Sudden Communications Adds Microsoft Lync to Suite of Business Communication Solutions

An exciting new product, Microsoft Lync Server, offers businesses the most seamless integration of communications technology solutions ever presented, including enterprise voice, conferencing, and instant messaging. Microsoft Lync may well revolutionize the way your employees communicate with each other. Sudden Communications (www.suddencommunications.ca/products/microsoft-lync/) is working with clients throughout Vancouver to integrate this technology into their existing infrastructure.

 

Managing multiple platforms for multiple communications solutions has always been a frustrating and cumbersome experience in the workplace. Microsoft Lync brings consolidation and unity to solve that problem. Lync allows businesses to use instant messaging, voice, and conferencing of audio, video, and web all from one single easy-to-use interface!

 

Additionally, contacts for all of these communications tools are stored in the Lync server, saving significant time your employees may spend searching through an address book of one platform to use in another. You can now easily use your Outlook contacts across Lync applications, making life much easier.

 

Microsoft Lync is also compatible with Sharepoint in addition to Office, so you can increase productivity exponentially by linking up stakeholders across the country and around the globe. With Lync, you’ll find yourself collaborating more often and more effectively than ever before.

 

Another great aspect of Microsoft Lync is that it empowers you to customize your usage experience. The Lync interface can be embedded in another applications, so that these tools can be integrated with other frequently-used programs. The only limits to leveraging Microsoft Lync is your own creativity.

 

If you are ready to streamline communication and simplify sharing and collaboration, then you are ready to implement Microsoft Lync.

 

 

Better Knowledge of Data Communications Systems for Greater Employment Opportunities

The communication industry is improving at a very fast pace that each day sees a new advancement. Communication is not restricted to telecommunication alone. The communication industry has crept into various other fields serving many different functions but the basic job is to transfer and transmit information. They are used both at home and at offices. Data communication systems are now used almost all offices and other corporate organization for data transfer. And that’s the reason why the employment potential in the field is constantly increasing. Electrical or Electronics engineering graduates are the most preferred as communications technicians. Graduates in Computer Science or Physics can also pursue with a data communications systems course to get a job in this field.

 

Communication devices and systems are used to perform varied functions in various corporate industries. Each of them will involve different issues to deal with. A good course should be able to equip you with all the necessary skills to handle all types of issues. They may be technical and/or managerial issues. The best job profile would constitute a good post at a communications device manufacturing company. To acquire this post, you should be well qualified and an expert in the field.

 

To begin with, a fresher experience with vendors or communication device service centers would be a good choice. Data communication systems like communications processors are used by various industries as a linking computer. These require little human intervention, yet industries recruit one or two expert hands to set up and handle the linking and interconnections and to ensure proper functioning of the system.

 

Data communication systems course will begin with introducing you to the basic terms like what is data communication, why is there a need for better communication system, the linking of communication sector with information technology, terms like transmission, modulation, signal strength etc. You will also be introduced to newer communication technologies like fiber optic communication systems and wireless data communication.

 

While joining for your course, make sure you have a good course plan which deals with various latest aspects as these are upgraded and it has to be checked whether you are with the latest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced Military Communications Systems

The battle to communicate and to prevent the enemy from doing so has never raged more intensely than now. So it becomes absolutely important for any nation that it uses advanced military communications systems and equipment designed for armed forces around the world.

According to Wikipedia “Military communications, or Signals, is a field of military activities, tactics and equipment dealing with communications. First of all, military communications are battlefield (combat) communications, including intercommunication with a higher command or country’s government.”

Military communications is an integral part of Electronic warfare which uses electromagnetic spectrum to deny its effective use by enemy forces while optimizing its use by friendly forces. Many pieces of military communications equipment are built to encrypt and decode transmissions and survive rough treatment in hostile climates. They use many frequencies to send signals to other radios and to satellites.

HTZ Warfare is a flagship military radio communications planning system, capable of modeling nearly all radio communications technologies operating between about 1.5 MHz and 100 GHz (HF capability is an optional add-in).

This military communications system includes the ability to model fixed and mobile platforms (mobile one at a time) and to model dynamic scenarios via a simple script system, or via TCP/IP link to external asset management systems using the FBCB2 format of message. HTZ Warfare also features powerful database capabilities, and it is possible to directly link to the ICS Manager database.

