Convergence and next generation networks

Convergence and next generation networks and their potential impact on policies and regulations is the subject of this report, covering issues of competition in the new fibre environment, convergence of video, voice and data services, the rapid growth of new technologies, such as HDTV and mobile television, and the related demand for spectrum, as well as new possible "divides" between urban and rural areas created by the uneven development of high-speed fibre networks

The Convergence Review and the future of Australian content regulation

This article examines the place of Australian and local content regulation in the new media policy framework proposed by the Convergence Review. It outlines the history of Australian content regulation and the existing policy framework, before going on to detail some of the debates around Australian content during the Review. The final section analyses the relevant recommendations in the Convergence Review Final Report, and highlights some issues and problems that may arise in the new framework

Procompetitive infrastructure sector regulation and diffusion of innovation: The case of broadband networks

The paper assesses the scope for competition inducing infrastructure regulation in furthering the diffusion of innovation. The paper uses data on the adoption of broadband services comprising a global panel of 167 countries. The effects of different regulatory provisions are assessed. The result of this paper allows qualifying different elements of the regulatory debate on the consequences of access requirements, including mandatory unbundling. First, it suggests that interplatform competition is generally not leading to acceleration in broadband diffusion. Second, with respect to intra-platform competition, this has been analyzed at two different levels: full unbundling and retail competition. In the first case the competitor is investing in network infrastructure to be able to induce some degree of service differentiation. With retail competition the scope for service differentiation is much more limited and hence competition is most likely centered on price. While both lead to faster diffusion, the results consistently show that the effect from retail competition is proportionally about twice as strong compared to unbundling. Moreover, the analysis of the time profile of the effects show that this impact on diffusion first increases until the third or fourth year after introduction, but then dissipates away. Also here one can argue that retail differentiation leads to more intense price competition and therefore faster diffusion. Different robustness checks for the results are provided. --Broadband,regulation,innovation,service competition,platform competition,local loop unbundling

Architecture to integrate broadband access networks and wireless grids

Today, the access networks face two main challenges: the increasing bandwidth demand and mobility trends. All this will require fundamental changes to the operations of access networks, the functionality of network nodes and the architecture itself. By other side, the evolution of computing and communication networks toward decentralized and distributed systems implies that all the intelligence is on the edge nodes of the networks. Integrating wireless devices with the traditional wired grid infrastructure will allow the access (transfer, processing, etc) to the information that is now scattered across the different devices. In this paper, we present a new architecture and a cost model to support the new requirements of broadband access (fixed and nomadic users) and wireless grids in an integrated way

DOES UNBUNDLING REALLY MATTER? THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRICITY CASES

In this paper we discuss the European regulation policy regarding vertical separation in communications and electricity industries. In the electricity sector the discussion concerns ownership unbundling while in communications the regulatory debate is about functional separation. We conclude that for electricity, ownership unbundling seems to be the best option to achieve competition in wholesale markets although there is still some risks concerning investment. Instead, for the communication sector the regulatory options are deeply dependent on the intensity of network competition between operators that combine different technological platforms. Technology also seems to be a key driver for diverse regulatory approaches concerning the unbundling requirement.unbundling, communications, electricity, next generation networks

Access networks for mobility: a techno-economic model for broadband access technologies

The two main challenges for the access networks are the increasing bandwidth demand and mobility trends. The "triple play" services required (Internet, telephone and TV services) lead to a great increase in bandwidth demand. However, the existing access networks are not able to support this increase, and the capacity to delivery broadband services remain as a challenge ("last mile problem"). The access network remains a bottleneck in terms of the bandwidth and service quality it affords the end user. Besides the bandwidth, other great challenge to access networks is the mobility and the user need to have internet access anywhere and anytime. Then, the increasing demand of "quad-play" (also known as quadruple-play) services, including video, voice, data and mobility, have created new challenges to the modern broadband wireless/wired access networks. This document proposes a techno-economic model to support the new requirements of fixed and nomadic users

Security of RFID Protocols - A Case Study

AbstractIn the context of Dolev-Yao style analysis of security protocols, we investigate the security claims of a recently proposed RFID authentication protocol. We exhibit a flaw which has gone unnoticed in RFID protocol literature and present the resulting attacks on authentication, untraceability, and desynchronization resistance. We analyze and discuss the authors' proofs of security. References to other vulnerable protocols are given

A new living lab for usability evaluation of ICT and next generation networks for elderly@home

Living Usability Lab for Next Generation Networks (www.livinglab.pt) is a Portuguese industry-academia collaborative R&D project, active in the field of live usability testing, focusing on the development of technologies and services to support healthy, productive and active citizens. The project adopts the principles of universal design and natural user interfaces (speech, gesture) making use of the benefits of next generation networks and distributed computing. Therefore, it will have impact on the general population, including the elderly and citizens with permanent or situational special needs. This paper presents project motivations, conceptual model, architecture and work in progress.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio