TIA-1 (CBIRD)

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 XM Satellite Sirius Satellite Radio 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. Polycom PicturePhone 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. AT&T Cingular Nextel Sprint PCS Verizon Wireless VoiceStream 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: CitySearch.com TimeOut.com OnlineCityGuide.com Austin360.com 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 Sycamore Networks Lucent Alcatel   Nortel Fujitsu Cisco Systems 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 separately" (Cahners In-Stat Group). For the MSOs, the growing competition from DSL continues to stimulate rapid deployment. Marketing and promotional campaigns are beginning to focus on the relative advantages of cable over DSL, rather than cable over dial-up. Additionally, the threats posed by the AOL-Time Warner merger, the prospect of open access requirements, and the growth of overbuilders are driving MSOs to expand their user base as rapidly as possible before the market becomes more crowded. For more information, please visit: Cable Modem Info Center AOL/TimeWarner Roadrunner Backbone 4.3.2.1.5 DSL DSL uses standard twisted pair wires to transmit broadband data services over existing phone lines. A relatively inexpensive broadband solution, DSL competes with cable modem service and is used mostly in home and small office environments. As with cable modem services, DSL providers are exploring bundled services as a means of growing their customer base. The addition of Voice over DSL (VoDSL) and video services are intended to help DSL compete with cable companies' offerings, but the RBOCs' poor service record and lackluster efforts at increasing deployment have hampered their ability to attract large numbers of new customers. In fact, throughout last year, cable modem penetration has increased, while DSL penetration lagged behind. Source: xDSL.com Most DSL service in America is residential, though CLECs and IXCs are having more success with business consumers.   TeleChoice 3Q01 DSL Deployment Summary Service Provider 3Q01 Lines in Service % Residential % Business ILECs 3,254,225 80 20 CLECs 539,415 42 58 IXCs 28,000 15 85 Total 3,821,640 74 26 These 3Q01 figures do signal some improvement for DSL providers.  The third quarter 2001 was the first quarter this year where net additions increased over the quarter before.  The growth was not as large as phone companies had hoped for, but since many analysts expected the economic downturn to slow broadband deployment, any growth at all is viewed as a positive (Hurley, P 2001, November 27). Unfortunately, once they get subscribers, DSL providers haven't been doing a good job of keeping their customers happy.   It's that level of service that drives deployment.  "The issue between cable and DSL isn't about technology anymore, notes Kathie Hackler, an analyst with consultancy Gartner. If you're fortunate enough to have a choice, she says, price and customer support should be a bigger factor. Instead, the questions to ask are: Can I get it installed, and will it work once I install it?" (Martin, M. 2001, July 9) As high-speed access becomes more ubiquitous, consumers begin to expect more in terms of broadband content. DSL access providers are scrambling to offer portals and other value-added services to their customers. To keep up with demand, various DSL providers are now jumping into the video market. This probably won't be enough to help the Baby Bells beat cable, however.  "The Bells can't just expect to offer bundles of voice, video, and data and be able to pull ahead in this market. Cable is already way out in front of them there. To close the gap and gain the lead the RBOCs must find services or applications that are more compelling, sticky, and maybe even downright cooler than offering bundles of voice, video, and data" (Guglielmo 2001, June 25). This chart explains how the market in voice and data service has changed and will continue to change. Voice over ADSL is one way phone companies hope to distinguish themselves from the cable companies. This service is most useful to companies who wish to replace their phone system to allow for direct communication between locations without long distance charges. Cable companies are rushing to provide voice over IP service, too, which mitigates the advantage for phone companies. For more information, please visit: How ADSL Works Verizon 4.3.2.1.6 Ethernet Ethernet is the most widely-installed local area network (LAN) technology. Specified in a standard, IEEE 802.3, Ethernet was originally developed by Xerox and then developed further by Xerox, DEC, and Intel. An Ethernet LAN typically uses coaxial cable or special grades of twisted pair wires. The most commonly installed Ethernet systems are called 10BASE-T and provide transmission speeds up to 10 Mbps. Devices are connected to the cable and compete for access using a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol. Fast Ethernet or 100BASE-T provides transmission speeds up to 100 megabits per second and is typically used for LAN backbone systems, supporting workstations with 10BASE-T cards. Gigabit Ethernet provides an even higher level of backbone support at 1000 megabits per second (1 gigabit or 1 billion bits per second). A few Companies that affect Ethernet: Agilent Technologies Cisco CCO Hewlett-Packard IBM Networking Lucent Nortel Networks Novell Sun Microsystems 3 COM For more information, please visit: Ethernet Links 4.3.2.1.7 Fiber (Definitions) single mode fiber  In optical fiber technology, single mode fiber is optical fiber that is designed for the transmission of a single ray or mode of light as a carrier and is used for long-distance signal transmission. For short distances, multimode fiber is used. Single mode fiber has a much smaller core than multimode fiber. (whatis.com)   multimode fiber  In optical fiber technology, multimode fiber is optical fiber that is designed to carry multiple light rays or modes concurrently, each at a slightly different reflection angle within the optical fiber core. Multimode fiber transmission is used for relatively short distances because the modes tend to disperse over longer lengths (this is called modal dispersion) . For longer distances, single mode fiber (sometimes called monomode) fiber is used. Multimode fiber has a larger core than single mode. (whatis.com)   Fiber Distributed Data Interface  FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) is a standard for data transmission on fiber optic lines in a local area network (LAN) that can extend in range up to 200 km (124 miles). The FDDI protocol is based on the token ring protocol. In addition to being large geographically, an FDDI local area network can support thousands of users. An FDDI network contains two token rings, one for possible backup in case the primary ring fails. The primary ring offers up to 100 Mbps capacity. If the secondary ring is not needed for backup, it can also carry data, extending capacity to 200 Mbps. The single ring can extend the maximum distance; a dual ring can extend 100 km (62 miles). (whatis.com) dark fiber Dark fiber is optical fiber infrastructure (cabling and repeaters) that is currently in place but is not being used. Optical fiber conveys information in the form of light pulses so the "dark" means no light pulses are being sent. For example, some electric utilities have installed optical fiber cable where they already have power lines installed in the expectation that they can lease the infrastructure to telephone or cable TV companies or use it to interconnect their own offices. To the extent that these installations are unused, they are described as dark. "Dark fiber service" is service provided by local exchange carriers (LECs) for the maintenance of optical fiber transmission capacity between customer locations in which the light for the fiber is provided by the customer rather than the LEC.(whatis.com) erbium-doped fiber amplifier  An erbium amplifier, also called optical amplifier or an erbium-doped fiber amplifier or EDFA, is an optical or IR repeater that amplifies a modulated laser beam directly, without opto-electronic and electro-optical conversion. The device uses a short length of optical fiber doped with the rare-earth element erbium. When the signal-carrying laser beams pass through this fiber, external energy is applied, usually at IR wavelengths. This so-called pumping excites the atoms in the erbium-doped section of optical fiber, increasing the intensity of the laser beams passing through. The beams emerging from the EDFA retain all of their original modulation characteristics, but are brighter than the input beams. In fiber optic communications systems, problems arise from the fact that no fiber material is perfectly transparent. The visible-light or infrared (IR) beams carried by a fiber are attenuated as they travel through the material. This necessitates the use of repeaters in spans of optical fiber longer than about 100 kilometers. (whatis.com) fiber optic  Fiber optic (or "optical fiber") refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light impulses along a glass or plastic wire or fiber. Fiber optic wire carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is far less subject to electromagnetic interference. Most telephone company long-distance lines are now fiber optic.(whatis.com)  fiber to the curb "Fiber to the curb" (FTTC) refers to the installation and use of optical fiber cable directly to the curbs near homes or any business environment as a replacement for "plain old telephone service" (POTS). Think of removing all the telephone lines you see in your neighborhood and replacing them with optical fiber lines. Such wiring would give us extremely high bandwidth and make possible movies-on-demand and online multimedia presentations arriving without noticeable delay. The term "fiber to the curb" recognizes that optical fiber is already used for most of the long-distance part of your telephone calls and Internet use. Unfortunately, the last part - installing fiber to the curb - is the most expensive. For this reason, fiber to the curb is proceeding very slowly. Meanwhile, other less costly alternatives, such as Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line on regular phone lines and satellite delivery, are likely to arrive much sooner in most homes. Fiber to the curb implies that coaxial cable or another medium might carry the signals the very short distance between the curb and the user inside the home or business. "Fiber to the building" (FTTB) refers to installing optical fiber from the telephone company central office to a specific building such as a business or apartment house. "Fiber to the neighborhood" (FTTN) refers to installing it generally to all curbs or buildings in a neighborhood. (whatis.com) hybrid fiber coaxial network A hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network is a telecommunication technology in which optical fiber cable and coaxial cable are used in different portions of a network to carry broadband content (such as video, data, and voice). An advantage of HFC is that some of the characteristics of fiber optic cable (high bandwidth and low noise and interference susceptibility) can be brought close to the user without having to replace the existing coaxial cable that is installed all the way to the home and business. Both cable TV and telephone companies are using HFC in new and upgraded networks and, in some cases, sharing the same infrastructure to carry both video and voice conversations in the same system. Scientific Atlanta lists four reasons why cable TV and telephone companies are upgrading facilities to HFC: 1) The use of fiber optic cable for the backbone paths allows more data to be carried than coaxial cable alone. 2) The higher bandwidth supports reverse paths for interactive data flowing back from the user. 3) That portion of the infrastructure with fiber optic cable is more reliable than coaxial cable. Reliability is perceived as more important in an interactive environment. 