Integrated Broadband Communications Network Research Articles

Satellites in UMTS and B-ISDN: status of activities and perspectives

Satellites are no longer seen as an alternative to a terrestrial mobile telecommunications system or the (optical-fibre-based) integrated broadband communications network. Instead they are now being considered as one of the components of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System being developed within the European Union's RACE Programme for the next century and as a component of the broadband ISDN. This paper discusses the role played by satellites in these systems and the issues which have to be addressed. >

Wireless LANs: physical properties of infra-red systems vs. mmw systems

Interest in wireless indoor communications has been spectacular. As we tend to need relatively broad bandwidths for such communication, the choice of carrier frequency would seem to be between the millimeter-wave/upper microwave bands and infra-red. The authors consider those systems which operate with one cell or multiple cells within a room. Such systems in the longer term must offer speeds compatible with fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) or the integrated broadband communications network (IBCN). Keeping this in mind, the authors look at the capability of systems supporting transmission rates of 100 Mb/s, though of course useful networks can be realized with much lower single user data transfer rates. As with mmw, infrared (IR) radiation is essentially restricted to the room in which it is generated; apart from leakage through windows and doors it will not normally be detected outside a room and should not interfere significantly with similar systems in neighboring offices. However, IR is not suitable for operation in very large rooms. In addition it is seen that mmw offers certain advantages in both large and small rooms. >

Teleworking: An Information Technology Tool for Integrated Broadband Communication Development in Rural Areas of Europe

Information technology has an increasing impact in the development of rural areas but the development and implementation of telematic services in these areas present special problems such as the appropriate mix of communication technologies, the commercial prospects of recovering the cost of investment, the social problems etc., which currently limit their effective use. With the recent introduction of narrowband ISDN (Integrated Services Data Networks) in Europe it is now possible to offer various services on a single subscriber line. In addition, with the development of both high reliable fibre-optic transmission and very fast switching systems, the introduction of broadband ISDN can also be considered. Unfortunately, the less favoured regions of EC (European Community) lack infrastructure. The development in these areas will be a gradual process. Large investments will be required, and the systems installed will have a lifetime of some decades. Therefore the right decisions on the chosen technologies and on the appropriate system configurations have to be taken to ensure success. In this work, the teleworking prospects as an IT tool for rural development are studied in detail. The motivation, the technology and the prosperity of teleworking in the less favoured regions of the EC are analysed and discussed. The analysis considers the existing telecommunication infrastructure in each one of the six peripheral member states in relation with the development and implementation of some important telematic systems in these areas. The main features of the proposed technologies as well as the establishment of the possible cost effective strategies for IBC (Integrated Broadband Communication) implementation in rural areas is also provided. It appears that teleworking is a key element for rural development and can be implemented through the realization of the IBCNs (IBC Networks). By taking lessons from some of the most important experimental initiatives which have already been introduced in some countries, useful recommendations in the policy to be adopted by the EC are drawn and presented.

Teleworking: an information technology tool for integrated broadband communication development in rural areas of Europe

Information technology has an increasing impact in the development of rural areas but the development and implementation of telematic services in these areas present special problems such as the appropriate mix of communication technologies, the commercial prospects of recovering the cost of investment, the social problems etc., which currently limit their effective use. With the recent introduction of narrowband ISDN (Integrated Services Data Networks) in Europe it is now possible to offer various services on a single subscriber line. In addition, with the development of both high reliable fibre-optic transmission and very fast switching systems, the introduction of broadband ISDN can also be considered. Unfortunately, the less favoured regions of EC (European Community) lack infrastructure. The development in these areas will be a gradual process. Large investments will be required, and the systems installed will have a lifetime of some decades. Therefore the right decisions on the chosen technologies and on the appropriate system configurations have to be taken to ensure success. In this work, the tele-working prospects as an IT tool for rural development are studied in detail. The motivation, the technology and the prosperity of teleworking in the less favoured regions of the EC are analysed and discussed. The analysis considers the existing telecommunication infrastructure in each one of the six peripheral member states in relation with the development and implementation of some important telematic systems in these areas. The main features of the proposed technologies as well as the establishment of the possible cost effective strategies for IBC (Integrated Broadband Communication) implementation in rural areas is also provided. It appears that teleworking is a key element for rural development and can be implemented through the realization of the IBCNs (IBC Networks). By taking lessons from some of the most important experimental initiatives which have already been introduced in some countries, useful recommendations in the policy to be adopted by the EC are drawn and presented.

ODP viewpoints of IBCN service management

Service management is one of the key functional areas in the future telecommunications management network (TMN) for the integrated broadband communication network (IBCN). We describe the objectives and functions of service management. An experimental service management system has been designed by NEMESYS, a project within the European RACE programme. This service management will be implemented as part of an experimental study of TMN requirements and techniques in a simulated ATM environment. The design of the experimental Service Manager is discussed using the novel viewpoint approach that has emerged from ISO's Open Distributed Processing (ODP) standardization activities. We briefly review the ODP viewpoint concepts. The design aspects of the Service Manager are analysed with respect to the different viewpoints. We also evaluate the usefulness of the ODP viewpoints for the analysis and design of a rather complex distributed system.