HTZ Warfare supports different operator modes, allowing a simple interface to be presented to beginners and low-level operators, and more advanced options to more experienced operators. This military communications software can be configured for a specific application and provides a mechanism for ensuring the interface is simple to use. Another improvement is the introduction of an equipment list that allows equipment to be automatically configured by the system.

HTZ Warfare includes sophisticated methods of interference and jamming analysis, including the ability to assess the impact of any technology on any other technology, so long as the transmit spectral characteristics and the receiver rejection envelopes are known.

HTZ Warfare provides mission planning support for a wide range of activities like setting up and managing tactical military radio communications networks, including trunked radio communication systems.

To know more about advanced military communications systems, kindly log onto www.atdi.co.uk

A reflection on Information and Communications milestone made by USA! How long can America hold grip as an IT leader?

Information Technology has no doubt revolutionized the world. This includes the way we communicate, learn and even go about our daily businesses. This 21st century innovation has indeed redefined and reshaped the rules of business engagements and how we live and conduct our day-to-day business. These influence and advancements cannot be said without one country, which has contributed immensely to its development. That country is United States of America.

United States of America is generally believed to be among the most technologically advanced country in the world. While other advanced countries have been able to catch up with USA in some field of technology, they have failed short of trailing this great nation when it comes to information technology innovation.

USA has always maintained a big lead in information technology innovation and development. These positive developments have lead to an unprecedented growth in Information Technology expansions including IT job creation.

For more than five decades, America has continued to pioneer and lead the rest of the world in Information technology innovation.  America’s lead in information technology spans across all specialization in IT fields; from super-computing to parallel computing and the now popular distributed and client-server computing.

Most American IT companies are leaders in their respective fields: While Microsoft continues to lead in operating system and desktop software innovation, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on the other hand remains a dominant Microchip maker.

In mainframe and super computing category, IBM remains world number one.

To crown it all, Google is the undisputed search engine giant. Google has proved to be one of the most innovative IT Company in the world delivering different innovative web, GPS, wireless and data communications technologies.

Dell, HP, Oracle, Paypal, YouTube, Ebay, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook just to mention a few innovations that have also changed the business landscape in a positive way.

Other operating systems giants such as Macintosh, Unix, Linux and Sun Micro system were all discoveries that took place in USA.

High Level programming languages such as C, C++, which ushered in Object Oriented paradigm were first invented at Bells laboratory in USA while Java was developed by Sun Micro system all in USA.

Credit will also be given to the wireless world. Motorola, AT&T, Palm and recently Apple smart phone innovation. The list goes on!

The question and the challenge is whether USA will be able to hold grip as a leader in Information Technology?

In recent times, USA continues to loose IT jobs through offshore outsourcing.
This certainly was not the trend few decades ago when USA gained dominance in information technology. In those days, IT jobs, which involved both design and implementation, were all carried out on US soil. Today, the story is different. More than 25% of the IT design and implementation jobs are being outsourced overseas. 
The big question is where are these jobs outsourced to and to whom? Ironically, the answer may receive mixed reaction from all well meaning Americans.

When you outsource a software-programming job to a company oversees or to your company affiliates overseas, you are in part, giving out some of your key to success and innovation.
This inadvertent transfer of US technology to the outside world in no small measure affects our dominance in IT.

For America to remain competitive and continue to champion the course in information technology innovation, there should be more emphasis on local transfer of technology instead of the transfer of these technologies to countries overseas. Companies must learn to protect their trade secrets.

In a world where technology piracy is fast becoming the order of the day, American Information Technology companies must learn to be more cautious, rigid and protective when it comes to handling and transfer of technology. Companies should also explore other avenues to go about outsourcing without necessarily sending the jobs offshore.

Indigenous and local talents could be recruited and trained as part of technology knowledge transfer.

In order for America to sustain and maintain their leadership in Information technology, the above-mentioned precautionary measures needs to be taken. By doing so, we would have gone a long way in transferring knowledge and saving IT jobs locally in US. ‘A stitch in time saves nine’

Author: Yanks

Source: http://www.itjobsinusa.com/itusa.html

Communications Articles

Internet is a big source of communications, world is a global village and it is all based on communications. The communication articles include all those subjects that are helpful to communicate from one person to other, related to different places of world. Letters, opinions, business dealings, advertisements, sales and promotions of a particular product or service in different countries from a particular country is all done through the communication articles. Communication is a demanded subject in almost every country, thus all countries of the world produce the communication articles. Communication articles include knowledge related to all communication sources; the hard sources or the software types are all covered in the communication articles.