4) Fiber optic cable is more efficient for interconnecting cable TV or phone companies that are consolidating with geographically adjacent companies. (whatis.com) For related information, please visit: Sun Microsystems 4.3.2.1.7.1 Next Generation Fiber Technologies Fiber Optics Update With predictions that Network capacity demand will triple 3/3 yrs (IDC Report), the estimates for optical networking equipment will be over $10 Billion in 2003 for North America alone. One of the main optical technologies will be the use of Synchronous Optical Networks (SONET) which are self-healing circuits and usually associated with the formation of metro rings around communities. With the advent of applied use of dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM ), increases of capacity up to 50x can be realized on a fiber strand. DWDM increases bandwidth per wavelength and is used with fiber capacity for speeds of OC-192 (10Gb/s) and is also utilized in and OC-768 (40Gb/s). Cable television plants are embracing DWDM for Hybrid Fiber Coax Networks. DWDM is coupled with Erbium-doped Fiber Amplifiers to regenerate optical signals and carry more than one wavelength on a single fiber yielding data rates of 1/2 Terabit. New uses for DWDM is as a network fiber backbone as well as metro and access networks. Current Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) switching uses optical-electronic-optical (OEO) regeneration every 200 miles; therefore 30 OEO conversions are needed for coast-to-coast transmission. The Next Generation Optical Network (ON) can yield distances of over 5000km with the use of optical cross connects and optical switching. Other technological breakthroughs include: Optic Switching (for individual fibers) --light passed is heated and cooled thru electric coils --alters refractive index of the glass bending light Tunable Lasers --pumps out light at different wavelengths --switches wavelengths at high speeds Optical Modulation: digital pulses on light --direct modulators (on/off of laser) --external modulators (breaks laser path) DWDM Multiplexers --combining different wavelengths on one fiber New Fiber Manufacturing Techniques New approaches to fiber manufacturing create transparency close to the theoretical limit. A new process for fiber fabrication from Bell Labs exhibits low absorption across full spectrum of wavelengths. The low absorption is achieved through purification process cleaning the fiber of hydroxyl (OH) ions that cause high transmission loss. The standard way to make fiber is to use hydrogen and oxygen torches to heat up silica rod pre-forms to very high temperatures (a source of OH ions). When the rods are softened, a drawing process creates finished product. Using a fiber pulling method incorporating a “dry” heat source (such as oxygen plasma) OH ions are reduced. The future of optical networks and fiber is in a move to optical integrated circuits which can consolidate many optical devices into one single chip made of silicon, silica or polymer. Optical integrated circuits when coupled with the strength of IP and data packets will bolster the growth of ultra high speed data delivery, reducing the issue and scarcity of bandwidth availability. 4.3.2.1.8 Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) Hybrid Fiber/Coax (HFC) networks allow cable companies to distribute a variety of services to their subscribers. The cable company runs the signal from their network backbone over fiber to nodes in individual neighborhoods. This allows the virtually limitless bandwidth fiber to be as close as possible to individual subscribers' homes. From these neighborhood nodes, coaxial cable runs to each individual building. "Cable operators are focused on providing high-speed intranet access instead of straight Internet access for a simple reason: a network connection is only as fast as its slowest link. Clearly, the benefit of a 1-Mbps cable link is lost if a subscriber tries to access content stored on a Web server that is connected to the Internet though a 56-Kbps line. The solution to this dilemma is to push content closer to the subscriber, ideally right down to cable headend. This is done by "caching" or storing copies of popular Internet content on local servers, so when a cable modem subscriber goes to access a Web page, he or she will be routed to the server in the headend at top-speed, rather than being required to voyage out onto the congested Internet." (Cable Datacom News) Cable companies can increase the available bandwidth over each fiber strand by utilizing Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM). Each signal travels over the fiber as a wave, so DWDM starts a second wave 1/4 wavelength after the initial signal, enabling the cable company to send more data over the same strand. "One drawback of carrying uncompressed analog video signals digitally is the large amount of bandwidth needed—16 analog channels occupy an entire OC–48. To address this, DWDM is used to combine up to eight systems on a single fiber. This combination enables the transport of 80 analog video channels and several hundred digital video streams, while maintaining 5 gigabits for voice and data services." (Scientific Atlanta) Information is carried over the DWDM network in layers. Voice and data are carried using SONET technology, with ATM data over it. "One of the key advantages of the HFC architecture is the ability to carry multiple types of information in multiple formats shared by a scalable number of users. If the video is eliminated and the pipes are used entirely for data through a spectrally efficient modulation scheme such as 256 QAM, which yields 7 bits per hertz, the result is a 5-gigabit pipe. Taking the coax up to a gigahertz would yield 7 gigabits of data capacity. As analog video usage declines and this bandwidth is reused for other purposes, an enormous potential for new services, in any medium or combination, becomes available. The flexibility to use bandwidth for different services in multiple formats is an essential strength of HFC networks." (Scientific Atlanta) 4.3.2.1.9 ISDN ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) plays an important role in high-speed Internet connection in Northern Mexico. It serves not only to speed the connection of the phone but it also allows a user to surf online while also talking on the phone. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a set of CCITT/ITU standards for digital transmission over ordinary telephone copper wire as well as over other media. Home and business users who install an ISDN adapter (in place of a modem) can see highly-graphic Web pages arriving very quickly (up to 128 Kbps). ISDN requires adapters at both ends of the transmission so your access provider also needs an ISDN adapter. ISDN is generally available from your phone company in most urban areas in the United States and Europe. Integrated Services Digital Network in concept is the integration of both analog or voice data together with digital data over the same network. Although the ISDN you can install is integrating these on a medium designed for analog transmission, broadband ISDN (BISDN) will extend the integration of both services throughout the rest of the end-to-end path using fiber optic and radio media. Broadband ISDN will encompass frame relay service for high-speed data that can be sent in large bursts, the Fiber Distributed-Data Interface (FDDI), and the Synchronous Optical Network (SONET). BISDN will support transmission from 2 Mbps up to much higher, but as yet unspecified, rates. The use of copper wires made this an early technology for higher speeds Internet delivery. The infrastructure was already in place and only a few adjustments needed to be made. 4.3.2.1.10 Broadband These images illustrate some broadband technologies: Bandwidth is increasing rapidly, as this slide demonstrates: 4.3.2.1.11 Internet2 Internet2 is a project led by 130 universities in conjunction with government and industry leaders to develop networking and advanced applications for learning and research. Although Internet2 is not envisioned as a future replacement for the Internet, its organizers hope to share their developments with other networks, including the Internet. www.Internet2.edu Researchers at Stanford and the University of Washington have been able to send HDTV in real-time over Internet2 (Wilcox, 1999, Sept. 15). 4.3.2.1.12 Personal Area Network (PAN) The history of computer development has been a story of doing things faster using a smaller device than before. With manufacturers now even outpacing Metcalf's Law, smaller and more powerful computing devices are beginning to appear in greater numbers. Recent developments like Bluetooth and other communication protocols allow people to link a number of small devices together, giving them easier access to their information, and making sharing that information with others as easy as shaking hands. A Personal Area Network (PAN) allows several pocket-sized or wearable electronic devices to communicate with one another, either wirelessly or using the body's natural salinity to transfer data. Consumers can use a PAN to link their PDA to their mobile phone, GPS, or other device. A PAN can also be used to exchange information with other people through brief contact. Users can transmit contact information, for example, to another PAN-enabled person by shaking hands, using the body's conductivity to transfer the information. PANs can include a full spectrum of computing capabilities. "Hitachi and Xybernaut's upcoming Wearable Internet Appliance combines goggles or monocles with a CPU, storage device, one-hand keyboard, and wireless network connectivity. Even a motherboard could be wired into a shirt as was developed at Georgia Tech. There's no foreseeable limit to the types of products under the rubric of wearable computing" (Forman, D. 2001, October p. 28). Of course, who wants to walk around with computer monitors on their glasses? For now, cost and the 'geek factor' are holding back large-scale adoption of PAN technologies. "As something that can garner cultural acceptance, the wearable computer has an uphill battle. Today's wearable computers are forbiddingly high-tech. Anyone willing to wear a circa-2001 wearable computer in public deserves to get it for free. Current prices range from $2,000 to over $3,000. Fortunately, these are not the final form factors of products that will be popular and accessible" (Forman, D. 2001, October p. 28). That's not to say, however, that PAN technologies will never catch on. As the technology becomes smaller, manufacturers will develop clothing that will effectively hide all the tech, so users can have all their data at their fingertips without looking like they're on their way to a Star Trek convention. "A personal monitor will be hidden within special eyeglasses no larger than an ordinary pair of specs. . . networks using wireless technology or even the human body will seamlessly move data. Clothing specially designed for the task will disguise bulkier components" (Forman, D. 2001, October p. 30). Here are some links to more PAN-related information. Intel Wireless Personal Connectivity Solutions O'Reilly Network reviews Bluetooth PAN solutions Scott eVest helps keep all the gadgets close at hand 4.3.2.1.13 Wide Area Network (WAN) A WAN is, as the name suggests, a network that spans a large geographic area. It is larger than a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), and is usually publicly owned, though they may be privately owned or rented. Today most WANs use ATM over SONET. We expect IP and/or MPLS over Gigabit Ethernet to replace ATM over SONET primarily because of the significant cost advantages. 4.3.2.1.14 Backbone A backbone is a larger transmission line that carries data gathered from smaller lines that interconnect with it. 1) At the local level, a backbone is a line or set of lines that local area networks connect to for a wide area network connection or within a local area network to span distances efficiently (for example, between buildings). 2) On the Internet or other wide area network, a backbone is a set of paths that local or regional networks connect to for long-distance interconnection. The connection points are known as network nodes or telecommunication data switching exchanges (DSEs). "Backbone" is a convenient metaphor—but it gives too neat a picture. A vertebrate organism has a single backbone, but the telecom system doesn't; no single company owns these high-capacity interurban cables, and no one organization makes sure they are up to the challenge of meeting worldwide bandwidth demands. In some cases telecommunications companies—the WorldComs and Sprints and AT&Ts of the world—will seek to cover high-traffic routes with their own cables, laying spaghetti-like strands parallel to one another along highway and railroad rights-of-way, linking metropolitan loops across continents and oceans. In other cases, carriers lease optical-fiber cables from other carriers; indeed, some carriers are solely in the business of leasing backbone capacity. All carriers, though, are faced with the same challenge: how to stay ahead of the bandwidth demand curve. Research at Corning and elsewhere shows that every improvement in performance comes at a price; building a better backbone seems to be a question of choosing just the right trade-offs. www.technologyreview.com IMAGE Image by Betsy Hayes 4.3.2.1.15 Storage Area Network (SAN) 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. A storage area network (SAN) is a high-speed special-purpose network (or sub-network) that interconnects different kinds of data storage devices with associated data servers on behalf of a larger network of users. A SAN "provides high-performance connectivity between multiple servers and storage devices. Before SANs, stored information was tied to individual servers, creating islands of data that were difficult to bridge through the company's communications network due to traffic and bandwidth restrictions" (Tivoli 2000). Typically, a storage area network is part of the overall network of computing resources for an enterprise. A storage area network is usually clustered in close proximity to other computing resources such as IBM S/390 mainframes but may also extend to remote locations for backup and archival storage, using wide area network carrier technologies such as asynchronous transfer mode or Synchronous Optical Networks. A storage area network can use existing communication technology such as IBM's optical fiber ESCON or it may use the newer Fibre Channel technology. Some SAN system integrators liken it to the common storage bus (flow of data) in a personal computer that is shared by different kinds of storage devices such as a hard disk or a CD-ROM player. "Over the past two decades, a number of trends have reshaped data storage and management: E-business is creating a data explosion: Traditional business applications, such as enterprise resource planning suites, are doubling corporate data each year. E-business organizations, which conduct transactions over the Web, are experiencing an eight-fold data volume increase each year. Data explosion revolutionizes availability and performance requirements: Globalization and e-business demand 24 x 356 data availability reducing time available for backups, updates and maintenance. Large volumes of data traversing communications networks negatively impact system performance. Managing data in heterogeneous environment is complex: Significant investment is required in employee skills to manage multi-vendor systems with disparate management tools" (Tivoli 2000). 