Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1 Fundamentals

1.1. Different kinds of network

1.2. Financial aspects relating to networks

1.3. Historical overview of the communications market

1.4. Networking techniques

1.5. Choices available to companies in a changing world

1.6. Summary

2 Communication Techniques

2.1. Transmission parameters

2.2. Modulation and encoding

2.3. Switching

2.4. Signaling in networks

2.5. Protocols and data exploitation

2.6. The “OSI model”

2.7. Local Area Network (LAN)

2.8. Public data networks (Wide-Area Networks - WANs)

2.9. Network management

2.10. Summary

3 Transmissionsupports

3.1. Description of supports

3.2. Digital wireless access systems

3.3. ADSL systems

3.4. Power-Line Communications (PLC)

3.5. Composite access networks

3.6. Specific network structures

3.7. Reminder of the possible data rates

3.8. Regulations to be observed by operators

4 Networkingprotocols

4.1. Problems needing to be resolved

4.2. Circuit-switching and network intelligence

4.3. Packet-Switched Data Network (PSDN)

4.4.NGNs and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)

4.5. Virtualization

4.6. Network security

4.7. Conclusion

5 Voice service and Messaging

5.1. Criteria of quality for voice signals

5.2. Voice interface

5.3. VoIP and ToIP

5.4. Clerical works

5.5. Exploitation of messaging

5.6. Communications with the emergency services

5.7. Conclusion

6 Data Applications

6.1. Multimedia services

6.2. Digital Signage

6.3. Identification technologies

6.4. Image services

6.5. Conclusion

7 The Internet and the NGN

7.1. Creation and principles of NGNs

7.2. Usual applications on the Internet

7.3. Developments currently under way

7.4. Cloud computing

7.5. Big Data

7.6. The Internet of Things (IoT) and M2M

7.7. Social networks and social media

7.8. Principles of charging

7.9. The weaknesses of the NGN/Internet construction

7.10. Where is the NGN heading to?

7.11. Conclusion

8 Choices for Businesses

8.1. Analysis of the need for communication

8.2. ICTs in SMEs

8.3. Technological evolution and associated costs

8.4. Security in SMEs

8.5. Best practices

8.6. References regarding cyber security

8.7. A few organizations operating in good security practices

8.8. Conclusion

Overview and Conclusions

C.1. The flexibility of the world of networks

C.2. The need for regulation of telecommunications

C.3. Net neutrality and real-time services

C.4. Commercial competition and technical innovations

C.5. Ideas about the future

Appendix

A.1 Frequencies

A.2 Vocabulary

A.3 History of ADSL

A.4 The costly race for high data rates

A.5 Configuration of the PSTN (the so-called “legacy” network)

A.6 Basic architecture of the NGN

A.7 Correspondence between legacy network and NGN environments

A.8 Unified Communications: the service provided by Adobe Connect

A.9 Unified Communications, WebRTC: example of the services offered by Apizee

A.10 Main features of 4G/LTE-A

A.11 Audio/video connectors

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

First published 2014 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:

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© ISTE Ltd 2014

The rights of Daniel Battu to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014947881

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-84821-696-9

Foreword

In today’s world, technology is evolving at an astonishing rate - particularly in the area of telecommunications. Gordon Moore, one of the founders of the electronics giant Intel, notes that the computation power of processors tends to double within the space of only 18 months. It can clearly be seen that this empirical rule, which is now known as “Moore’s Law”, is applicable to dozens of technologies, although the way in which the doubling of performance is quantified can sometimes be disputed.

With this evolution of classic technologies came link-ins between different branches of activities and, at the boundaries between these interlinking disciplines, new specialized professions have emerged. For instance, today, telecommunications have begun to play a role in medicine, and in so-called “connected cars”. Thus, users of communication services and companies have been forced to get to grips with new concepts, and use three- or four-letter acronyms to speak of new communication protocols and services. “Jargonauts”, i.e. people who use jargon excessively, thus make it even more difficult to fully grasp novel concepts and approaches. However, there is often a simple explanation to be given, which could help anyone and everyone to understand what any given modern technique makes possible, and what the new forms of use of technology can make available to users. Such is the objective of this book: to offer increased knowledge of the state of the art to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) so that, in conjunction with the information available on specialized Websites, the evolution of communications networks becomes easier to understand. It is important for companies to have a clearer view of the world of digital communications and the changes occurring in that world, so as to be able to make use of the available tools and make contributions to the field to help these technologies deliver to their full potential.

As an educator, course coordinator for DESS 226 (Masters - Telecoms- and New Media- Management) at the Université de Paris Dauphine, and a private consultant to numerous companies, Daniel Battu has conceived and constructed this book to render the evolution of networking technologies accessible to a wider audience, in light of the available information, with a focus on practical uses of the technology. This overview should help companies to fill in the gaps and see the links between topics which are already partially known to them.

Jean-Jacques DAMLAMIAN

Former Executive Director of R&D at France Télécom President of IREST, consultant

September 2014

Introduction

In an age where most information about most topics in existence is available on the Internet, a new book about telecommunications services may seem unnecessary. After all, need we not merely call up a search engine and consult an online database to find all the information about the past and present of any and all technologies?

