This book reviews the contribution of different wireless access technologies to that future and looks at the opportunities of opening up access to telecommunications systems, via application programming interfaces APIs). The economic and regulatory issues associated with wireless communications are also discussed, with a look at the history and potential future of mobility from a user perspective.
Inspec keywords: mobile handsets; wireless LAN; radio access networks; mobile ad hoc networks; telecommunication network reliability; application program interfaces; mobility management (mobile radio); 3G mobile communication; video streaming; Bluetooth; radio spectrum management; ultra wideband communication; telecommunication security; multimedia communication
Other keywords: wireless LAN; mobility; ad hoc wireless network; parlay API; multimodality; Bluetooth; wireless communication; mobile ad hoc network; 3G; radio spectrum management; tetherless communication; multimedia communications; wireless user interface; optical radio; mobile communication; ultrawideband; mobile multimedia service; mobile telephone; mobile video-streaming; public mobile access market; wireless access infrastructure
Subjects: Reliability; Mobile radio systems; Computer networks and techniques; Multimedia communications; Local area networks; Computer communications; Radio access systems; Operating systems; Network management; Multimedia; Data security
This chapter has taken an unusual approach in that it has attempted to predict the future roles of mobile and wireless communications by sharing information between a network operator, BT, and an equipment vendor, Motorola, and by using techno economic modelling techniques applied to 'connected' scenarios. Our goal has not been to predict the future as such but to envision a set of possible futures and the wireless systems that may come into being. Firstly, we considered a blanket network deployment 3G, 3.5G and WLANs against three application scenarios covering voice, multimedia and video. This has identified the opportunities for 3G and 3.5G in supporting voice and lower average speed multimedia applications while WLANs offer a cost-effective complement to 3G in the urban environment for higher average speed multimedia and video applications. Cellular is clearly more cost effective than WLANs in less densely populated areas. It has highlighted the opportunities for cellular and WLANs operators to maximise value through co operation. We found that access network costs represent a key controlling variable for business value which lead on to collaborative work in centralising processing and utilising RF over fibre networks to lower-cost base-stations. Such co-operation between fixed and cellular operators would significantly increase the commercial value for both.
Wireless communication has experienced enormous growth during the past decade, primarily driven by mobile cellular systems for voice communications, but more recently by the use of wireless local area networks (WLANs) for corporate enterprises. The coming decade is not expected to be any different. Therefore, the use of wireless data is expected to continue increasing dramatically and it is anticipated that this will be driven by the desire for wireless access to the Internet via 2.5G/3G and WLANs in homes, offices and public hot-spots. The combination of an increased number of users and the trend towards multimedia services means that the capacity of our wireless networks will probably need to be increased by a factor of between 10 and 100 during the next decade.
Wireless local area networks (short range broadband radio systems) are rapidly becoming a normal part of the communications access infrastructure. Demand for wireless local area network (LAN) products has grown dramatically over the last two years, and shows no sign of slowing. Indeed it is strengthened by the growth of laptops and personal mobility products. Business users now expect to be able to access the Internet and even their private corporate intranets through other wireless LAN networks. It is hard to remember that less than two years ago this technology was still viewed with some scepticism. This technology and its rapid success presents service providers with incredible opportunities and challenges.
After several years of over-promotion, Bluetooth short-range wireless technology has finally made the transition from 'slideware' to hardware. Bluetooth is described in different ways by different interested parties but the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) - the organisation that has driven its development since it 'went public' in 1998 - gives Bluetooth the following headline description: 'It works whenever you work, seamlessly connecting all of your mobile devices. Creating unprecedented productivity.
In this chapter,UWB holds out great promise for potential applications in communications, radar and imaging systems. The reason UWB can offer these benefits is that UWB waveforms are of extremely short time duration. In communication applications, short pulses can be used to provide extremely high data rate transmissions for multi user applications. The same short pulses enable high resolution for both radar and positioning applications.
