Depending on whom you ask, an architecture could be explained in a wide range of ways. However, on a conceptual level, an architecture describes a set of components and the way they are related. This paper addresses a range of concepts to understand a technical architecture. Further details and examples are given in accompanying papers in this issue of Telektronikk.

Today the telecommunication network and the computer network look quite similar to each other in terms of technologies and equipment and one may be tempted to believe that they have the same origin. However, they were originally built to serve different purposes and use different technologies. Their architectures were therefore completely different. The telecommunication network had a vertical architecture while the computer network was built according to a horizontal architecture. With time, both the needs and the means were changing and the architectures of the two networks are converging. This paper is aiming at shedding light on the architectural differences between the original telecommunication network and the computer network. The understanding of the differences is essential to understand the evolution of the telecommunication network. The paper starts with a study of the traditional telecommunication system. Next, the architecture of the computer network is studied. A transition journey of the telecommunication network is then presented. Finally, a promising future telecommunication architecture is presented.

There is a strong link between the business role(s) a market player wants to take on and the architecture guidelines that should be obeyed. Firstly, in order to swiftly interact with partners the proper interfaces have to be specified and made available. Secondly, functionality needed to carry out the roles has to be present. Thirdly, optional architecture modules should be defined according to the optional role features and corresponding risks. This paper addresses a number of business aspects that should be examined in order to define a proper technical architecture.

A technical architecture is set out to fill specific purposes. Although several expectations may be common or similar across several operations or areas, there would likely exist a number of conditions that are specific for the actual area looked at. Hence, it becomes a fine art to balance the generality and the specificity. Still the experience on elaborating technical architectures can be carried across different areas and operations. This paper elaborates on methods used for defining architectures within the telecom industry. The method for defining a technical architecture should start out by capturing relevant requirements that are to be complied with. Then, one must specify how to group the functions needed to meet those requirements. Finally, reflections on the resulting architecture should be done to check that it really complies with the requirements, look for potential improvements and capture learning from the activity.

All IT architects depict boxes with lines between them, but most architects depict different categories of things, and often different categories in the same graph. Hence, it is not enough to request an IT architecture; you have to know exactly what you want and why. This paper tells you what you need.

Any IT system can only read and write data and carry out functions on these data. Unfortunately, many designers define the functions within the mappings to input-outputs, and not as mappings between data within the system. This makes them believe that IT systems may carry out work processes in addition to managing data. We advocate for a data centric view of IT systems, and strongly discourage the use of the process and workflow perspectives. This paper gives an overview of data definitions in ITU-T Recommendations M.1401-M.1405 for services, networks and orders of a telecom operator. A separate Annex about The Language tells how these data are defined and used.

Wireless M2M ad-hoc type networks are typically resource limited due to the restricted capabilities of constituent objects (ie. nodes). There may be limitations in transmission range and capacity, power availability, spatial coverage and location, etc. These limitations may be alleviated through abstractions implemented by cooperating objects. Such abstractions span a range of diverse approaches, each suited to specific ambient conditions and applications. This work proposes management service ontology, defining an API, for easy access to and use of the following main types of regional abstractions: Abstract regions, Virtual Nodes (VNs) for trajectory control and virtual graphs and topologies by emulation. The API extends the power of regions by allowing applications development to take place without considering the characteristics of the underlying network topology and ambient conditions. Management supports adoption of the most efficient virtualization depending on the environment of deployment. The Virtual Node Layer (VNL) architecture is developed to support the region and topology abstraction implemented as a VN application or as a Physical Node (PN) application. Implementing applications on top of the VNL provides the extra reliability and resilience which may be needed in certain environments, eg. for wireless sensor networks. This represents a major simplification which provides flexibility for optimisations to the operational environment and underlying technology without modifications to the implemented algorithms.

