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HEADLINES AT A GLANCE"Next Generation of Cellphones Becomes Murky""Software Tries 'Concept Mapping'" "E-Biz Trends: Infrastructure Gets Respect" "Data Storage: Finding Room at the University" "The Three Faces of E" "RBOCs, Some ISPs Lead DSL Scramble" "3Com Carrier Networks Demo VoIP Over Cable" "BLECs Cautioned: Know Your Tenants Before Playing With Fiber" "Dispay Makes Mobile Data Shine" "Wireless Set to Give Cable a Boost" "Think Again" "No Blues Over Bluetooth" "Military Coup" "802.17: A Spec for Packet Ring Networks" "Sprint Sets Enterprise Sights Overseas" "IVR System Helps Track Ky. Wildlife" "Next Generation of Cellphones Becomes Murky" Wall Street Journal [http://www.wsj.com/] (02/21/01) P. B1; Pringle, David; Delaney, Kevin J. While telecom carriers have boasted about the introduction of 3G services for over a year, the expense and difficulty of deploying 3G technologies have caused some concerns. According to Bouygues Telecom, upgrades to existing networks are sufficient for most services. Many industry observers are concerned about the tens of billions of dollars invested in 3G technology. Critics of 3G argue that telecom companies can provide many wireless data services, including video, without upgrading to 3G and, in the process, save substantial funds. According to Fraser Curley, a wireless phone expert with Arthur D. Little, modified 2G networks can provide 80 percent of the services offered by 3G. But operators in Europe that have acquired UMTS licenses say 3G services will outperform 2G. They also point out that they required the additional spectrum provided by 3G licenses since the capacity of 2G networks is being filled. Meanwhile, the interest of U.S. carriers in 3G networks has not waned in spite of increasing doubts in Europe. Sprint PCS CTO Oliver Valenti acknowledges that Sprint already has sufficient spectrum to offer 3G services and plans to allocate $700 million to $800 million to provide 3G services. In addition, AT&T Wireless plans to upgrade its network to 3G, sources close to the company report. However, Verizon Wireless CTO Richard Lynch says 3G systems will not be important in the United States for the next three to four years. ( Wireless Communications) "Software Tries 'Concept Mapping'" Associated Press [http://www.ap.org/] (02/19/01); Kaczor, Bill New concept mapping software is available for free download from the University of Florida's Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. Researchers at the Institute are working to make computers easier to use, exactly the theory behind concept mapping, which links information in a direct and understandable way. The researchers expect that concept maps, or Cmaps, will help change the information navigation on Web sites by providing a graphical depiction of how that information is linked and organized, rather than following the traditional method of organizing information page by page. Funded by NASA and the Navy as part of a larger project to create similar learning tools, the software is among the best Cmap programs available, claims Barry Brosch of Cincom, a commercial firm negotiating a software license from the University of Florida. Having already made the software available for non-profit use, the Institute is still in the process of deciding how it wants to offer it for commercial application. ( Internet Architecture, Technology and Applications) "E-Biz Trends: Infrastructure Gets Respect" Electronic Commerce World [http://www.ecomworld.com/] (02/01) Vol. 11, No. 2, P. 24; McKendrick, Joseph Until recently infrastructure issues haven't been front page news for businesses who were busy designing their Web markets and schemes. Internet companies and brick-and-mortar companies typically do not have the IT infrastructure needed to contend with the changes an e-business transformation will make real. In the high stakes world of e-commerce, IBM is leading the parade of vendors hawking their expertise to businesses needing to adapt their infrastructures to accommodate the new environment. IBM is advocating the concept of an information technology "utility" that would provide the e-business functionality companies need, when they need it, without requiring companies to reengineer themselves for the e-market. Called "e-sourcing", companies are now looking for third party providers for things like Web, storage, and applications hosting, load balancing and security. IBM CEO Lou Gerstner feels the directional change to e-sourcing will basically change the "go-to-market models of the computer industry" and that the company is "on the verge of a fundamental restructuring of the industry's economics". Some companies already have the necessary technology in place that will support the changeover to e-business. M.I.T.'s director of the Center for e-Business Professor Erick Brynjolfsson, cites UPS as an example of a business that