Ad hoc networks offer a radical alternative to existing cellular and fixed networks for providing communications. These networks form on the fly from the communications devices themselves without needing any infrastructure or centralised control. Devices communicate directly with each other and by forming chains of transceivers they relay information through other devices in order to reach the final destination (see Fig 6.1). The devices also learn about their peers and then use this intelligence to route information via the optimum path taking into account such things as processing power, battery capacity and alternative network con nections such as broadband or GPRS.
This chapter is a great interest in the future potential of ad hoc networks. However, before they take off on a large scale a solid understanding of their performance and coverage is essential. In this chapter we have discussed in detail the overall available capacity in a network of randomly distributed nodes as well as the conditions for the network being locally connected. We have demonstrated that capacity and local connectivity are complementary quantities in the sense that by improving the probability of local connectivity one decreases the overall available capacity in the network and vice versa. We have shown that by applying antennas which focus their beams towards the nodes with which they directly communicate, the overall capacity of the network can be increased substantially without reducing the level of local connectivity. This issue is likely to become very important, particularly in the case of dynamic.
Initially, we believe ad hoc networks will be used primarily for access, but when people get used to living in 'wireless bubbles', they may well use the freedom 'tetherless technologies' give them in new and exciting ways - there will be no reason not to. Wireless devices are becoming smaller, lighter, cheaper and faster. If these devices perform useful functions, people will want to use them at home and on the move. Wireless ad hoc networks offer the connectivity these devices will need. The mobility comes at no extra cost. Of course the mobility will be limited to the wireless bubble, but this need not be too restrictive. If the wireless technology is based on the international IEEE802.11 standards, mobile devices that work in one bubble will work in them all. The bubbles will not have 100% geographical coverage but then neither do mobile telephones or DSL. We expect wireless bubbles to develop where enough people want them and provide adequate coverage for most users. If so, this could have interesting implications for fixed and wireless network operators serving this market.
If mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are to go beyond their current, limited, use in military systems or where there is complete ownership by one party, then there will need to be security mechanisms in place. This chapter focuses on the security-related issues inherent in such networks, and in particular upon participation incentive schemes.
A transmitting device on board a satellite has one big advantage over one on the ground- it has a very high vantage point. This means it can broadcast radio signals to a very large area, typically an entire country or continent. The wide-area coverage means that satellite systems are naturally suited to multicast and broadcast services, but they can also provide services to individual users where it is not possible or not economical to provide terrestrial connections. Satellite systems are also viable for fast, asymmetric or temporary connections.
The concept of a 'system beyond 3G' is based on the combination of several access technologies like 3G for cellular coverage, WLAN for hot-spot coverage and DSL for broadband fixed access. These are unified by running IP at the network layer and are interconnected by an IP backbone. Within this chapter we have tried to outline the progress that the 1ST projects BRAIN and MIND have made towards solving some parts of these challenges. We believe that, with the roll-out of 3G, WLANs and DSL the world over, there will be powerful economic reasons, for either operators or third parties to unify the customer experience (e.g. billing, services, personalisation) through the commonality of IP. We believe it will be systems beyond 3G that will come to dominate the telecommunications arena over the next decade.
This chapter argues that the original design of the business interface of the mobile market has not considered the unpredictability of the outcomes of economic tussles - the mobile industry encoded in its designs the result of such contentions, preventing further variation. Because the market currently does not capture the business opportunities created by the combined deployment of heterogeneous access networks, the business interface's designs should now be modified to accommodate the convergence of these access systems and allow for evolution.
This chapter gives an overview of current network API initiatives and technologies. It aims to show that alongside the current generation of resilient network API gateways, there are important business processes that must be supported if the application market is to truly take off. The key emphasis should be on providing application developers and application providers with the tools and facilities needed to drive down and constrain cost and skills in the process of delivering applications to benefit users.