Coherent multicarrier technology for implementation in the customer access

The use of coherent multicarrier (CMC) techniques in the integrated broadband communication network (IBCN) is proposed. Technology, implementation strategies, system engineering, system application areas, and evolution aspects are considered. The use of CMC systems for distributive and interactive services is discussed, and related CMC transmission and switching issues are considered. Details on the realization of a CMC demonstrator for a customer access and plans for implementation of the engineered equipment in field trials are presented.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

A coherent OFDM switching system for flexible optical network configuration

A coherent optical switching node based on the combination of a frequency conversion stage with a space switching matrix is proposed for flexible interconnection of future integrated broadband communication networks. The basic system concept is presented together with the architecture of a demonstrator, which allows one to study the functionality available in future networks. The major subsystems and components of the demonstrator are described, and experimental results concerning frequency stabilization, frequency switching, and space switching are presented.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Prospects for evolution to the target integrated broadband communications network

This paper summarises the consolidated results of the collaborative research carried out within the workpackage ‘Evolution prospects and framework’ (EPF) of the Project RACE 1044: IBC development and implementation strategies. The workpackage has provided pointers to the most suitable paths for evolution towards the target IBC (integrated broadband communications) reference configuration based on detailed analysis of the relevant demand-cost models. The work carried out within the workpackage is described and an overview given of the results achieved and of their exploitation within and outside the RACE community.

Wideband propagation measurements of short range millimetric radio channels

There is an increasing emphasis to extend the services available on fixed telecommunication networks to the mobile user. One area of the RACE 1043 project examined the possibility of universal mobile services within future integrated broadband communications networks. Essential to the feasibility of such a scheme is an understanding of the wideband characteristics of the radio channel. The article describes the results of a wideband channel sounding programme conducted at 39 and 60 GHz, together with a channel-modelling exercise based on these measurements, aimed at producing a statistical model of the wide band millimetric channel.

Race-UMTS for third generation wireless communications

Universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) is a projected European standard of the CCIR defined future public land mobile telecommunication systems (FPLMTS) for third generation mobile communications. Race mobile project is studying issues related to UMTS. Race is the European Commission's programme on research and development in advanced communications in Europe. The main purpose of this programme is to introduce an integrated broadband communications network (IBCN) so that it provides an universal standard telecommunications system across Europe, with the capacity to meet demand in the early 21st. century

Service and traffic management for IBCN

The future Integrated Broadband Communications Network (IBCN) will provide high-speed communication capabilities that support a variety of existing and new services. The management of such a complex environment requires innovative management systems. NEMESYS is a project within the European Commission's Research and Development in Advanced Communications in Europe (RACE) program. The project goals are to demonstrate and evaluate the use of advanced information processing techniques for quality-of-service and traffic management. To reach these goals, a series of experimental prototypes are being built. This paper describes the assumptions, objectives, and approach of NEMESYS, and in particular, the design and implementation of an experiment that investigates service and traffic management techniques in a simulated asynchronous transfer mode environment. Because the project is not yet finished, some preliminary results are presented.

Simulative analysis of optimal resource allocation and routing in IBCN's

The problem of resource allocation for future integrated broadband communication networks (IBCNs) is addressed. It mainly involves resource allocation at the connection level. The resource allocation problem is decomposed into the following interdependent tasks: given that a network can accommodate the bandwidth demand of a call request, determine a route for the corresponding asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) virtual connection; and allocate bandwidth, i.e. links inside the trunks of the chosen route, to this connection according to predefined limits on bandwidth use by various service calls. Various link allocation schemes combined with routing algorithms are examined. Their performance in terms of service call blocking is evaluated using a software package developed, for that purpose. It is shown that the traditional complete sharing (CS) and complete partitioning (CP) policies are not adequate for IBCNs. Movable boundary (MB) policies are more flexible and present near-optimal performance when access of broadband service to narrowband service resources is allowed and suitable routing algorithms are dynamically applied. >

Numbering and addressing in IBCN for mobile communications

Numbering and addressing issues arising in the integrated broadband communication network (IBCN) for the support of the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) and Personal Telecommunication Service (PTS) are discussed. Mobile communications services will allow a user to roam within a network. Thus, there will be a need to identify several types of objects (terminals, network points of attachment, users, customers premises networks or CPN, etc.). The mobility properties of these objects will necessitate dynamic bindings between their addresses and names. The situation is further complicated because the mobility may be embedded. A mobile user may employ a mobile terminal in a mobile CPN. Therefore, in UMTS and PTS there is a need for dynamic binding of various identifiers with location information data. The exclusive use of personal telecommunication numbers (PTNs) as dialing numbers (DNs) is proposed in IBCN for UMTS and PTS. That is, PTNs will be used (during dialing) for making calls to mobile terminals, mobile users, and fixed subscribers. When the personal communication service is not provided, the DN corresponds to the terminal number of the equipment (fixed or mobile) of the called subscriber.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Analysis of asynchronous multiplexers for periodic traffic in integrated broadband networks

In the paper a discrete time queuing system with fixed service time and periodic arrivals is studied. The queue length distribution is derived and some interesting properties of the queuing process are presented. The paper contributes to the modelling of the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) used in integrated broadband communication networks (IBCNs).

