1E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

CE53105-6Applied Communication Systems

Lecture 1Introduction and Course Overview

• Introduction to module and Assessment• Network Convergence• Summary

Version 1.5 Jan 2012

j.c.westlake@staffs.ac.uk, k.k.chai@staffs.ac.uke.r.edwards@staffs.ac.uk, c.mbarushimana@staffs.ac.uk, n.a.shulver@staffs.ac.uk

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Overview

This first session is an introduction to the module - setting the scene and some module ground rules

Technology looked at– Smart Phones / VOIP / Wireless / RFID / 3G / XML are all very

topical The module will be applied / hands-on

– It is a development and network-related module– We put kit into business context and also do some mobile

development– There are devices you can access

• Android Tablets and Phones; NFC, RFID readers. NFC tags.

The areas covered are commercially topical and should provide all of you with useful skills and knowledge in the workplace

What kind of job will you be looking for?– This module should help you in your application for technical roles

e.g. infrastructure roles

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 3

How the module will work

1 lecture per week 1 scheduled tutorial hour per week

– The assignment can be incrementally developed/researched– The assignment is available from next week

The assessment for this module is split with – 70% allocated to the assignment and – 30% to the end of module exam (1 hour closed book)

Assignment: This will be discussed today and live next week

• Producing a report and a prototype application.• Either 50:20 or 20:50 split between report and prototype – you

decide.

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 4

Learning Outcomes of module

Learning Outcomes1. Understand convergence of communication technology 2. Review the concepts of mobile communications technology

including wireless networks and wireless hosts 3. Review the IT infrastructure for computer telephony integration

(CTI) and Voice over IP 4. Practical implementation of wireless applications using

appropriate software

Kit that you will have some usage of– Smartphones - Concentrating on Android– Wireless mobile devices (tablets)– And we will look at NFC/RFID and VoIP technology

See the links in this weeks tutorial sheet for more information about the technology

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 5

Convergence

Introduction– Setting the scene

What is convergence ?– Why is convergence happening ?– Types of convergence– Physical Convergence

• Possible designs of converged devices• Interactive TV

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 6

Unified Communications Unified communications - a world where multiple

communication methods are – integrated, – controlled and – managed effectively

Unified communications products achieve this through– convergence and – integration of communications channels, networks and business

applications Bringing together computing applications with communications

networks can increase – staff effectiveness, – improve customer service and – reduce overhead costs

Unified Collaborative Communications (UCC) is seen as a strategy to achieve the above

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 7

Impact of mobile computing

Pervasive technology ... Impacts in many ways

– The way we do things as individuals and as businesses– Technology driven or Business need driven?

• Not always clear

Evolution or Revolution?– Examples

• PDAs – a dead market? Or not?• Smartphones, tablets and in between

– Internet enabled devices• Often used for web based applications (much more than http:

possible)• Integration of devices

– Convergence of devices– Standards and research

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 8

The need for communication

Anytime/anywhere Offsite and onsite employees Increasing productivity Automating workflow Examples:

– BT telephone engineers can access customer profile via 3G laptops

– Restocking vans overnight for jobs on the following day– Jobs allocated to engineers over web rather than return to

base– Parcel tracking for improved customer service

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 9

Return on investment

Very interesting for us, but... Implementing communications technology needs to

be justified as an investment Costs versus benefits Sometimes there are disadvantages to convergence Intangible savings and tangible savings

– Often referred to as the “value added”– Less administration, fewer areas to check– More time for “doing”– Lower complexity for developers– More opportunities for new types of solution

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 10

Convergence progress The world of IT is changing, IT and communication technologies are now

combined Professionals in this field need to understand both

aspects! Converged technologies have high potential, but

beware of inflated expectations e.g. VoIP

A technology Life cycle?– Technology Trigger– Inflated expectations – Trough of disillusionment– Period of enlightenment – Plateau of productivity

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 11

Types of Convergence

Protocol convergence– Problems and solutions for IT management– Perhaps moving from a Multi-protocol to single

protocol network?• For a list of protocols -

http://www.protocols.com/protocols.htm• How many communication-related protocols are there?

– As an example, Unified Messaging (UMS) handling has

• voice, • fax and • text for a mailbox

for access by email or phone

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 12

Types of convergence (cont) Payload Convergence

– different types of data carried in the same communication format

• Text, Images, Video, Sound, Numeric … digital data is flexible

Device Convergence– Example: network switches supporting

• Ethernet packets, • Internet Protocol (IP) routing and • Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)

Applications Convergence– integrated functions, previously unavailable

Physical Convergence– Hardware, miniaturisation, integrated circuitry

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 13

Examples of Personal communications

devices and applications availableFunctionality on a smartphone -

– Clock, Stopwatch, Time alarm, Diary, Notepad– E-mailer, Contacts manager– Calculator, Currency converter, Language translator– Digital camera, Video player, Video-games player, TV player– Music player, Radio receiver – Internet browser, Remote controller (other devices)– Personal attack alarm; Personal medical alert– Heart-rate and Blood Pressure monitor– GPS, Augmented reality overlay viewer

And many, many more– Apps! (popular platforms have hundreds of thousands

available, many free)

E.R.Edwards 18/01/12 Staffordshire UniversityFCET

Slide 15

Summary

Convergence has become a major driver for corporations and smaller firms looking to:– Save money– Maximise comms technology– Harness the demands of data exchange– Exploit niche opportunities– Create new markets

Networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated in order to cope with the changes in traffic