leveraged their existing assets and technology in order to grow into the next level of e-commerce. ( Information Infrastructure) "Data Storage: Finding Room at the University" Electronic Commerce World [http://www.ecomworld.com/] (02/01) Vol. 11, No. 2, P. 40; Regenold, Steve A late-1990s initiative to incorporate better technologies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), entailed rebuilding its data storage system. When describing the school's problems with its third-generation UNIX-based server, director of UNC-CH's Academic Technology and Networks Computer Center Judson Knott said, "In addition to...bugs, file retrieval times were slow and the software could not handle a data pool as large and complex as [UNC-CH's]." The university faced the daunting challenge of migrating 3.5 TB of data from one format to another while simultaneously granting users immediate access using the proprietary format; the solution would also have to furnish automated security, automated and flexible policy management, scalable, high-capacity deployment, and file system/application transparency. The new system enables the university to implement distance learning programs, expand computer research, and widen the spectrum of in-class devices for multimedia presentations. UNC-CH's Digital Library project, which will be one the country's biggest virtual libraries, will also benefit from the new storage system. The system is a hard disk/tape storage hierarchical configuration that relegates new and frequently used files to the hard disk cache and archives older files on the tape library. Systems administrators can set up archiving paths, data "high water marks," and automatic data routes with the SAM-FS. "With over 175 terabytes of capacity and a state-of-the-art hardware and software setup, the university is prepared for the coming waves of technology upgrades," Knott boasts. ( Signal Processing, Storage and Communications Electronics) "The Three Faces of E" Upstart [http://www.upstartmag.com/] (01/01) Vol. 2, No. 1, P. 34; Ankeny, Joseph While Ethernet has been a key LAN technology for some time, the growing presence of optical fiber in the metro area is making it even more attractive. However, bandwidth-hungry Internet and multimedia applications have placed pressure on Ethernet, making Gigabit Ethernet more favorable. Gig-E is scalable and is substantially faster than regular Ethernet. Because Gig-E is so new, the market is open to competition. But the technology has faced its share of problems, including the high cost of fiber deployment and slow provisioning rates. Despite its troubles, several companies are seeking to take advantage of the technology. XO, which was formed with the merger between Nextlink and Concentric, announced a new line of Ethernet services when it unveiled its new name. While XO's Gig-E services are currently limited to data, the company may offer video in the future. But voice will not be introduced anytime soon because of the regulatory hurdles, according to Dan Kalin, XO broadband services senior product manager. While XO focuses on network ownership as a key factor in Gig-E dominance, infrastructure provider Telseon's approach calls for it to lease fiber across its 20-city service area. Telseon CEO John Kane does not consider XO a competitor and also disputes XO's belief that network ownership is necessary for success. Owning fiber is not economically sound, Kane added. Kane does not view Yipes as a rival either, considering that the company targets enterprise customers and is focused on the network edge rather than the core. Telseon is following a similar strategy as XO by concentrating exclusively on data services. Another company moving into the Ethernet market is upstart World Wide Packets. The company is working on advanced optical access network gear intended to allow service providers to offer Gig-E to residences, apartments, and small enterprises. ( Network Operations, Management and Control) "RBOCs, Some ISPs Lead DSL Scramble" Telecommunications [http://www.telecommagazine.com/] (02/01) Vol. 35, No. 2, P. 18; Flanagan, Patrick Regional Bells and fully owned ISPs are becoming key players in the DSL market as several upstart providers begin feeling the pressure. The standard supply and demand model is not working, largely because providers are finding it prohibitively expensive to meet demand. A mere 5 percent of Internet users have high speed access. However, the market is expanding, as Jupiter Media expects the number of DSL users to grow to 11.8 million by 2005. But growth in supply has become sluggish. According to Cahners In-Stat Group, 1.85 million units were shipped in last year's third quarter, a 35 percent jump from the previous quarter but substantially lower than the 46 percent growth posted in the first quarter of last year. Cable modems, on the other hand, saw third-quarter shipments of 2.79 million units, 58 percent more than the previous quarter. In-Stat analyst Mike Lowe believes cable modem growth is due to the adoption of DOCSIS, but expects DSL growth to rebound and cable modems to maintain strong growth. A key obstacle to DSL growth is troublesome provisioning, according to Jupiter analyst Dylan Brooks. The result is narrow profit margins for service providers. DSL is also more costly as far as operations and tech support. Some of the upstarts troubled by narrow profit margins are Covad Communications, PSINet, New Edge Networks, and NorthPoint Communications. Service providers leading the market include regional Bells SBC Communications, Verizon, and BellSouth. ( Interconnections in High-Speed Digital Systems) "3Com Carrier Networks Demo VoIP Over Cable" Communications Solutions [http://www.comsolmag.com/] (02/01) Vol. 6, No. 2, P. 32 3Com's Carrier Networks Business recently conducted tests for VoIP transmissions via cable. The offering, which uses 3Com's CommWorks architecture, provides end-to-end VoIP over cable via the Distributed Call Signaling protocol. Service providers can use the offering to provide voice, multimedia, data, and signaling over a standard Internet backbone because of its standards-based interfaces and flexible SIP proxy platform. The setup facilitates interoperability between existing infrastructures, including PSTN, IP networks, and the SS7 network. ( Transmission, Access and Optical Systems) "BLECs Cautioned: Know Your Tenants Before Playing With Fiber" Phone+ [http://www.phoneplusmag.com/] (02/01) Vol. 15, No. 2, P. 40; Long, Josh Dark fiber can appease in-building carriers' desire for advanced applications and can provide them with the flexibility to add more advanced services later. But companies seeking to lease dark fiber would need to have a significant bandwidth requirement to warrant the cost, according to Mark Davis, UrbanMedia's vice president of engineering. It may take three to six months for fiber to be lit for service provisioning, notes Shiv Padhi, Everest Broadband Networks' director of corporate development. But some carriers, including Everest, do not mind the wait. Metromedia Fiber Network, which began offering dark fiber toward the end of the last decade to carriers and high-capacity users in large metro areas, signed $3.5 billion in contracts by the second quarter of 2000. Despite the fact that in-building carriers handle their own electronics and infrastructure, they are becoming more flexible. While an in-building carrier that leases a T1 or T3 line has to contend with bandwidth restrictions, dark fiber users can scale their electronic equipment to increase traffic and take advantage of advanced applications including streaming media. Fiber is prominent is some metro markets, but is not as established as copper. A mere 5 percent of the nation's roughly 750,000 commercial buildings are wired with fiber, says Bob Pommer, Universal Access' vice chairman and co-founder. ( Network Operations, Management and Control) "Dispay Makes Mobile Data Shine" Mobile Computing & Communications [http://www.mobilecomputing.com/] (03/01) Vol. 12, No. 3, P. 23; Flanagan, William P. While a handset provides easy access to information including e-mail, data access via a handset can be troublesome because of the monochrome display. But recently, the organic electroluminescent (OEL) screen used on Motorola's TimePort P8767 digital phone has received rave reviews. Tohoku Pioneer, a unit of leading electronics company Pioneer, created the luminous display, which is made of a carbon-based compound. The display's clarity is one of its most highly touted features. In addition, the display does not require a backlight, like LCDs, and produces its own light. The absence of a backlight also reduces the display's power consumption and the size of the device. And the display offers red, blue, and green colors. The screen provides a clear picture whether placed near bright light or used at night. ( Wireless Communications) "Wireless Set to Give Cable a Boost" Communications Technology [http://www.cabletoday.com/] (02/01) Vol. 18, No. 2, P. 14; Feduschak, Natalia A. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) can be applied very effectively to home networking. According to ShareWave's vice president of product marketing, Naresh Baliga, the two primary uses for the technology is for home networking or cable modem. While wireless LANs were once offered by a finite amount of vendors, the availability of the products increased when the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers approved the 802.11 standard in 1997. IEEE 802.11a and the IEEE 802.11b are the two standards in highest demand. IEEE 802.11a provides data rates reaching 54 Mbps, while IEEE 802.11b offers speeds reaching 802.11 Mbps. For people interested in adopting wireless technology for home networking, there are many advantages over fixed cables. For instance, users can