RACE project R1010 scenario for the implementation of coherent multichannel systems in the subscriber area of the European IBC network

A scenario which illustrates the use of coherent multi-channel (CMD) techniques in different levels of evolution of the European Integrated Broadband Communication (IBC) network is developed. The scenario is based on experimental results obtained by engineered laboratory setups on CMC and subscriber systems. A detailed comparison between the CMC solution and a direct detection approach is presented, and the different levels of evolution from direct detection to CMC techniques are illustrated.

Conflicts in the development of broadband communications

Developments in technology, economics and public policy all seem to be promoting Integrated Broadband Communications networks as all-purpose providers of telecommunications and television services. But matters are not so simple. The two types of service are subject to conflicting pressures from a number of directions - the concerns of regulators, the characteristics of the markets they serve, their technical requirements and divergences in the dynamics of their growth. It might be a mistake, the author argues, to force a marriage between such unwilling partners.

The infrastructure model of workstations in IBCNs: Mass market and international standardization

For workstations in Integrated Broadband Communications Networks (IBCNs), their drastically diversified functionalities, as well as the mass of (formal and market-based) standards regulating the interfaces between these, will determine considerable structural commonalities of their implementation designs - giving rise to the concept of “internal infrastructure” of IBCN workstations. The drastically enlarged communities of users of such workstations, as well as their much higher degrees of business system orientation, will determine considerable structural commonalities of their usage designs - giving rise for the concept of “external infrastructure” of IBCN workstations. Due to the large measure of distributed applications orientation of these workstations, the substance of both these infrastructures gives rise to the concept of “generic applications of advanced communications”. In other words: The diversified functionalities and their coverage by formal and informal standards on the one side, and on the other side the huge and totally business-oriented future user communities, imply a certain “Infrastructure Model” for workstations in IBCNs. An important feature of this Infrastructure Model is its clear exposure of the generic advanced communications applications within the future workstation design, The presentation of this Infrastructure Model - today probably the only holistic model for advanced communications based and distributed applications/usage oriented workstations - is the main purpose of this paper. To this end, this report introduces and discusses the two concepts of internal and external infrastructures as well as the hierarchies within and the relations between them. In this part it also presents the consequences of far-reaching distributed applications orientation for these infrastructures of future IBCN business systems, namely their basic support for distributed applications/usage, i.e. the additional concept of “generic applications of advanced communications”, alias “generic distributed applications (GDAs)”. Separate backup papers to this report will also outline how the Infrastructure Model and the BERKOM Reference Model compliment each other and also how the contents of the Infrastructure Model is being elaborated on by currently running and planned projects in the present RACE/ESPRIT-programs and in the CEC's follow-up IT programs. There another main objective would be to show the interrelation between the Infrastructure Model and the EDISAM, the “Electronic Data Interchange Security Application Model”. Finally, they describe the BERKAPS & DIDAMES-projects, within which a pilot IBCN workstation (more precisely: an IBCN hardware/ soft/ware add-on for today's DOS-/UNIX-workstations) is being built and expanded such as to comply with this Infrastructure Model and the EDISAM - as far as this is possible today.

Multiservice CATV—from the viewpoint of the IBCN

AbstractIn countries where basic telecommunication services cannot satisfy all demands, as in Hungary and some other countries, the function of CATV may be different from that in the developed countries. While maintaining the primary, program distribution function it is expedient to use the cable TV as a local, autonomous data network too. From this viewpoint the up‐to‐date CATV network is a forerunner of the integrated broadband communication networks (IBCNs). Surveying these possibilities, and their economical implementation, is in the interest of many telecommunications administrations. The Research Institute of the Hungarian PTT (the PKI) has for some time been dealing with the multi‐purpose application possibilities of cable TV systems too. In the framework of this research work, PKI has recently established an experimental cable TV network which is suitable for examining other functions as well.

BERKOM: The first broadband isdn exchange and transmission system in Berlin

BERKOM: The first broadband isdn exchange and transmission system in Berlin

Fast packet approach to integrated broadband networks

This paper presents an approach to the basic principles governing the definition of a fast packet transfer technique. This is applicable to all types of signals which are to be accompanied within the integrated broadband communication network (IBCN). This packet-based technique, called asynchronous time-division (ATD) transfer mode, has been investigated by the author; a first implementation, the Prelude trial network, is also presented. Various application fields are foreseen for an ATD transfer network and relevant introduction scenarios are also discussed.