1 Executive Summary
1.1 Findings from User and Provider Interviews
1.2 Common Themes of Successful Community Networks
1.3 Technology Forecast
1.4 Community Network Implementation Plan
2 Provider Inventory
2.1 Internet Service Providers - Primary
2.2 Internet Service Providers - Secondary
2.3 Infrastructure Mapping
2.3.1 Cameron County Telecommunications Infrastructure - Transportation Overlay
2.3.2 Cameron County Telecommunications Infrastructure - School District Overlay
2.3.3 Cameron County Telecommunications Infrastructure - Local Access Transportation Area (LATA) Overlay
2.3.4 Cameron County Telecommunications Infrastructure - Population Growth (1990-1999) Overlay
2.3.5 Cameron County Telecommunications Infrastructure - Population Density Overlay
3 Community Needs Assessment
3.1 Local Provider Interviews
3.2 User Interviews
3.2.1 Brownsville
3.2.2 Harlingen
3.2.3 Matamoros & Others
3.2.4 User Interview Summary
3.2.4.1 Internet Use
3.2.4.2 Internet Awareness and Perceived Importance
3.2.4.3 Future Internet Use
3.2.4.4 Telecommunications Technology
3.2.4.5 Telecommunications Issue Awareness
3.2.5 Interview Analysis - Quantitative
3.2.5.1 Classifications/Variables
3.2.5.2 Graphs
3.2.5.3 User Requirements
3.2.6 User Interviews - Additional Data
3.3 Review of Community Networks
3.3.1 Introduction
3.3.2 Community Network Principles
3.3.3 Community Network Examples
3.3.4 Exemplary Community Networks
3.3.4.1 Blacksburg Electronic Village
3.3.4.2 PrairieNet
3.3.4.3 Davis Community Network
3.3.4.4 MAIN
3.3.4.5 La Plaza Telecommunity
3.3.4.6 Seattle Community Network
3.3.4.7 Smart Communities - Canada
3.3.4.8 ACEnet
3.3.4.9 Pennant Alliance
3.3.4.10 San Diego Dialogue
3.3.4.11 Park-Ridge
3.3.4.12 Lockhart Community Network
4 Technology Forecast
4.1 Technology Growth Principles
4.1.1 Moore's Law
4.1.2 Some Exceptions
4.1.3 Metcalfe's Law
4.2 General Computer Technology Trends
4.2.1 Emerging Computer Architecture
4.2.2 System Complexity
4.2.3 Total Cost of Ownership
4.2.4 Thin Clients
4.2.5 Collaboration
4.2.6 Security
4.2.7 Licensing
4.2.8 Microsoft
4.2.9 Anti-Trust
4.3 Notable Technologies
4.3.1 General Telecommunication Technologies and Applications
4.3.1.1 DBS
4.3.1.2 GPS
4.3.1.3 Satellite Radio
4.3.1.4 e-Learning & Distance Learning
4.3.1.5 Virtual Community/Campus Applications
4.3.1.6 Online Collaboration
4.3.1.7 Gaming
4.3.1.8 Video Conferencing
4.3.1.9 Media Asset Management (MAM)
4.3.1.10 Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
4.3.1.11 Internet Radio
4.3.1.12 Digital Television
4.3.1.13 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
4.3.1.14 Streaming
4.3.1.15 XML
4.3.1.16 Cellular Phones
4.3.1.17 PDAs
4.3.1.18 Tablet PCs
4.3.1.19 ASPs
4.3.1.20 City Guides (e.g., City Search)
4.3.1.21 Data Warehousing
4.3.1.22 M-Commerce
4.3.1.23 T-Commerce
4.3.1.24 Telemedicine
4.3.1.24.1 Telemedicine Fundraising Procedures
4.3.1.24.2 Telemedicine Funding Resources
4.3.1.25 Unified Messaging
4.3.1.26 Video on Demand
4.3.1.27 Voice over IP
4.3.1.28 Digital Signatures
4.3.1.29 Digital Video Recorders
4.3.1.30 Wireless Applications
4.3.2 Telecommunication Infrastructure
4.3.2.1 Wired Technologies
4.3.2.1.1 ATM
4.3.2.1.2 SONET
4.3.2.1.3 Gigabit Ethernet
4.3.2.1.4 Cable Modem
4.3.2.1.5 DSL
4.3.2.1.6 Ethernet
4.3.2.1.7 Fiber (Definitions)
4.3.2.1.7.1 Next Generation Fiber Technologies
4.3.2.1.8 Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC)
4.3.2.1.9 ISDN
4.3.2.1.10 Broadband
4.3.2.1.11 Internet2
4.3.2.1.12 Personal Area Network (PAN)
4.3.2.1.13 Wide Area Network (WAN)
4.3.2.1.14 Backbone
4.3.2.1.15 Storage Area Network (SAN)
4.3.2.1.16 Next Generation MAN
4.3.2.1.17 Quality of Service (QoS)
4.3.2.1.18 Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
4.3.2.1.19 Multi-Protocol Label Switching
4.3.2.1.20 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
4.3.2.1.21 Next Generation
4.3.2.2 Wireless Technologies
4.3.2.2.1 2.5G, 3G, 4G
4.3.2.2.2 802.11A/B
4.3.2.2.3 Bluetooth
4.3.2.2.4 Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD)
4.3.2.2.5 LMDS and MMDS
4.3.2.2.6 Microwave
4.3.2.2.7 Free Space Optical (FSO)
4.3.2.2.8 HALO Network Platform
4.3.3 Technology Issues
4.3.3.9 Digital Divide
4.3.3.10 Last Mile
4.3.3.11 Consumer Privacy
4.3.3.12 Workplace Privacy
4.3.3.13 Regulation
4.3.3.15 NSEP
4.3.3.16 Key Legislative Issues
4.3.3.17 Rural Broadband
4.3.3.18 Public Policy Goals
4.3.3.19 Government Help
4.3.3.20 Texas Infrastructure Fund (TIF)
4.3.3.21 E-Rate
4.3.3.22 TEX-AN
4.3.3.23 Formal Models for Knowledge Management and Network Implementation Planning
4.3.4 Technology Forecast Summary and Conclusions
4.3.4.1 Streamlined IP Network
4.3.4.2 Optical Bandwidth Increases
4.3.4.3 Bandwidth Demand
4.3.4.4 Voice over IP
4.3.4.5 Competitive Business Environment
4.3.4.6 IP Network Concerns
4.3.4.7 Wireless as Supplement
5 Network Implementation Plan
5.1 Community Concept - Step 1
5.1.1 City
5.1.2 Cameron County
5.1.3 RGV Region
5.1.4 Cross-Border
5.2 Community Involvement - Step 2
5.2.1 Charettes
5.2.2 Fee-based Membership
5.2.3 Reciprocal Mutual Assistance
5.2.4 Media Publicity
5.2.5 Involvement of Community Organizations
5.3 Update Needs Assessment - Step 3
5.3.1 Needs Identified
5.3.2 Individual Focus
5.3.3 Expanded Focus
5.4 Vision Statement - Step 4
5.4.1 Economic Development
5.4.2 Education and Access
5.4.3 Information Exchange
5.4.4 Services and Resources
5.5 Goals and Priorities - Step 5
5.5.1 Economic Development
5.5.2 Education and Access
5.5.3 Information Exchange
5.5.4 Services and Resources
5.6 Strategic Plan - Step 6
5.7 Grow the Network Infrastructure - Step 7
5.8 Education, Training, Access and Services - Step 8
5.8.1 Public Access
5.8.2 Access in the Home
5.8.3 Computer Recycling
5.8.4 Organizational Services
5.8.5 Training
5.9 Systems Engineering, Stakeholder Analysis and Zero Time - Step 9
5.9.1 Specified Work Elements
5.9.2 Zero Time
5.9.3 Implementation Strategy
5.9.4 Need for Real-time Knowledge Base
5.9.5 Benefits of Real-time Knowledge Base
5.9.6 Maturity Modeling for Success
5.9.7 Nurturing Growth of Network and Infrastructure
5.10 Create a Knowledge Network of Networks - Step 10
5.10.1 Unite Existing Network Organizations
5.10.2 Consult Experienced Community Network Personnel
5.10.3 Create a Communities Knowledge Network of Networks
5.14 Potential Act. 4 Concluding Comments - Policy & Regulation Recommendations
6 Appendices
6.1 Acronym Dictionary
6.1.1 Acronyms (A-O)
6.1.3 Acronyms (P-Z)
6.2 Telecommunication Company Web Links
6.2.1 Telecom Links (A-G)
6.2.2 Telecom Links (H-P)
6.2.3 Telecom Links (Q-Z)
6.3 List of Nationally Advertised ISPs
6.3.1 ISPs (#'s)
6.3.2 ISPs (A-Af)
6.3.3 ISPs (Ag-Az)
6.3.4 ISPs (B)
6.3.5 ISPs (C)
6.3.6 ISPs (D)
6.3.7 ISPs (E-F)
6.3.8 ISPs (G-H)
6.3.9 ISPs (I-K)
6.3.10 ISPs (L-M)
6.3.11 ISPs (N-O)
6.3.12 ISPs (P-R)
6.3.13 ISPs (S)
6.3.14 ISPs (T-V)
6.4 Major Telecommunication Service Providers
6.4.1 Interview #1
6.4.2 Interview #2
6.4.3 Interview #3
6.4.4 Interview #4
6.4.5 Interview #5
6.4.5.1 Interview #5, part B.
6.4.6 Interview #6
6.4.7 Interview #7
6.5 Interview Instruments
6.5.1 Introduction
6.5.2 Telecommunication Service Users
6.5.2.1 Interview Card #1
6.5.2.2 Interview Card #2
6.5.2.3 Interview Card #3
6.5.3 Telecommunication Service Providers
Bibliography
Glossary
4 Technology Forecast
"The Project will include a Technology Forecast that identifies key trends in core broadband and networking technologies and forecasts the future telecommunications needs of local users. The forecast will be drawn from technologies identified from the previous sections." (From the Statement of Work.)
