioned models forming a general framework for the development and provision of future telecommunication services. Focussing on ISDN as target network technology for the next decade and Intelligent Networks as key concept for the provision of future services, this paper identifies the alternatives of opening the network infrastructure to competiting service providers by means of the ONP concept.

Applicability of OSI directory to universal personal telecommunication (UPT)

The universal personal telecommunication (UPT) is expected as one of the future advanced telecommunication services, which enables telecommunication among subscribers while allowing personal mobility. In UPT, the database (UPT name server) is indispensable, which provides such information as address information and service profile, which are needed by the network in routing, switching control, and service control. This paper aims at the efficient and economical realization of UPT and discusses the application of the existing OSI Directory standard to the UPT name server. First, the functions needed in the UPT name server are systematically categorized and classified. Five mapping rules are proposed, which maps those functions to the OSI Directory functions. Based on those mappings, a prototype for the UPT name server is constructed. The performance and the file volume are examined experimentally, and the applicability of the OSI Directory to the UPT name server is demonstrated.

NNT's research on acoustics for future telecommunication services

This paper describes research on Acoustics at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) aiming at the realization of ideal tele-conference systems, which present participants with an acoustical virtual environment in which they experience the sensation of sharing the same space. Japanese research trends on ‘artificial reality’ and ‘tele-existence’ are mentioned in an appendix.

Quality of service requirements in ATM-based B-ISNDs

The purpose of this paper is to present the Quality of Service (QOS) requirements of bearer services in an ATM based B-ISDN environment. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a specific packet-oriented switching and multiplexing technique for carrying future broadband telecommunication services. An extremely wide variety of services with different traffic characteristics and performance requirements is expected to be supported by the ATM based B-ISDN. In this paper, the ATM QOS parameters are studied on a per service basis. For this purpose a number of characteristic bearer services has been selected, and the required values for the ATM QOS parameters for each of the selected services have been defined.

Some new concepts in demand and traffic forecasting and planning of future telecommunication services

New telecom services demand/traffic forecasting and planning tasks are often quite complicated and surrounded by uncertainty because of their structural complexity and lack of (sufficient) historical data. The contention of this paper is that these tasks can and should be performed in a more careful and structured manner using the subjective knowledge of experts/managers, structured scenario analysis, and that different sorts of imprecision/ uncertainty/risk associated with new telecom forecasting and planning can be discriminated, described in a structured way and quantified. Several new concepts in demand/traffic forecasting and planning have been introduced and appropriate computer tools developed. These tools are general enough to accept crisp and soft inputs (e.g. verbally expressed expert opinions) and allow formal problem specification, selection and analysis of alternatives, translation between different ways of expression and analysis of decision consequences.

Future trends in digital telecommunication transmission networks

New technology is needed by digital transmission networks for the increased bandwidth, performance and reliability requirements of existing and future telecommunication services, such as broadband ISDN. Increased flexibility, automation and control are also major issues being addressed. The combination of these factors has led to the development of synchronous digital heirarchy (SDH) networks to replace existing asynchronous networks during the 1990s. These issues are reviewed and further developments to bandwidth-transparent optical networks indicated for the twenty-first century.

Hardware and software design of the Programmable Displayphone

In order for future telecommunications services to be successful, they will have to be easy to use so that they do not intimidate potential customers. The Programmable Displayphone was designed, built and programmed to serve as a friendly interface between people and network services. The PDP uses the intelligence of a computer, the low profile and versatility of a graphics-capable plasma display and the convenience of touch entry, all bound together by custom, menu-driven software, to provide easy access to a host of services. These services at present include touch dialing from a large personal directory (approx 2000 entries), conference calling, call forwarding, call transfer, and call hold. Furthermore, the programmability of the PDP allows implementation of new services, for experimentation, demonstration or actual use. In this paper, the hardware design of the PDP, including its history and components, will be described. The software that gives the PDP life will also be discussed along with two applications of the PDP that have been implemented. A discussion of potential future applications of the PDP is given.

ISDN protocol architecture

IT IS NOW widely recognized that the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) concept is providing a useful framework for the development of future telecommunications networks and services. An ISDN can be regarded as a generalpurpose digital network capable of supporting (or integrating) a wide range of services (voice and non-voice) using a small set of standard multipurpose user-network interfaces. Relevant CCITT Recommendations (or standards) on ISDN interfaces were expected to be available in 1984, the final year of the current study period. This paper reviews CCITT progress on the architectural studies of protocols associated with ISDN's, in particular, the ISDN Protocol Reference Model being developed by Study Group XVIII. This Model, based on the concepts and principles of the ISO/CCITT Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model, aims at providing a unified framework for modeling ISDN multiservice communications and capabilities. The new Model is applied to several possible ISDN communications configurations, enabling a number of technical issues to be easily identified.