So, you’re in the market for a new telephone system or looking to migrate to a larger system? The choices are abundant, but how do you make a decision that is right for you, your business and your budget

Consider the following:

A. The features you like,
B. The features you need,
C. The features you don’t like,
D. Your customer/client expectations,
E. Your Business Communication plan for the future.

The need to communicate effectively and efficiently:

Every business has to communicate with its customers. A small business may only need a line or two from the local Bell Company, whereas, a large business may need a robust system that offers an Auto Attendant/Receptionist, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), a Voice Mail, CDR (Call Detail Records), or even, Call Center Technology.

To find the system that meets your needs will require that you do a bit of research and ask yourself some questions related to your current and future business model.

By answering a few questions your organization will be stirred to a Telecommunications system that meets current needs and encompasses future growth.

How many numbers* do you need? ______
How many Fax Machines will you have? ______
How many modem lines will you need? ______
How many Analog sets will you need? ______
How many Digital sets will you need? ______
Are you planning on having an Operator Console/Position? ______
Do you want Caller ID capabilities?______

* – Numbers could be a 1 to 1 relationship (Analog lines) or a DID (Direct Inward Dial) range with the use of a T1. See T1 information below.

Trunks

Trunks allow your business to communicate to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). The two common Voice Grade Trunks are: Central Office Trunks (Analog telephone numbers) and T1′s (Digital Circuits). Many systems are moving into VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) while maintaing their Legacy System features.

Do you need a T1?

A T1 contains 23 B-Channels and 1 D-Channel. The B-Channels are the dedicated Voice Connections and can be broken up into Incoming and Outgoing trunks/routes, and the D-Channel carries call control and signaling information.

Consider the following criteria:

How many calls are made in a typical business day? _______
What is the average length of the calls being made? _______
Have you every received a busy when attempting to access an outside line? ______
Is receiving a busy acceptable? ______
Is your business expecting considerable growth in the near future? ______
Does your business perform outside transfers and conferences? ______
Are you planning on buying a Toll Free number? _____

Note: A T1 may make sense for your organization – as it allows for DID (Direct Inward Dial) and outgoing routes to be associated to the number of concurrent calls. Thus idle talk paths are offered to system users when they are not in use – maximizing your system resources.

Analog lines perform the same action in a hunt group. A lot of small businesses over expand the hunt groups to prevent busy signals during the busiest time of day – the line is unused most of the day. T1 cost varies – As of 4/24/05, I’ve found a number of T1 Business lines for $359.00 and up.

Example:

If your organization has 20 associates, you would most likely want each associate to have a private number (a DID). Thus, 20 analog lines @ $35.00 to $40.00 per month = $800.00.

In this case a T1 would make sense as it allows the system programmer to route DID calls in and create a separate route for calls out, ensuring maximum efficiency.

On the other hand, if your organization as 8 or fewer employees then it maybe cost effective to keep your analog service dependent upon the features needed.

What features and applications do you want? Hold and Transfer, Conference, Music On Hold, Multi-Line Phones, Associate/Employee controlled call foward, Auto Attendant/receptionist, Voice Mail, CDR (Call Detail Records), Time of Day Announcements, ACD (Automatic Call Distribution), Advanced Call Center Applications,

Hold and Conference – Can be performed by Non-KSU (Centrex), KSU, and PBX Systems.

Music on Hold – Requires a KSU or PBX.

Multi-line phones – on a Non-KSU you are limited to 2 lines. KSU’s and PBX Systems allow for multiple lines. If you would like to view every line – you’ll need to insure that the system and phones allow for Busy Lamp fields or that the phones have enough programmable keys.

Associate/Employee Controlled Call Forwards – Can be performed with Centrex Services, KSU and PBX Systems. This is an important feature as it allows the associate/employee to determine where calls will go when not answered or when he/she is busy.

Auto Attendant/Receptionist – Is usually an additional module or software enhancement to a system. This enhancement when grouped with other systems/applications (Digit collection, Voice Mail, etc.) offers a powerful solution to handling incoming callers. Some KSU’s have this feature, most PBX Systems have this feature.

Voice Mail – Voice Mail allows each associate to create personal greetings, passcodes and manage messages. Ideal for creating and maintaining CRM (Customer Response Management). Can be performed by Centrex lines, KSU and PBX Systems

Call Detail Recording – Your organization may like to collect Call Details (the number dialed, the cost of the call, Date/Time, etc.). You may want to bill back to a client, associate, or department for calls made. Some KSU’s have this feature, most PBX systems have this feature.

Time of Day Announcements – Requires a KSU or PBX.

ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) – Some KSU’s support this feature, most PBX systems support this feature.

Finding your system

When you’ve developed your Business Communication plan – take a look at some of the KSU/PBX systems on the internet or this site and find the one that matches your plan the best.

Now that you have an idea of what features you need and the feature that you like – attempt to match them to the systems in PbxInfo’s · System Comparison. The only side-by-side system comparison on the internet.

Finally, be prepared to ask the following questions when you’ve decided on a system.

• Ask the vendor, “Are you an authorized dealer?”

• Ask if it’s possible to visit the last site the vendor performed an install at. Look for well documented systems, cable labeling, housekeeping and neatness.

• Visit the vendors place of business. Many times a vendor will have a mock-up of the system that you are interested in.

• Ask about service support and maintenance contracts – including how much it costs and whether it is offered over the phone.

• Ask about the possibility of buying a refurbished or used system.

Other areas of interest:

Looking for used equipment – Vist PbxInfo’s Market Place.

Looking for a vendor – Visit PbxInfo’s RFQ Area.

Related article,  Saving Money on Your Long Distance.

Related article, ·Auditing Your Telephone Bill.

Related article, ·Bundled Services.

