Evolução e coexistência do serviço de mensagens SMS em IMS

De modo a conquistar a confiança e potenciar a aceitação e adesão dos utilizadores às Redes de Próxima Geração (RPG), é necessário garantir que os serviços mais populares das redes legadas (GSM/GPRS) continuam presentes. O Short Message Service (SMS) é um serviço de “dados”, extremamente rentável para as operadoras de telecomunicações, que permite a troca de mensagens curtas entre utilizadores de redes móveis, fixas e indirectamente também com utilizadores da internet. Como se revela essencial expandir este serviço para a RPG ou permitir a sua interacção com os novos serviços de mensagens, foi efectuado um estudo onde é abordada a coexistência do SMS e do serviço de Instant Messaging (IM) nas redes legadas e nas novas redes all-IP. Neste estudo, identificam-se as normas relevantes, os protocolos utilizados e seu funcionamento nos serviços de mensagens da rede IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), e a forma como podem ser utilizados para garantir a interoperabilidade com o SMS. Neste artigo apresenta-se o resultado do estudo efectuado, com o objectivo de facilitar a compreensão da solução para interoperabilidade proposta pelas entidades normalizadoras, clarificando os conceitos relacionados e facilitando, desta forma, o desenvolvimento de soluções de interoperabilidade entre serviços nas redes legadas e de próxima geração. Neste contexto, são descritos os serviços de mensagens da rede IMS e os componentes responsáveis por permitir a interoperabilidade com o SMS, em particular o seu módulo IP Short Message Gateway (IP-SM-GW)

SMS over LTE : interoperability between legacy and next generation networks

To increase the trust and acceptance of Next Generation Networks (NGN) by new and existing subscribers, it is necessary to ensure that the most popular services of legacy networks (GSM/GPRS) are still in place. The Short Message Service (SMS) is a widespread data service with high revenue for telecommunication operators, which allows the exchange of short messages between fixed, mobile and, indirectly, Internet subscribers. In this context, it is essential to extend this service for the NGN and allow its interaction with the new messaging services. With that in mind, a study was carried out to ensure the coexistence between SMS and the Instant Messaging (IM) service present in NGN. The present study identifies the relevant technical specifications impacting on the functionality of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) messaging services so that the interoperability with SMS can be ensured. The results of this study, covered in this article, aim to help the comprehension of the proposed interoperability solution, and demonstrate that the exchange of messages between legacy and NGN messaging services or equipment can be successfully accomplished. In this context, both SMS and IMS messaging services are detailed, along with the main protocols they involve. Finally, the entity responsible for ensuring message interoperability - the IP Short Message Gateway (IP-SM-GW) - is presented and tested in a commercial delivery content testbed.(undefined

A model for enhancing presence handling in instant messaging

Instant Messaging (IM) is becoming increasingly popular in social as well as workplace environments. In fact, many employees use the same IM client to communicate with both colleagues and social contacts. Thus, there are valid concerns about the impact of IM on employee productivity. One of the major advantages of IM over other workplace communication tools such as e-mail and the telephone is the implementation of presence information. In particular, presence awareness is used to determine the avail- ability and willingness of a contact to engage in communication. A current problem with IM is the one-for-all approach to presence: all contacts receive the same set of presence information. However, presence is rooted in social psychology where it is known that the awareness of another person changes the behavior of oneself. Therefore the identity of a contact affects the availability and willingness directed towards that contact. In order for presence information to be provided to contacts, it must be represented in some type of data format. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has done much work in standardizing IM and presence systems. In particular their data format for presence describes a rich set of presence information including, but not limited to, location, activity, awareness, and mood information. Such information may be sensitive and access to it needs to be controlled to ensure privacy. As with access control policies, managing the information as the number of contacts increases becomes cumbersome and complex. This dissertation draws on the theoretical foundations of presence, current standards in the domain of IM, and lessons from access control to present an enhanced presence handling model for IM. The model is developed in stages, with each stage providing a specific improvement. The first stage of the model is grounded on the current work of the IETF. As such it distributes presence on a per-watcher basis. In the second stage of the model watchers fulfill a specific role and based on this role they receive only the entrusted presence information. In practice, it implies that a "friend" may get more (or less) information than a "colleague". The third stage of the model introduces the concept of availability profiles by drawing on social awareness principles. Availability profiles add the ability to transform presence and change the presentity's behavior to incoming messages according to the provided presence information. Finally the dissertation reports on the development of the RoBIM (Role- Based Instant Messenger) prototype. RoBIM is a standards-based IM system that conforms to the IETF SIMPLE protocol and provides various standard IM features. Here, RoBIM serves as a proof-of-concept for the proposed model. This study contributed to the domain of IM and presence by addressing some of the current presence handling issues. Most importantly, the proposed model takes into account the interpersonal effects of individualizing presence information for different contacts. Thus, the model challenges conventional thought and implementation of presence in IM