Parlay's vision, of providing an application programmable interface (API) allowing third-party application providers the opportunity to connect to existing network technologies, has not only been achieved technically, but has also proved itself practically. The Parlay APIs are designed to enable creation of telephony applications as well as to 'telecom-enable' IT applications. IT developers, who develop and deploy applications outside the traditional telecommunications network space and business model, are viewed as crucial for creating a dramatic market growth in next generation applications, services and networks. The Parlay X Web Services are intended to stimulate the development of next generation network applications by IT developers who are not necessarily experts in telephony or telecommunications. It is hoped that this chapter has served to remove some of the questions surrounding Parlay and the interfaces associated with the API. It has tried to show all of the call control interfaces, so far defined by Parlay and adopted by ETSI and (some) by 3GPP.
Spectrum management is a key element in the development of any new radio technology. Due to the multiplicity of existing radio applications, it is necessary for global regulation to be applied over the radio frequency bands, to ensure that all permitted users can operate without causing harmful interference to others, or receiving harmful interference from others. There is currently a considerable amount of effort ongoing around the world, to address the regulatory requirements to enable tetherless applications to gain access to sufficient suitable spectrum to meet the anticipated demand. This has to be done in the context of the many other demands for radio applications, to enable the available spectrum to be used in the optimum manner. Therefore, the regulation is essential to ensure that all legitimate users of the radio spectrum can continue to operate reliably. As a consequence, BT maintains a spectrum management capability, both to protect its existing networks and investments, and to provide expertise for the deployment of new technologies,through co-ordination with the national, regional and global radio regulatory bodies.
This chapter takes a look at the present status and future prospects for mobile multimedia, from SMS-based services through to 3G services, complemented by wireless LAN hot spots. The chapter also considers the importance of appropriate business models, value chains and billing, along with some potential solutions and developments.
Mobile devices themselves are fundamentally limited in size and form factor by the need to be mobile. Voice control offers the means to circumvent these form-factor limitations and deliver usable service to the mobile market. Such multimodal interfaces are one step along the way to creating more natural interactions between people and applications. As mobile applications and networks become more intelligent, we can expect the UI to become even more responsive to user needs at any one time, adjusting the combination of modalities in use in response to location, device availability, network availability and user preferences. As networked computing becomes more ubiquitous, we can also expect multimodal interfaces to be delivered through more varied combinations of devices and utilise more varied modes of interaction which may include gaze tracking, gesture recognition and electronic ink. Already available today are multimodal solutions that can enhance the user experience for any mobile user from those with a basic telephone to those with the most powerful PDAs. Take-up of these solutions for mobile applications and services is essential if mobile data applications are to deliver a return on the huge investment in 2.5G and 3G networks.
Mobile video has been lauded as one of the key service innovations that justified the heavy investment in 3G licences across Europe some three years ago. While 3G undoubtedly has the capacity to provide compelling video-based applications, existing 2G-based technologies such as general packet radio service (GPRS) can be used to deliver mobile video services today. This chapter considers the state of the art for mobile video streaming, discusses the international standards that are applicable for mobile streaming, and describes a mobile video-streaming system developed by BT, which enables high-quality video streaming using both 3G and GPRS networks.
A social history of the mobile telephone is not just a history of a shifting concept of mobility. In fact, the linking of mobile telephones with mobility may be premature; young people, for example may use text to communicate across very small distances, even across the room. Even if mobility is the key social concept, it is cross-cut by cultural behaviours and beliefs about intimacy, the role of public space, the changing place of women in the labour market, customisation of commodities, to name just a few. The mobile telephone has a global history in the sense that it has been developed or stalled by national politics as much as engineering challenges, exemplified by the different ways in which third generation (3G) licences were sold in the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the USA. Meanwhile there have been vast societal changes in terms of production and consumption, largely embedded in cross-national processes of globalisation. Political influences on design have been accompanied by huge social changes, such as the development of travel and the increasing car culture during the period of the mobile's early development.