4.3.2.1.16 Next Generation MAN The next generation metropolitan area network (MAN) can achieve significant cost savings by replacing the ATM over SONET on fiber approach, with Gigabit Ethernet on fiber. Another way of visualizing the difference is provided by Yipes!, a network service provider that is already delivering Gigabit Ethernet over fiber in several key North American markets.iYipes! has gained significant industry attention with its delivery of high bandwidth services at significantly lower cost using Gigabit Ethernet and IP over fiber. This approach delivers numerous benefits. "Ethernet is mature, well-understood technology Most data originates and terminates on Ethernet devices – over 250 million Ethernet connections already deployed Easy to use, inexpensive to operate relative to ATM or SONET gear Broad vendor support: plentiful supply of Layer 2/3 switches, routers and other equipment Well-defined standards guarantee multi-vendor interoperability Scalability to 10 Gigabit/sec. bandwidth, greater distances Multiple topologies supported (point-point, ring, mesh) Choice of Layer 2 (VLAN) or Layer 3 switching QoS available (802.1p)" (Passmore 2001) It is the cost savings however that are perhaps the most compelling, and it is these savings that are likely to make this a disruptive technology. Electronics plus Optics $/Mbps Bandwidth Mgmnt & Provisioning Annual Maint. & Upgrades Bandwidth on Demand? IP ATM SONET $8 - 40 $5000 $750 - 3750 Very Difficult IP SONET $6 -35 $5000 $750 - 3750 Very Difficult IP Ethernet $1 -3 $1000 $150 - 450 Yes Gigabit Ethernet Advantage 8:1 - 13:1 5:1 5:1 - 8:1 Yes Yipes Comm, Dell'Oro Group, Yankee Group, Extreme Networks, Juniper Networks. Analysis assumes a regional network with five hubs and 10 rings. (Reinman 2001) 4.3.2.1.17 Quality of Service (QoS) Quality of service is the idea that by monitoring the performance of network equipment, providers can predict and even guarantee levels of transmission quality, uptime, and rate of data transfer. Consumers, then, can choose networking solutions with the maximum QoS that their budget can support. 4.3.2.1.18 Virtual Private Networks (VPN) A virtual private network (VPN) is a private data network that makes use of the public telecommunication infrastructure, maintaining privacy through the use of a tunneling protocol and security procedures. A virtual private network can be contrasted with a system of owned or leased lines that can only be used by one company. The idea of the VPN is to give the company the same capabilities at much lower cost by using the shared public infrastructure rather than a private one. Phone companies have provided secure shared resources for voice messages. A virtual private network makes it possible to have the same secure sharing of public resources for data. Companies today are looking at using a private virtual network for both extranets and wide-area intranets. A VPN uses public telecommunication resources for private communication. Instead of going to the effort and expense to set up a physical private network, companies can use security protocols to separate their communication from the other traffic on the public network. "'IP VPNs are attractive for their low cost, ubiquity, and the flexibility they provide in ad hoc connectivity,' said Jason Smolek, an analyst with IDC's IP VPNs research program. 'Companies that deploy IP VPNs don't need to build private lines between their sites, and for organizations with multiple sites, this represents huge cost savings in terms of capital and time. It also makes an IP VPN an excellent vehicle to e-enable a company because business processes can be linked without resorting to expensive infrastructure investments'" (Boulton 2001, September 19). IP VPNs are poised to become one of the fastest growing segments of the telecommunication market.  The US market is expected to grow "from $1.28 billion in 2000 to almost $10 billion in 2005, for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 51% in that time period" (Harris 2000, December). While hype for VPNs is growing, VPN is not a painless cure-all.  As with any networking technology, security is a concern. "VPNs by default create private communications, but there is more to security than encryption. VPNs need authentication, intrusion detection, demilitarized zone/transaction zone partitioning and firewall protection, depending on how they will be used. VPN vendors will offer some of these features and functions, but it is up to the enterprise and service provider to make sure that these additional, essential security features are implemented" (Pultz, J. and Girard, J. 2001, September 4). In addition to security concerns, it's important to realize that networking over the Internet makes broadband an absolute necessity.  "For VPNs to become more mainstream, low-cost, affordable, high-bandwidth, always-on connectivity is required — i.e., broadband access" (Pultz, J. and Girard, J. 2001, September 4).  While the Internet is important to any business, constant connectivity becomes absolutely critical when it is also the primary means of networking within the company. Several companies have collaborated to create the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) which encodes and decodes the data and the sending and receiving network addresses. Another innovative way to connect network resources is emerging through VPNs based on Multi-Protocol Label Switching, or MPLS. 4.3.2.1.19 Multi-Protocol Label Switching Multi-protocol Label Switching based VPNs provide a new way to connect network resources. Compared to the current WAN services, MPLS are rapidly deployable and flexible, and thus can help businesses reach new markets and increase revenue. Increased reliability and competitive prices, and enhanced quality of service (QoS) give MPLS VPNs an edge over most WAN products. MPLS VPN services, which are usually purchased from service providers, can be broken down into building blocks, which include the customer edge, the provider edge and the provider core. The customer edges is the most obvious sign of an MPLS VPN installation. The customer edges can send data through MPLS VPNs from its access routers by running routing protocols or are by detecting VPN-attached sites. Providers usually obtained their customer edges from their current MPLS VPN vendor. "The provider edge is the most complex component of an MPLS VPN, and is usually located at the provider's local office. Consisting of WAN routers or IP-enabled WAN switches, the provider edge has four roles: signaling the provider core, communicating with other provider edges, interfacing with customer edges and forwarding data. The first provider edge task, signaling, enables the provider core to build fault-tolerant Layer 2 paths between the provider edges. To do this, a provider edge sends MPLS setup information to the provider core. The resulting MPLS paths provide a direct data link between provider edges, each with QoS potential (Giacalone)." Using an updated version of the Border Gateway Protocol called Multi-Protocol BPG (MPBGP), provider edges communicate VPN information through the inter-provider edge MPLS paths. Unlike its predecessors the latest MPBGP versions convert conflicting IP routes into unique prefixes, and also, classifies routes so that provider edges can control their addition to per-customer virtual routing tables (VRT). Each provider edge can be handled separately and privately with VRTs. Simply adjusting the routing of VRTs can improve the flexibility and speed of VPNs. "The combination of MPLS and MPBGP permits only provider edges (not the core) to understand customer networks, thereby increasing the VPN service's scalability and stability. As routes enter VRTs, the provider edges make MPLS requests for each customer route over the existing inter-provider edge MPLS tunnels. After receiving responses to the new MPLS signals, provider edges can send traffic to each VPN on each provider edge. Because VRTs and MPLS segregate data, MPLS VPNs have as much security as current WAN service offerings(Giacalone)." Finally to imitate a regular IP network to the customer edge, provider edges advertise routing data to customer edges while pushing unlabeled IP packets to them. Per-VRT routing is performed on data arriving to customer edge, MPLS labels are added, and the information is the pushed toward the destination provider edge. The last section of the provider core generally consists of IP-enabled WAN switches that provide MPLS connectivity between provider edges. Construction of the MPLS paths are permitted by provider equipment running routing protocols deciphers MPLS signals. Because MPLS allows systems to be integrated, a company can streamline operations for increased savings. Although, MPLS VPN services currently provide several benefits they should be watched closely for the future of MPLS VPNs will possibly give way to MPLS virtual private optical networking and MPLS SONET provisioning. 4.3.2.1.20 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 (public key infrastructure) enables users of a basically unsecured public network such as the Internet to securely and privately exchange data and money through the use of a public and a private cryptographic key pair that is obtained and shared through a trusted authority. The public key infrastructure 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 4.3.2.1.21 Next Generation Contrary to what one might reasonably expect given the trend toward packet switching, the next generation optical backbone network will likely employ circuit switching. This will yield dramatic improvements in flexibility and resiliency compared to today's point-to-point fiber links; a mesh structure is likely for the overall network backbone. 4.3.2.2 Wireless Technologies 4.3.2.2.1 2.5G, 3G, 4G Wireless phone service in America lags behind Europe and Japan. Both these regions are beginning to roll out devices to work on the so-called Third Generation (3G) phone system, which allows for wireless transmission of high-bandwidth content such as video or interactive games. Unfortunately, in the US deployment is being held back by political battles relating to allocation of the spectrum space necessary to support 3G development. Currently the US Department of Defense and television broadcasters all claim a right to the spectrum, and the FCC has been slow to respond (Briody, 2001 September 15). Because of these delays, early predictions that American consumers would be enjoying 3G services by late 2001 are being readjusted. Most estimates now put the rollout date somewhere between 2003 and 2005. "High-speed wireless data communications will happen, but the prospect of the ever-hyped 3G wireless technology seeing any large-scale deployment in the U.S. in the near future is highly unlikely. A combination of spectrum constraints, a shaky market and hardware concerns has led some analysts to believe that the U.S. won't see 3G wireless happen before 2004 or 2005" (Fricke 2001, June 28). Analysts expect 3G to have a $500 billion impact on the US economy by 2010. They predict that consumers will clamor for new phones with the capability to take advantage of new rich media applications. Unfortunately, without new services being offered, there's little incentive for consumers to trade up. "The hype - and there's a lot of it - says 3G wireless networks will re-ignite turgid cell phone sales. But when will 3G services arrive? And will they really trigger a new DSP buying boom? 3G DSP forecasts are risky business, but Bob Merritt, director of emerging markets at Semico Research Corp., Phoenix, is willing to take a stab. 