A model for enhancing presence handling in instant messaging

Instant Messaging (IM) is becoming increasingly popular in social as well as workplace environments. In fact, many employees use the same IM client to communicate with both colleagues and social contacts. Thus, there are valid concerns about the impact of IM on employee productivity. One of the major advantages of IM over other workplace communication tools such as e-mail and the telephone is the implementation of presence information. In particular, presence awareness is used to determine the avail- ability and willingness of a contact to engage in communication. A current problem with IM is the one-for-all approach to presence: all contacts receive the same set of presence information. However, presence is rooted in social psychology where it is known that the awareness of another person changes the behavior of oneself. Therefore the identity of a contact affects the availability and willingness directed towards that contact. In order for presence information to be provided to contacts, it must be represented in some type of data format. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has done much work in standardizing IM and presence systems. In particular their data format for presence describes a rich set of presence information including, but not limited to, location, activity, awareness, and mood information. Such information may be sensitive and access to it needs to be controlled to ensure privacy. As with access control policies, managing the information as the number of contacts increases becomes cumbersome and complex. This dissertation draws on the theoretical foundations of presence, current standards in the domain of IM, and lessons from access control to present an enhanced presence handling model for IM. The model is developed in stages, with each stage providing a specific improvement. The first stage of the model is grounded on the current work of the IETF. As such it distributes presence on a per-watcher basis. In the second stage of the model watchers fulfill a specific role and based on this role they receive only the entrusted presence information. In practice, it implies that a "friend" may get more (or less) information than a "colleague". The third stage of the model introduces the concept of availability profiles by drawing on social awareness principles. Availability profiles add the ability to transform presence and change the presentity's behavior to incoming messages according to the provided presence information. Finally the dissertation reports on the development of the RoBIM (Role- Based Instant Messenger) prototype. RoBIM is a standards-based IM system that conforms to the IETF SIMPLE protocol and provides various standard IM features. Here, RoBIM serves as a proof-of-concept for the proposed model. This study contributed to the domain of IM and presence by addressing some of the current presence handling issues. Most importantly, the proposed model takes into account the interpersonal effects of individualizing presence information for different contacts. Thus, the model challenges conventional thought and implementation of presence in IM

Study, Analysis and Modeling of IP Multimedia systems on next generation networks providing mobile and fixed multimedia services

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Messenger Visual, a pictogram-based instant messaging service for individuals with cognitive disability

Along history disabled individuals have suffered from social exclusion due to the limitations posed by their condition. For instance, deaf people are not able to watch television programs because of their sensory limitation. Despite this situation has improved thanks to the efforts in adapting the different services —today the majority of television programs offer subtitles or simultaneous translation to sign language—, the arrival of the Internet, as well as the rest of the information and communication technologies, poses new risks to the inclusion of disabled individuals. Taking into account the present digital exclusion situation of disabled individuals this project presents Messenger Visual, an Instant Messaging service based on pictograms for individuals with cognitive disability. Messenger Visual is composed of two different parts. On the one hand, the Instant Messaging service has been designed considering the requirements of communication based on pictograms. On the other hand, the Instant Messaging client has been designed taking into account the user interface usability requirements of individuals with cognitive disability. Finally, the project presents the methodology that we have used to evaluate Messenger Visual with a group of individuals with cognitive disability, as well as the results we have obtained. The evaluation process has lasted for six months and one-hour fortnightly sessions have been held with two groups of individuals from Fundació El Maresme with different cognitive disability profiles. These sessions have allowed us to gain better understanding of the user interface accessibility requirements, as well as to know how individuals with cognitive disability communicate using pictograms

Desenvolvimento de aplicação de Rich Communications para Android

Com a emergência de smartphones no mercado de telecomunicações, é cada vez maior o número de novos meios para comunicação. Com a disponibilização de melhores condições de acesso à Internet através dos smartphones, o número de aplicações capazes de fornecer novos serviços de comunicação, para além dos tradicionais serviços de voz e SMS, torna os consumidores cada vez mais exigentes. Esta nova realidade está a colocar em causa a supremacia das operadoras de telecomunicações, no que diz respeito ao fornecimento de serviços. Por forma a iniciar o processo de integração do RCS (Rich Communication Suite) numa operadora de telecomunicações de referência a nível europeu, a WIT-Software deu início a um projeto colaborativo para o desenvolvimento de novas soluções RCS. Esta parceria tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma solução RCS para a plataforma Android, capaz de ser integrado na rede IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) administrada pela operadora. A solução pretende integrar um conjunto de serviços descritos na especificação RCS, assim como garantir a interoperabilidade destes em diferentes redes IMS, com suporte para este tipo de serviços. O presente documento descreve o trabalho realizado no âmbito do estágio integrado no Mestrado Informática e Sistemas, Ramo Desenvolvimento de Software, lecionado no Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra. O estágio decorreu na empresa WIT-Software, tendo a duração de 9 meses. Como estagiário, fiz parte de uma equipa Scrum responsável pelo desenvolvimento da solução RCS para Android. Entre as atividades onde estive diretamente envolvido, constam a programação de módulos em Java, a criação e execução de testes unitários, o planeamento de tarefas, a interpretação e discussão de requisitos