We are interested in all technologies that impact the community network, either now or in the near future (two to five years). Some of the technologies discussed in this section may take longer than five years to appear, but the emphasis is on the near term. The focus is on both the network path plus connections (the supply side of the equation) and the devices connected to the network (the demand side).
The three primary themes are: bandwidth, bandwidth, and bandwidth. How much? Where? What use? Why?
This forecast begins with an introduction to some basic principles or guidelines of technology forecasting, an overview of technology drivers and trends, brief explanations of key technologies or technology issues, and finally provides summary conclusions/forecasts relevant to Harlingen, Brownsville, and Matamoros.
4.1 Technology Growth Principles
There are certain guidelines or "laws" that have proved useful in assessing or predicting technology and its impact. The best known is perhaps "Moore's Law," but we want to consider "Metcalfe's Law" as well and pay particular attention to some instances when the pace of change exceeds that predicted by Moore.
4.1.1 Moore's Law
"Gordon Moore made his famous observation in 1965, just four years after the first planar integrated circuit was discovered. The press called it 'Moore's Law' and the name has stuck. In his original paper, Moore predicted that the number of transistors per integrated circuit would double every 18 months. He forecast that this trend would continue through 1975. (Intel)."
"Dr. Gordon E. Moore is Chairman Emeritus of Intel Corporation. He co-founded Intel in 1968, serving initially as Executive Vice President. He became President and Chief Executive Officer in 1975 and held that post until being elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1979. He remained CEO until 1987 and served as Chairman until being named Chairman Emeritus in 1997 (Intel)."
Here is Dr. Moore's paper: Cramming More Components Onto Integrated Circuits.
Moore's Law has proven true for more than thirty-five years. In the course of that time many have predicted that researchers would reach the limits of the technology and the rate of progress would slow, but it has not happened yet. It appears that Moore's Law is still a useful guideline, and most forecasts acknowledge that it should hold true for the next eight to ten years.
Graphs showing predicted advancement in technologies are common; any graph showing a doubling of capacity per unit of time (using normal x and y scales) will look like a "J" or a "hockey stick." This tends to make the increases beginning four or five time units in the future look incredible.
A more realistic graphic presentation will use a logarithmic scale for the increased capacity. Here is a graph of Moore's Law as presented on Intel's web site:
Here is another logarithmic scale example -- a graph of increases in network bandwidth.
One of the most important things to realize is that both the computer industry and the public have become used to this rate of change. It is also important to note technologies that are advancing at different rates, particularly rates faster than Moore's Law (as the Yipes graph above enthusiastically proclaims).
4.1.2 Some Exceptions
There are three key technologies that are expanding in capability or capacity at a rate in excess of what Moore's Law would predict: fiber optics, Ethernet, and hard drives. The first two obviously are closely related, and are on the network supply side of the equation. The latter can appear in both server and client applications, but its impact on the network is probably most significant from the client side, especially in peer-to-peer type applications a la Napster.
For example, IBM projections on hard drive storage show that $100 of hard drive storage in 2001 could store 20 hours of MPEG video; with hard drive storage doubling every 12 months, the same $100 in 2011 will buy more than 20,000 hours of video. Now, in order to see what the impact might be, try to imagine users sharing these thousands of hours of video with their friends over the network. Products available now, like ReplayTV 4000, already make this possible for those with a fast enough Internet connection.
Doubling every twelve months rather than every eighteen months makes a huge difference. Even on a chart using a logarithmic scale the differences accumulate rapidly. Even if the particular capability that is doubling every twelve months starts at a lower level, it would not take long to catch up.
The following image illustrates what happens when 12 month doubling collides with 18 month doubling. Total bandwidth in the core routers used on the Internet backbone has conformed to Moore's Law for many years. However, Internet traffic is doubling every year. At the point where these "collide," core routers must match the 12 month doubling of network traffic.
4.1.3 Metcalfe's Law
Metcalfe's Law was formulated by Robert M. Metcalfe, a co-founder of 3Com and inventor of Ethernet. Metcalfe observed that the value of a network increases as the square of the number of computers connected to it.
A network with only two computers connected is not very valuable. As more computers connect, however, each additional unit provides the network with more information for all the other users, as well as making the entire network's resources available.
A good example of this is the telephone network. While a telephone network would not be worth much if only a handful of people had telephones, the network becomes far more valuable when nearly everyone has access.
This, of course, is the motivation behind the drive for "universal access," an idea that comes from telephone regulation. For most of the twentieth century, telephone long distance rates were artificially high in order to subsidize local telephone access rates. This allowed even very poor homes to have telephones.
The same principle applies to computer networks, and particularly to community networks. The value of the network goes up dramatically as more people are added to the network -- and that is value to everyone connected. It is not just a matter of connecting businesses, or schools. When everyone is connected, the possibilities multiply; there will likely be important applications we have not imagined yet. As the history of telephones illustrates, encouraging the adoption of communication technology by all segments of society has a huge payoff.
4.2 General Computer Technology Trends
The confluence of a number of technology and business trends is altering the architecture of computing and networks. Some of these key trends are summarized as follows:
4.2.1 Emerging Computer Architecture
- Thin Clients, with subscriptions to a number of services will be the preferred access method. There will be no persistent storage of user data on these devices, or anything for the user to configure on the terminals. Connections to the services may be made from any compatible thin client terminal.
- Application Servers are an emerging component of this architecture. Applications will be hosted on professionally maintained servers. Many users will be able to share access to a server, providing an economy of scale and the ability to ensure sufficient processing power for the application. These could include well established servers such as email or new application servers such as Microsoft Office Tools, databases, engineering tools, business tools, etc.
- Subscriptions will be used both to generate revenue streams for service provider companies and within companies to manage access, such as only those in the accounting department will have a subscription to the accounting applications.
- Secure computing will become prevalent, as it will be required before the extensive use of application servers will be accepted. Strong security will be provided through the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and IPSEC based Virtual Private Networks.
- Web Servers will continue to grow in importance.
- Notebook computers will continue to have a role for those that must be able to run 'stand-alone' when network access is not available. Hotels and Airplanes are beginning to provide high speed Internet access, and wireless technologies will become increasingly available, decreasing instances where network access is not available. These devices will always be high maintenance to keep them running and the synchronization of data will continue to be problematic.
- Network latency will continue to play a limiting role as the architecture evolves.
- Desktop computers and traditional LAN based computer architectures will continue to be predominant for a long time. The owners of these systems will not recognize the true cost of ownership and the resultant productivity limitations, effectively putting them at a competitive disadvantage.
- Desktop computers and notebook computers will be most cost effectively managed by an IT staff. Windows XP includes significant enhancements for remote management and deployment over previous versions of Windows.
4.2.2 System Complexity
- Computer systems continue to increase in complexity. Many IT departments reinstall all software rather than attempt to find and fix a problem. Most computer users have less training than the IT staff and are at even more of a disadvantage when confronted by a computer problem. Attempts to fix the computer can take a considerable amount of time, often without success. When software is reinstalled, program configurations are often lost along with some data. It is not uncommon for a user to waste a day or two recovering.
- The majority of computers do not have adequate backups of data, including offsite data storage and the ability to recover files which may only exist in distant backups. Comprehensive backups require a dedicated effort to maintain.
- Security is a cat and mouse game requiring a dedication beyond the capabilities of most users and companies to maintain a secure computing environment. Patches must be applied on a continuing basis, antivirus files need to be updated weekly, or sometimes daily, registry entries need to be checked and locked down, policies need to be set and log files should be audited daily. This requires a sophisticated skill set.
- Windows XP incorporates many features for managing desktops remotely, for those instances when a computer is needed.
4.2.3 Total Cost of Ownership
- The total cost of ownership is often overlooked or grossly underestimated.
- Hardware is often procured based on the lowest cost for the hardware, without regard to the total cost of ownership
- IT labor costs should be factored into the cost of ownership
- The cost of users maintaining their own computers should be factored into the cost of ownership.
4.2.4 Thin Clients
- Web based applications continue to evolve in functionality, such that only a web browser is required for access to many services.
- The next generation of Microsoft Windows is directly aimed at network based computing.
- Web TV and other Internet appliances are excellent examples of thin clients.
- Terminal Services, can be run on Operating Systems from Windows 3.1.1 and up. Terminal Services allows many users to share a server simultaneously, as if they were each sitting at the console of the server. The Advanced Terminal Services Client can be run from any web browser.
- The use of thin clients avoids the overhead of managing a desktop, and since there is little to configure, users do not waste time configuring their computer.
- The use of powerful servers often provides users better response times than hosting the entire application on a user's desktop.
- The use of powerful servers and inexpensive clients often lowers the cost of an overall deployment.
- All users can benefit from hardware upgrades to a handful of servers, eliminating the need to update all desktop and notebook computers.
- Simplicity is a strong motivating factor for thin clients. There is nothing to configure and little to break.
- Portability is another motivator for thin clients. For example, the list of my favorite web sites does not help me when I am working on my home computer. This will become increasingly important as wireless terminals become more prevalent.
- Examples of thin clients include http://www.compaq.com/products/thinclients/t20/, http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/netvista/thinclient.html, and http://www.webtv.com/intro/whatis.html
4.2.5 Collaboration
- Collaboration is driving many changes in the computing architecture.