Related Website:  CS2 Communications

Related Website: Pbx Info

Article by Charles Carter

Patents in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Information technology products, such as computers, telecommunications equipment and software, have become a cornerstone of modern life.  The economies of developed and developing countries have benefited greatly from the growth of information technology industries themselves, as well as the enhanced competitiveness most industrial sectors enjoy as a result of adopting information technology.  Critical to the growth of information technology, however, has been intellectual property rights.  Patents, copyrights, designs, trade secrets and trademarks are all used to protect the significant investments that go into information technology products and guarantee future technological developments in this field.

India is well known for its software industry, which has growth exponentially in a short space of time. According to estimates of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) – the main trade body and chamber of commerce of India’s IT and business process outsourcing industries – the domestic software industry generates annual revenues of around US$60 billion, the bulk of which is exported. The number of ICT-related patents grew steadily from the mid-1990s to 2005, at an average rate of 4.7% a year from 2000. In 2005, more than 50500 international patent applications were filed under the PCT to protect inventions in ICT. The number of ICT-related patents increased more rapidly than the total number of PCT applications: on average, there is a larger proportion of ICT related patents in countries’ patent portfolios. The share of ICT-related patents in total patents taken by countries rose by five percentage points in 2003-05 as compared with the 1995-97 level. This proportion doubled in the BRIICS countries, where 36% of patents filed in 2003-05 were related to ICT. Finland, Singapore, China, the Netherlands, Korea and Japan had a large concentration of ICT related patents compared to all countries, as depicted by the revealed technological advantage index. Over 2003-05, more than 50% of patents taken by China, Finland and Singapore concerned ICT, compared to an average of 35% of total patents.

The United States (35%), Japan (18.6%) and Germany (7.7%) were the leaders in ICT-related patenting under the PCT in 2005. China (4.2%) and Korea (4.6%) were among the top five countries in ICT-related patents. The number of ICT patents has risen strongly in these two countries over the last ten years, with more than 2 000 patents in China and about 2 300 in Korea in 2005. Tokyo is the leading region for ICT-related inventions, contributing to nearly 9 400 ICT patents and 6.8% of all ICT-related patents filed under the PCT. Tokyo is followed by two regions in the United States — San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland in California and New York/Newark/Bridgeport on the east coast. Seoul and the province of Gyeonggi-do in Korea rank fourth, with 4 400 ICT-related patents. The Noord-Brabant region (Netherlands), Ile de France (France) and Oberbayern (Germany) are the top three European regions patenting in ICT. The city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province of China made a spectacular entrance into the top 15 ICT related patenting regions in 2003-05, with 52% of the patents taken for ICT related inventions made in China

Patents in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are identified using the International Patent Classification (IPC) system: one or several classification codes are attributed to the patent during the examination process. For emerging technologies, however, a specific category or class might not yet be incorporated into the patent classification system, which makes it difficult to identify the patents related to these technologies ex post. Patents taken in the ICT sector can be split into four fields, based on the following list of IPC codes:

Telecommunications: G01S,G08C,G09C,H01P,H01Q,H01S3/(025,043,063,067,085,0933,0941,103,133,18,19,25),

H1S5,H03B,H03C,H03D, H03H,H03M,H04B,H04J,H04K,H04L,H04M,H04Q.

Consumer electronics: G11B,H03F,H03G,H03J,H04H,H04N,H04R,H04S.

Computers, office machinery:

B07C,B41J,B41K,G02F,G03G,G05F,G06,G07,G09G,G10L,G11C,H03K,H03L.

Other ICT:

G01B,G01C,G01D,G01F,G01G,G01H,G01J,G01K,G01L,G01M,G01N,G01P,G01R,G01V,G01W,G02B6,

G05B,G08G,G09B,H01B11,H01J(11/,13/,15/,17/,19/,21/,23/,25/,27/,29/,31/,33/,40/,41/,43/,45/),H01L.

PATENTS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanotechnology is the study and use of the unique characteristics of materials at the nanometer scale, between the classical large-molecule level to which traditional physics and chemistry apply and the atomic level in which the bizarre rules of quantum mechanics take effect. A recent study by Bhaven Sampat estimates that more than 3700 nanotechnology patents were issued in the United States between 2001 and 2003. That’s a significant number of patents for a technology that has so far produced few actual products. But, in fact, there are significant reasons to think that Sampat’s numbers understate the pace of nanotechnology patenting.

The number of published patent applications in the United States that include the relevant terms in their

claims has increased dramatically, as the following table demonstrates.

Table 1. Published U.S. Patent Applications in Nanotechnology

Year

Published U.S. Applications

2001

403

2002

1975

2003

2964

2004

3842

Inventive activities in nanotechnology have increased substantially since the end of the 1990s: at 18%, the average annual growth rate in nanotechnology patents filed under the PCT surpasses that of overall PCT applications (12.1%) for the period 1995-2005. Most countries report a significant increase in their shares of nanotechnology in total national patenting in the mid-2000s as compared with the mid-1990s, although nanotechnology patenting remains relatively limited (1.1% of total patents on average). Efforts undertaken in Japan are highlighted by the rise in the number of nanotechnology patents in its portfolio (from 0.1% of all patents in 1995-97 to 1% in 2003-05). Singapore, Ireland, the United States, Japan and Israel have a higher concentration of nanotechnology patents than other countries, with a revealed technological advantage index in nanotechnology ranking from 2.7 (Singapore) to 1.1 (Israel). The European Union, Japan and the United States have contributed to 84% of all nanotechnology patents. The share of nanotechnology patents for inventions made in Japan tripled between 1995 and 2005, reaching 16.7% of all nanotechnology patents in 2005. Korea has also broadly invested in nanotechnology, and is now the fifth-ranked country in nanotechnology-related patenting.