'There's a risk of overstating what the demand is as we go to 3G phones,' Merritt said. 'The move to a mobile Internet concept will drive additional DSP sales, but we have to be careful that we don't overstate the demand for new DSPs as a result'" (Fyffe 2001, May 28). Despite the slow rollout of 3G, some companies are already looking ahead to 4G. Though it may seem premature with 3G devices just beginning to appear on European and Asian markets, Hewlett-Packard and NTT DoCoMo are collaborating on a project to create devices over the as-yet not developed 4G networks (Moore 2001, July). 3G and 4G services will constitute a change in the way consumers use their cell phones. Rather than just a tool for voice communication, the units will be able to provide video, music, and high bandwidth Internet content to users no matter where they are in North America. While the ability to videoconference in a taxi or view training videos on a handset sound enticing, until the FCC clears up spectrum issues and manufacturers get more compliant devices on the market, the US wireless network will continue to fall behind Japan and Europe. Unfortunately, the September terrorist attacks may make the military even more likely to attempt to hold on to their spectrum despite the need for 3G development. "[W]ith national security at top of Washington policy agenda, several industry observers said they didn't hold out hope for 3G action on Capitol Hill this year. Legg Mason said in research report released Sept. 14 that overall 3G impact was that effort to obtain military spectrum 'will likely be significantly delayed... The new Washington reality will make it even more difficult to obtain the spectrum from the military anytime soon.'" 4.3.2.2.2 802.11A/B 802.11 is a group of IEEE specifications for wireless networking over radio waves. There are currently two standards in operation: 802.11 and 802.11b. Each allows users to wirelessly access networks at speeds faster than a 56k modem. "Despite the geeky name, the idea is pretty simple: A company or homeowner installs a radio - these 'hot spots'' can be as small as a Dr Pepper can - which is connected to the Internet via a robust T-1 line, DSL connection, or fiber. The radio, acting as an extension of the wire line, sends and receives data from mobile devices equipped with special PC cards that contain mini-radios" (Mehta 2001, June 25). The devices can receive information up to several dozen yards from the base stations. Workstations with compliant wireless cards can even communicate directly with one another, without the need for a hot spot. 802.11b is the most recent standard. It supports transfer speeds up to 11Mbps and is backward compatible with 802.11, an earlier standard which supported speeds of 1-2Mbps. Both operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum. 802.11a is used for wireless ATM, and operates in the 5-6GHz range. Its modulation scheme allows for transfer rates as fast as 54Mbps (whatis.com). 802.11b is a good alternative for small office/home office (SOHO) users who want to network their computers without the expense of running cable through a building. It has the added benefit of allowing users with laptop computers to work from any location within range, eliminating the requirement that a worker be at his or her desk to access the network. In addition to 802.11b, there are newer versions in development: "802.11a. Not yet available, this wireless standard operates on the less-crowded (for now, anyway) 5GHz band and offers speeds of up to 54Mbps. The cost will be higher, and it won't cover the same distances as 802.11b. Expect to see 802.11a in products perhaps by this fall, and in quantity in early 2002. Hiplan2 is a European standard for a network very similar to, though not compatible with, 802.11a. It's also expected next year" (Coursey 2001, November 6). "802.11g. This is a proposal for a 2.4GHz network operating at speeds of 22Mbps or more. It's slower than "a," but faster than "b"--and compatible with it, too. I don't know much more about this, but the experts tell me to expect to see it in products in 2002" (Coursey 2001, November 6). "802.11e. This specification adds multimedia and quality-of-service support to the 802.11 standard. So future 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g could also support 802.11e. Whitecap2 is Cirrus Logic's early 802.11e implementation. I am not expecting to see true 802.11e products until the second half of 2002" (Coursey 2001, November 6). "802.16 This specification will change landscape of bandwidth delivery within current spectrum boundaries. WAN local-loop access using IEEE 802.16 in the unlicensed 2.4- and 5.8-GHz spectrum will deliver access speeds of 10M bit/sec or greater per user as a last-mile technology in competition with wire-line xDSL. The low implementation cost of this standard, coupled with vendor use of IP and quality of service (QoS), make it a compelling option for wireless access for consumers and small office/home office users in the near term" (Dzubek 2001, April 6). One concern regarding the 802.11 standard is security. Because it's impossible to control exactly how far radio signals travel, there's always the possibility of unauthorized persons gaining access to the network. "The wireless LAN has a fairly nascent protocol called 802.11. The security behind that code is the Wireless Equivalency Privacy standard. Recently, a group of professors at the University of California at Berkeley discovered a hole in that security. By late spring this year, hackers were trudging off to corporate parking lots across Silicon Valley. Carrying antennas and notebook computers, the hackers intercepted the signals going through the wireless LANs, which meant that any important proprietary data passing through the network could easily be acquired. 'The main difference and the current problem with wireless LANs is that they don't stop at the walls of the company,' says Allina Health System's David Lind" (Lipschultz 2001). Vendors are working fast to eliminate security concerns, and some common sense steps by users can decrease the risk of unauthorized network use. "...security experts recommended that to counter the threat, all companies should use additional authentication systems, such as virtual private networks or IPSec, before allowing data to cross from a wireless network to an intranet or other corporate system. [Ian Goldberg, a cryptologist at Montral-based security and privacy software developer Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc.] said some products will be coming out soon to address these vulnerabilities, but they will be proprietary" (Verton 2001, July 16). While probably not the right fit for a large company with extensive networking needs, 802.11 can satisfy the needs of small businesses or home users who want the convenience of networked computing with extra mobility, without the expense of extending cable to every point on the network. Locate publicly available access points here. Vendor Links Linksys Intersil 4.3.2.2.3 Bluetooth A special interest group made up of telecommunication and computer industry leaders. The Bluetooth specifications describe how computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and other such devices can be easily interconnected using short-range wireless connections. Bluetooth.com Using this technology, users of cellular phones, pagers, and personal digital assistants (PDA) such as the PalmPilot will be able to buy a three-in-one phone that can double as a portable phone at home or in the office, get quickly synchronized with information in a desktop or notebook computer, initiate the sending or receiving of a fax, initiate a print-out, and, in general, have all mobile and fixed computer devices be totally coordinated. The technology requires that a low-cost transceiver chip be included in each device. Products with Bluetooth technology are expected to appear in large numbers beginning in 2000. Each device is equipped with a microchip transceiver that transmits and receives in a previously unused frequency band of 2.45 GHz that is available globally (with some variation of bandwidth in different countries). In addition to data, up to three voice channels are available. Each device has a unique 48-bit address from the IEEE 802 standard. Connections can be point-to-point or multipoint. The maximum range is 10 meters. Data can be exchanged at a rate of 1 megabit per second (up to 2 Mbps in the second generation of the technology). A frequency hop scheme allows devices to communicate even in areas with a great deal of electromagnetic interference. Built-in encryption and verification is provided. EXPERTS "Major problems include the fact that Bluetooth isn't needed to exchange files between PCs - conventional networking can accomplish that without any problems. Also, most Bluetooth products cost too much to warrant getting rid of cable." Source: Wildstrom, Stephen H. (2001, July 2). Why Bluetooth has a black eye. Business Week , 24. 4.3.2.2.4 Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) is a protocol for delivering wireless Internet content that does not require a constant link. Because information is transmitted in packets, each device recognizes information intended for its user, and it receives only that information. A major advantage of cellular is coverage, which makes CDPD an attractive alternative. CDPD can be added to existing cell sites at a moderate cost. Charging is by the packet or kilobyte instead of by the minute, and the long call set up time is eliminated. This makes it good for short bursty messages such as point-of-sale, dispatch, package tracking, telemetry, and e-mail. CDPD in available in most metropolitan areas. Another advantage of the coverage is that the main population areas of the country are well covered for cellular, and if the carrier elects to overbuild the network with CDPD, data coverage can be equivalent. So this is good for short, bursty applications, but for lengthy file transfers, dial up application over regular cellular may be less costly. CDPD also supports IP Multicasting, allowing companies to distribute information to groups of traveling sales people. Multicasting could also be used by a news service to update subscribers to late-breaking developments. 4.3.2.2.5 LMDS and MMDS Fixed Wireless The past decade has seen explosive innovation by the telecommunications industry as it strives to satisfy a worldwide appetite for greater bandwidth. Several developments are fueling this growth--the proliferation of the Internet, increased dependence on data and a global trend toward deregulation of the industry. Nowhere is the phenomenon more evident than in the quest to alleviate the local-loop bottleneck. This constriction occurs where local-area networks, which link devices within a building or a campus, join to wide-area networks, which crisscross countries and hold the Internet together. Advances in fiber technology have extended the capacity of wide-area networks to trillions of bps. Meanwhile local-area networks are evolving from 10 megabits per second (Mbps) to gigabits per second. The connections between these two domains have not kept pace, the vast majority of copper-wire circuits being limited to about the 1.5 Mbps rate of a so-called T1 line. The typical home user faces a more extreme case of the same affliction, with data crawling between computer and Internet about 30 times slower, through a modem and phone line operating at a mere 56 kilobits per second (kbps). There are two primary technologies that have been developed for high-speed wireless access: Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) and Multi-channel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS). MMDS "channels come in 6 MHz chunks and runs on licensed and unlicensed channels. Each channel can reach transfer rates as high as 27Mbps (over unlicensed channels: 99MHz, 2.4GHz, and 5.7 to 5.8GHz) or 1Gbps (over licensed channels)" (Webopedia.com). It is a line-of-sight service with precise, clear, wide ranging signal coverage unaffected by rain, snow, and fog. The range of a transmitting antenna can reach 35 miles depending on the broadcast power. "The wireless system consists of head-end equipment (satellite signal reception equipment, radio transmitter, other broadcast equipment, and transmission antenna) and reception equipment at each subscriber location (antenna, frequency conversion device, and set-top device). Signals for MMDS broadcast at the transmitter site originate from a variety of sources, just like at cable head-ends. Satellite, terrestrial and cable delivered programs, in addition to local baseband services, comprise the material to be delivered over MMDS. All satellite delivered baseband formats are