- H.323 supports video conferencing and telephony and is integrated with computers.
- T.120 supports sharing computer desktops for collaborative meetings.
- Collaboration is driving data into databases with multi-user access.
- Portal Servers such as SharePoint support the publishing of information.
- Private files on a user's computer do not support the needs of collaborative applications.
- Traditional applications such as Word and Excel (as we know them today) will not fully support the spirit of collaboration because they are file based and do not support concurrent usage of the same file.
- Even games are moving to an Internet based paradigm where players come together from around the world.
4.2.6 Security
- Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) has matured to allow secure private networks to be created over public networks. This PKI also allows a strong authentication of users.
- The Encrypted File System allows all files to be stored as encrypted data. The designated recovery agent can be different than the administrator, allowing data to be protected even though the administrator can manage backups, restores, and other administrative functions.
- IPSEC encryption hardware is available on low cost Ethernet cards. This allows all data between computers to be encrypted at a high level with minimum processing overhead. Clients without hardware encryption can perform this operation in software.
- The .net architecture addresses many aspects of authenticating users before access is allowed to applications and data. This may be viewed as managing subscriptions to the services.
- The need for computer security is typically not adequately addressed.
4.2.7 Licensing
- Microsoft is leading a transition to subscription based licensing of software products with its new Software Assurance program for corporate users. License subscriptions are for a two-year period with rights to run any version of the product within this period. There is a strong incentive to renew the subscription before expiration.
- Other licensing arrangements have been made for short term use of programs, such as Microsoft Office Products.
- Subscription services are an integral part and focus of the Microsoft .net architecture.
- McAfee ASap http://www.mcafeeasap.com/default.asp is an example of a subscription to a managed antivirus service. This family also includes managed firewall, VPN and security vulnerability assessments.
- Increasingly web based services are available on a subscription basis.
- Companies are looking to developing steady cash streams, which can be achieved through a subscription approach.
- Subscription approaches assume that the network is the primary means of distribution.
4.2.8 Microsoft
- Microsoft is developing a comprehensive suite of tools to support development of the .net architecture.
- Visual Studio .Net will bring the ease of Visual Basic or other languages to code development.
- BizTalk includes tools for implementing Business Processes.
- SQL Server includes a suite of visual tools for developing DB applications.
- This integrated suite of tools will allow the implementation of services which were previously too costly to develop.
- The Microsoft .NET timeline is described at http://www.microsoft.com/net/timeline.asp.
- Microsoft .NET is described at http://www.microsoft.com/net.
- Microsoft .net is the enabling technology. The power of it is the applications that will be developed and become available through this architecture.
4.2.9 Anti-Trust
Like most branches of government, the FCC is in a go mode as far as mergers and acquisitions are concerned. Most have gone through without any serious limitations. A few national and local concentration constraints still remain on radio and television broadcasters. These constraints have been imposed on some of the mega-mergers of the past few years (CBS-Viacom, AM/FM-Clear Channel). The trend, however, is toward reducing these constraints even further, as the recent decision not to split up Microsoft illustrates.
4.3 Notable Technologies
4.3.1 General Telecommunication Technologies and Applications
4.3.1.1 DBS
Direct Broadcast Satellite: A television broadcast service that provides television programming services throughout a country from a single source through a satellite.
These are high-powered, which enables users to have small receiving antennas. The ease with which antennas can be concealed overcomes some of the zoning restrictions that have hampered satellite service in the lower-frequency bands.
The new services use digital transmission, although most users convert to analog for compatibility with existing television sets. With the compression systems used, as many as 200 channels can be supported.
DBS does not offer a way of receiving local channels but it does offer pay-per-view video, which subscribers order with a telephone call. This technology will also be a good test bed for Video On Demand (VOD) because it shows the willingness of subscribers to purchase the electronic equipment and to pay for the entertainment services that DBS delivers.
4.3.1.2 GPS
The GPS (Global Positioning System) is a "constellation" of 24 well-spaced satellites that orbit the Earth and make it possible for people with ground receivers to pinpoint their geographic location. The location accuracy is anywhere from 100 to 10 meters for most equipment. Accuracy can be pinpointed to within one (1) meter with special military-approved equipment. GPS equipment is widely used in science and has now become sufficiently low-cost so that almost anyone can own a GPS receiver. The GPS is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Defense but is available for general use around the world.
Increases in accuracy and reduction in cost have made GPS a popular addition to consumer electronics devices, as well as a useful tool for transportation and other businesses. GPS-enabled PDAs can give walking directions to a user's destination, or serve location-specific advertising for restaurants near where a user is standing.
Businesses can also use GPS to keep track of employees or products. Many transportation companies use GPS to help them pinpoint the location of shipments so they can better communicate with customers.
Briefly, here is how it works:
--- 21 GPS satellites and three spare satellites are in orbit at 10,600 miles above the Earth. The satellites are spaced so that from any point on Earth, four satellites will be above the horizon.
--- Each satellite contains a computer, an atomic clock, and a radio. With an understanding of its own orbit and the clock, it continually broadcasts its changing position and time. (Once a day, each satellite checks its own sense of time and position with a ground station and makes any minor correction.)
--- On the ground, any GPS receiver contains a computer that "triangulates" its own position by getting bearings from three of the four satellites. The result is provided in the form of a geographic position - longitude and latitude - to, for most receivers, within 100 meters.
If the receiver is also equipped with a display screen that shows a map, the position can be shown on the map.
--- If a fourth satellite can be received, the receiver/computer can figure out the altitude as well as the geographic position.
--- If you are moving, your receiver may also be able to calculate your speed and direction of travel and give you estimated times of arrival to specified destinations.
The GPS is being used in science to provide data that has never been available before in the quantity and degree of accuracy that the GPS makes possible. Scientists are using the GPS to measure the movement of the arctic ice sheets, the Earth's tectonic plates, and volcanic activity.
4.3.1.3 Satellite Radio
"Satellite radio promises a huge variety of music, news, sports, talk and comedy channels to subscribers in an uninterrupted stream that can be picked up, static-free, coast to coast. XM's promotions suggest you can travel through all kinds of urban and remote terrains--even those where regular car radios or mobile cell phones falter--and not lose the signal" (Colker 2001, November 1).
IBM said it has built the broadcast industry's largest digital storage network, for satellite-radio provider XM Satellite Radio.
The storage-area network, or SAN, will hold 22 terabytes of data, to store and deliver digital radio programs. That's enough to hold more than 2 million music compact discs, or the equivalent of more than twice the printed material in the Library of Congress.
Consumers with special receivers, including those installed in new cars, can receive up to 100 digital channels anywhere in the United States.
XM's SAN consists of 66 IBM FastT500 storage units and four IBM server computers. France's Dalet Digital Media Systems made the software to run the system.
"XM, which spent in excess of $1 billion to put its satellites in orbit, creates programming for its original channels (others come from a variety of sources, including the BBC, ESPN and MTV) and launch its service, has the field to itself for the time being. Competitor Sirius Satellite Radio was supposed to be available by now but has run into stumbling blocks--its chief executive CEO resigned in October and the company has not announced its revised launch date" (Colker 2001, November 1).
Corporations have installed up to 80 terabytes of digital storage capacity in storage-area networks. A typical SAN makes stored data available from any workstation on a corporate network.
COMPANIES
4.3.1.4 e-Learning & Distance Learning
4.3.1.5 Virtual Community/Campus Applications
see: Links about virtual community/campus applications in the Alliance for Community Technology's Knowledge Base.
4.3.1.6 Online Collaboration
On-line collaboration can enrich the education experience by allowing students and instructors to collaborate with each other on projects online. Instructors use software environments that support group-generated projects, products, case studies, and other kinds of academic deliverables. While use of message boards and discussion lists is becoming more common, these "threaded topic" formats don't allow for any real collaboration or cooperation. Instead, educators should strive to involve students in production of shared documents that are stored on a server where each student may make revisions and save versions. Instructors can also make use of real-time collaboration software which allows for text chat, audio information exchange, simultaneous document revision, and a shared virtual white-board for visual expression.
Students benefit from instant feedback from their classmates and instructor, and the online nature of the collaboration makes it easier to convene groups of students without the need for all of them to meet at a central location.
For more information, see: Groupware ).
4.3.1.7 Gaming
Gaming will have a tremendous impact on the broadband environment through many different channels. The emergence of high-speed networked console gaming and the potential use of game consoles as home gateway devices make gaming systems an important piece of the broadband-enabled home.
Online multiplayer gaming is one of the first broadband applications expected to be profitable. A recent report by DFC Intelligence claims video games will be of "prime strategic importance in the race to provide consumer online and broadband services." Game industry revenue is expected to reach $20 billion worldwide in the next two years.
“Staking out a viable position in the online gaming realm is not only an additional business for console giants, but necessary to survive. A study from International Data Corp indicates that while PlayStation 2 shipments will peak at 21.2 million in 2003, revenue from those sales will decline from $3.3 billion in 2001 to $2.3 billion in 2003.” “But there's one service in particular that will make the difference: Internet gaming. There's never been enough room in this industry for more than two consoles at a time,” and the first companies to introduce online gaming will have an advantage in the market.
Perhaps even more important than the revenue itself is the fact that in the long term, gaming systems are very likely to become hybrid devices through which consumers access numerous forms of digital services and entertainment such as music, movies, interactive television, Internet access and telephony. In the past year or so, gaming consoles have advanced to the point of being more powerful than some PCs, and analysts such as SRI Consulting have pegged new consoles as the possible hubs for Net-connected devices in PC-less homes.
Additionally, the introduction of gaming to other applications will help drive adoption of new devices and technologies. Many of the early forms of content under development for interactive television and wireless systems are game-based."