The time for nanotechnology has come and a classic technological revolution is unfolding. According to the National Science Foundation, by 2015 the annual global market for nano-related goods and services will top $1 trillion, making it one of the fastest growing industries in history.

Although the process of converting basic research in nanoscience into viable market products will be long and difficult, governments across the globe are impressed by nanotechnology’s potential and are staking their claims and doling out billions of dollars, euros and yen for research. In 2002, worldwide government funding of research and development in nanotechnology exceeded $2 billion, with the US government alone spending $604 million (it increased to $774 million in 2003). In fact, funding from the US government has surged almost sevenfold in the last six years, starting at $116 million in 1997 to a budgeted $847 for 2004.

Although the US accounts for almost a third of global nanotechnology spending, about 40 countries have set up similar initiatives. In December 2003, the US Congress passed the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) of 2000 into law and recommended appropriating $3.7 billion for the next four years for the creation of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office along with funding for various federal nanotechnology initiatives and programs.

The European Union has earmarked $1 billion from 2002 to 2006, while Japan has increased funding from $120 million in 1997 to nearly $750 million in 2002. Note that it is impossible to accurately determine the total funding in nanotechnology since these figures do not include private funding. Some additional statistics from Nanotech Report 200322 are summarized below:

Public and private companies will spend close to $3 billion worldwide on nanotechnology R and D in 2003.

The US government has appropriated $2 billion for nanotechnology since 2000, putting it on track to be the largest US government funded science initiative since the Apollo Mission.

Presently, more than 700 companies are involved in nanotechnology.
40,000 US scientists are currently capable of working in nanotechnology.
In the past four years, more than 1,700 small tech jobs have been created from venture capital funding.

$900 million in venture capital funding has gone to nanotechnology startups since 1999, with $386 million invested in 2002.

Nanotechnology patents

To reflect the increasing interest and importance of nanotechnology in patents, the EPO, the JPO and the USPTO have made intensive efforts to improve their respective classification systems and to collect all nanotechnology-related patents within a single class. The EPO defines nanotechnology as follows: the term nanotechnology covers entities with a controlled geometrical size of at least one functional component below 100nm in one or more dimensions susceptible to make physical, chemical or biological effects available which are intrinsic to that size. It covers equipment and methods for controlled analysis, manipulation, processing, fabrication or measurement with a precision below 100nm. In 2003, a nanotechnology working group was created in the EPO to establish a definition and to identify nanotechnology patents through keyword searches, consultation with EPO experts in the field, and peer reviews by external experts. As a result of these endeavours, about 90 000 out of 20 million patents and non-patent literature documents were tagged to class Y01N

PATENTS IN ENVIRONMENT-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES

Investment in clean technologies can help achieve a wide range of environmental objectives, from mitigating climate change, to controlling air and water pollution, and enhancing resource efficiency in general. Patents taken in renewable energy technologies or in techniques for controlling automobile emissions contribute to the development of clean technologies. Patenting of inventions related to renewable energy has grown continuously, especially since the mid-1990s. On average, the proportion of PCT filings to protect renewable energy technologies in all patents increased in most countries, especially the European Union and Japan. However, the level of patenting in renewable energy remains low: about 700 international patent applications were filed in 2005. Three generations of renewable energy technologies can be distinguished (International Energy Agency, 2006): first-generation technologies, which have already reached maturity (hydropower, biomass combustion, geothermal energy); second-generation technologies, which are rapidly evolving (solar energy, wind power, etc.); and third-generation technologies, which are currently under development

(e.g. concentrating solar power, ocean energy, improved geothermal systems, etc.).

Patents in Environment-related technology

Based on an intensive review of literature, a set of keywords were identified and used to determine appropriate IPC codes which relate directly to renewable energy in

Wind: F03D(1/*, 3/*, 5/*, 7/*, 9/*, 11/*), B06L8/00, B63H13/00

Solar: F03G6/*, F24J2/*, F25B27/00, F26B3/28, H01L31/042, H02N6/00, E04D13/18, B60L8/00

Geothermal: F24J003/*, F03G4/*, H02N10/00

Ocean: F03B13/(12-24), F03G7/(05, 04), F03B7/00

Biomass: C10L5/(42-44), F02B43/08, C10L1/14, B01J41/16

Waste: C10L5/(46-48), F25B27/02, F02G5/*, F23G4/46, F01K25/14, C10J3/38, F23G7/10, H01M8/06

Conclusions

The World’s most competitive businesses are built on protected innovations and brands. As exclusive rights to ideas and innovations take up a growing share of company value, patent, trademark and design information is the cornerstone of all corporate strategies.

As computer-related crimes become more prevalent, understanding the types of computer-related crimes provides law enforcement an insight for investigative strategies.

The first insight is knowing the types of computer crimes.

Computer as the Target

This computer crime includes theft of intellectual property. The offender accesses the operating program under the guise of the system’s manager. The intruder accesses the contents of computer files in the system through the trap door that permits access to systems should there be a human or technological problem.

Here, the offender uses the computer to obtain information or to damage operating programs while committing the following computer crimes:

* Theft of marketing information, like customer lists, pricing data, or marketing plans
* Blackmail based on information gained from computerized files, like the medical information, personal history, or sexual preference
* Sabotage of intellectual property, marketing, pricing, or personnel data
* Sabotage of operating systems and programs with the intent to impede a business or create chaos in a business operations
* Unlawful access to criminal justice and other government records
* Changing a criminal history, modifying want and warrant information
* Creating a driver’s license, passport, or another document for false identification
* Changing tax records or gaining access to intelligence files
* Techno-vandalism through unauthorized access to damage files or programs
* Techno-trespass violating the owner’s privacy as in criminal trespass

Computer as the Instrumentality of the Crime

Here, the processes of the computer facilitate the crime.

