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TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND CABLE TV

Deregulation in many countries now permits cable TV companies to offer services traditionally offered by the telephone companies. The cable companies are just beginning to form plans on how new two-way services should be offered. Access to the telephone company network would also provide access to other services, such as the Internet.

A major issue is the kind of interface to be provided on the cable network for associated telephone apparatus. It is not clear whether a traditional phone could simply be plugged into the cable system. Other issues, such as numbering and access to 800 service, need to be resolved. Whether traditional modem, telephony, or ISDN interfaces could be used or whether new cable-specific interfaces would be developed is also under consideration. Both solutions could coexist through provision of appropriate conversion units.

Cable systems usually consist of a head end with a one- way subtending tree and branch structure. Whether the head end would provide local switching within the residential area has not been determined. Other topologies, such as rings, may be more appropriate for new services.

Conversely, deregulation also permits the telephone companies to offer services previously offered by the cable companies. In such a case, a video server would be accessed by the telephone company network, probably using broadband ISDN and ATM technology.

COMPUTER-INTEGRATED TELEPHONY

Computing and telecommunications are coming together in several ways. Computers can now be attached to telecommunications lines to become sophisticated answering machines, autodialers, and fax machines.

The availability of calling and called-line identification permits databases to be associated with telephone calls. For example, the calling line identification can be used to automatically extract the appropriate customer record from a database so that when the call is answered the appropriate customer information becomes available on a screen.

Computer-integrated telephony allows a variety of telephone service features to be controlled by the customer’s computers. Intelligent network architectures that facilitate the separation of management and control are ideally suited to external computer control.

Public switched data networks have not been very efficient because of the costs of building separate networks and because the scale and demand for data proved nothing like that for voice services. A single digital network such as narrowband ISDN (N-ISDN) or broadband ISDN changes the picture significantly when coupled with the new demand for digital services.

COMPUTING AND ENTERTAINMENT

Most personal computers on the market have audiovisual capabilities. Movies and audio clips can be combined with text for a variety of multimedia applications. Video or images can be edited as easily as text.

With the advent of high- definition TV and digital encoding of TV signals, it is easy to imagine a system in which the traditional TV screen and the PC monitor would be interchangeable. Computers are already being used to produce movies and as a playback medium, even providing the possibility of real-time interaction with the users.

Integrating all the appliances into a single architecture is the difficult part. Home theater systems provide simple forms of switching between components — for example, video to TV or VCR, or audio from TV to remote speakers. Soon, no doubt, the personal computer will be part of this system.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES

Many countries have prepared recommendations for their respective national information infrastructures, including the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, and Australia, among others. The major differences in each country’s initiatives seem to revolve around to what extent government will fund and regulate the information infrastructure.

The U.S.

The Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) launched the National Information Infrastructure (Nil) initiative in early 1993. The IITF is composed of an advisory council and committees on security, information policy, telecommunications policy, applications, and technology. Government funding is being made available for the development of NIL applications.

The IITF’s goal is that the information infrastructure become a seamless web of communications networks, computers, databases, and consumer electronics. The NIL initiative is also closely associated with the passage of a new communications act, which outlines principles for the involvement of the government in the communications industry. According to the communications act, the government should:

  Promote private sector investment.
  Extend the universal service concept to ensure that information resources are available at affordable prices.
  Promote technological innovation and new applications.
  Promote seamless, interactive, user- driven operation.
  Ensure information security and reliability.
  Improve management of the radio frequency spectrum.
  Protect intellectual property rights.
  Coordinate with other levels of government and with other nations.
  Provide access to government information and improve government procurement.

International Initiatives

The G7 countries (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US) are considering developing an information infrastructure that would offer, among others, the following services:

  Global inventory.
  Global interoperability for broadband networks.
  Cross-cultural education and training.
  Electronic museums and galleries.
  Environment and natural resources management.
  Global emergency management.
  Global health care applications.
  Government services online.
  Maritime information systems.

STANDARDS AND STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS

It is difficult to imagine how objectives such as universal access, universal service, and global interoperability can be achieved without an agreed- on set of standards. However, some sectors of industry prefer that fewer standards be established because this gives them the opportunity to capture a share of the market with proprietary solutions. Regardless, several national and international standards development organizations (SDOs) throughout the world are initiating activities related to the information infrastructure.


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