4.3.1.8 Video Conferencing
Videoconferencing is emerging as an alternative to personal meetings. When businesses need to hold discussions but want a greater degree of contact than a phone call can provide, videoconferencing can give the sense of being there without the inconvenience.
Videoconferencing is the addition of video to a voice communication. It can be transmitted over a standard voice line, by ISDN, or through a data network. Video and sound quality vary depending on the quality of connection, and can be degraded by outside factors like network status or traffic.
"Realistically, customers will need at least a dedicated ISDN connection. If videoconferencing will be used frequently, consider a fractional T1 leased line. Significant bandwidth use--such as medical-diagnostic data--will push requirements even higher. Videoconferencing is a major bandwidth hog, and efforts to force it over a customer's LAN or WAN can result in failure" (Schlindler 2001).
In the past, most users found videoconferencing disappointing. The video was choppy and the audio often sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well. While in the past, the not-exactly-stellar quality of videoconferencing made it less than desirable, recent developments make it a viable alternative to flying or driving to remote meetings.
H.323 vastly increases the quality of both audio and video. Instead of routing data through the Internet, the traffic is diverted across the network directly, rather than 'through the cloud' (through the public Internet) where it can be slowed down by Internet congestion.
Many vendors manufacture h.323 compliant equipment. These are just a few.
4.3.1.9 Media Asset Management (MAM)
Market research firm Gistics Inc. estimates that "companies jeopardize $300 billion worth of their brand-related digital content such as video, packaging, print and audio because it is either lost, misplaced or duplicated" (Moozakis, C. 1998). The alternative is Media Asset Management.
By viewing media like video, audio, and text as a resource that should be carefully preserved, companies can spend less time and money reproducing things that they may have lost.
(Stone, D.)
Since municipalities have access to content, it makes sense to have a centralized clearing house for all of it, so that it's all accessible without the need for an exhaustive (and exhausting) search.
(Stone, D.)
4.3.1.10 Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
By using multiple servers across the world, content delivery networks can increase a Web site's speed and reliability, while providing protection against large surges in traffic. These services are sometimes referred to as caching or mirroring. Akamai is one of the most prominent examples of a content delivery network.
4.3.1.11 Internet Radio
Companies like Kerbango, Sonicbox, and AudioRamp.com tout Internet radio as the next great step in digital music. Internet radios remove the PC as the middleman in downloading or streaming music. Instead, the devices connect directly to the Internet and call up radio IP addresses using an integrated modem and phone line. Consumers can transmit Internet radio and MP3 files from their PC to their home stereo system.
Kerbango’s radio permits people to listen to Internet radio without any connection to a personal computer. “The Kerbango radio connects to the Web using a home phone line or through an ISP network connection, and uses RealNetworks G2 platform to stream Internet radio programs. The radio supports USB and Ethernet connections, and has stereo outputs for people who want to listen through a larger hi-fi system. The Kerbango also doubles as an MP3 player, and can select songs stored on connected computers” (Jones, WiredNews.com).
Sonicbox Inc. introduced its first hardware product, the iM Remote Tuner, in July. “The Sonicbox iM Remote Tuner enables consumers to remotely control and listen to Internet radio from any stereo in the home.” “Listeners can tune to stations on the broadband-optimized iM Band, any station on the Web, and MP3 or Windows Media playlists” (Townley, InternetNews.com). The hardware consists of a base station, which connects to a PC, a receiver that connects to the stereo’s audio inputs, and a RF remote control that allows users to operate the radio while away from their PC
Internet radio gives consumers the ability to choose from over 5,500 stations, rather than just local AM and FM stations. Thus, radio broadcasters will face increasing competition in vying for listeners.
4.3.1.12 Digital Television
Digital Television (DTV) is a new method of broadcasting video content. The current method of broadcasting is analog. These standard signals are broadcast using electromagnetic waves. Changes in the structure of the wave dictate the pictures displayed on the screen. Digital television, on the other hand, is broadcast with a stream of electronic pulses representing either 1 or 0.
Though some stations are already broadcasting some digital content, there's little content available. Broadcasters are skeptical about devoting resources to the digital transition when few consumers have the expensive TV sets required to view digital programming. Consumers, ironically, are unwilling to make the investment in a digital television set only to be able to watch a few digital shows.
Several regulatory issues are creating uncertainty among broadcasters and consumers about the roll-out of digital television. One such issue is 'Must Carry' requirements. Current law requires cable companies to carry the signal of TV stations broadcasting in their market. Cable companies are not allowed, however, to re-transmit broadcasters' signals without their consent. This allows broadcasters to negotiate payment from cable companies to release their consent to re-transmit their signal.
Disagreement has arisen over whether cable companies are required to carry both the analog and digital signal from a station during the transition period. The FCC has ruled that cable companies are only required to carry the digital signal of broadcasters who are broadcasting only digitally. However, a broadcaster "that negotiates retransmission consent of its analog signal to tie carriage of its digital signal to carriage of its analog signal. This is an obvious way for a station with highly desirable analog service to leverage carriage of its digital signal" (Burger 2001).
More information can be found at http://www.digitaltelevision.com
4.3.1.13 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
A Public Key Infrastructure allows people to securely transmit information and conduct purchases over the Internet using a cryptography system shared through a local authority.
Cities can use PKI to encourage local e-commerce by increasing the level of security in online transactions.
A PKI provides for a digital certificate that can identify an individual or an organization and directory services that can store and, when necessary, revoke the certificates. Although the components of a PKI are generally understood, a number of different vendor approaches and services are emerging. Meanwhile, an Internet standard for PKI is being developed.
The public key infrastructure assumes the use of public key cryptography, which is the most common method on the Internet for authenticating a message sender or encrypting a message. Traditional cryptography has usually involved the creation and sharing of a secret key for the encryption and decryption of messages. This secret or private key system has the significant flaw that if the key is discovered or intercepted by someone else, messages can easily be decrypted. For this reason, public key cryptography and the public key infrastructure is the preferred approach on the Internet. (The private key system is sometimes known as symmetric cryptography and the public key system as asymmetric cryptography.)
A public key infrastructure consists of:
- A certificate authority (CA) that issues and verifies digital certificate. A certificate includes the public key or information about the public key
- A registration authority (RA) that acts as the verifier for the certificate authority before a digital certificate is issued to a requestor
- One or more directories where the certificates (with their public keys) are held
- A certificate management system
How Public and Private Key Cryptography Works
In public key cryptography, a public and private key are created simultaneously using the same algorithm (a popular one is known as RSA) by a certificate authority (CA). The private key is given only to the requesting party and the public key is made publicly available (as part of a digital certificate) in a directory that all parties can access. The private key is never shared with anyone or sent across the Internet. You use the private key to decrypt text that has been encrypted with your public key by someone else (who can find out what your public key is from a public directory). Thus, if I send you a message, I can find out your public key (but not your private key) from a central administrator and encrypt a message to you using your public key. When you receive it, you decrypt it with your private key. In addition to encrypting messages (which ensures privacy), you can authenticate yourself to me (so I know that it is really you who sent the message) by using your private key to encrypt a digital certificate. When I receive it, I can use your public key to decrypt it. Here's a table that restates it:
| To do this | Use whose | Kind of key |
| Send an encrypted message | Use the receiver's | Public key |
| Send an encrypted signature | Use the sender's | Private key |
| Decrypt an encrypted message | Use the receiver's | Private key |
| Decrypt an encrypted signature (and authenticate the sender) | Use the sender's | Public key |
Who Provides the Infrastructure
A number of products are offered that enable a company or group of companies to implement a PKI. The acceleration of e-commerce and business-to-business commerce over the Internet has increased the demand for PKI solutions. Related ideas are the virtual private network (VPN) and the IP Security (IPsec) standard. Among PKI leaders are:- RSA, which has developed the main algorithms used by PKI vendors
- VeriSign, which acts as a certificate authority and sells software that allows a company to create its own certificate authorities
- GTE CyberTrust, which provides a PKI implementation methodology and consultation service that it plans to vend to other companies for a fixed price
- Xcert, whose Web Sentry product that checks the revocation status of certificates on a server, using the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)
- Netscape, whose Directory Server product is said to support 50 million objects and process 5,000 queries a second; Secure E-Commerce, which allows a company or extranet manager to manage digital certificates; and Meta-Directory, which can connect all corporate directories into a single directory for security management
4.3.1.14 Streaming
"The TV industry faces new competition from Internet service providers (ISPs) providing video service via streaming media. Streaming media, which usually starts out as high quality broadcast television footage and gets compressed far beyond what is acceptable for cable TV or digital satellite systems, will soon be all the rage. Despite having lower quality than broadcast video, streaming media threatens the status quo of the broadcasting industry."
Whether or not this threat becomes reality is the subject of a great deal of debate. On one hand, many industry analysts think that with the advent of broadband, viewers will expect Webcasts to have more of the look and quality of television. It will create tremendous new opportunities for TV stations, broadcast networks, and post houses to branch out to new audiences (Brilliant, 2000, Jan. 12). Others think that as broadband emerges, greater bandwidth will eliminate the need for streaming and we will return to a download-based system.
Regardless of the end result, it would be foolish for broadcasters and other content owners not to take advantage of the additional market that streaming currently provides and will continue to provide for the next few years. Although the technology is still in its early phases, streaming is expected to be the utility that enables video on demand. Although largely unsatisfied with its quality, broadcasters expect significant improvements in the 18 to 24 months before broadband is widely available, at which time they hope to be able to provide video much nearer to broadcast quality. Their enormous libraries of video content will give broadcasters a huge competitive advantage if streaming media continues to increase in popularity (Mar, 2000, Jan.).