surf the Web by equipping a laptop with a packet switching interface (PSI) card. While data transmissions and interactive television are the two most popular mobile applications by cable users, more applications will be launched in the future, including home security and home automation, asserts Curt Matson, director of product marketing with Ericsson Home Communications. ( Network Operations, Management and Control) "Think Again" Far Eastern Economic Review [http://www.feer.com/] (02/15/01) Vol. 164, No. 6, P. 34; Bickers, Charles Asian mobile phone operators are frustrated by the lack of consumer interest in wireless Web services. Operators are reformulating strategies that were based on substantial increases in wireless subscriber rates. Despite predictions last year of expanding revenues and an early launch of 3G services by some cell phone companies, many operators in Asia are facing the possibility that early adoption of 3G may not be as lucrative as once expected. And firms selling network equipment and wireless devices acknowledge that upgrading strategies have reached frenzied proportions. According to Nortel Networks' director of mobile Web business in the region, Emanuel Sauguet, operators must be provided with a profitable model for generating revenue from data services before they will deploy the latest network technology. Operators have yet to see substantial revenues from new mobile data services. According to Maxis Communications CEO Jamaludin Ibrahim, equipment sellers and analysts had expected wireless data services to generate 40 percent to 50 percent of their revenues. But forecasts have been reduced to 25 percent to 30 percent. ( Product Sales and Marketing) "No Blues Over Bluetooth" tele.com [http://www.teledotcom.com/] (02/05/01) Vol. 6, Vol. 3, P. 46; Collins, Jonathan Cell phone operators are expected to offer Bluetooth-enabled phones by this summer. The technology allows these phones to link to other Bluetooth-enabled products such as laptops and PDAs within a range of 30 feet. Wireless service providers are optimistic that consumers will react favorably to Bluetooth's capabilities. They hope consumers and business users alike will be interested in linking Bluetooth devices to the Web and corporate local-area networks (LANs). Operators believe that Bluetooth will attract additional wireless subscribers and boost the demand for mobile services. Ericsson, which founded the technology in 1994, says Bluetooth will provide new revenue streams for cellular service providers. And analysts anticipate the launch of a wide range of Bluetooth products will lead to a new burgeoning market. Allied Business Intelligence predicts that over 1.4 billion Bluetooth devices will be shipped in 2005. However, some industry observers are concerned that the technology will not increase revenues to the degree its supporters estimate. Frost & Sullivan's Michael Wall says that traditional cellular operators will not make substantial earnings from Bluetooth. And some analysts believe that Bluetooth operators will likely face serious competition because Bluetooth-enabled phones do not require users to be linked to the operator's network. New vendors, such as Classwave Wireless and Norwood Systems, have already chosen Bluetooth as their standard to offer fast wireless data connections without linking to a network. These companies believe that short-range Bluetooth networks in public areas such as airports and malls will provide ample customers. In addition, Bluetooth may offer faster and less expensive access to the wireless Web than 3G wireless services. But skeptics argue that Bluetooth networks in public places have restricted growth potential. ( Wireless Communications) "Military Coup" Network Magazine [http://www.networkmagazine.com/] (02/01) Vol. 16, No. 2, P. 128; Dornan, Andy In a December policy report, the Pentagon defended the Defense Department's decision to fund the troubled Iridium satellite system. The agency said the decision was made to ease concerns about debris falling to the Earth if the satellites were sent into the atmosphere to be destroyed. But according to a NASA report, the chance of falling satellite debris killing a human being is one in 249, which is comparable to the risk of death or seriously injuries associated with delivery trucks. In addition, a person is more likely to be struck by lightning than be hit by a piece of satellite debris. According to Network Magazine senior editor Andy Dornan, the real reason for the Defense Department's $72 million subsidy of Iridium is its interest in the global coverage provided by the network. The U.S. military has been the network's largest customer. Meanwhile, Dornan expects 3G technology to duplicate the economic failure of Iridium's once promising technology. The banking industry is already concerned about the vast amounts of money it lent telecom companies for 3G systems and has discouraged