Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2004, nr 2

kwartalni

Technology and policy drivers for standardization : consequences for the optical components industry

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2004.Includes bibliographical references.Optical communications promise the delivery of high bandwidth service to all types of customers. The potential for optical communications is enormous and has generated excitement and anticipation over the last decade. However, the emergence of a growing market has not materialized and the 1990s communications "bubble" has burst. One result of the bubble burst is that manufacturers of optical components have seen demand for their products plummet and are now struggling to survive. The future of the communications industry depends on its ability to provide better services and higher reliability. At some point, the upward curve of communications demand will require a strong optical components industry to support the industry. If the current stagnation continues, and the manufacturers fail, the economic pillar that is communications will suffer. The MIT Microphotonics Center has initiated a Communications Technology Roadmap study to better understand the technical, economic, and political factors that are inhibiting growth in the optical communications industry. This thesis examines the current state of the optoelectronic manufacturing industry and the causes of the decline. The primary focus is the rampant proliferation of optical transceiver designs resulting from abnormal market conditions during the "boom years" of the 1990s. The transceiver provides send/receiver capabilities and is the major component of optical networks. Convergence, or standardization, could potentially allow the industry to reach its full potential. System Dynamics is used to analyze transceiver standardization as a potential solution to the industry's lackluster growth.(cont.) To support the findings of the System Dynamics model, historical examples are explored to better understand the behavior of the industry and the potential effects of standardization. The industry currently offers literally hundreds of transceiver varieties. One major challenge to standardization is the development of a reasonable platform for the standard. This thesis will also examine the technical requirements of a transceiver platform and then provide a basic example of a transceiver platform before finishing with proposed policy measures that could guide the industry as it takes its first steps down the path to standardization.by Michael James Speerschneider.S.M

On-board B-ISDN fast packet switching architectures. Phase 1: Study

The broadband integrate services digital network (B-ISDN) is an emerging telecommunications technology that will meet most of the telecommunications networking needs in the mid-1990's to early next century. The satellite-based system is well positioned for providing B-ISDN service with its inherent capabilities of point-to-multipoint and broadcast transmission, virtually unlimited connectivity between any two points within a beam coverage, short deployment time of communications facility, flexible and dynamic reallocation of space segment capacity, and distance insensitive cost. On-board processing satellites, particularly in a multiple spot beam environment, will provide enhanced connectivity, better performance, optimized access and transmission link design, and lower user service cost. The following are described: the user and network aspects of broadband services; the current development status in broadband services; various satellite network architectures including system design issues; and various fast packet switch architectures and their detail designs

Digital imaging technology assessment: Digital document storage project

An ongoing technical assessment and requirements definition project is examining the potential role of digital imaging technology at NASA's STI facility. The focus is on the basic components of imaging technology in today's marketplace as well as the components anticipated in the near future. Presented is a requirement specification for a prototype project, an initial examination of current image processing at the STI facility, and an initial summary of image processing projects at other sites. Operational imaging systems incorporate scanners, optical storage, high resolution monitors, processing nodes, magnetic storage, jukeboxes, specialized boards, optical character recognition gear, pixel addressable printers, communications, and complex software processes

Advanced Trends in Wireless Communications

Physical limitations on wireless communication channels impose huge challenges to reliable communication. Bandwidth limitations, propagation loss, noise and interference make the wireless channel a narrow pipe that does not readily accommodate rapid flow of data. Thus, researches aim to design systems that are suitable to operate in such channels, in order to have high performance quality of service. Also, the mobility of the communication systems requires further investigations to reduce the complexity and the power consumption of the receiver. This book aims to provide highlights of the current research in the field of wireless communications. The subjects discussed are very valuable to communication researchers rather than researchers in the wireless related areas. The book chapters cover a wide range of wireless communication topics