In addition to the opportunities for media professionals, many observers believe software that allows users to turn home movies into digital audio and video files for streaming over the Internet could be one of the killer applications in broadband as a "whole generation of people come to realize that they can make entertainment content on the Net and build communities of interest around that content" (Dawson, 2000, Jan.10).
When the technology is in place, the strength of the Internet will be the two-way interaction, where music companies are now leading the way. "The beauty of the interactive entertainment experience are things like Launch and MTVi, where I go to the radio stations, I listen to them, and if I don't like the song, I click 'I don't like it' and I never hear it again ... so I'm actually programming my own entertainment model accessible from anywhere on the Internet," Davis explained.
Rich Lappenbusch, from Microsoft's media division, said technology will allow for a range of different opportunities for entertainment companies to recoup their investments online: personalized, targeted promotion and advertising, selling downloads, renting content for a day or a week, and video on demand are some of the models. "There seems to be this assumption that the television will go away and will be usurped by data screens," Lappenbusch said. "We don't make that assumption. We have to enable the masses and provide a platform that everyone can use. We feel the TV will be augmented with set-top box devices that look like a lightweight PC, but allow digital rights management, 3D, and other things to enable content producers to really build the programming they want," he said.
It is worth noting that before any of the cable networks made money, they each lost about $50 to $100 million, on average. Now, they are each worth anywhere from $1 to $10 billion.
Others are more pessimistic. Marc Rauch, executive vice president of the Auto Channel, which broadcasts exclusively on the Internet, said, "I think on the Internet you can have 10 or 100 food channels, or many ESPN-style networks. So there is room for ten thousand people to do Internet broadcasting." But as hard drives become less expensive, one of the big questions is whether people will even want to stream entertainment to their PCs and set-top boxes when they could download and store it on a drive.
"We think that streaming media is a dead man walking," Rauch said. "We think that as broadband comes in we will actually go back to the model of downloading. The only thing we see streaming media as being used for is live programming," he added. Of course, one of the sticky issues with downloads is that content owners could lose control of their intellectual property, and the streaming media world has yet to figure out how to pay content owners. Giving content away for free will probably not be a big part of that equation.
4.3.1.15 XML
XML, or Extensible Markup Language, is designed for documents containing structured information. "Structured information contains both content (words, pictures, etc.) and some indication of what role that content plays (for example, content in a section heading has a different meaning from content in a footnote, which means something different than content in a figure caption or content in a database table, etc.). Almost all documents have some structure. A markup language is a mechanism to identify structures in a document. The XML specification defines a standard way to add markup to documents" (Walsh, XML.com).
"Such a standard way of describing data would enable a user to send an intelligent agent (a program) to each computer maker's Web site, gather data, and then make a valid comparison. XML can be used by any individual or group of individuals or companies that wants to share information in a consistent way" (WhatIs.com). Use of XML will also allow content to move seamlessly between different devices.
4.3.1.16 Cellular Phones
Millions of people in the United States and around the world use cellular phones. They are such great gadgets -- with a cell phone, you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere!
These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of functions, and new ones are being added at a breakneck pace. Depending on the cell-phone model, you can:
* Store contact information
* Make task or to-do lists
* Keep track of appointments and set reminders
* Use the built-in calculator for simple math
* Send or receive e-mail
* Get information (news, entertainment, stock quotes) from the Internet
* Play simple games
* Integrate other devices such as PDAs, MP3 players and GPS receivers
The genius of the cellular system is the division of a city into small cells. This allows extensive frequency reuse across a city, so that millions of people can use cell phones simultaneously. In a typical analog cell-phone system in the United States, the cell-phone carrier receives about 800 frequencies to use across the city. The carrier chops up the city into cells. Each cell is typically sized at about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers). Cells are normally thought of as hexagons on a big hexagonal grid, like this:
IMAGE Click Here For Image
Because cell phones and base stations use low-power transmitters, the same frequencies can be reused in non-adjacent cells. The two purple cells can reuse the same frequencies.
Each cell has a base station that consists of a tower and a small building containing the radio equipment.
4.3.1.17 PDAs
Though they began as glorified appointment books, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) have taken on a whole new set of tasks, providing users with a wide range of computing options. Manufactured by several companies, PDAs are hand-held computing tools that handle a range of different applications.
Nearly all models have the basic applications: date book, address list, and some manner of note-taking capacity. Individual vendors, however, add different functionality to their hardware, and users can acquire additional software from multiple sources, including the Internet. This software can perform many of the same tasks as laptop computers, including displaying text, performing calculations, and sending and receiving e-mail.
In the last few years, vendors have changed the nature of PDAs from glitzy toys for the tech-elite to versatile computing tools with serious business applications. One new application being explored uses the PDA as a mobile communication tool to allow employees to wirelessly access information from their office while working off-site. Rather than carrying around large books of specifications and instructions, employees would only need to carry a small PDA and wirelessly access the company's network to access needed information.
Unfortunately, relatively small, low-resolution screens currently hold back the potential of PDAs in this area. "Employees enjoy the convenience of PDAs but may need more than just text to be able to find a solution to a problem. Peter Parsons, director of product knowledge and learning systems for PRI, explains, 'Many times, our technical people need access to drawings or large pictures of modules or subassemblies. The screen size on the Palm was a limitation'" (Kiser 2001, July/August)
Manufacturers are responding to these problems, however. "The demand for viewing graphics on handheld PCs is growing. In response, Scan Soft, best known for its optical character recognition (OCR) software for scanners and image editing programs, has led the way with its Imaging Processing Technology, which optimizes visuals for the small screen using its TIFF-FX compression format" (Moore 2001, May).
As people become less willing to be tied to a desktop computer and demand more access to mobile information, PDAs will become a key tool for keeping information at the fingertips of employees.
In addition to computing applications, PDAs can also take on mobile phone functionality. Next year, Handspring will introduce their Treo line, a combination PDA and wireless phone. "The new Treo line will send and receive e-mail and instant messages, wirelessly browse the Web and, of course, make regular phone calls" (Kayney 2001).
PDAs are manufactured by several different vendors. Palm Computing makes various products under the Palm brand, while Palm spin-off Handspring markets a similar device with slightly different hardware options. Both Palm and Handspring, as well as Sony devices use the Palm operating system.
Other devices utilize the Windows CE operating system. Compaq offers several models, as does Hewlett Packard. While not currently as widely used as their Palm OS counterparts, these 'Pocket PCs' are gaining in popularity among business users, as developments in Microsoft's software give the devices even more PC functionality.
4.3.1.18 Tablet PCs
The Tablet PC is an idea being developed by Microsoft to create fully functional personal computing devices that can be operated by writing on the screen with a stylus similar to a PDA. Microsoft wants to free people from their desks and allow them to use their computers more like a pad of paper, so that quick notes from a meeting can be edited, revised, and imported into familiar software programs like Microsoft Word or Excel.
The device will look like a standard laptop computer, but will have the ability to swing into a slate configuration to allow users to write on the screen. Docking stations will allow the Tablet PC to connect to a full size monitor and keyboard for use in a desktop environment. Rather than an oversized PDA, Microsoft intends the Tablet PC to be a complete computing solution, with a full suite of software. The concept "calls for a 2.2-pound portable screen-based device, likely to be about the size of a legal-size notepad. The device will be designed with the full capabilities of a notebook PC. However, it will combine the computing power and functionality of the notebook PC with a host of new features. They range from the latest in screen and battery technologies to new user interfaces" (Spooner and Foley 2001).
Microsoft plans to ship the Tablet PC with a special version of Windows XP, which will include all the functions of the standard version, in addition to some components designed specifically for the Tablet PC.
More information on the Tablet PC is available from Microsoft's Tablet PC Home Page.
4.3.1.19 ASPs
The application service provider (ASP) market continues to enjoy strong growth. The Gartner Group predicts that by 2004, the ASP market will reach $25.3 billion. Much of this growth will be driven by larger pipes that enable the delivery of more complex applications.
Despite strong growth expectations, many observers believe that the ASP market is approaching a shakeout. According to a Gartner Group report, "market pressures will put at least 60 percent of [ASP] players on the bench by the end of 2001. In other words, if you're going to go with an ASP, make sure you pick one of the few expected to make it for the long term."
Partly due to this impending shakeout, enormous opportunity exists for partnering with ASPs. According to IDC, "more than 80% of ASPs are actively seeking software vendor partners, and a significant number are looking for service, resale, telecommunication, Internet service provider (ISP), and hardware vendor partners."
An application service provider (ASP) is a company that offers individuals or enterprises access over the Internet to applications and related services that would otherwise have to be located in their own personal or enterprise computers. Sometimes referred to as "apps-on-tap," ASP services are expected to become an important alternative, not only for smaller companies with low budgets for information technology, but also for larger companies as a form of outsourcing and for many services for individuals as well. Early applications include:
- Remote access serving for the users of an enterprise
- An off-premises local area network to which mobile users can be connected, with a common file server
- Specialized applications that would be expensive to install and maintain within your own company or on your own computer
Hewlett-Packard, SAP, and Qwest have formed one of the first major alliances for providing ASP services. They plan to make SAP's popular R/3 applications available at "cybercenters" that will serve the applications to other companies. Microsoft is allowing some companies to offer its BackOffice products, including SQL Server, Exchange and Windows NT Server on a rental, pay-as-you-use basis.