The computer criminal introduces a new code (programming instructions) to manipulate the computer’s analytical processes and for converting legitimate computer processes for the following illegitimate purposes:

* Fraudulent use of automated teller machine (ATM) cards and accounts
* Theft of money from accrual, conversion, or transfer accounts, credit card fraud, fraud from computer transactions like the stock transfers, sales, or billings and telecommunications fraud
* Billing charges to other customers through cellular phones
* Once they capture the computerized billing codes, the computer criminals program these codes into other cellular phones simply by hooking up the phone to a personal computer
* Using software originally developed by programmers in other countries they reprogram the signal chip in the cellular phone
* Share the same through underground computer bulletin board services (BBS)

Computer is incidental to other crimes

In this category of computer crime, the computer is not essential for the crime to occur.

In every following case, the systems merely facilitate the offenses:

* Helping the computer crime to occur faster
* Processing of greater amounts of information
* Making the computer crime more difficult to identify and trace
* Unlawful banking transactions and money laundering
* Supporting unlawful activity via BBSs
* Erasing or denying proper access of organized computer crime records or books, and bookmaking involving drug raids, money laundering seizures, and other arrests in encrypt the data or design
* Allowing computer criminals to destroy the storage media, such as disks, to eliminate evidence of their illegal activities
* Letting child pornographers exchange information through BBSs

These computer crimes require unique data recovery techniques in order to gain access to the evidence.

Computer Crimes Associated With the Prevalence of Computers

The presence of computers, and microcomputers, generates sinister mutations of the traditional crimes like the software piracy/counterfeiting, copyright violation of computer programs, counterfeit equipment, black market computer equipment and programs, and theft of technological equipment.

* Violation of copyright restrictions of commercial software can result in the staggering loss to businesses
* Hackers break into computers with the help of the software illegally written and sold
* Successful computer programs, like the word processing, spreadsheets, and databases are duplicated, packaged, and sold illegally on a large scale
* Just like the pirated audio and video tapes, counterfeit computers and peripherals (items such as modems and hard disks) are also manufactured and sold under the guise of originals

Legal Issues Of Computer Crimes

Some States have enacted laws specifically directed toward computer crimes, while other States rely fundamentally on the common law as it applies to current and emerging technology. The elements of a computer-related offense must be established for successful prosecution.

* The physical act of a computer crime, actus reus, may be demonstrated best by an electronic impulse
* It is difficult to define and track
* A computer crime can occur in 3 milliseconds using a program code that tells the software to erase itself after the computer executes the action eliminating the evidentiary trail
* Causation relates to the self-destruction of computer programs that facilitate computer crimes and an investigator can not show causation if the offender erases the executing instructions
* The electronic data interchange (EDI) and its networks complicate the legal elements by making computer crimes more difficult for law enforcement to specify, document, and materially link the crime to an individual
* The EDI connects parties via computer for contract negotiations, sales, collections, and other business transactions
* The computer becomes the vault, with the EDI serving as the key to its contents
* The ability to access data in the computer must be relatively easy in order to maximize business efficiency
* Security controls must be introduced in order to protect the business’ “crown jewels”
* Maximum security and easy accessibility are not compatible: As the businesses prefer user-friendly equipment, system security usually takes second priority
* The phenomenal growth of computer BBSs, on-line services, and the Internet only serves to compound the problem

As a result, computer-related crimes become easier to perpetrate and more difficult to identify, investigate, and prove.

Special Problems with Computer Crime

Intellectual property consists of concepts, ideas, planning documents, designs, formulas, and other information-based materials intended for products or services that have some commercial value or represent original thoughts or theses. Crimes associated with intellectual property focus primarily on theft when the product has commercial value, as opposed to basic research or research for private use.

Intellectual Property:

* Involves formulas, processes, components, structure, characteristics, and applications of new technologies and covers such areas as fiber optics, computer chip designs and conductivity, and telecommunications equipment, protocols, and technologies
* Associated with the marketing and production of new technologies
* Pricing information, marketing targets, product release dates, and production timetables

Computer Crimes by Malfeasance

The concept of computer crimes by malfeasance means that computer-related behavior stretches the bounds of legality and may be viewed as only technically wrong.

Some of the scenarios of malfeasance computer crimes:

* A parent offers to copy a computer program for a school that cannot afford to buy the software
* An employee secretly maintains a small database in an office computer as part of a sideline business
* An individual uses someone else’s computer account number and password to view the contents of a database
* A customer gives her unlisted telephone number as part of a sales transaction at a store. The store enters the number into a computerized database and later sells the data to a telemarketing firm without the customer’s permission
* A university computer programmer develops a program to schedule classes as part of a job assignment. The programmer then accepts a job with another university and leaves with a copy of the program for use at the new place of employment

These computer crimes illustrate the gray areas of computer abuse, areas that fall increasingly on the shoulders of law enforcement to address and resolve.

International Issues:

Technological knowledge and expertise contribute to the growth of computer crime on an international level.

Businesses can make great use of the

* Unifying measures
* Open communications like the single, European-wide communication protocol
* Strong profit-oriented EU market spanning 12 countries
* Open borders
* Unification of technology standard
* Easier banking
* Monetary transfers between countries

Computer criminals are taking undue advantage of all these issues as:

* Emerging international crime-related issues
* Industrial espionage/competitive intelligence
* Economic/political espionage
* Expansion of international organized crime beyond traditional areas
* Theft of technological hardware

Computer criminals have adapted the advancements of computer technology to further their own illegal activities. Unfortunately, their actions have far out-paced the ability of police to respond effectively. Protocols must be developed for law enforcement to stall the various categories of computer crime. Investigators must know the materials to search and seize the electronic evidence to recover, and the chain of custody to maintain.

MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS

Mobile communication is the application of wireless technology in the access network. It offers many useful features,

• Easy installation for rapid roll out

• Proven platform with scalability

• Future proof

• Reliable and secure

• Mobility

It is a very rapidly growing and popular service which was revolutionised telecommunications. It has become a backbone for business success and efficiency. It connects subscribers to the public switched telephone network(PSTN) using radio signals as a substitute for copper.it allows any body to communicate with any one while on the move.

Different technologies emerged for different types of requirements-coverage, capacity, mobility, bandwidth.

GSM

CDMA

CORDECT

PHS

AMPS,DAMPS

EVOLUTIONS OF MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS:-

FIRST GENERATION(1G):ANALOG CELLULAR:-

The introduction to cellular systems in the late 1970s and early 1980s represented a quantum leap in mobile communication(especially in capacity and mobility). Semiconductor technology and microprocessors made smaller and lighter weight , and more sophisticated mobile systems a practical reality for many more users. These 1G cellular systems still transmit only analog voice information. The most prominent 1G systems are ANALOG MOBILE PHONE SYSTEM(AMPS), NORDIC MOBILE TELEPHONE(NMT) and TOTAL ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS(TACS). With the 1G mobile introduction, the mobile market showed annual growth rates of 30 to 50 percent, rising to nearly 20 million subscribers by 1990.

SECOND GENERATION(2G):MOBILE DIGITAL SYSTEMS:-

The development of 2G cellular systems was driven by the need to improve transmission quality, system capacity and coverage. Further advances in semiconductor technology and microwave devices brought digital transmission to mobile communications.sppech transmission still dominates the airways,but the demands for fax,short message and data transmissions are growing rapidly. Supplementary services such as fraud prevention and encrypting of user data have become standard features that are compatible to those in fixed networks. 2G cellular systems include GSM, DIGITAL AMPS(D-AMPS),CDMA and PERSONAL DIGITAL COMMUNICATION. Today multiple 1G and 2G standards are used in world wide mobile communications. Different standards serve different applications with different levels of mobility, capability and service area standards are used only in one country or region and most are in compatible.

2G TO 3G GSM: EVOLUTION:-

Phase 1 of the standardization of GSM 900mhz band was completed by the EUROPEAN TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARD INSTITUTE (ETSI) in 1990 and included all necessary definitions for the GSM network operations. Several tele services and bearer services have been defined (including data transmission upto 9.6kbps), but only some very basic supplementary services offered. As a result, GSM standards were enhanced in phase 2 (1995) to incorporate a large variety of supplementary services that were compatible to digital fixed network integrated services digital network(ISDN) standards. In 1996, ETSI decided to further enhance gsm in annual phase 2 + releases that incorporate 3G capabilities.

LIMITATIONS IN 1G AND 2G SYSTEMS:-

• No global standards

• No common frequency band

• Low information bit rates

• Low voice quality

• No support of video

• Various categories of systems to meet specific requirements

figure shows the architecture of GSM.

INTERNATIONAL MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS 2000:-

IMT:-A future standard in which a single inexpensive mobile terminal can truly provide communications any time and any where. The main characteristics of 3G systems, known collectively as IMT-2000 are a single family of compatible standards that have following characteristics

• Used world wide

• Used for all mobile applications

• Support both packet witched(PS) and circuit switched(CS) data transmission

• Offer high data transfer rates 2MBPS.

• Offer high spectrum efficiency

IMT standards has made 17 proposals to meet the requirements of 2G systems.The most important IMT-2000 proposals are the UMTS (W-CDMA) as the successor to GSM,CDMA as the interim standard 95(IS 95) successor and time division synchronous(TD-SCDMA), UNIVERSAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS-136(UWC 136/EDGE) as TDMA based enhancements to DAMPS/GSM all of which are leading previous standards toward the

ultimate goal of IMT 2000. The goals of the services to be provided in 3G systems by IMT 200 is shown in figure The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is now the world’s most successful wireless standard. Recent figures indicate that GSM has more than 100 million subscribers in 120 countries and attracts more than five million new users every month. There are nearly 300 GSM system operators worldwide. Current wireless or mobile systems, despite their evolution, are still constrained in terms of the data rate they can offer and their flexibility to manipulate complex, yet user-friendly multimedia services. This need presents the opportunity to the mobile radio, IT, and consumer electronics communities to offer users a mobile system capable of managing and delivering a much wider range of information services to the mass market. Elements of this opportunity include:

• An industry-wide and government commitment across the world;

• A coordinated program including spectrum, standards, and technology; and

• Synergy of communications, IT, and media workings to bring about global opportunities for businesses and consumers, while creating new ways of doing business, entertaining and informing.

A new mobile system for worldwide use is now being developed to enhance and supersede current systems. The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) will be an enhanced digital communications system that will provide universal communications to anyone, regardless of their whereabouts. UMTS will allow for wireless Internet access, video-conferencing, and other bandwidth intensive applications. Benefits from this new system of wireless communications are expected to be:

• Support to existing mobile services and fixed telecommunications services up to 2Mb/s;

• Support to unique mobile services such as navigation, vehicle location, and road traffic information services, which will become increasingly important in world market;

• The ability to enable the use of the system terminal from multiple environments – in the home, the office, and in the public environments -in both rural areas and city centers; and

• Provision of a range of mobile terminals – from a low cost pocket telephone to sophisticated terminals to provide advanced video and data services .

UNIVERSAL MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS(UMTS):-

INTRODUCTION:-

In January1998, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) decided on a single air interface standard for the proposed Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The system is one of the major new third-generation mobile systems being developed within the framework that has been defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and is known as IMT-2000. UMTS has been the subject of intense worldwide efforts on research and development throughout the past decade. The system has the support of many major telecommunications operators and manufacturers because it represents a unique opportunity to create a mass market for highly personalized and user-friendly mobile access to today’s information society. The system seeks to build on and extend the capability of today’s mobile, cordless, and satellite technologies by providing increased capacity and data capability as well as a far greater range of services using an innovative radio access scheme and an enhanced, evolving core network.The system will be a member of a new family of mobile telecommunications systems being developed by the ITU for deployment across the world. While using different radio frequencies in different countries, every system will offer the same set of features to users. This will allow handsets to be developed that can be carried from country to country as the user travels.

