CONVERGENCE in ICT

September 2005NTNU

Gennady Yanovsky

SPb State University of TelecommunicationsSt. Petersburg, Russia

yanovsky@sut.ru

Course OutlinePart 1. Evolution in ICT# General aspects of convergence in ICT

# Global trends and underlying forces determining the progress on the world IC sector

# Evolution of network technologies

Part 2. Converged networks and services# Network Convergence • Convergence of Fixed Networks• Fixed and Mobile Convergence

# Media Convergence

# Applications Convergence

Course Outline (Cntd.)Part 3. Evolution to the Next Generation

Networks (NGN)

# Key drivers of NGN development

# NGN architecture and main NGN building blocks

# NGN protocols

# NGN as converged networks: concluding remarks

References 

Evolution and convergence in telecommunicationsLecture Notes, ICTP, Trieste, Italy, 2002 IC Technologies1. D. McDysan. ATM & MPLS Theory & Application: Foundations

of Multi-Service Networking2. S. Keshav. An engineering approach to computer networking:

ATM networks, the Internet and telephone network 3. Y-B Lin and I. Chlamtac. Wireless and mobile network

architectures 4. L.M. Correia Wireless flexible personalized communications.

COST 259: European co-operation in mobile radio research  

References (Cntd.)Quality of Service in converged networks1. G. Armitage. Quality of Service in IP Networks

2. G. Huston. Internet Performance Survival Guide: QoS Strategies for Multiservice Networks

3. D. McDysan. QoS and traffic management in IP and ATM networks

4. D. Wang. Internet QoS: Architectures and Mechanisms for Quality of Service

F. Cairncross The death of distance: how the communications revolution will change our lives

Part 1. Evolution in ICT1. General aspects of convergence in ICTA. Information/Computers and Telecoms – two different worlds still exist?

B. What is convergence – possible definitions?

C. Three aspects of convergence in ICT

D. Main areas of convergence in ICT

E. General picture of convergence

F. Conclusion - Challenges in different areas

1. General aspects of convergence in ICT A. Information/Computers and Telecoms – two

different worlds still exist?

Yesterday -• Different services - broadcasting, voice telephony, on-line/off-line computer services

• Different networks and platforms (technologies)

• Different terminals - TV sets, telephones, computers

• Different laws and different regulators, usually at national level

Current scenario: services tied to specifictechnologies and networks

Future scenario: shift from multiple servicespecific networks to multiservice network

Nowadays -New key forces of Global ICT Evolution

• New regulations in IC sector• Digitalization of networks and devices• Huge unlimited network resources (capacity)• Grows of Internet• Wide expansion of wireless technologies

are transforming the way we communicate, and transforming the industry that delivers IC services

Results of Global ICT Evolution:

# Different sectors, such as IT, telecommunications, media and entertainment are in CONVERGING - or have already CONVERGED

#Services CONVERGENCE is a merger of different applications and multiple traditional and new services bundled as a single option (Triple Play) - mix of wireline voice, video and data (wireline and wireless, NB and BB) # Consumer devices’ CONVERGENCE for different services - telephony, TV or personal computing

#Telecom operators, media and IT companies are using the new technological and legislative possibilities to offer services outside their traditional business sectors, increasingly on an international or global scale

B. What is convergence – possible definitions?

1. Simplified approach - combining of personal computers, telecommunications and TV into a user experience that is accessible to everyone.

Market study:• U.S. - 50% of homes have computers with modems - 100% of homes have a TV set• Among TV users - high popularity of the Internet, video-on-demand, and greater interaction with content

BUT - Diffidence about buying and using a personal computer

Convergence is not simply an issue of technology, but also of culture and life style

TVs

Are not very interactive

PCs

Are highly interactive, tends to be more text-oriented

Oriented primarily toward entertainment and news

Oriented in terms of purpose and content toward business and education applications

Displays are large Displays are smaller

Are easy to operate, requiring almost no education to use

Can be very challenging to use and usually require formal education or a certain personal learning

TV sets PCs

B. What is convergence? (Cntd.)

2. Extended approach•The coming together of telecommunications, computingand broadcasting into Information and CommunicationsTechnologies (ICT)