 

Communication technology and sciences are best explained in the communication articles. People who are close to communication fields believe communications are best held through Internet. The growth of new technology and software on Internet has made it easier to communicate people of the world outside. The communication articles also contain related topics of communication like the use of cell phones and mobiles, ipods and mp4 thus all those sophisticated sources that are used for the communications. The study of communications and its related topics are best available on Internet. The history of this subject, its usage in today’s fast life and the future of communication is evaluated and thoughts for it are covered in these articles. The communication articles for teaching purpose are best used. The dealers and the retailers need to know well for it where as the businesses those who deal with the communications projects and sources compete on behalf of these articles. Researches made on technology are overviewed on articles so one can get collective knowledge of a particular thing by reading these articles.

 

Many websites are based on the communication sources and earn on its grounds. Communications done internationally are also dealt with communication articles. Like those advertising, the communicating articles also prove to be a good source of acknowledging of a product or service to the interested clients. Those who are working in media and broadcasting, tend to get a lot of knowledge by communication articles, articles being also a part of newspapers are published on internet giving full fledge information to the reader audiences. The sales and advertisement is also done through the communication articles, thus the communication articles on Internet and other sources like radio, and TV and newspapers make a connection web. People get knowledge and awareness of their interested fields and the awareness of their surroundings through these sources where Internet now plays a great role via the communication articles. 

History of Business Communications, from the Pigeon to Internet Faxing

Progress is an interesting thing, which is why various aspects of it are studied from such different perspectives as the arts, the sciences, politics and culture. Since business is a basic human activity, even when undertaken for dictators and despots in less-than-free settings, it reflects all the progress made in such areas as manufacturing, transportation and, perhaps most importantly, communications. One wag even suggested that a working definition of “capitalism” would be something like “what people do when they’re left alone,” so in countries with relative amounts of freedom compared to their neighbors will, in fact, become richer than those neighbors through the accumulation of new technologies and discoveries.

In the ancient world, the only source of capital sufficient enough to allow road building, geographic expansion, war and global trade was a country or region’s rulers. Regimes would change by following the lineage – the prince replaces the king when he dies, etc. – or through conquest. Those in charge would favor certain families, creating the various world aristocracies, and would also occasionally patronize artists, philosophers and scientists to fund literature, music, art and (occasionally) technological progress. It was, at best, a haphazard system. In the Middle Ages and into the centuries that saw the Enlightenment and the Age of Discovery, however, certain fundamental social changes occurred, particularly in the Western world, to bring about our modern life.

Businesspeople as leaders

Until the Protestant Reformation, the only source of power besides monarchs – meaning money, influence, the wherewithal to travel and extend influence — was the Catholic Church. In the first millennium AD, regional churchmen, Rome-based bureaucrats and the Pope all supported favored thinkers, artists and scientists. Of course, as the stories of Galileo and Copernicus ably demonstrate, one’s research results were likely to find skeptical reactions in an environment subject to thorough “thought control.” As the Reformation neared, however, a continent undergoing great political and intellectual ferment was ripe for an explosion in creativity. The freedoms that issued from the Reformation made this progress possible.

We find the first private businesspeople and the first attempts at creating legal entities that would outlive their founders in the years between 1500-1600. Guilds, partnerships and cooperative ventures began to form in the various Italian city-states, England, France Spain and, particularly, the Netherlands. Sometimes in league with governments, sometimes with the Church and, in a growing number of instances, among different combinations of private groups and individuals, true innovators and builders began to undertake an almost unlimited number of global explorations in search of opportunity. With travel came the need for improved communications, and it is from this point in history, the Age of Empire, that progress in this area came to be the province of business, rather than countries, monarchs and governments.

Faster, cheaper, better

In 1600, it took three months for a message to get from the Imperial Russian Court to whatever French palace the Gallic monarch was inhabiting. Written messages were physically transported, often by a single contingent of official persons, using horses, drawn carts and ocean-going vessels when needed. For several hundred years, during the world’s first flush of (comparative) economic freedom, these methods did not change a great deal, although the process was better managed all the time and shaved weeks off some routes. By the time of the famous, and short-lived, Pony Express in the United States, the same technology, the horse, was still in use. The American penchant for organization and management, however, increased the efficiency of the method, but it wouldn’t last long. A new age, of invention and technological progress, was at hand.

With the confluence of transportation and communications technologies in the 1830s to 1850s, the world shrank by huge amounts almost yearly. The railroads that first knit together the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. were soon connecting East to West across the huge North American expanse, while the application of electricity to language and communication resulted in the telegraph. Interestingly, it was private railroads and private communications firms that led the way, as the need to do business (and the promise of profits) continued to drive inventions, adaptations and continued progress in communications.

Into the present (and future)

The 20th century dawned with a huge dose of progress in a variety of areas. Automobiles were being perfected, powered flight was showing promise, the telephone was becoming a commodity item around the world and radio technology would draw people closer and closer yet. In every instance, businesspeople were at the forefront of the developments, as the profit motive has always supplied, and will continue to supply, a powerful incentive for invention and progress. The moral basis of capitalism, which is not widely publicized in the age of growing government entitlements, is that people who voluntarily do business together enjoy greater incentives for excellence and inventiveness that those who do so in bureaucratic positions and government sinecures.

The latter half of the 20th century saw the development of television, fax machines, computers and large-format displays and unprecedented progress in space travel, miniaturization, manufacturing and telecommunications. By filling customer needs, creating new products of value and risking their own capital on research and development, businesspeople took over from monarchs and governments the job of creating the future, of business communications and everything else. From clay tablets and passenger pigeons to the fax machine and cellphone, the history of business communications has paralleled human progress itself. Indeed, it moved from a nearby and parallel track onto the one, combined track of progress we all have our eyes on today. The difference is that, instead of pushing progress from behind, businesspeople are now out in front, coming up with all the Next Big Things and pulling the rest of the world, public and private, along behind.

Fiber Optic Communications

Fiber optics technology is among fastest – growing communications technologies in the world. It is increasingly being used for communications signaling, and electrical control instead of older –technology hardwired system.

Fiber optic cable uses light to transmit signals. The core of Fiber optic cable is composed of one or more thin strands of either very pure glass or plastic, millions of which can be bundled together in a sheathing.

In 1860, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated that light reflected off of mirrors was modulated by waves of sound. Later, American researchers were able to demonstrate the transmission of an image through a bundle of glass fibers. Researchers began experimenting with cladding which greatly improved transmission characteristics by reducing the dispersion of light. Later, lasers were implemented as light sources because they could provide parallel light in a steady stream at only one wavelength. The first of the low-loss optical fibers was created in 1970. In 1980, the first major Fiber Optic communication link between Boston, Mass, and Richmond, VA, was created. A year later, low-loss, single-mode fibers with high bandwidth and low loss capabilities to increase data transmission rates were created. Starting in the mid-eighties, the major communication companies began installing long-distance Fiber Optic communication systems using single-mode fibers. In 1988 the first transatlantic Fiber Optic cable was installed.

Since then, Optical Fiber technology has been implemented in major communication networks that have realized its significance and importance. Two basic optical fiber are commonly being installed: singlemode and multimode. Each type has a particular use in the communication industry, although there may be some overlap in usage.

A singlemode optical cable may have a core diameter of 8 to 10 microns, while a multimode cable may have a core diameter of between 50 and 1,000 microns. A singlemode cable allows a higher bandwidth to be transmitted over a larger distance than a multimode cable. Singlemode cable

The multimode optical cable, however, has a larger core, and will allow more modes of light to travel down it. The bandwidth of a digital system is the number of bits of signal per second that can be transmitted over the cable for a certain distance and specific amount of time. Multimode optical cable

Wavelength division multiplexing: Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is a type of multiplexing developed for both digital and analog transmission on fiber optic cables .Optical fiber transmits signals as pulses of light generated by a laser or LED. In WDM, each signal is assigned to a particular wavelength on an optical fiber communications line. WDM allows massive data transmission on a single cable. A research report on WDM, published by IBM, concludes that eventually fiber optics cables will run to every residence, with about 10 percent of the homes being connected by 2005.

With continued growth in fiber optic network, demands for data transmission across the internet infrastructure will increase dramatically.

Fiber-optic cable eventually will experience fiber exhaust, which means that the amount of traffic on the network will exceed the available bandwidth. To handle the increased traffic that fiber optic cable to homes will cause on nationwide and worldwide networks, another form of WDM, called Dense Wavelength division Multiplexing (DWDM), has been developed. Using this technology, which puts data together from different sources, more than 80 separate signals could be placed on an individual fiber optic cable signal could carry separate Wavelength or channel.

Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)

Use of DWDM allows providers to offer services such as e-mail, video, and multimedia carried as Internet protocol (IP) data over asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and voice carried over SONET/SDH. Despite the fact that these format-IP, ATM, and SONET/SDH—provide unique bandwidth management capabilities, all three can be transported over the optical layer using DWDM. This unifying capability allows the service provider the flexibility to respond to customer demands over one network.

DWDM systems in the past were predominately deployed in long haul and submarine cable markets. Long haul optics are essential due to cost-cutting advantages and increased efficiency. However, these systems have increased in use for the metropolitan markets. To date North America has led in the deployment of WDM systems. The fastest growth portion occurring in the metropolitan applications. On the other hand, in Europe, the span lengths are greatly reduced which may cause systems to be extensively deployed in the future. In 1998 the worldwide demand for DWDM systems was estimated be at .1 billion and was expected to grow to as much as .1 billion by 2005 (as forecasted by Electronicast). The growth into the metropolitan areas is driven largely by the transparency of the network and the opportunity for revenue generating services.

In conclusion, Optical fibers have a very high bandwidth and can transmit huge amount of data at very high speed and DWDM is a fiber optics transmission technique. When the different ways of using multiplexing are combined it improves the amount of bandwidth dramatically. These technologies are extremely important in today’s society where we are seeing high demands for data traffic. By having an all-optical network, we are provided with the ability to integrate the many different technologies into one system. The DWDM network enables the service providers to go long distances as well as provide for data lines and other growth in metropolitan area.

Satellite Communications Providers – Satellite Telecoms and Gateway Services

The demands of modern business and the highly competitive nature of the corporate environment dictate that any business wishing to succeed in their respective market needs to be available on an international level at all times. These demands mean that superior business communication should be a primary concern of corporations in modern day business. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace and has created an opportunity for businesses, or branches, worldwide to work together as if they were located in the same office building. Satellite communications have thus become a necessary feature in most offices as they allow communication between locations around the globe without compromising on call quality or speed.

Why satellite communications?
Satellite telecoms communication and global roaming is possible by voice and data services. An ISP is set up with a satellite communications space segment, carrier class telecoms network and internet backbone which is sent to a satellite telecoms network. Because of the use of satellites and hosted services, communication is possible from any location in the world, no matter how remote. Satellite communication technology is the key to successful business communication and the ability of a company to provide efficient service to their clients.

Satellite telecoms solutions provide a robust service that is reliable and secure. It is imperative for a successful business to avoid bad communication technology and inefficient telecoms services at all costs. When a business is attempting to run a thriving and successful corporate venture, bad communication, slow connections, lost emails, bad sound quality on calls and lost connections are problems which will propel a business into loss instead of success. Satellite communications allow a business peace of mind regarding their communication abilities as satellite technology is dependable and robust without being expensive.

Features of satellite communications for business
Global roaming solutions and satellite communication allow employees access to corporate resources, to send emails and to browse the internet whilst being able to communicate via high quality, voice compression technology, no matter where they are situated on the globe.

Call costs are lowered through calls being charged at local rates as the large broadband network makes connecting people simple and effective. Quality is not compromised because the connection is low cost – the reliable and high speed alternative to fibre networks provides seamless and reliable data carrying.

Due to the use of broadband through a satellite communications network, businesses save money in their communication costs. Fixed line technology is costly to run and even more expensive to maintain. Service fees can be staggering whilst line rental and call costs only add to the mountain of expenses. Using a broadband connection for communication allows companies to save huge amounts of money due to the simple services which accompany satellite communications.

Most satellite telecoms operators and service providers will include a free 24-hour help desk service for any problems a client may experience. Because the communication systems are so easy to set up and maintain, they rarely require a technician to be called in to fix any problems. The system is easily scalable, allowing clients to add and subtract lines as they wish without needing to pay a callout fee for a technician to add or subtract the required lines.

For any business competing in a worldwide market, location need not be a problem any longer. Thanks to the internet and satellite technology, satellite telecoms allows businesses access to high quality communication whilst cutting costs and providing a range of features to make communication even simpler. User-friendly interfaces, connection anywhere in the world, dependable and robust gateways and dedicated technical support systems are all features illustrating why satellite communications and global roaming is the future of business communications.