The key difference between this system and previous mobile (wireless) systems, such as GSM, is that the earlier systems were conceptually separate from the fixed (wire line) telephone network. The goal of this system is to integrate wire line and wireless systems to provide a universal communications service, such that a user can move from place to place while maintaining access to the sum set of services .

The system is intended to allow users to send and receive data at much higher bandwidths than supported by today’s GSM system. While on the move, users will be able to access remote systems at up to 144Kbps. When stationary, connections of up to 2Mbp/s will be supported through wireless access to networks, with much higher performance being possible by plugging the handset into a network socket .

ETSI has chosen aggressive timescales for the introduction of UMTS in order to meet the demands of customers. The target date for its introduction has been set as the year 2002. figure shows the architecture of UMTS.

To meet the deadline, the ETSI is following a phased approach in hopes of allowing capabilities to improve over time following the initial system introduction. At launch, terrestrial UMTS will have the capability for data rates up to 2Mb/s. However, UMTS is designed as an open system that should allow for evolution to incorporate new technologies as they become standardized.

UMTS CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES:- Some of the critical technologies essential for the successful introduction of UMTS are described below:

1)UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA):-

The ETSI decision in January 1998 on the radio access technique for UMTS combined two technologies. The W-CDMA for paired-spectrum bands and TD-CDMA for unpaired band². The idea was to develop a common standard to ensure an optimum solution for all the different operating environments and service needs .

The transmission rate capability of UTRA will provide at least 144 Kbit/s for full mobility applications in all environments, 384 Kb/s for limited mobility applications in the macro- and micro-cellular environments, and 2.048 Mb/s for low mobility applications particularly in micro-cellular environments. The 2.048 Mb/s rate may also be available for short range or packet applications in the macro-cellular environment, depending on deployment strategies, radio network planning, and spectrum availability.

2)Multi-mode Second Generation/UMTS Terminals:-

UMTS terminals will exist in a world of multiple standards that will enable operators to offer maximum capacity and coverage to their user base by combining UTRA with second- or third-generation standards. Therefore, operators will need terminals that are able to interwork with legacy infrastructures such as GSM/DCS2800 and DECT, as well as other second-generation, worldwide standards (such as those based on the US AMPS standard) because these may initially have more complete coverage than UMTS. Many UMTS terminals will therefore be multi-band and multi-mode. Building such terminals at a cost which is comparable to contemporary single-mode, second-generation terminals will become possible because of technological advances in semiconductor integration, radio architectures, and software radio.

3)Satellite Systems:-

At initial service launch in 2002, the satellite component of UMTS will be able to provide a global coverage capability. Implementation plans call for utilization of the S-band Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) frequency allocations identified for satellite IMT2000 and will provide services compatible with the terrestrial UMTS system .

4)SIM Cards/Smart cards:-

GSM introduced the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or Smart Card. SIM technology incorporates enhanced security and a degree of user customization to the mobile terminal. SIM requirements, security algorithms, card and silicon IC technology will continue to evolve up to and during the period of UMTS deployment . The smart card industry anticipates being able to offer cards with greater memory capacity, faster CPU performance, contactless operation, and greater capability for encryption. These advances will allow the UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) to add to the UMTS service package by providing portable high security data storage and transmission for users. In addition, the users will be able to store, down or upload images, signatures, personal files, fingerprint or other biometrics data through the card. Contactless cards will allow the users to perform business transactions such as electronic commerce or electronic ticketing without having to be removed from a wallet or phone .Electronic commerce and banking activities, utilizing smart cards, is expected to become widespread. Users will expect and be able to use their cards on any terminal over any network. New memory technologies can be expected to increase card memory sizes making larger programs and more data storage feasible. Several applications and service providers could be accommodated on one card. In theory, the users could decide which applications/services they want on their cards, much as they do for their desktop computers’ hard disks .

5)Internet Protocol (IP) Compatibility:-

UMTS is a modular concept that takes advantage of the trend towards convergence of fixed and mobile networks and services, enabling a host of new applications. For example, a laptop with an integrated UMTS communications module becomes a general-purpose communications and computing device for broadband Internet access, voice, video telephony, and conferencing for either mobile, office, or residential use.UMTS may well become the most flexible broadband access technology available, as it allows for mobile, office and residential use in a wide range of public and non-public networks. The system can support both IP and non-IP traffic in a variety of modes including packet circuit switched and virtual circuit². UMTS will be able to benefit from parallel work by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) who is further extending its basic set of IP standards for mobile communication . New developments like IP version 6 allows parameters such as quality of service, bit rate, and bit error rate (BER), vital for mobile operation, to be set by the operator or service provider. Developments on new domain name structures are also taking place. These new structures will increase the usability and flexibility of the system, providing unique addressing for each user, independent of terminal application or location .

6)Cross platform interoperability:-

The need for the ability to transport multimedia content over various types of networks requires industry to develop cross-platform interoperability because the properties of the networks may have an effect on the content of the transmission. In many cases several different kind of networks will be cascaded (i.e. Ethernet, ATM, X.25 and UMTS) .

7)API and Development toolbox:-

It is expected that rapid development and deployment of new and innovative services will drive the UMTS market. A key enabler in this area will be the standardization of the UMTS application-programming interface (API). API allows for abstraction of both the terminal and the network. It will also provide a generic way for applications to access terminals and networks. The API will allow the same application to be used on a wide variety of terminals and will also provide a common method of interfacing applications to UMTS networks. The API will support security, billing, subscriber information, service management, call management, SIM management user interaction and content translation. It is expected that the API will build upon and extend today’s technologies (i.e. Java, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), GSM SIM Toolkit and Internet technologies) that exploit convergence with other emerging technologies for consumer products (such as digital televisions).