re-modulated and subsequently up-converted to microwave frequencies. Terrestrially delivered signals are usually passed through a heterodyne processor prior to up-conversion to the desired MMDS frequencies" Several successful tests of MMDS service have been completed by Sprint, MCI WorldCom, and others. Sprint has launched service in Phoenix and Tuscon, serving 85% of the markets with speeds of up to 5Mbps, and plan to launch in 10-15 additional cities by the end of the year. Like cell phone networks, LMDS is a wireless system but is designed to deliver data through the air at rates of up to 155 Mbps (typical cell phone voice calls use a mere 64 kbps, or 8 kbps in compressed digital systems). It supports voice connections, the Internet, videoconferencing, interactive gaming, video streaming and other high-speed data applications. A major advantage of LMDS technology is that it can be deployed quickly and relatively inexpensively. New market entrants who do not have the luxury of an existing network, such as the copper wires or fiber of incumbent operators, can rapidly build an advanced wireless network and start competing. LMDS is also attractive to incumbent operators who need to complement or expand existing networks. For example, operators who are setting up a service primarily based on digital subscriber lines but who want their service to be universally available could use LMDS to fill in gaps in their coverage. And while cable modems are making inroads in the residential and home-office markets, the business market (where little to no cable network exists) remains a prime niche for LMDS. The higher capacity of LMDS is possible because it operates in a large, previously unallocated expanse of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the U.S. the Federal Communications Commission has auctioned to LMDS operators a total bandwidth of about 1.3 gigahertz (GHz) in the "millimeter" waveband at frequencies of about 28 GHz. In other countries, depending on the local licensing regulations, broadband wireless systems operate at anywhere from 2 to 42 GHz. Canada, which is actively setting up systems around the country, has 3 GHz of spectrum set aside for local multipoint communications systems, as it is called there. Regular digital cell phone systems operate at about 0.8 GHz with a typical bandwidth allocation of 30 MHz or less. Sending digital signals of the required complexity at 28 GHz is made practical by recent improvements in the cost and performance of technologies such as digital signal processors, advanced modulation systems and gallium arsenide integrated circuits, which are cheaper and function much better than silicon chips at these high frequencies. LMDS uses wireless cells that cover geographic areas typically from 2 to 5 kilometers in radius. Unlike a mobile phone, which a user can move from cell to cell, the transceiver of an LMDS customer has a fixed location and remains within a single cell. A common design puts the customers' antennas on rooftops, to get a good line of sight to the hub transceiver. The LMDS cell size is limited by "rain fade"--distortions of the signal caused by raindrops scattering and absorbing the millimeter waves by the same process that heats food in a microwave oven. Also, walls, hills and even leafy trees block, reflect and distort the signal, creating significant shadow areas for a single transmitter. Some operators have proposed serving each cell with several transmitters to increase coverage; most will have one transmitter per cell, sited to target as many users as possible. Of value to operators, in an industry with a high rate of turnover of customers, is the ability to pick up the hub equipment and move it to a different location, as market economics dictates--an impossibility with networks made up of telephone wires, television cable and optical fiber. Most, if not all, LMDS systems send data using a technique called asynchronous transfer mode, which is used extensively in wide-area networks and allows a mixture of data types to be interleaved. Thus, a high-quality voice service can run concurrently over the same data stream as Internet, data and video applications. In summary, LMDS will be a versatile, cost-effective option for both providers and users of broadband services, with the rapid and inexpensive deployment being particularly attractive to the providers. 4.3.2.2.6 Microwave It's not just for popcorn anymore. Microwave refers to communication operating at a frequency above 1 gigahertz with a wavelength less than 30 centimeters. Though the signal does not diffract around hills or mountains, some signal loss, or attenuation, does occur when the signal travels through buildings or trees. Microwave beams are being explored as a an alternative to cable or DSL for delivery of broadband Internet service. Its high frequency means it has the ability to offer huge amounts of bandwidth, which translates to fast access to data. An additional advantage is that since the data is transmitted wirelessly, there's no need to secure land rights to lay cable. This also saves on the expense of burying cable over great distances. In New Zealand, a company called SouthNet is planning a large-scale wireless broadband Internet service using microwave towers to distribute the signal in rural areas. Each microwave tower can send a signal up to 25 kilometers with a clear line of sight (Macnicol 2001). Microwave is an especially attractive option in this situation since there is no existing infrastructure, and to install fiber or cable would be difficult over the rough terrain. This illustration is applicable to many rural areas in the US where there's no infrastructure in place to deliver high-bandwidth services and it wouldn't be cost effective to construct the network from the ground up. In rural areas without existing infrastructure, microwave can be an easy solution to 'wire' areas that otherwise would be left behind. While it is cheaper and more convenient to set up than a wired system, microwave transmission is also not as reliable. The signal can be degraded by rain, trees, or buildings, and the high frequencies limit the distance the signal can travel without amplification. While not a perfect solution in all areas, a well-thought out plan to put towers in the right places can make microwave transmission an attractive option to deliver data services without the expense of installing fiber or cable. 4.3.2.2.7 Free Space Optical (FSO) Free Space Optical is a wireless transmission system that uses pulses to send wireless packets line of sight in the Terahertz (THz) range. It meets demand for high-speed Internet applications by operating currently in typical SONET/SDH rates of both 155 Mbps (OC3) and 622 Mbps. DSL and cable modems can not currently match these specifications. Some FSO vendors even claim speeds for Gigabit Ethernet as well. FSO can work with other protocols such as Fast Ethernet, SONET/SDH, Gigabit Ethernet, FDDI, ATM, and IP. Next year, FSO is projected to be up to speeds of 10Gbps (OC-192). FSO is less expensive than fiber by a factor of 10 to 1. Short range links needing fiber run between buildings can cost up to $200,000 with a four to 12 month wait. FSO can put the link up in two to three days at an approximate cost of $20,000 per building (Goralski, 2001). An additional FSO advantage is that it can be added to increase capacity of other systems such as Local Multipoint Distribution Systems (LMDS). It is also good as an optical link for crossing physical geographical boundaries such as rivers or major highways. FSO is easy to deploy and can be done on rooftops or through windows. Perhaps FSO's greatest promise is in providing links for campus LAN connectivity, such as linking a newsroom to a broadcast facility. Some of the drawbacks of FSO include short line-of-sight distances and the fact that it can be affected by weather. Because of its short range, and because its cost advantages are most dramatic in areas where rights-of-way may be difficult or expensive to acquire, FSO is most suited urban or campus applications. In contrast to MMDS and LMDS, FSO operates in the unlicensed spectrum and is very secure due to sophisticated coding and encryption. In addition, FSO is secure due to the use of a narrow invisible beam that is not detectable by electronic methods. FSO topologies include point-to-point, mesh, and point-to-multipoint. If the frequencies are high enough, FSO can be completely "eye-safe" due to light absorption by the cornea and lens. 4.3.2.2.8 HALO Network Platform HALO is an acronym for High Altitude Long Operation. It is used to refer to aircraft with these characteristics, for example the Proteus, made by Scaled Composites, LLC. Proteus Aircraft, Manufactured by Scaled Composites, LLC "Proteus is a twin turbofan high altitude multi mission aircraft powered by Williams International FJ44-2E engines. It is designed to carry payloads in the 2000-pound class to altitudes above 60,000 feet and remain on station up to 14 hours. Heavier payloads can be carried for shorter missions. It is intended for piloted as well as for UAV missions. Potential missions for Proteus include telecommunications, reconnaissance, atmospheric research, commercial imaging, and space launch." (Scaled Composites unveils Proteus, 1998) It is the use of Proteus, or other aircraft of similar capability, as a network communications platform that is our primary interest. For such use the aircraft would carry a circular pod containing the communication electronics and antennae beneath the fuselage. Computer Model of Proteus with Communications Pod Raytheon Company has developed an electronics package for Angel Technologies' proposed HALOSTAR(TM) Network (Halo Network, 2001). The network itself consists of airborne electronics, ground-based gateways and user premise equipment. The network is connected to both the Internet and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). HALO(TM) Network Connections Raytheon HALO(TM) Consumer/Small Business Antenna "Angel Technologies Corporation and its partners are creating a wireless broadband 'super-metropolitan area' network to interconnect tens to hundreds of thousands of subscribers at multi-megabit per second data rates. The HALO(TM) Network will offer ubiquitous access and dedicated point-to-point connections throughout a "footprint" 50 to 75 miles in diameter. A piloted, FAA-certified High Altitude Long Operation (HALO(TM)) aircraft will provide the "hub" of the network. Operating continuously over each market, the HALO(TM) aircraft will create a "Cone of Commerce(TM)" in which prospective customers will access broadband services irrespective of their locations (Overview of HALOSTAR(TM) Network, 2000)." Three Proteus aircraft flying eight-hour missions can give 24 hour a day service. The Proteus aircraft is capable of flying 12 hour missions with this type of payload, and is capable of operating out of any normal airport within a 300 mile radius (Scaled Composites unveils Proteus, 1998). "The HALO(TM) -Proteus aircraft will fly fixed patterns in the stratosphere (51,000 feet and higher) over major cities, above commercial airline traffic and adverse weather. With its payload, a HALO(TM) -Proteus aircraft can create a cellular pattern covering an area that currently requires several hundred cellular towers. With its large antenna array and network components, the HALO(TM) Network can serve customers throughout an area of thousands of square miles." (Halo Network, 2001) Proteus/HALO(TM) Coverage Cone 4.3.3 Technology Issues 4.3.3.9 Digital Divide While the emergence of new technology has the potential to improve lives, it's unfortunately also the case that many of these benefits only accrue to those who can afford to buy the technology. People without access to technology and the skills necessary to use it are not able to take advantage of its potential. The so-called "Digital Divide" separates those who do and those who do not have access to new technology and technology skills. Several factors contribute to the digital divide, but the most prominent is economic status. Low-income people are less likely to have access to computers at home. According to the Census Bureau, over half the homes in the US have a computer and Internet access, but that those are mostly concentrated among households with above average income. (Sarkar 2001). Many communities have attempted to bridge the digital divide by giving students access to computers in schools. Census data indicates that only 34.5% of students from households with income below $25,000 have access to computers at home, while 71.7% of those students have access at school. Access to technology and skills is critical to students' ability to compete for jobs. If children from less affluent households don't learn how to use critical technologies, then a cycle of poverty will recreate itself as only children from rich backgrounds will be able to obtain jobs in technology. 