Re-designing Dynamic Content Delivery in the Light of a Virtualized Infrastructure

We explore the opportunities and design options enabled by novel SDN and NFV technologies, by re-designing a dynamic Content Delivery Network (CDN) service. Our system, named MOSTO, provides performance levels comparable to that of a regular CDN, but does not require the deployment of a large distributed infrastructure. In the process of designing the system, we identify relevant functions that could be integrated in the future Internet infrastructure. Such functions greatly simplify the design and effectiveness of services such as MOSTO. We demonstrate our system using a mixture of simulation, emulation, testbed experiments and by realizing a proof-of-concept deployment in a planet-wide commercial cloud system.Comment: Extended version of the paper accepted for publication in JSAC special issue on Emerging Technologies in Software-Driven Communication - November 201

Research and policy to promote inclusion of the poor in the information society in Latin America

Spanish version available in IDRC Digital Library: Investigación y políticas para promover la inclusión de los pobres en la sociedad de la información en América LatinaThe Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI) supports creation and dissemination of knowledge that will promote the expansion of ICT markets, which in turn fosters more equitable distribution of the benefits of ICT roll-out. This report summarizes activities undertaken and results achieved by DIRSI during its second cycle of research, ending in 2011. Organized around three main themes (Bandwidth for All, Mobile Opportunities and New ICT Indexes), the research was complemented by two key instruments for fostering the production of evidence that would back policy making and capacity building for the creation of new knowledge

Communications Policy for 2006 and Beyond

In this Article, the Authors propose sweeping changes to the current telecommunications regulatory regime. With impending reform in telecommunications laws, the Authors argue that an important first step is the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to examine and recommend implementation of more market-oriented communications policy. Through maximizing the operation of the markets, the authors argue that communications policy will better serve its goals of increasing business productivity and consumer welfare through the better services and lower prices. Important steps to achieve optimal market operation include deregulating retail prices where multifirm competition is available, minimizing the cost of public property inputs, overhauling universal service, assigning greater jurisdictional authority to federal regulators, and significantly reorganizing the FCC. The Authors argue that the timely implementation of these policies is crucial for achieving United States telecommunications policy goals

Communications Policy for 2006 and Beyond

In this Article, the Authors propose sweeping changes to the current telecommunications regulatory regime. With impending reform in telecommunications laws, the Authors argue that an important first step is the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to examine and recommend implementation of more market-oriented communications policy. Through maximizing the operation of the markets, the authors argue that communications policy will better serve its goals of increasing business productivity and consumer welfare through the better services and lower prices. Important steps to achieve optimal market operation include deregulating retail prices where multifirm competition is available, minimizing the cost of public property inputs, overhauling universal service, assigning greater jurisdictional authority to federal regulators, and significantly reorganizing the FCC. The Authors argue that the timely implementation of these policies is crucial for achieving United States telecommunications policy goals

Digitalization and Development

This book examines the diffusion of digitalization and Industry 4.0 technologies in Malaysia by focusing on the ecosystem critical for its expansion. The chapters examine the digital proliferation in major sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, e-commerce and services, as well as the intermediary organizations essential for the orderly performance of socioeconomic agents. The book incisively reviews policy instruments critical for the effective and orderly development of the embedding organizations, and the regulatory framework needed to quicken the appropriation of socioeconomic synergies from digitalization and Industry 4.0 technologies. It highlights the importance of collaboration between government, academic and industry partners, as well as makes key recommendations on how to encourage adoption of IR4.0 technologies in the short- and long-term. This book bridges the concepts and applications of digitalization and Industry 4.0 and will be a must-read for policy makers seeking to quicken the adoption of its technologies

TV White Spaces: A Pragmatic Approach

190 pages The editors and publisher have taken due care in preparation of this book, but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information contained herein. Links to websites imply neither responsibility for, nor approval of, the information contained in those other web sites on the part of ICTP. No intellectual property rights are transferred to ICTP via this book, and the authors/readers will be free to use the given material for educational purposes.  e ICTP will not transfer rights to other organizations, nor will it be used for any commercial purposes. ICTP is not to endorse or sponsor any particular commercial product, service or activity mentioned in this book. This book is released under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives ¦.þ International license. For more details regarding your rights to use and redistribute this work, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Internet sharing in community networks

Cotutela Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya i Instituto Superior TécnicoThe majority of the world's population does not have any or adequate Internet access. This implies that the Internet cannot provide universal service, reaching everyone without discrimination. Global access to the Internet for all requires the expansion of network infrastructures and a dramatic reduction in Internet access costs especially in less developed geographical regions. Local communities come together to build their own network infrastructures, known as Community Networks, and provide accessible and affordable local and Internet inter-networking. Sharing resources, such as infrastructure or Internet access, is encouraged at all levels, in order to lower the cost of connectivity and services. Communities can develop their own network infrastructures as a commons, using several interconnected sub-networks when the scale requires it, and sharing several Internet gateways among their participants. Shared Internet access is offered through web proxy gateways, where individuals or organisations share the full or spare capacity of their Internet connections with other participants. However, these gateway nodes may be overloaded by the demand, and their Internet capacity may degrade due to lack of regulation. This thesis investigates whether shared Internet access in community networks can be utilized to provide universal Internet access. As a first step in this direction, in this thesis we explored characteristics, limitations and usability of a concrete shared Internet Web proxy service in community networks. Based on our findings we studied and proposed mechanisms to improve the user experience and fairness of Internet sharing Web proxy services in community networks, without introducing significant overhead to the network and other services. More specifically, we proposed a scalable client-side Internet gateway selection mechanism suitable for heterogeneous environments such as community networks. Finally, we studied and proposed techniques for sharing spare Internet capacity without deteriorating the contributors' performance.La mayoría de la población mundial no tiene ningún o un adecuado acceso a Internet. Esto implica que Internet no puede prestar un servicio universal, llegando a todos sin discriminación. El acceso global a Internet para todos requiere una drástica reducción de los costos de acceso a Internet, especialmente en zonas geográficas y poblaciones menos desarrolladas. Las comunidades locales se organizan para construir sus propias infraestructuras de red, conocidas como redes comunitarias, y proporcionan interconexión local y con Internet de forma accesible y asequible. Se fomenta la compartición de recursos, como la infraestructura o el acceso a Internet, para reducir el coste de la conectividad y los servicios. Las comunidades pueden desarrollar sus propias infraestructuras de red como un recurso común, utilizando varias subredes interconectadas dado su tamaño, y compartiendo varias pasarelas de Internet entre sus participantes. El acceso compartido a Internet se ofrece a través de pasarelas que son proxy web, donde los participantes o las organizaciones comparten la capacidad total o excedente de su conexión a Internet con otros participantes. Sin embargo, estas pasarelas pueden saturarse por la demanda, y su capacidad de acceso a Internet se puede degradar debido la falta de regulación. Esta tesis investiga si las redes comunitarias se pueden utilizar para proporcionar acceso universal a Internet. Como primer paso en esta dirección, exploramos las características, limitaciones y usabilidad de un servicio concreto de acceso compartido a Internet con proxies web en una red comunitaria. Sobre la base de nuestros hallazgos, estudiamos y proponemos mecanismos para mejorar la experiencia del usuario y la equitatividad de la compartición, sin introducir una sobrecarga significativa en la red y a otros servicios. Más específicamente, proponemos un mecanismo escalable de selección de pasarela a Internet del lado del cliente, adecuado para entornos heterogéneos como las redes comunitarias. Además, estudiamos y proponemos técnicas para compartir la capacidad de Internet sin deteriorar el desempeño de los participantes que contribuyen.Postprint (published version