The Wide World Of Wireless Communications

A solution to that would be using the hand’s free or the voice speaker where the cellular phone will remain away from a person’s head, therefore there will be no worries regarding safety.

Therefore, a good solution to this problem would be to pull over and then receive your call where it will be much safer for you and others that are with you on the road.

The usage of cellular phones causes cancer as scientists have proved it. It also distracts drivers away from the road therefore causing accidents and killing people. Cellular phones also develop bad phone manners where a person raises his voice once he starts using it and it becomes a habit later on.

On the other hand, the necessity of using a Cellular phone can be very helpful as it can help a lost camper to find his way back by just allowing him to make a call and ask for directions. Also, if certain areas of the city are considered to be dangerous, then using the payphone could be inconvenient and life threatening, therefore the cellular phone comes in hand and can help solve the problem. An example of this would be, my dad when he went on a business trip to Japan. As it is impossible to understand the language of a totally different culture and country, as it is also hard to get around. If it weren’t for the cellular phone, my dad would have had a very hard time to get around and to even get to work. At several incidents, he vividly remembers that even going for a walk could be puzzling, as everything around looks similar.

Another absolute necessity would be for businessmen to use their cellular phones in order to conduct and to run their businesses. It is an absolute hassle if they do not carry it with them because a lot of important numbers, addresses, client names, and messages may be stored on it that helps them get through everyday work. On the other side of the spectrum, it helps the businessmen’s clients or visitors to have easy contact with him. An example of that would be my boss who I worked for during the summer as a secretary. He was supposed to meet with his client to discuss business over dinner. Up until the last hour just before the business dinner meeting, the client called in and apologized for not being able to make it as he had other more important issues to attend. In this case, it was easy and accessible for the client to make such a call and reach my boss in time to tell him so. This helped save time for my boss who could have been waiting there for a long time.

Wireless communications

Wireless communications are becoming increasingly popular in today’s fast paced world. Mobility, portability, and instant access (via the Internet) to unlimited information have become the mantra of businesses and individuals alike. The evolution of wireless communications has been incredibly quick and the future of this technology is unlimited. The impact of this technology on our lives will be tremendous and allow us to do things we never imagined.

What Is Wireless Communication?

The two main wireless services in use today are cellular and private packet radio. The service that is chosen will depend on the application(s) that a company or individual wants to run.

Cellular

Cellular technology is commonplace in both the business and private sector.

There are two types of cellular technology: 1) circuit-switched cellular, and 2) Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD). One of circuit-switched cellular biggest advantages is its nationwide availability. Another advantage is the ability to send voice and data over the cellular phone network. Circuit-switched cellular is ideal if the application requires the exchange of long text messages, large files, or faxes because it typically charges by the minute of connect time, not by the number of bytes transferred. A practical application for this technology is the transfer of data from a laptop by means of a cellular modem and phone. The initial cost to outfit a laptop to connect to a cellular network is about 0. A disadvantage of this type of service is the long set-up time each connection requires (about 30 seconds).

Cellular Digital Packet Data is best suited for transaction processing and database queries. This service offers fast call setup (about 5 seconds), and is inexpensive for short messages, such as sending e-mail. The main disadvantages of CDPD are the expense of large file transfers, and the limited availability of the service (currently it is available in about 40 cities nationwide).

Private Packet Radio

Private packet radio, though not as common as cellular, offers businesses widespread connectivity. The two major private packet radio providers in the U.S. are Ardis and RAM Mobile Data. These services can be connected to from virtually anywhere in the country. Private packet radio offers quick call setup and is well suited to communications that generate short, bursty messages, such as e-mail, database queries and point of sale applications. Since private package radio has been around for several years, there are many applications that use the network. Some of the commercial applications being used handle messaging, scheduling, electronic filing of expense reports, and even allow for insurance agents to process accident claim forms from a customer’s house or office (Salamone 96). The disadvantage with private packet radio, like CDPD, is that it is expensive for large file transfers.

The fundamental problem that wireless communications faces is that none of the major wireless data services is ideal for all applications. The stumbling blocks to widespread adoption of data connections for laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs) include the lack of compatibility between services, the cost of the services, and the size and price of wireless modems.