Telecommunication network operators, service providers, and end users are all expecting higher capacities, increased reach and improved service experience, for existing and new services at an acceptable cost. Multiple links for simultaneous utilisation by a single user is an attractive way forward. It differs from other approaches in boosting capacity and coverage as it may use completely different and already existing types of networks such as mobile, broadband and broadcast networks at the same time. This paper first presents the benefits from such an approach, primarily the ability to make better use of the available networks on a dynamic basis, to increase the available aggregate capacity and improve utilization, extend the geographical coverage, or manage resources on a larger scale for higher efficiency. The goal is to translate this into better services for the customer and to lower the cost compared to the single technology approach. In order to allow for multilink operations, a new architectural framework has been considered, including splitting and merging functionalities placed in multilink gateways operating at different locations depending on service context as well as user and service provider objectives. Multilink gateways can be an add-on to existing terminals, base stations, access gateways or core networks enabling smooth transition to new capabilities and services. Initial business opportunities have been described and new actors and roles identified. This work has been done as part of the international CELTIC project MARCH.

The evolving communications needs of end-users, and the need for a cost optimal network structure, require service providers to change the way they deliver services. To address end-user demand for blended, personalized services, service providers need technologies that will support legacy services and enable new IP-based (unified) services that will attract and retain consumer and enterprise end-users. Although there are a number of options, the IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) technology provides both a cost-optimized answer to short-term needs and the most flexibility for service providers that want to enable their networks to deliver the enhanced services being demanded today, and prepare for the services end-users will seek tomorrow.

The International Telecommunication Union initiated work on the Next Generation Network (NGN) architecture some years ago. Its origin could already be found in the work on Global Information Infrastructure delivering recommendations from around 1998. The NGN work has outlined several important principles regarding layering, mobility and convergence. These are briefly presented in this paper.

When building an IT architecture for a greenfield or existing telecom operator, it is essential to have a template of which IT systems should exist, how data and functions should be partitioned between these, and how the systems should be integrated. For OSS, Telenor has developed such a template in what is called the CONTEST OSS Reference Architecture.

This paper presents a proposed systems plan for Business Support Systems (BSS) of a telecom operator. The plan has been used in Merger and Acquisition projects. However, Telenor has not yet developed as detailed plans for BSS as for the OSS domain, see a separate paper on OSS Architecture. The thinking behind the BSS Architecture is much the same as for the OSS Architecture.

Optimal planning for the integration of WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) and Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) technologies enables real technical conditions to make a hybrid Wi-Fi/WiMAX network available at the Health Sciences Faculty of University of Beira Interior, supporting nomadic applications like videoconference, voice over IP and communication of high resolution video/image. A simple wireless planning tool is designed and used in this optimal planning, which facilitates the design and implementation of Wi-Fi and WiMAX networks in indoor and outdoor environments. The tool gives useful information through quick coverage/capacity based procedures, as the output is the number and position of the APs (access points)/BSs (base stations) or an estimation of the total cost of implementation, based on data provided by different manufacturers. While planning methodologies are already stable for Wi-Fi, and propagation models have already been widely validated, the propagation models available for WiMAX still need to be tuned, which motivates the need to carry out propagation measurements. For IEEE 802.16-2004 networks operating at 3.5 GHz, by comparing the measurement results with the ones obtained using the modified Friis and the SUI (Stanford University Interim) models, it was concluded that, for a suburban area of Covilhã, Portugal, the use of the modified Friis model with a propagation exponent ~3 is more appropriate than the use of the SUI one, although for coverage distances between 275 and 475 m the SUI model (SUI-B and mainly SUI-C) may still be used. WiMAX cellular planning exercises are presented for the zone of Covilhã. Carrier-to-noise-plus-interference issues are discussed, and Geographic Information Systems are applied to determine the existence of line-of-sight in rural and sparse urban areas. One of the main conclusions arising from this work is the strong need of using sectorial antennas to guarantee an adequate coverage and interference mitigation for several terrain types and environments, including hilly terrain.

“The impact of internet and communications technology on the home and consumer environment.”

This article examines the diffusion of mobile telephony into society and examines how it has made the transition from being simply a useful device, to being an assumed technology. To the degree that this has happened, it approximates Durkheim’s notion of social facts. Other technologies, such as automobile transport have similar characteristics.

Acronyms and Terms used in the Technical Architecture issue.