4.3.3.10 Last Mile What do you do with a superhighway with no on or off ramps? That's just the question facing cable and phone companies as they try to deploy broadband services. Providers have spent vast amounts of money in the last several years to upgrade their fiber networks and expand available bandwidth. The virtually unlimited bandwidth of these fiber networks, however, does not extend to consumers' homes or businesses, so providers must attempt to use existing copper or coaxial lines to connect buildings to the network. The "Last Mile" problem refers to the dilemma of how service providers can provide an access ramp between the superhighway - the new blazing fast fiber networks - and the residential streets - existing, and in some cases old and inefficient copper connections to homes and businesses. The cost of running underground fiber to each building is prohibitive, forcing providers to look for other solutions. One company is attempting to build an all-optical network using city sewer lines instead of burying cable underground. "Developed by Silver Spring, Md.-based CityNet Telecommunications, the concept involves routing fiber optic cables through existing sewer lines. In the process, cities get their sewer lines cleaned, inspected and repaired if needed, and building managers and their tenants get the high-speed data and telecom services that fiber optics offer" (Reich, 2001). CityNet's website is available at http://www.citynettelecom.com. 4.3.3.11 Consumer Privacy Internet privacy has become an area of major concern. An FTC report this year found that “only 20 percent of online companies conform to four commonly accepted standards—notifying consumers of how information will be used, giving consumers a choice in the matter, making security practices clear, and allowing consumers access to their own records for correction or deletion.” While this issue has raised concern, little has been done about it thus far. (Kornblutt, Boston Globe). Nearly 300 privacy bills are currently pending in Congress. In the debate surrounding Internet privacy, much controversy stems from the issue of how much control should be given to the consumer. Should consumers have to opt out of having their personal information shared, should they opt in, or should the current system remain? The opt-out option has been criticized for placing too much burden on consumers to read confusing legal notices and to find the opt-out features on a Web site. In response, several bills requiring an opt-in option for banking and medical records have been proposed. However, Congress is not close to passing any privacy legislation. The FTC has given a group of online advertisers the power to govern themselves with new privacy regulations. The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), which represents 90 percent of the online advertising industry, has agreed to a new set of privacy rules. Under the deal, sites cannot use a consumer’s Social Security number, medical information, financial data, or sexual orientation to target ads. In addition, consumers have the ability to opt out of anonymous profiling, to choose whether they want previously collected anonymous information to be merged with identifying information, and to give permission for identifying information to be collected. The FTC is still calling for legislation to gain compliance from online advertising companies that are not members of the NAI. 4.3.3.12 Workplace Privacy When businesses provide their employees access to the Internet for work-related purposes, those workers sometimes use their access to perform tasks not at all relating to their jobs. These alternate uses can be as innocuous as idle surfing over the lunch hour or as potentially damaging as harassing co-workers or hacking the company network. "'When monitoring started to catch on a few years ago, it was in response to several high-profile sexual harassment cases, says Susan Getgood, VP of marketing for SurfControl plc, a Web and E-mail filtering company. Now employers are increasingly concerned about productivity and bandwidth'" (Swanson 2001, August 20). In an effort to retain the benefits of employee Internet access while limiting lost productivity and potential liability risks, many employers institute guidelines for acceptable Internet use. Some choose to keep their employees accountable by monitoring the way they use their connection. Employees' groups have decried monitoring as an invasion of their privacy and have sought to force their companies to stop. Several members of Congress are expected to propose legislation this year that would limit the ways in which employers can monitor their employees. The courts have granted employers wide latitude in such activities as monitoring e-mail and other communications over company networks, consistently holding that this monitoring does not constitute an invasion of privacy. 4.3.3.13 Regulation The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was intended to spur competition in local television service by allowing Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs) to offer long-distance service in exchange for unbundling their networks and making their services available at a reasonable fee to Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs). The Act also prohibited the states or local governments from setting any restriction on entry into the telephone market. Congress hoped that this would lower entry barriers and encourage competition, since ILECs would be interested in the large revenue to be earned from offering long distance. "In the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Congress construed deregulation as a process. Like the deregulation of AT&T in the 1980s, the 1996 Act prescribes a series of steps that are designed to bring competition into various telecommunications services while allowing large, well financed incumbent companies to only gradually enter new markets, lest they overwhelm young competitive companies that lack comparable advantages" (Strover, S. 2001, July 11). Making the networks available to competitors would lower entry barriers for competitive local phone companies because "requiring a telecommunications provider to create an entirely new network as its sole means of providing competitive services not only creates an insurmountable barrier to entry, but also flies in the face of the public interest, because it requires the demolition of streets and other rights-of-way to lay down a duplicative network" (Walker, J. 2001, May). Incumbent phone companies serving rural areas are regulated slightly differently, and The Act does allow states or local governments to require competitive carriers who wish to provide service in these areas to demonstrate the ability to provide universal access in the area. Congress also didn't require incumbents in rural areas to unbundle and re-sell their services to competitors. In the 107th Congress, legislation has been introduced with the intent of de-regulating high speed data service and speeding deployment of broadband to all areas, including rural ones. HB 1542, the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act, would require ILECs to upgrade all their central stations to offer broadband access within 5 years of the bill's passage, and for doing so would reward them by "essentially rewriting the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and letting them handle long-distance data traffic through their networks, as well as permitting them to build new fiber networks without having to share them with competitors" (Brown, D. 2001, September 3). Unfortunately, it's unclear whether this legislation would have the desired effect of making broadband access available to more people in more areas. "There is nothing in the bill that guarantees broadband deployment in these regions other than a five-year timetable for the BOCs to make their central offices DSL-ready. However, because the main limitation on provision of DSL service occurs in loop facilities and not in the central office, this provision does not guarantee service to regions beyond three miles of a central office and could still leave substantial portions of the rural market without broadband capabilities" (Strover, S. 2001, July 11). Proponents of the bill say that it will give the Bell companies an incentive to develop DSL nationwide, since they'd be allowed to market their services all over the country.  Representative Ed Markey (D-MA), for example, said the legislation "presents once again the problem of trying to force certain services into particular regulatory boxes even as technology renders such classification antiquated or meaningless.  The Bells don't need legislation in order to provide digital services. They can and do offer DSL services today. The Bells don't need legislation to offer Internet access. Again, they offer such services today" (Fusco, P. 2001, April 27). Other legislators are offering competing plans to speed broadband deployment. "Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Hollings proposes punishing the regional Bells for failing to open their lines to competitors by dividing them into separate retail and wholesale companies" (Brown, D. 2001, September 3). Other legislators are suggesting more direct plans to provide incentive to develop rural broadband, such as tax credits for phone companies which upgrade their networks to provide DSL in rural areas. 4.3.3.15 NSEP The National Security Emergency Preparedness Program is a federal agency under the General Services Administration and the Federal Technology Service. According to their web site, NSEP's purpose is "to ensure the readiness of critical telecommunications to meet the needs of the Government during any local, national or international crisis situation." Established by a Clinton executive order, the National Communication System is a network of telecommunication providers that the government may use in times of emergency to ensure that basic communication can take place. This order gave the FCC the authority to ensure that all licensed service providers are maintained to the point that they could be depended upon in an emergency situation. Because of recent world events, an aggregation of telecommunication data like the one we've prepared is especially valuable, because it contains information about all carriers in the area. While this information could be helpful to keep communication going in case of emergency, the flip-side, is that this information would also be very useful to a person or group who wished to do harm to the community by disabling critical telecommunications resources. For this reason, it's recommended that the GIS mapping data be used only by community planners and not made available to the general public. Security concerns are also one of the main reasons that telecommunication providers do not make available GIS information about the location of their fiber optic lines. Of course they also do not want this information to be available to competitors, but especially after September 11, 2001, security concerns are foremost. Under NSEP, it may even be illegal for telecommunication providers to make this information available. 4.3.3.16 Key Legislative Issues Key Legislative Issues for 2001 Texas Telephone Association (TTA) We support development of a State of Texas Rural Telecommunications Infrastructure Policy that is based on incentives rather than mandates. Substantial Progress has already been made in the deployment of broadband services in the rural areas of the State.  To further assist in the deployment to the more remote areas, we support a sound public policy that is carrier and technology neutral and based on incentives rather than mandates. We support a legislative initiative to enact a sales tax exemption for purchases of telecommunications services equipment. Telecommunications is the infrastructure of the future today! This exemption would be consistent with current tax policy on the manufacturing industry and would increase the attractiveness of Texas to attract and retain the telecommunications media and high technology industries infrastructure investments We support the long-standing, deeply held principle that private sector, rather than government, be used to provide telecommunications services to the public. State governmental agencies and municipal governments should not become telecommunications providers in competition with private sector providers.  Working within the existing free-market system, we support incentives to extend broadband services into areas where individual provision is not economically feasible. We support legislation that protects consumer choice and competition when customers access the Internet using high-speed cable modem connections. Texas should adopt a policy that guarantees that consumers of high-speed cable modem service can choose their preferred Internet service provider (ISP) without being required to take the services of cable companies' affiliated ISP.  