8)Client server architecture:-

One of the primary drivers for UMTS is service differentiation. UMTS allows network operators to market products based on more than just coverage and

capacity issues. The key to this benefit is the ability to develop and offer new products and features in short timescales, without requiring modifications from infrastructure suppliers.

figure shows client server architecture of UMTS.

Many new developments in the IT industry are based on a client/server technology, which allows intelligence to be downloaded transparently from a server into the user’s terminal. The technology provides direct and immediate high performance user interaction and interpretation. On the other hand, tasks that must remain centralized, such as database residence, are held on central servers waiting to rapidly and efficiently respond to queries from the clients. However, in the mobile industry, intelligent terminals and USIM card will allow personalization of the user interface and provision of features not possible with basic terminals in today’s client/server networks. As roaming traffic continues to increase, the ability to provide such features independently of the serving network will become increasingly important. Existing and evolving GSM standards, such as SIM Toolkit and Mobile Execution Environment, together with other initiatives such as WAP, provide the framework for delivering this enhanced client/server approach. The user of an object-oriented language such as Java is attractive because it is platform and operating system independent, and optimizes the download .

9)Customer Care and Billing Systems:-

UMTS will operate in a very different environment than today’s mobile systems. Customer care and billing are inextricably linked. These systems must be able to effectively operate with all UMTS users and providers in a customer-friendly manner. For UMTS, a bill will no longer be just a dun but, instead, a key part of a highly sophisticated approach to customer care across all provider services. Convergence will not only require the interoperation of fixed, mobile, satellite, private and public systems but also the integration of players from non-telecommunications fields such as finance, entertainment, and the news media. This will require a harmonized solution to customer care and billing systems despite very different legacy practices.

The competitive services market will demand multiple flexible interconnections between players and roles. Seamless delivery will require a unification of management and a means to provide interworking without a prior relationship. Significantly higher levels of automation and timeliness will be required to support the billing and customer care operations. In addition, fraud management will need to be applied across the whole value chain. Charging and billing will need to mature as concepts and practices.

BENEFITS OF UMTS: what it offers?:-

Corporate use of UMTS (including global mobile access to Intranets) will be a key driver for UMTS. Businesses will demand greater flexibility for customization and more devolved service control to optimize productivity and operational efficiencies within corporate networks. UMTS subscriber and network management capabilities will offer enhanced capabilities to meet these new and evolving requirements .

The body of literature on UMTS indicates that it offers the promise of being a significant advancement in mobile communications technology. UMTS is being designed to ensure flexibility is presented to users, network operators and service developers. UMTS will offer significant benefits in communication abilities including:

• Ease of use and low cost;

• New and better services;

• Packet transmission and data rates on demand; and

• Improved mobility and coverage.

1)Ease of use and low costs:- Wireless customers want useful services, easy-to-use terminals and good value for money, UMTS is envisioned to offer services that are easy to use and customizable in order to address individual user needs and preferences. Terminals and other customized equipment will be available to allow easy access to these services. A wide array of inexpensive, available terminals and other periphery will be available. Costs for the actual UMTS service are projected to be low enough to ensure a mass market and provider competition.

2)New and better services:- Market studies show that voice will remain the dominant service for existing fixed and mobile telephone networks, including GSM, through 2005. Users will demand low-cost, high-quality voice service from UMTS. However, the opportunity for increased revenues through UMTS comes from offering advanced data and information services. Long term, industry forecasts for UMTS show a strongly growing multimedia subscriber base by the year 2010.

3)Fast access:- One factor, which clearly sets UMTS above the second-generation mobile systems, is its potential to support 2Mb/s data rates for users from the outset. This capability, together with inherent Internet Protocol (IP) support of UMTS, is a powerful combination to deliver interactive multimedia services as well as other new wideband applications such as video telephony and video conferencing.

As the demand for user data rates increases in the long term, UMTS will be developed to support even higher data rates, perhaps one or two orders of magnitude greater. In later phases of UMTS development, there will be a convergence with even higher data rate systems using mobile wireless Local Area Network (LAN) technologies (microwave or infrared) providing data rates of for example 155 Mb/s in indoor environments .

4)Packet transmission and data rate on demand.:-Most cellular systems in use today use circuit-switched technology for wireless data transmission. However, UMTS integrates packet and circuit data transmission. Packet data over the airwaves provides the user several benefits:

• Virtual connectivity to the network at all times;

• Alternative ways of billing. For example, pay-per-bit, per session or flat rate per month; and

• Asymmetric bandwidth in the uplink and downlink. As demanded by many emerging data services where one link direction carries simple commands and the other carries and content rich, bandwidth intensive traffic (for example Web browsing or video transmission).

UMTS is also being designed to offer data rate on demand, where the network reacts flexibly to a user’s demands based upon his or her profile and the current status of the network. The use of packet-oriented transport protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP) for UMTS is being studied now. The combination of packet data and data rate on demand will remove technical barriers for the user and make operation of the system much cheaper. Simply put, there should be no worries about how and when to connect to the network.

UMTS services are based on standardized service capabilities, which are common throughout all UMTS user and radio environments. This means that a user will experience a consistent set of services even when he or she roams from his or her home network to other UMTS operators. Users will find the same interface, whether they are in their home network or roaming. The Virtual Home Environment (VHE) will ensure the delivery of the service provider’s total environment, including for example, a corporate user’s virtual work environment, independent of the user’s location or mode of access (satellite or terrestrial).