While ASPs are forecast to provide applications and services to small enterprises and individuals on a pay-per-use or yearly license basis, larger corporations are essentially providing their own ASP service in-house, moving applications off personal computers and putting them on a special kind of application server that is designed to handle the stripped-down kind of thin client workstation. This allows an enterprise to reassert the central control over application cost and usage that corporations formerly had in the period prior to the advent of the PC. Microsoft's Terminal Server product and Citrix's WinFrame products are leading thin-client application server products.
4.3.1.20 City Guides (e.g., City Search)
A City Guide provides useful information on current events, news, weather, sports and other city-centric information. Revenue is based on several channels but primarily through advertisers. For example, a cafe search may show 5 cafes with directions, menus, etc; however, only the cafe that pays to be listed gets listed.
City guides help bring people to local businesses by bringing several kinds information together in one place. Some are extremely specialized, while others offer general information for residents and visitors. Here are a few of the functions some city guides include:
- Restaurant Reviews
A staple of most city guides, a restaurant section lets users get an idea of what to expect from restaurants in the area. City guides usually contain all the information that is in a standard printed review, but many give users the option to search for restaurants that meet a certain set of criteria. This means, for example, that instead of just picking up a magazine and reading about area restaurants, a user can request information about only eateries in a particular neighborhood with a certain type of atmosphere and within a given price range. Some guides even allow users to rate establishments they've visited and leave comments to help future users pick the right restaurant.
- Movie Show Times
Also a common feature, the movie section puts showtimes all over town at the fingertips of the user, so that after they pick the perfect spot for dinner, they can find a movie nearby that starts at the right time, without having to look through the newspaper or drive all over town.
- Local Events
City guides can help local event planners publicize civic happenings. Live music, fairs, festivals, and other events can be listed in a searchable format that can find audiences over a huge geographic area.
City guides range from the general to the incredibly specific. Here are a few links that show available online guides:
4.3.1.21 Data Warehousing
A data warehouse is a central repository for all or significant parts of the data that an enterprise's various business systems collect. The term was coined by W. H. Inmon. IBM sometimes uses the term "information warehouse." Typically, a data warehouse is housed on an enterprise mainframe server. Data from various online transaction processing (OLTP) applications and other sources is selectively extracted and organized on the data warehouse database for use by analytical applications and user queries. Data warehousing emphasizes the capture of data from diverse sources for useful analysis and access, but does not generally start from the point-of-view of the end user or knowledge worker who may need access to specialized, sometimes local databases. The latter idea is known as the data mart.
Recently, there has been movement toward virtual data warehouses, which has implications for both information dissemination and improved decision making. Virtual data warehouses allow users to distill the most important pieces of data from disparate legacy applications, without the time, expense, and risk to data required by traditional data warehousing.
4.3.1.22 M-Commerce
M-commerce (mobile commerce) is the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless handheld devices such as cellular telephone and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Known as next-generation e-commerce, m-commerce enables users to access the Internet without needing to find a place to plug in. The emerging technology behind m-commerce, which is based on the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), has made far greater strides in Europe, where mobile devices equipped with Web-ready micro-browsers are much more common than in the United States.
Future development of 3G services in the US will spur more development in this area. Higher bandwidth and greater security will make customers more confident about using a portable device to make purchases.
M-commerce can take many forms. It could simply be a portable version of e-commerce, with customers using portable devices to access commercial web sites, or it could evolve into other forms, like the ability to use a mobile phone to make purchases from a vending machine equipped with m-commerce technology.
The implication for customers is that they'll have a new and more convenient way to order products and services. For businesses, it provides a new marketing strategy and the chance to reach customers when they are away from their computers.
4.3.1.23 T-Commerce
E-commerce will soon be moving to other appliances besides just the PC. T-Commerce uses interactive television to allow marketers to sell their products directly over the TV broadcast. It has the potential to allow consumers to choose to get more information about a car they saw advertised, or even to purchase a product that appears in a show.
T-commerce stands to benefit service providers because they will be able to sell to customers who do not have computers in their homes, a group that had previously not participated in e-commerce in large numbers.
Until now, a lack of any agreed-upon standards for ITV has held back development of t-commerce, but recent movements toward a standard have significantly brightened the prospects for commerce over interactive TV in the near future (Pizzi).
4.3.1.24 Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications and information technology to provide healthcare services to persons who are at some distance from the provider. Considered in this way, telemedicine involves a wide range of technologies including telephone, radio, e-mail, facsimile, modem and video. It may be used either in real time or asynchronously for the transmission of text or graphic data, auditory verbal information, still images, short video clips and full-motion video.
Telemedicine, especially telemedicine based on interactive videoconferencing networks and systems, represents an important tool for providing health services. Its most obvious applications are in distance education and in the delivery of care for persons whose access to care is limited, but it may have important implications for the healthcare system as a whole. The most noteworthy of these may be the more efficient utilization of healthcare resources - human and technological - and of providers' valuable time.
At present, many telemedicine programs are appendages of healthcare facilities, are infrequently used, and have little significance for most patients and providers. In the not-too-distant future, however, we can expect telemedicine to be an important part of an integrated healthcare system. We will know that telemedicine has arrived when it has become another routine means of providing services.
The primary driving force behind the development of telemedicine, both in the United States and abroad, has been to serve those populations that have limited access to traditional medical services. Somewhere between 15% and 25% of the population of the United States can be considered to live in rural or non-metropolitan counties. Residents of rural areas do not differ markedly from people who live in cities with respect to the incidence of acute health problems. Many chronic medical conditions, however, are more prevalent among persons who reside in rural areas. Despite their relatively higher level of chronic illness, rural residents are somewhat less likely than those in urban areas to utilize outpatient health services.
The reasons behind the differences in utilization of specialty services are somewhat complex, but in large part they reflect economic variables that influence the geographic distribution of medical personnel. The problem is compounded by the fact that rural hospitals have difficulty making ends meet. Residents of rural areas are not the only ones who may have limited access to healthcare as things currently stand. Prison inmates, the urban poor, physically disabled persons, also may have limited access.
Despite the fact that telemedicine only recently has attracted considerable public and media attention, interactive video has been in use as a means of providing medical care at a distance for nearly forty years. The primary rationale for the development of telemedicine has been the wish to improve access to healthcare for persons in rural and other medically underserved populations. Many investigators have demonstrated the feasibility of telemedicine in a wide range of environments, with many different types of patients.
Telemedicine Applications:
- Administrative Uses
- Educational Uses
- Remote Consultation and Clinical Telemedicine
- Routine Consultation
- Second Opinions
- Medical and Surgical Follow-up
- Management of Chronic Diseases and Conditions
- Emergency Consultation
- Management of Acute, Self-Limited Conditions
- Home Healthcare
- Telemedicine, Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Prison Telemedicine
- Telemedicine in Managed Care Organizations (MCOs)
- Patient Education, Preventive Medicine and Public Health
- Remote Interventions via Telemedicine
4.3.1.24.1 Telemedicine Fundraising Procedures
Step One: Define Program Parameters
This requires endorsements from within your organization and from communities that the program will serve.
Evaluate the needs that may exist among all institutions that will be impacted by the proposed program and communicate these to key people involved. Some needs may be obvious; others may arise during the evaluation process. Prepare basic documents that will be used such as a Needs Assessment Form and an Introductory Letter.
Step Two: Develop An Organized Proposal Plan
This effort typically requires several steps, some of which may be referenced in the funding proposal that ultimately is created. These steps are important:
- Appoint a "Project Coordinator"
- Define how the program would operate
- Recruit support among key decision-makers
- Develop a timeline
- Identify the best potential funding resources
Step Three: Gather Information About Potential Funding Resources
The more you know about foundation, government and corporate assistance programs, the better equipped you will be when writing the proposal. Deadlines for applications and/proposal submissions can be a factor, particularly with private and corporate foundations, whose trustees may not meet very often.
Step Four: Prepare An Initial Letter of Inquiry
Not every corporate or private foundation seeks a letter of inquiry from potential grantees before they discuss the types of programs they support. To determine the approach favored by various private foundations, study directories published by The Foundation Center or other philanthropic assistance organizations. Approaching the federal government for funding assistance usually requires adherence to strict, program-specific procedures. When writing a letter of inquiry, use as few words as possible. The purpose is to establish a dialogue with the potential funding resource and to request procedural information or an application for funding assistance.
Step Five: Develop A Comprehensive, Clearly Written Proposal
Most foundations will consider awarding grants only after scrutinizing proposals that not only request support, but provide comprehensive information about the proposed activity, its benefits, estimated costs and the organizations involved. Principal elements of a proposal for submission to a corporate or private foundation include:
- Cover Letter
- Contents Page
- Proposal Summary
- Program Objectives
- Project Design and Methods
- Project Evaluation Procedures
- Long-Range Plan
- Budget
Step Six: Pay Attention to Detail
Never assume that funds from any one grant will be the sole support of your program. Keep this in mind when estimating overall program costs. Itemize all anticipated expenses and be consistent with every aspect of the proposal's narrative section. It is acceptable - and often necessary - to include appendices, charts or diagrams in a proposal to provide information or statistics that support your case. Community endorsements for a proposal often are essential.
Step Seven: Communicate Properly With Funding Resources
A proposal summary should be one or two pages long. It should describe the project, its rationale, its benefits and duration, and identify the amount of funding sought. Sometimes, it is useful to send a proposal summary to more than one grant official in a separate cover letter, and to ask for review and comment. A personal visit may be helpful.
Step Eight: Follow Up Regularly
Proposal review can take weeks - or months. A long response time can mean that a proposal is a top contender. If funding is granted, be prepared to honor your proposal's commitments and any grant agency terms. If funding is denied, cordially seek an answer why. Ask the funding agency's rationale for the decision, as well as for guidelines that may help future fund seeking efforts. Most important, don't give up.