Certainly, nowadays, the Internet has become an irreplaceable tool, because week after week, it feeds us information about new innovations and the evolution of the markets relating to all human activities. What the Internet lacks, though, is the guiding narrative thread, which is crucial to understanding the evolution from old technologies into the technologies available today, and to benefit from the commentary which could elucidate that process of evolution. Also, in spite of its inherent richness, no encyclopedia can, on its own, constitute the one and only referential information source. The actors involved also have the right to be heard: all those who have devoted their working lives to the collective effort of edifying networks can, of course, present their personal views about the evolution of the world of telecommunications, and thus provide invaluable testimony to companies in this area who can make us of it.

It is that approach which is adopted in this book. It seems logical to begin by explaining why, gradually, under the influence of the globalization of the economy, telecommunications networks have been obliged to accept the digital technology attached to IP (Internet Protocol), because of how inexpensive the new components are. Terrestrial networks have been combined with mobile networks and the Internet, giving rise to “New-Generation Networks” (NGNs). It has been necessary to adopt the IMS (Internet Multimedia Subsystem) architecture, which converts between circuits and IP packets, which is crucial for access to the Internet platforms and the multimedia applications they support.

Whilst the primary objective of this book is to encourage SMEs to use digital technologies, and help them to organize with that goal in mind, it has proved necessary to describe the transformations currently under way in the field of networks, and to outline the efforts to obtain a competitive edge in terms of clerical applications, compare the various techniques that are available for high data rate communications, and touch upon the advent of the “Internet of Things”, cloud computing and various new multimedia technologies. The complete decommissioning and replacement of conventional circuit-switching RTPC/RNIS networks, intended to take place by 2018, was felt to be worth mentioning. Similarly, the developments relating to the scandal sparked by Edward Snowden’s revelation of the NSA’s PRISM program meant it was necessary to recap on the origins of the Internet’s creation, and discuss the technical and regulatory measures relating to security. All in all, this book should help companies – particularly SMEs – to garner overall information about the current movement in the area of networking, and assist them in putting in place and managing their own communications systems.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me in this effort to describe the evolutions of networks and services – particularly the experts in this field: old hands from the Centre national d’études des telecommunications (National Center for Telecoms Research) and young specialists from innovative companies.

Daniel BATTU

September 2014

1

Fundamentals

This introductory chapter uses the most appropriate terminology to give an overview of the history of the structure of telecommunications networks. For specialists in the domain, the chapter offers a recap on networking techniques, and the avenues which are open to companies are also touched upon.

1.1. Different kinds of network

1.1.1. Classic definitions

For simplicity’s sake, the definitions given here take account of both technical considerations and regulatory aspects. They are accurate at the time of writing (2014). For further details on the official terminology used, readers may consult the ITU.[1]

When we speak of a “network”, we mean a combination of various devices, management software packages and links which enable a certain number of terminals, distributed within a specific geographical area, to communicate with one another.

A local area network is one whose coverage is restricted to the dimensions of a particular private space – e.g. the premises of a company (an area between 10 m and 1 km in diameter). The abbreviation LAN is used to speak of such networks). There are various types of LAN, including hardwired LANs (where the connections are formed by metal wires or optical fibers), wireless LANs (WLANs) and hybrid LANs. LANs are managed by their owners, and are often the responsibility of the technicians in a company’s IT department. They may be completely independent of any external connection, or may be linked to another network. Small local networks are considered to be Personal Area Networks (PANs). Low energy-consumption wireless PANs are known as LoW PANs.

For greater distances – say, between 5 and 50 km, the expression “Metropolitan Area Network” (MAN) is used. An MAN belongs to several entities in cooperation with one another. It will be connected to one or more “Wide Area Networks” (WANs).

Thus, a WAN encompasses a number of MANs. Its coverage extends over diameters greater than that of a metropolitan area. WANs may be made up of numerous hardwired and wireless connections. Usually, they are managed by a number of competing companies. They are capable of handling communications to and from outside the LANs, including international connections. A WAN may be made up of hardwired, wireless and satellite connections.

In the medical field, we speak of Medical Body Area Networks (MBAN) for therapeutic applications or for clinical tests performed on the human body, using radio electric equipment exploiting the frequency bands authorized for that purpose. The terms BAN (Body Area Network) and BSN (Body Sensor Network) are often used to describe the use of portable low-consumption computerized devices, which function on, in or around the human body, for a wide range of applications – medical, consumer electronics, entertainment and more.

On a technical level, a large-scale network includes a “core network” (also known as a core network) and an access network. The core network handles the flow of traffic between network connection centers and intercity transfer centers. The core network is the junction between all the concentration points in the wired and radio access networks. In general, there tends to be one core network for each country, and one per network operator as well. The access network is the network which facilitates the receiving of calls and traffic hardwired or wireless subscribers. To define the interface between a wireless subscriber and the main network, we use the acronyms RAN (Radio Access Network) in 2G technology (2G means second generation in mobile telephony systems), UTRAN (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) for 3G and for 4G.

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