This type of non-discrimination policy will allow independent ISPs (particularly smaller Texas-based ISPs) to compete on the same rates, terms and conditions as the cable-company affiliated ISPs. 4.3.3.17 Rural Broadband The Texas Telephone Association Supports A State Public Policy That Will Encourage Investment and Deployment of Broadband Services in the Rural Areas by all Telecommunications Providers. Issue: TTA supports development of a Rural Telecommunications Infrastructure Policy for the State of Texas that will continue and expand the substantial progress our members have already accomplished in the areas of education and health care rural initiatives.  TTA supports a public policy on rural telecommunications infrastructure that is carrier and technology neutral in application and contains incentives rather than mandates for all telecommunications providers to invest in rural telecommunications infrastructure and economic development projects. Source: Texas Telephone Association 4.3.3.18 Public Policy Goals Public Policy Goals Infrastructure Incentive Issues: Recognize that competitive alternatives to the traditional services already exist in the marketplace and that customer base continues to grow.  These competitive alternatives must be factored into the responsibility for delivery of broadband services (i.e. wireless, cable TV, satellite, ISDN); Recognizes that incumbent carriers have already initiated "partnering" discussions with some of the alternative technology providers in consideration of the needs, in particular, of the rural customers where existing landline technology does not make the deployment of broadband services either technically possible or economically feasible; Should encourage broadband service deployment without reference to specific technology and be carrier neutral to ensure competitive viability and fairness; Do not mandate a "one-size fits all" technology, Pro-competitive and pro-investment incentive solutions should be encouraged at the local, community-based level as this level will garner the most efficient and necessary use of resources and funds; Review current statute requirements that provide disincentives for local exchange carriers (LEC) and competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC) to deploy new services in urban and rural areas; Continue the prohibition on government entities competing with private-sector telecommunications providers to ensure the long-term survival of telecommunication competition; Support the development of and participation in community networking projects through community funding initiatives; Tax Incentive Issues: TTA supports the Comptroller's legislative initiative for a sales tax exemption on equipment used to deliver broadband services; however, the exemption on equipment should be extended to include all telecommunications equipment as is done in the majority of other states that have similar sales tax structure; Encourage cities to implement economic development sales taxes to incite the deployment of broadband services by all information and telecommunications providers; Identify rural areas where geography, population or economic conditions require extraordinary investment requirements for broadband deployment.  Policy should allow these isolated areas to be classified as rural investment zones and carriers should be eligible for investment incentives for providing broadband services to these designated areas; Initiate provisions to allow and encourage property tax abatements for telecom technology infrastructure; Review other various state and local tax incentives for rural infrastructure development. Public Policy Implications: Any public policy direction for the deployment of rural telecommunications infrastructure should be technology and carrier neutral, foster the long-range goal of healthy telecommunications competition in the state, and encourage solutions tailored to the specific needs of individual communities Source: Texas Telephone Association 4.3.3.19 Government Help A variety of state and federal programs exist to help communities upgrade the networks in their schools and other public institutions. The next few sections explain each program in more detail; this chart shows at a glance which programs are available to different institutions in Texas. (Darr, S. 2001, March) 4.3.3.20 Texas Infrastructure Fund (TIF) Both the federal and Texas State governments have created programs to help communities upgrade their telecommunication services to schools and other public institutions. The state's program, the Texas Infrastructure Fund, provides grant money to eligible entities to upgrade or create networks between schools, libraries, and public health institutions. Based on the federal government's National Information Infrastructure, TIF seeks to "help develop the telecommunications infrastructure that connects public entities such as public schools, public libraries, two and four-year colleges and universities, and the public health delivery system in Texas. TIF is governed by a nine-member board of directors that is charged with disbursing approximately $1.5 billion in revenues through loans and a formal grant program" (TIF Board). One limitation of TIF grants is that they may only be applied to infrastructure development and not to other things like software. For more information, visit the TIF Board's web site at: http://www.tifb.state.tx.us/ 4.3.3.21 E-Rate The federal measure to help fund school network development is the E-Rate program. E-Rate "provides discounts on telecommunications and Internet technologies to elementary and secondary schools and public libraries across this country" (About the E-Rate). Since not all schools and communities have the same need for discounts, the E-Rate program provides discounts on a sliding scale based on the number of students in a particular school district who qualify for free or reduced price lunches. E-Rate is available to a slightly smaller group than TIF grants. Institutions of higher learning and health care facilities are not eligible, since the focus of the program is on education. "All public elementary and secondary schools, as well as most K-12 private and parochial schools, are eligible for discounts under the E-rate program. 1 In addition, libraries that are independent of institutions of higher education are also eligible" (About the E-Rate). For more information, visit: http://www.edlinc.org http://www.sl.universalservice.org/ 4.3.3.22 TEX-AN The Texas Agency Network (TEX-AN) is a clearing house for state agencies to acquire network resources at large discounts. Eligible groups can secure long distance phone service, data service, calling cards, pagers, wireless phones, and other equipment and installation. The benefit to customers is that all the vendors are certified by TEX-AN, so there's no need for any additional footwork on the part of the organizations. "Customers should normally only have to fill out a purchase order to the vendor for the services and prices set forth in the contract. Also, by leveraging the buying potential that includes all state agencies and eligible political subdivisions, TEX-AN 2000 is able to offer unprecedented savings over a wide range of products and services." Use of the TEX-AN network is available to all state agencies and their political subdivisions, including school districts, public universities, city or county governments, and public libraries. Source: http://www.texan.state.tx.us/more.htm 4.3.3.23 Formal Models for Knowledge Management and Network Implementation Planning Using Formal Models for Network Planning and Implementation As the community defines itself and its scope, models are necessary to improve the overall performance of any organization or institution.  This is no less applicable to strategies for community networks and, in fact, are vital components for a successful regionally-based community knowledge network.  For example, if a county or regional approach is taken to define the community, then it is important to apply appropriate models to insure that the planning for these networks has a scope that is predictable (in terms of outcomes) and repeatable (in terms of performance).  The Pennant Alliance of San Diego County would be an example of this type of regionally-based public/private consortia approach to managing network infrastructure.  Whether in San Diego or Cameron County, a schema for planning and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization is essential for the execution of any type of network implementation plan.  One such tool for this schema is the Carnegie Mellon Maturity (CMM) Model Capability Index that traces the maturity of the organization to handle processes necessary for its successful growth.  The epigenesis of this model has its roots in managing government contracts.  Basically, there are five levels in this model that describe the capability of the organization to manage and plan tasks as a process: Level One: Performed Informally (Plan) This is the first level of capability is where some level of planning is done but it is done usually by individuals who are maverick "heroes" who have their own method Level Two: Planned and Tracked (Project Management) This is second level of capability is where the informal planning process now has some elements of formal project management practices in the planning process, but is not a standard for the organization, and therefore, is not consistent. Level Three: Well Defined (Standardized Project Management) The third level of capability is where an applied formalized method for standardizing  project management now occurs in the organization, and therefore, is repeatable and performed as the standard process that any facet of the project will go through.  It includes attributes like scheduling techniques, task assignments, and Gantt Chart or Work Breakdown Schedule (WBS) parameters.  Here, key questions about the project are answered before the project begins, which includes a requirements based approach to the process.  This method becomes the only way to get approval for a given project. Level Four: Quantitatively Controlled (Applied Metrics) The fourth level of capability is where metrics are applied as a major part of the process in order to measure a variety of quantifiable (and qualifiable) parameters as part of the process.  These measurements include tracking completion percentage, quality control, tracking performance objectively and  information sharing. Level Five: Continuously Improving (Proactive Zero Time Planning Approach) The fifth level of capability is where metrics and other techniques are used to modify the process to mitigate existing  problems as well as anticipate problems before they occur in order to prevent these problems from happening in the first place.  This leads to a Zero-Time organizational strategy that adds flexibility and adaptability to an organization as well as improved practices for efficiency and effectiveness. CMM Process Areas Applying Maturity Capability There are three major process areas that are used to assess the current maturity level of any organization:  Engineering Process Areas Project Process Areas Organizational Process Areas Scoring in these levels is done by applying the CMM Maturity Index described in the preceding section. The  scoring involves applying the five levels and includes a "O" when there is no evidence of any planning whatsoever; therefore, the scale can be from 0-5 for each element within each process area.  The levels and the process area elements can be seen in the following tables, courtesy of Alan Brenner of Systems Management Architects (Brenner, 2001): Table 1: CMM Capability Levels Table 2: Process Areas According to Alan Brenner, the use of the CMM model for community networks allows for enterprise questions to be asked such as how well any consortium, vendor or organization can analyze solutions to clear problems. In addition, application of these models allows for the integration of both public and private entities to work closely together through the use of clear well articulated requirements and specifications that have service level agreements to take the ambiguity out of the planning and implementation process and instead creates an understanding of knowing what and where work needs to be done, how it is to be done and ultimately provides a clear "road map" for successful implementation.  Therefore, it is our recommendation that applying models for planning and implementation is paramount for a successful community knowledge network. 4.3.4 Technology Forecast Summary and Conclusions 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 competition for 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. 