VHE will also enable terminals to negotiate functionality with the visited network, possibly even downloading software so that it will provide “home- like” service. The ultimate goal is that all networks, signaling, connection, registration and any other technology should be transparent to the user so that mobile multimedia services are simple, user friendly and effective.

Mobility and Coverage:- UMTS has been designed from the outset to be a global system, comprising both national terrestrial and global satellite components. Through multi-mode, multi-band terminals it can use 2nd generation systems to extend its coverage for basic services. The overall goal of the system offering is to achieve truly personal communications using terminals that are able to roam from a private cordless or fixed network (Figure 1). A second goal is to achieve this with a consistent delivery of the services via VHE.

Figure 1. UMTS Coverage is Universal (Leino, 1999).

The UMTS radio access system UTRA will support operation with high spectral efficiency and service quality in all the physical environments in which wireless and mobile communication take place. Today’s users live in a multi-dimensional world, moving between indoor, outdoor urban and outdoor rural environments with a degree of mobility ranging from stationary through pedestrian up to very high vehicular speeds. There are also different user density environments, including three-dimensional situations in high-rise buildings. UTRA has been specified for all these environments.

Limitations of UMTS:-

In practical implementations of UMTS, some users may be unable to access the highest data rates at all times. For example, the physical constraints of radio propagation and the economics of operating a network will mean that the system services might only support lower data rates in remote or heavily congested areas. Therefore, in order to ensure that the subscriber is always able to use their terminal, services will be adaptive to different data rate availability and other Quality of Service parameters.

In the early stages of UMTS deployment, traffic will probably be generated predominantly in locations such as airports and railway stations which operators will cover immediately following network launch. However, users will want full coverage so that they can access their services wherever they are . To offer this, UMTS technology is being defined to enable roaming with other networks. For example a GSM system operated by the same operator or alternatively by roaming agreements with other networks such as other GSM based systems or other third generation systems including UMTS compatible satellite networks, which will effectively be able to offer global coverage.

The limitations are,

1)Risk of further regulation:- There is a certain anxiety that an attempt to achieve circulation by means of administrative measures may lead to heavier regulation of UMTS (e.g. in the form of complicated procedures or excessive marking). Therefore, current efforts are intended to take care to aim to simplify regulation in all circulation measures.

2)Standardization:- Standardization will remain a key factor in providing quality services at an affordable cost and enabling roaming between systems. The success of UMTS depends upon the flexibility of interfaces and the capacity to evolve in parallel with technological development. Continued close co-operation between operators, manufacturers and regulators in the standardization of UMTS/IMT 2000 is crucial for successful harmonization of standardization proposals.

UMTS in the Long Term:-

In order to ensure that UMTS flourishes in the long term, its capabilities must be progressively increased by the addition of new technologies. These technologies are discussed below.

1)Re-configurable Terminals:- UMTS terminals will have to exist in a world of multiple standards, both second-generation standards and other members of the IMT-2000 family. In order to provide universal coverage, seamless roaming and non standardized services will no longer have fixed parameters, rather they will be in the form of a “toolbox” whereby the key parameters can be selected or negotiated to match the requirements of the local radio channel.

In addition to the capability to adapt to different standards as described above, terminals will enable network operators to distribute new communications software via download over the air in order to improve the terminals’ performance in the network or to fix minor problems (e.g. an improved handover algorithm). This aspect of software downloads will generally be invisible to the user.

2)Application and Service Download:- When using today’s multimedia terminals (e.g. PCs), users have accepted the idea that the capabilities of the terminal can be modified over time through a software download. It is now commonplace for a user to download a new “plug in” (for example a video or audio code) to access new types of content. The introduction of multimedia services on UMTS will take this concept into the mobile domain. UMTS “plug ins” will come from a variety of sources, for example:

• Pre-installed on the users’ terminal by the network operator or service provider;

• Downloaded over the air, at the user’s request or automatically by the network – much as today, where many Internet service providers upgrade one’s software or databases during a session; and

• Supplied on media such as DVD or CD-ROM.

Smart Antennas:- Smart antennas react intelligently to the received radio signal, continually modifying their parameters to optimize the transmitted and received signal. This allows them to:

• Increase coverage and capacity by reducing interference between adjacent mobiles;

• Offer space division multiple access, where frequencies are assigned on a per-mobile rather than a per-cell basis allowing vastly increased capacity; and

• Enable user location in space, allowing the introduction of advanced location based services.

Broadband Satellite Systems:- Several broadband satellite systems are also planned for deployment in the post-2002 timeframe to offer data rates beyond 2Mb/s and into the Gigabits domain. Some of these systems may offer compatibility with UMTS service concepts using satellite frequency allocations in the 20-30 GHz range. The requirements of the terminal equipment and higher power consumption will necessitate larger size transportable or fixed terminals or smaller electronic components.

CONCLUSIONS:-

UMTS appears to offer significant benefits to personal and commercial endeavors. Technologies are being put in place to bring it into the mobile community. A phased introduction of UMTS hardware and services with coverage, capability and number of operators growing over time. This phased introduction ensures early availability of services to users while reducing risks for UMTS operators and manufacturers.

UMTS must be capable of co-existing and working with existing second-generation mobile communications technologies so that operators can choose to reuse their existing infrastructure assets and expertise. Global availability of UMTS servers will be ensured by providing for roaming between members of the IMT-2000 family and handover between GSM and UMTS. A number of technologies are required, in addition to the radio interface on which so much focus has been placed recently. Although most current attention is focused on the early years of deployment, UMTS is being defined with a view to the long term.

UMTS is a significant opportunity for manufacturers, operators, and content providers as a communications system and as a part of the greater information society. The vision of UMTS is as a customer-focused system, where customers include both network operators and end users. The challenge to the communications industry is to integrate the technologies needed for UMTS in a way which supports this goal and thereby transforms the vision for UMTS into reality.