Conclusion
The best course of action for organizations that seek funding for projects is to be as thorough as possible with program research, proposal planning and development, community support and to make a convincing, well-documented case when approaching granting agencies.
4.3.1.24.2 Telemedicine Funding Resources
Top Level Major Components of the Department of Health and Human Services organizational chart:
- Office of the Secretary
- Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
- Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)
- Agency on Aging (AoA)
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA)
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- Indian Health Service (IHS)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Program Support Center (PSC)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Texas Fund Sources & Contacts:
Center for Rural Health Initiative
Ms. Laura Jordan, 512-479-8891
laura.jordan@mail.capnet.state.tx.us
Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund
Mr. Arnold Viramontes, 512-475-3156
aviramon@governor.texas.gov
Texas Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Management
Mr. John Murray, 512-834-6740
jmurray@ems.edh.state.tx.us
Texas Department of Health, Rural Health Administration
Ms. Hortencia Andrada, 512-458-7770
handrada@orp.tdh.state.tx.us
4.3.1.25 Unified Messaging
For people who are constantly on the go, keeping up with messages delivered in a handful of locations can be a time-consuming task. Being unable to retrieve some types of messages from the road can cause potentially important data and information to go unnoticed.
Unified Messaging (UM) may be an answer to this messaging confusion. UM channels e-mail, voice, fax, and other text messages all into a single inbox. Users can access the messages from their e-mail client or by phone.
Most users of Unified Messaging are businesspeople who are frequently on the move. Having all messages together in one place reduces the risk that a user will miss important messages, and ends the frustration of having to find a computer to access e-mail, or a fax machine to receive a paper document. Users can have all their messages electronically 'read' to them over the phone, or delivered to their e-mail, so they have only one place to check, instead of several.
4.3.1.26 Video on Demand
Like interactive television, video-on-demand (VOD) is a long promised service that is finally arriving. Several cable operators have now moved beyond trial stages to limited deployments, with plans for large scale launches by mid-2001. VOD will succeed this time, due largely to the fact that the necessary infrastructure for VOD has been rolled out as a part of the digital cable infrastructure, making it profitable to deploy the systems.
Cable operators in particular are eager to rollout video-on-demand services as a means of differentiating themselves from satellite operators and beginning to recapture their eroding install base. DSL providers are also beginning to explore VOD systems as a means of differentiating their services.
Merrill Lynch & Co. media analyst Jessica Reif Cohen sees annual VOD revenues of $4.6 billion to $6 billion by 2009. If operators are moderately successful, selling an average 3.5 movies per VOD subscriber monthly at $4 each, she sees $2.1 billion in sales and $938 million in cash flow by 2002. Several of the MSOs have reported buy rates of 300-400 percent in their trials (Larson, 2000, Feb.).
The two largest barriers to successful deployment of VOD systems are Hollywood and PVRs. The film industry has thus far been reluctant to provide content for VOD systems. This will remain a problem until a satisfactory revenue model is developed for both cable operators and the film industry. The second threat is the deployment of personal video recorders (PVRs). As these devices proliferate and television becomes on-demand, the market for video-on-demand will be eroded. Ultimately, it will become a battle for content, where the companies able to provide the newer and more popular programming content will survive.
4.3.1.27 Voice over IP
Voice over IP is expected to be a huge market. Research firm Dataquest predicts the worldwide market for voice-over-packet services will grow to $87 billion by 2004. North America will have less than 40 percent of VoIP market in 2004, the firm predicts (Red Herring).
Voice over DSL technology is here and is expected to be the killer application for DSL, driving rapid growth in the install base starting late this year. The ability to add voice to high-speed DSL lines will lower the cost of local phone service and help CLECs to cut their costs and be more competitive in their pricing structures. It will be the first option to give consumers wide-scale choice for local services (Shinal, 2000, Feb. 29).
A few CLECs are already beginning to bundle local and long distance telephony with high-speed data access, and many others are in trial stages across the nation. The ability to provide multiple voice lines and high-speed data access over a single line to the home will create very lucrative business models, especially for those with first mover advantage in a market (Wilson, 2000, March 6).
Voice over IP is being tested by MSOs in various locations around the country in preparation for launch later this year. While some are choosing to wait for version 1.1 of DOCSIS and of PacketCable, others are preparing services over their own proprietary non-IP platforms in the interim period (Dawson, 2000, Feb.).
The big carriers are not moving to VoDSL very quickly. MCI WorldCom will probably roll out systems in mid 2001. The Baby Bells have not yet figured out how to deploy VoIP without hurting their local phone business, so they are not in a hurry. However, the deployment by smaller ISPs and the threat of VoIP cable services will likely accelerate that process. "Once larger service providers figure out how to bill and support bundled services, widespread voice over DSL will quickly follow" (Shinal, 2000, Feb. 29).
4.3.1.28 Digital Signatures
4.3.1.29 Digital Video Recorders
Viewers have long wished they could make TV programming fit their schedule. The ability to record shows and view them at a later time has already made a big business out of Personal Video Recorders, but new developments promise to make the technology even more useful, if legal disputes do not put the brakes on.
Newer products like the ReplayTV from Sonicblue offer the same capability as earlier PVRs to record and play back shows, but ReplayTV offers the unique ability to share recorded programming over a network connection.
"'The fact that this is a networked DVR, a broadband-connected DVR, makes it unique in the market,' says Steve Shannon, vice president of marketing for Sonicblue. 'You can send shows to friends, download video from the Internet, and even stream video to your home network," he says. 'If you want to view a photo slideshow, you can make one on your PC and then drag and drop it to your Replay so you can watch it from your TV set'" (Thorsberg, 2001)
Just as with music file-sharing technology, legal disputes with content owners threaten to derail DVRs. Several TV networks object to the ReplayTV's file-sharing capability, as well as a feature that automatically deletes advertising.
In a joint statement, the networks said the device 'violates the rights of copyright owners in unprecedented ways' and 'deprives the copyright owners of the means by which they are paid for their creative content and thus reduces the incentive to create programming and make it available to the public.'
"The networks, some of which have invested in ReplayTV, did not object to earlier versions of the ReplayTV recorder or devices by TiVo. Both allow users to fast-forward through commercials but unlike the ReplayTV 4000 do not include technology to automatically delete the ads or share the files of the recorded shows" (Associated Press 2001).
Sonicblue maintains that they have been careful to preserve content owners' rights.
"Sonicblue officials said they have not seen the lawsuit but stressed that they took precautions against a Napster-like unfettered distribution of television programming. The company limited the number of times to 15 in which a user could send a particular show to another ReplayTV 4000 owner, or so-called 'TV buddy.' A recorded show could only be sent or resent to another user a maximum of 15 times. 'I think we've treaded softly,' Sonicblue's chief executive Ken Potashner said" (Associated Press 2001).
If ReplayTV survives legal challenges, it could signal a major change in the way people watch TV, as well as potentially help drive demand for broadband, since a faster connection would speed up the rate at which viewers can send and receive programs.
4.3.1.30 Wireless Applications
Despite an apparent lack of consumer interest in the United States, the impending rollout of wireless applications continues to gain momentum. Europe and Asia remain several years ahead in deployment of third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) networks that will enable high-speed data transfer over wireless devices as well as the development of mobile commerce (m-commerce) solutions.
Europe's vast lead over the United States when it comes to m-commerce may be closing, according to new data from market analysis firm Datamonitor. In a report titled "M-Commerce Infrastructure in the U.S.," the Company predicts that the market for wireless e-commerce solutions in the U.S. will grow 1,000% to $1.2 billion (US$) by the year 2005. In order to reach that level, however, the U.S. must overcome a number of hurdles that do not exist in Europe, including the lack of a single mobile telecommunications standard, low wireless device penetration across broad stretches of the country, high prices, erratic service and the lack of investments in third generation networks (FlashCommerce.com).
An additional barrier is the lack of domestic interest in wireless applications. The Yankee Group found reasons for the slow development of the medium: the large physical size of the country makes message transmittal difficult, population density is too small, the number of Americans living in urban areas is far less than in Europe or Asia, and varied carriers result in incompatible networks. Forrester Research says the American public's apathetic attitude toward the burgeoning wireless universe should change slowly in the coming years. "Consumers don't think they want the wireless Web yet, but they will. They have adopted an Internet lifestyle, and the wireless Web will simply be the next step." Forrester classifies the eventual desire for wireless as "latent demand," a situation it classifies as "demand for a technology product or service that consumers are unable to define in advance of using it" (Marcus, Digitrends.net)
The lack of interest on consumers part does not seem to be hindering the enthusiasm with which companies are pursuing wireless applications. "There's a fight going on as Web sites bid for space on wireless phones. E-tailers and portal sites view the wireless market as critical because of its growing size and the services mobile phones make possible. The number of wireless Web users will grow to 48 million in 2002 and 204 million users by 2005, according to The Yankee Group." "It's not difficult technologically to make the jump from Web site to ‘WAPsite,’ The difficulty is more in convincing wireless networks a site is worth carrying. Only well-known brand names are guaranteed slots on the wireless carriers' networks, analysts say. And with only four to 11 lines of text per screen, they jockey for prime positions." (Cleary, ZDNet.com).
The market potential is enormous. Outside the U.S., use of wireless Web-enabled devices is exploding. Worldwide cellular subscribers are growing at a rate of almost 35% per year, according to Cahners In-Stat Group. This rate outpaces worldwide computer usage, which has grown 19% per year since 1985. In many countries, the number of cell phones in use easily exceeds the number of wired phones in use (Swedlow, InStat.com). “By most industry estimates, about one billion people will be using wireless Internet services in the next three to four years" (Harvey, Red Herring).