4.3.4.1 Streamlined IP Network The overall trend is a convergence of voice and data networks to one network based on Internet protocols. It is very likely that the basic infrastructure of this converged network will be a core optical network employing Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM), Multi Protocol Label Switching, and an IP protocols. This is important because such a structure is much more streamlined and cost effective than what is most widely used today. The traditional voice and data carriers have legacy infrastructures based on ATM and SONET. These networks were very expensive to install and obviously the telecommunication service providers want to continue making money off of them. ATM, Frame Relay, and leased lines are very profitable. In contrast, public IP services make little if any profit. So, why do we expect a change? Customers will migrate to IP networks because of cost advantages, so service providers will have to sell IP services (and thereby undermine traditional profitable services). They will have to do this because if they do not, some competitor will. Service providers would like to continue making money off these networks, but competition will force them to upgrade, even in cases where they have not yet recovered their investment. Today's network started out as a voice network and service providers added layers to support IP data. It uses four levels or tiers: the IP routers, ATM virtual circuits/ATM switches, carrier SONET rings, and carrier point-to-point DWDM optical links.  Maintaining and troubleshooting this network is complex. One trend on the network backbone will be toward circuit switching of light wavelengths -- "lambda switches" -- switching DWDM wavelengths.  Current versions of these lambda switches are optical-to-electrical-to-optical (OEO). The next step will be optical-to-optical with wavelength conversion.  Another trend is toward a "mesh" rather than "ring" architecture. A mesh approach provides resilience without wasting 50% of the bandwidth for a backup path like ring topologies do. MPLS is next-generation replacement for ATM on the backbone and elsewhere. MPLS usually stands for Multi Protocol Label Switching, but it can also stand for Multiple Protocol Lambda Switching, and since the two are related, they are sometimes referred to together as "generalized MPLS." The likely replacement for SONET is Gigabit Ethernet, although there are some alternatives being developed like Resilient Packet Ring (RPR, 802.17). Gigabit Ethernet is a dramatically lower cost alternative to SONET. In typical WAN or MAN applications it costs one-fifth as SONET for both building and operation. It is also easy to scale service to the customer. The next generation service provider is likely to employ Gigabit Ethernet trunks, a mesh architecture, and no SONET or ATM. The introduction of 10 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet will make this architecture even more attractive (100 Gigabit Ethernet is two or three years away). SONET is typically deployed at OC-48 (2.5Gbps) and OC-192 (10Gbps). Some think that ATM and Frame-Relay networks face a performance limit at OC-48 (2.5Gbps) because of the network switches typically used. This is just another incentive for service providers to switch technologies. When a new service provider enters the market, it has the advantage of using latest and greatest technology and installing it at dramatically lower costs. Given that in many markets there is an abundance of "dark fiber" available (that is, unused fibers in already installed fiber cable, which are available for lease), it will be relatively easy for new service providers to enter the market. Since customers tend to stick with a network service provider unless their is a distinct cost advantage, price discounts are the obvious primary strategy for a new service provider. There will be a number of the "upstart" providers, and they will force existing providers to upgrade their own infrastructures 4.3.4.2 Optical Bandwidth Increases Advancements in fiber optic technology are leading to explosive growth in network bandwidth -- growth significantly beyond that of computing power. This will lead to a change in the balance of power between the established telecommunication service providers, Interexchange Carriers (IXCs) and the Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs), and their challengers. It also promises to bring about a fundamental change in the tradeoffs we make between bandwidth and processing. As one might expect, the rapid increase in optical bandwidth is also characterized by a dramatic reduction in cost per unit of bandwidth. It is this cost decrease that makes this a disruptive network technology. Prices are falling so fast that telecommunication service providers will no longer be able to assume long pay back periods for their investments. Fiber optic bandwidth is doubling each year. The number of DWDM frequencies capable of being carried on a single fiber is doubling each year. Just these two increases yield a four-fold increase in one year and a sixty-four-fold increase in three years. This is far beyond the four times increase in computing power we would expect in the same time period. In addition, fiber optic bandwidth is likely to increase as the impurities in the fiber are reduced (Lucent). This allows higher frequencies to be used, and these frequencies can carry more data. Fiber cables being installed use more and more fibers per cable; 800 fibers per cable is typical today. These dramatic increases in bandwidth apply primarily to the network backbone. This is because the optoelectronics required are very complicated and expensive. Eventually these technologies will migrate down to devices the end user might employ, but this will take a long time. What kind of difference does this make? Twofold: (1) tradeoffs between processing and communication, and (2) cost of competing with the ILECs. Current practice is usually to spend more on computer processing cycles in order to save on communication (that is, bandwidth used for communication). This is why we usually try to put the computing power as close as possible to the relevant people and data; why we have web caching servers; why we use data compression, multicasting, and a host of other bandwidth saving techniques. Some very successful companies have been built on providing services to get around bandwidth limitations. Akamai is a recent example -- its strategy is to disperse/distribute audio and video servers geographically in such a way that end users will always be "close" to the content they want and that high demand from across the Internet will not be concentrated on one network path or one server location. If fiber optic bandwidth increases as we predict, strategies like Akamai's will no longer be appropriate. Abundant bandwidth will encourage much simpler computing structures, data center consolidation/centralization will be encouraged, and there will be much greater freedom as to where computing infrastructures may be placed geographically. 4.3.4.3 Bandwidth Demand Most projections assume a continued rapid increase in customer demand for bandwidth. Internet traffic is predicted to increase 200% per year and data traffic on public WANs is estimated to be growing at twice that rate. Most of this increased demand is from video, entertainment, and new applications. Voice over IP is a small factor, but voice traffic on all networks is only growing by 4% per year. The recent downturn in the industry is not due to a reduction in demand. Many of the technologies discussed in this section are examples of the demand-side appetite for more bandwidth. 4.3.4.4 Voice over IP Voice over IP is important primarily because of the unwelcome challenge it presents to ILECs and IXCs. Voice currently represents 80% of telecommunication carriers' revenue. Obviously they would like to keep things as they are, but this is not possible. Service providers must find new services that can replace their voice revenues. VoIP will bring added data to the network, but it is not a significant demand factor when compared to overall network traffic. Voice demand increases slowly since human beings have only so many hours in a day that they can devote to talking or listening on the telephone. The move to VoIP will be motivated by three kinds of benefits. First, it is obvious that money can be saved by moving voice traffic from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to IP. Second, there are VoIP applications that can integrate voice into such things as web sites, voice portals, customer contact centers, and so on in very beneficial ways. Finally, an enterprise can use a VoIP phone system, replacing PBXs with call servers, gateways, and Ethernet phones. This will allow for much easier moves, adds, changes, and overall much less expensive phone systems. It also makes Cisco a major threat to traditional PBX vendors. The long-distance voice carriers will be the first to be affected; they will see the decline in their voice revenues increase. Impact on the ILECs will take longer, but they too will be hurt by the growth of competitive IP-based service providers. Unlike the CLECs, most of whom simply tried to re-create the ILEC's circuit-switched voice infrastructure using unbundled copper local loops, or to provide DSL service, new providers like Yipes, Telseon, and Cogent Communications will be able to bypass the ILEC infrastructure and offer huge amounts of bandwidth at very low cost. Incumbent carriers can survive this challenge from IP-based service providers only by adopting the optical/Ethernet/IP switching-based technology as well. We predict that incumbent carriers will have no choice but to endure substantial write-offs of installed ATM/SONET/circuit-switching equipment. 4.3.4.5 Competitive Business Environment Today's business climate is very difficult for IXCs, ILECs, and CLECs. The Competitive Local Exchange Carriers have had a particularly difficult time. Many have gone bankrupt or are barely staying afloat. The ILECs have been understandably less than cooperative in sharing their infrastructure, plus in many cases the copper infrastructure is quite poor. The ILECs still have tight control over their service areas for both voice, and for services like DSL. Whether from a CLEC or ILEC, the DSL rollout has been much more difficult and slower than expected. Southwestern Bell committed over $6 billion to extending DSL coverage, but has had to trim this back. Despite the advantage of a dedicated versus shared connection, the predictions that DSL would surpass cable modems by 2003 may not come to fruition. In the long distance voice market, fierce rate competition has reduced revenues and profits. Both AT&T and Worldcom have sought to spin off these operations. Profitability is also elusive for ISPs. There are many long-haul IP networks in the US; competition is fierce; this service is a commodity; profits, if any, are low; many are shutting down, merging, or being acquired; and many add web hosting in a desperate search for profits. 4.3.4.6 IP Network Concerns The current IP network infrastructure has a long way to go before it can adequately support the demand soon to come from e-government, e-business, and so on. The network needs significant improvements in performance, reliability, availability, and geographic distribution. It is not that unusual today for performance and security concerns to make enterprises hesitant to put all their voice and data on the public Internet. The use of leased lines and frame-relay continue to be as widespread as they are because these offer service level guarantees. Service level agreements, and in particular the service providers' ability to deliver on these promises, will be vital in the transition to the public network. 4.3.4.7 Wireless as Supplement Wireless IP networks will complement, but not replace, wired IP networks. Fixed wireless is a particularly good alternative to DSL or cable modems (802.16 looks very promising and is intended to standardize fixed broadband wireless systems). Wireless is also useful as a convenient and/or less expensive replacement for the last fifty feet of network wiring, or in the case of Bluetooth, an even shorter range "cable" replacement (think of it as replacing serial or USB cables). Bandwidth of wireless networks is dramatically less than that of wired networks. Wireless is typically one-tenth to one-hundredth the capacity. This applies to wireless LANs, point to point wireless, and 2.5G, 3G, and 4G wireless networks. There is also the limitation that QoS cannot be layered on top of a wireless network (fixed or mobile), and mobile wireless adds the difficulty of locating users, transitioning between cells, etc. Wireless data has generally developed more slowly than expected. Metricom/Ricochet recently went bankrupt. Analog CDPD systems like Go Wireless survive, but coverage is limited and service is typically slow (14.4kbps). 2.5G, 3G, and 4G are promising; some US providers seem to want to go directly to 4G, but this is at least three years away. Wireless LANs (802.11b and 802.11a) can suffer from interference. The spectrum used by these LANs is shared with wireless phones, Bluetooth, and microwave ovens. 802.11a employs a higher frequency that suffers less from interference, but pays for this with a dramatically reduced range (about one-half that of 802.11b).

Published On: 12/13/2001 1:52:42 AM  Version:1.01a