banks from giving additional loans. Many operators have responded by printing junk bonds to increase funding, further weakening their fiscal standing. The situation in Europe's UMTS market is the most troubling, says Dornan. He notes that European telecom companies acted recklessly when bidding for UMTS licenses. ( Satellite and Space Communications) "802.17: A Spec for Packet Ring Networks" Telecommunications [http://www.telecommagazine.com/] (01/01) Vol. 35, No. 1, P. 18; Masud, Sam A new IEEE working group has begun developing a standard to handle dual counter-rotating rings in a scalable packet network. The IEEE 802 executive committee granted its approval, enabling the 802.17 working group to begin work on the Resilient Packet Ring protocol, which is expected to be developed in two years. But some members believe a preliminary standard may be introduced by the end of the year. Several equipment vendors have their own plans to handle ring-based packet networks. Cisco has its Spatial Reuse Protocol (SRP) ring sharing mechanism as the foundation for its Dynamic Packet Transfer product line. Although the IETF introduced SRP as an RFC, the protocol has failed to get broad support from other suppliers. Luminous Networks uses resilient packet transport, while Dynarc employs dynamic synchronous transfer mode for dual-ring topology. Although the 802.17 working group said it is developing a media-neutral MAC-layer protocol, it is likely to favor devices that handle Ethernet's physical layer specifications. ( Communications Standards) "Sprint Sets Enterprise Sights Overseas" eWeek [http://www.eweek.com/] (02/12/01) Vol. 18, No. 6, P. 16; Carlson, Caron Sprint is looking to Asia and Europe for high-end customers amid slowing growth in its residential long-distance market in the United States. The global expansion may allow enterprise customers a single point of contact for service provisioning to offices throughout the world. Sprint is migrating from its slow-growth residential operations to concentrate on high-speed corporate data services. The company is extending its Internet backbone into additional foreign markets in an effort to link 13 countries in Europe and Asia prior to the end of the year and 35 countries before 2004. The network extension is part of the company's larger plan to generate 50 percent of its revenues from data and high-speed services by 2003, said Len Lauer, president of the Global Business Markets Group at Sprint. Sprint offers corporate services including IP VPNs, managed routers, and managed firewalls. Sprint's dedicated IP is provided to 30 countries, while its Internet VPN is available to 69 countries. The IP network is scheduled to offer 10 Gbps links between major business locations by year's end. Sprint selected London as its European headquarters because the city houses its first Internet node. In an effort to reach out to small business customers, Sprint also introduced its customer loyalty program, Sprint Business Rewards. For dollars spent, participants are awarded points that can be used toward free long-distance service, merchandise, gift certificates or travel packages. Sprint provides automatic enrollment to customers who spend at least $60 per month. ( Product Sales and Marketing) "IVR System Helps Track Ky. Wildlife" State & Local Government Computer News [http://www.gcnstateandlocal.com/] (02/01) Vol. 7, No. 2, P. 1; Young, Donna Kentucky has implemented an integrated voice response system to handle wildlife populations. Anexsys provided the system, which the Fish and Wildlife Resources Department installed to enable hunters to report harvested deer and wild turkeys. State law mandates that hunters report harvested animals and put a confirmation number on the tag segment of hunting permits prior to moving carcasses. Hunters who employ the system punch in numbers on the telephone keypad to provide information, including the type and sex of the animal. Anexsys software is housed in a 120-MHz Pentium III Lucent Conversant MAP100 with 64 M of RAM and functioning UnixWare. The system employs Integrated Services Digital Network primary rate interface lines linking to Lucent Difinity G3R private branch exchange switches. ( Multimedia Communications and Digital Media) HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE You can receive notification of the ComSoc INC as a free service provided by the IEEE Communications Society. The following are the instructions to subscribe/unsubscribe via email 1. Send an email message to INC-request@comsoc.org subscribe The archived back issues can be found on the ComSoc INC site DISCLAIMER: These news write-ups are written by Information Inc. from worldwide sources. For details about disclaimers and limitation of liability please go to http://www.ieee.org/about/documentation/copyright/legal.htm#liability © copyright 1999 INFORMATION, INC. |
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