•Within telecom the convergence of voice&data, fixed&mobile networks/services, public&corporative networks

•ICT uses:- Single technology used to transmit voice, data and video- Single carrier/provider for voice, data and video

•ICT expands the range and quality of services

B. What is convergence? (Cntd.)

Definition 1. Green Paper on the Convergence of the

Telecommunications Media and Information Technology Sectors (European Commission, Brussels, December 3, 1997)

CONVERGENCE is • Possibility of various networks platforms to provide practically the same set of services or • Unification of user’s devices, such as telephone, PC and TV set in the form of a single terminal

B. What is convergence? (Cntd.)

Definition 2. www.itvdictionary.com

(1) The coming together and integration of two or more technologies.  Digital television, computers and telecommunications being combined is an example of convergence

(2) The combining and presenting of different media (multimedia) into a single delivery system. The Internet is an example of convergence

(3) A color TV's three primary colored pictures need to precisely overlap (converge) to make one multicolored picture

C. Four aspects of Convergence in ICT

• Premises convergence

• Access convergence

• Network convergence

• Services convergence

C. Four aspects of Convergence in ICT (Cntd.)1. Premises convergence – the possibility to treat voice and data on

a common terminal device, such as a PC, phone or TV set

• PC-to-PC “phone calls” • IP phones that use Ethernet connections• Desktop phone turns into a computing device• Unified communications for person-to-person communications• Web on TV set

Convergence of devices allows service providers to work with the devices with different technologies to often new cost-effective services

C. Four aspects of Convergence in ICT (Cntd.)

2. Access convergence – the using of different access technologies like DSL, cable modems, PON, wireless technologies in the access segment to provide multiservice access to new services and apps

• Copper cable (twisted pair) - DSL• Coax cable – cable modems• Fiber optic cable - PON• Wide range of wireless technologies

C. Four aspects of Convergence in ICT (Cntd)

3. Network convergence - the integration of voice, data and video networks' transport and signaling infrastructures in a single unified networking system, often referred to as a "multiservice network“

• IP as common transport platform• SIP as common signaling protocol• IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) as an emerging

architecture of fixed and mobile networks

C. Four aspects of Convergence in ICT (Cntd)

4. Services convergence - the merger of applications and multiple services bundled as a single option.

• Voice, video and data services (Multimedia communications) – VoIP, Unified messaging, Videoconferencing

• Converged mobile and fixed services

Target of convergence in ICT – is a creation of cost-effective, unified network infrastructure to design, deploy, manage and support

D. Main areas of convergence in ICT

# Voice and data services

# Mobile and fixed services

# Computer Telephony Integration and Web CC

# Multimedia communications

Examples of new convergent services include:• VoIP• Internet services delivered to TV sets via systems like Web TV • E-mail and World Wide Web access via mobile telephones • Mobile Internet

Results – differences are disappeared•Data and Voice Services - from separate voice and data services to multimedia applications (IP-Telephony, Web Contact Centers)

• Fixed and Mobile Networks and Services - from separate ones tothe single infrastructure (CAMEL, VHE, IPv6, IMS)

• Public and Corporate Networks – from dedicated networks to open networks

• Phone, TV and Computer Terminals – from separate devices to combined multimedia terminals

• Broadcasting services – from broadcasting services to Web-based TV services (IATV, VoD, WebTV)

E. General picture of convergence: Technological Sectors

ITU

E. General picture of Convergence: Market Sectors

ITU

F. Conclusion - Challenges in different areas

Regulations•Are the legislative and regulative docs in the telecommunications, media and IT sectors in national and international legislation adapted to the convergence process?

•Will convergence require a reassessment of regulatory responsibilities at a national or international level, and, if so, in which areas?

•What additional actions (if any) are required to ensure that the interests of consumers and of users are respected?

F. Conclusion - Challenges in different areas (Cntd)

Technologies

•What research and development projects should be launched, what types of products should be developed in the light of convergence, to the issue of completing the transition from separate to converged services/networks/devices

•What should be the objectives of standardization in the light of convergence and what should be the relationships between national and international standardization?

MarketWill the convergence phenomenon require adaptation of existing approaches or new approaches to be applied to issues of market entry; licensing; customers; pricing?