Popular applications in the wireless space in Europe include the ability to access Internet content (such as e-mail, sports scores, weather reports and stock quotes) and short messaging services.
Other applications are a little farther out. Cahners' In-Stat Group predicts that by 2004, over 46 million cellular phones will have built-in digital music players, and content will be delivered over the air. Digital video transmission will not be far behind, and advertising appearing on cell phones is a big possibility. Location-based services will guide the mobile user to the nearest Mexican restaurant or to the nearest sale on sporting goods (InStat.com).
The rapid development, Jupiter says, could lead to an error in development of the medium. In order for the market to reach its full potential, Jupiter's analysts say operators must create a level playing field for applications, while developers need to aggressively promote their services. Jupiter's director of wireless research, Seamus McAteer, says wireless marketers must resist using incompatible models that were developed on the Web. Instead, he suggests creating applications that take full advantage of the mobile environment (Marcus, Digitrends.net).
Another area of growth in the wireless arena is in short-range systems. Bluetooth is a standard for short-range radio frequency technology for exchanging data among disparate devices. Its specifications call for a microchip containing a radio module, baseband control, flash memory, and a crystal oscillator for clock and radio stability. Communication support includes point-to-point, as well as point-to-multipoint, links. These links will pull devices into "piconets," with one master unit and up to seven active slave units. Multiple piconets that overlap will form a "scatternet."
Bluetooth has been slow to catch on in the marketplace, but the study indicates that the factors slowing its acceptance are about to be overcome. In addition, the technology will move beyond the obvious devices such as laptops and handhelds to a variety of other devices such as printers, digital cameras, and other consumer devices, IDC says.
Bluetooth-enabled devices are not likely to become widely used until 2002, after chip size and cost have fallen significantly. Cahners In-Stat predicts that by 2005, there will be more than 670 million Bluetooth-enabled devices (Miles, 2000, Jan. 24).
“Strategy Analytics concludes that the wireless industry is evolving towards a "Wireless Content ICE Age" where entertainment will become the dominant modality within the next 5 years, and voice will be 'sentenced' to commodity status. Commenting on these market dynamics, Cliff Raskind, Strategy Analytics' Sr. Industry Analyst within the company's Wireless Solutions Group, highlights the good news/bad news scenario facing wireless carriers. "In terms of controlling overall customer awareness and expenditures, media conglomerates will become the dominant power brokers. However, operators that gain first mover advantages with location-based services, leverage their existing transaction and customer profile databases, offer national reach and add value through localization and personalization of content will carve out profitable positions.”
4.3.2 Telecommunication Infrastructure
4.3.2.1 Wired Technologies
- The technology is available for high speed Internet connections for everyone within a community who has a computer.
- The overall trend is a convergence of voice and data networks to one network based on Internet protocols.
- Bandwidth on the network backbone will double each year.
- There will be a continued dramatic increase in customer demand for bandwidth each year.
- Technologies like MPLS, Gigabit Ethernet, and IP protocols will allow significant streamlining in backbone and metropolitan area networks.
- Streamlining the network will be driven by new competitors challenging the incumbent network service providers. Unlike many current CLECs, these new competitors will have significant technology advantages over the established players.
- Significant improvements in the IP network infrastructure's performance, reliability, availability, quality of service (QoS), and geographic distribution will be (and must be) made in order to support the demand soon to come from e-government, e-business, e-learning, and so on. In many of these applications latency can be as much as, or even more of a concern than bandwidth.
- Increased ease in implementing virtual private networks (VPNs) and QoS will speed the transition from private to the public network.
- Fixed wireless IP networks will complement, but not replace, wired IP networks. Fixed wireless is a particularly good alternative to DSL or cable modems and can also be useful as a replacement for the last few feet of network wiring.
- Mobile cellular voice and data networks will provide the same services as the wired network, even video and multimedia, but will pay a comparatively heavy price in bandwidth for what they gain in mobility.
4.3.2.1.1 ATM
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is the world's most widely deployed backbone technology. This standards-based transport medium is widely used within the core--at the access and in the edge of telecommunications systems to send data, video and voice at ultra high speeds.
ATM is best known for its easy integration with other technologies and for its sophisticated management features that allow carriers to guarantee quality of service. These features are built into the different layers of ATM, giving the protocol an inherently robust set of controls.
Sometimes referred to as cell relay, ATM uses short, fixed-length packets called cells for transport. Information is divided among these cells, transmitted and then re-assembled at the final destination.
It is used for the transport of voice, video, data and images.
ATM is a dedicated-connection switching technology that organizes digital data into 53-byte cell units and transmits them over a physical medium using digital signal technology. Individually, a cell is processed asynchronously relative to other related cells and is queued before being multiplexed over the transmission path.
Because ATM is designed to be easily implemented by hardware (rather than software), faster processing and switch speeds are possible. The prespecified bit rates are either 155.520 Mbps or 622.080 Mbps. Speeds on ATM networks can reach 10 Gbps. Along with Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) and several other technologies, ATM is a key component of broadband ISDN (BISDN).
4.3.2.1.2 SONET
Today's network backbone technology combines data and voice traffic on an infrastructure that is optimized for voice and not very well suited for the types of traffic typical of the Internet. Standard operating procedure is to run virtual ATM circuits on SONET rings running over point-to-point fiber links.
SONET is the American National Standards Institute standard for synchronous data transmission on optical media. The international equivalent of SONET is synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH). Together, they ensure standards so that digital networks can interconnect internationally and that existing conventional transmission systems can take advantage of optical media through tributary attachments.
SONET provides standards for a number of line rates up to the maximum line rate of 9.953 gigabits per second (Gbps). Actual line rates approaching 20 gigabits per second are possible. SONET is considered to be the foundation for the physical layer of the broadband ISDN (BISDN).
Asynchronous transfer mode runs as a layer on top of SONET as well as on top of other technologies.
SONET defines a base rate of 51.84 Mbps and a set of multiples of the base rate known as "Optical Carrier levels (OCx)."
Vendor Links
4.3.2.1.3 Gigabit Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) is in the backbone connecting 10/100 Ethernet switches. When LANs first came into general use, most of the traffic was confined to the segment, with only a small percentage in the backbone. Now, however, such features as VLANs and desktop video and audio have loaded considerably more traffic on the backbone. Also, although the requirement for gigabit bandwidth to the desktop has not yet arrived, it is only a matter of time, and when it does, GigE will be the logical protocol to carry it. When ATM was developed, it was expected to fill the backbone role and eventually migrate to the desktop, but its use is retarded by its complexity. Gigabit Ethernet, as a natural evolution of fast Ethernet, which managers already understand and trust, suffers from no such impediment. It can be shared, switched, and routed using the same topology as the slower-speed products.
Gigabit Ethernet switches aggregate customer traffic and connects to routing switches in the core network using optical lasers over single-mode fiber-optic cable.
In new installations, vendors are using Gigabit Ethernet switches with optical interfaces in the core network. Trunking (link aggregation) is deployed for switch-to-switch connections for increased bandwidth.
The players:
- Cogent Communications, headquartered in Washington, D.C., targets
commercial customer premises in major metropolitan areas nationwide. It
addresses users within a multi-tenant building who need broadband access to
the Internet or who need broadband connections to locations within the
same metropolitan region or in another city supported by a Cogent MAN. It
provides 100M bit/sec access to its network.
- Telseon, based in Palo Alto and Denver, has deployed MANs in 20 major
U.S. cities and 60 data centers. While Cogent and Yipes target enterprise
customers, Telseon targets service providers, which use the Telseon
infrastructure to provide services to enterprise customers.
Telseon provides its standard service dubbed Ethernet IP, which is priced on bandwidth and distance; and its other service, called Metro Wave Service, is protocol independent and provides its service-provider customers direct connections between two network locations within a metropolitan area at 2.5G bit/sec and 10G bit/sec over DWDM. This service supports data, voice over IP and Internet traffic.
Telseon says it negotiates the price of this service on a case-by-case basis. Pricing depends on volume, geographical factors and user requirements. Telseon offers its service provider customers three types of network connections: point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint.
- Yipes, located in San Francisco, provides broadband LAN-to-LAN
interconnect service, called Yipes MAN and Yipes WAN, and a LAN to
Internet access service it calls Yipes NET. Yipes' network is IP-based end
to end. Yipes MAN is protocol insensitive and can accommodate any Layer 3
protocol. However, Yipes WAN is an IP transport service, which limits
traffic to IP protocol. It also restricts transport speed to between 1M
bit/sec and 80M bit/sec. Yipes secures its MAN service as a VPN. Its WAN
gateway, a VPN device provided by NetScreen Technologies, supports
Triple-DES and packet authentication.
4.3.2.1.4 Cable Modem
Cable modem services continue to enjoy rapid growth, leading in subscribers to high-speed access services. Although growth did slow slightly in the second quarter due to DOCSIS modem shortages, typical seasonal weakness for cable services, and possibly, increased competition from DSL providers, it is expected to remain strong over the next several years. Together, Road Runner and Excite@Home added 482,000 cable modem customers in Q2, down from 530,000 in Q1. "The two cable ISPs counted 2.6 million North American customers as of June 30, 2000” (CableDataComNews.com).
Several factors are driving the growth in the cable modem market. From the consumer's standpoint, bundled services, especially those including voice, continue to increase in popularity. "Worldwide cable telephony revenue will grow substantially from $293 million in 1999 to over $7 billion in 2004." Over that same period, cable telephony subscribers will increase from less than 1 million to over 20 million. Such growth “is due to the cable TV infrastructure offering the promise of a unified telecommunications service-video, data and voice-at a lower cost than what consumers currently pay for these services sepa