History of Wireless Communications

Radio telephones have been used for decades, but have not been widely available due to limited system capacity. The breakthrough that addressed this capacity problem was the development of the cellular concept, which allows frequency reuse. Needless to say, the use of wireless communications has increased exponentially since that breakthrough. The evolution of wireless systems can be divided into several stages: 1) the prevailing stage, 2) the first generation analog system, 3) the second generation digital system, and 4) the third generation system (to be discussed later). The promised services, the required technologies, and the developmental timetable are summarized in Table 1 (see appendix A).

Prevailing Stage

The prevailing stage occurred during the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Land Mobile Radio systems such as police communication and taxi dispatch systems were developed. Navigation radio for ship and aircraft, and portable radio telephone for the battlefield were other applications. The sending and receiving equipment was bulky and expensive in this early stage of development.

First Generation System

The first generation wireless system is based on analog technology and was developed in the 1970’s and 1980’s for public use. The price of the hardware was reduced rapidly and the demand for wireless services grew quickly in this stage. The cellular concept was adopted and several technologies such as spatial channel reuse and cell splitting were developed to improve system capacity. The growth of the service demand in the first generation analog system outpaced the system capacity in some areas. Digital communication technologies became mature enough for commercial use, and led to the second generation digital wireless system.

Second Generation System

The second generation system was built in the 1980’s and the 1990’s, and featured the implementation of digital technology. The system capacity is several times higher than the traditional analog system. More service features were introduced, service quality was improved, and the cost was significantly reduced. The demand for wireless communications services has grown tremendously with the development of the second generation system. The growth rates in various parts of the world are from 20-50%. The existing capacity in some market areas are now close to saturation. The practice of mobile voice communications also stimulated the market in other personal communication services. Portable computing and wireless data communication have become not only attractive but also feasible. With the development of technologies, the integration of both wired and wireless, voice and data services will be achieved in the coming years (Li 1212).

Local Wireless Networks

A brief discussion of network history and architecture will be helpful in demonstrating the impact wireless communications have had and will continue to have on computing. The first generation of wireless LANs were designed to operate with workstations, and are not suitable for battery operated portable computers. The next generation wireless LANs are developing around the lap-top, palm-top, and pen-pad computers. Wireless connection is the natural medium for the portable computing devices that are growing in popularity. “In this environment researchers are thinking of new concepts such as ad hoc networking (Fig. 1 Appendix A), nomadic access (Fig. 2 Appendix A), and mobile computing that leads to the fusion of the computer and communications in a ubiquitous computing environment” (Chase 89). Typical applications of this process include a wireless campus or a wireless battlefield in which a user (student/soldier) can move within a local area with continuous access to the computing and information facilities. “There’s not much left that mobile computers don’t do as well or better than desktop systems. And when the remaining challenges are solved mobile technology will significantly change the face of computing” (Reinhardt 100). The fusion of computers and wireless communications, in this case LANs, will indeed have a considerable impact on the future, and will drastically change the way in which we do things.

The Future of Wireless Communications

Third Generation System

Personal Communication Systems (PCS) are considered to be the next major step in the evolution of communication systems. According to the definition given by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in its Notice of Inquiry, PCS is the system by which every user can exchange information with anyone, at anytime, in any place through any type of device, using a single personal telecommunication device. The underlying vision for the emerging mobile and personal communications services is to enable communication with a person at any time, at any place, and in any form (Li 1210). The main features of PCS are: 1) Multimedia services with high quality, 2) Multiple environments, 3) Multiple user types, 4) Global roaming capability, 5) Single personal telecommunication number (PTN), 6) Very high capacity, 7) Universal handset, and Service security. The enabling concepts for providing universal personal communications include terminal mobility (provided by wireless access),personal mobility (based on personal numbers), and service portability. Personal mobility is based on the use of a unique personal identity (personal number). Service portability refers to the network capability to provide subscribed services at the location designated by the user.

Terminal Mobility

Terminal mobility is associated with wireless access and requires that the user carry a terminal and be within the radio coverage area. “The scope and applications of terminal mobility are rapidly expanding through advances in wireless access technologies and miniaturization of mobile terminals” (Pandya 44). Digital Cordless Telecommunication Systems are intended to provide terminal mobility in residential, business, and public access applications where the users can originate and receive calls on their portable terminals as they change locations and move about at pedestrian speeds within the coverage area. This type of system would lend itself to an academic environment where students could access information from the library, professors could give lectures, and assignments could be turned in without an actual physical building, classroom, or office. The range of applications often associated with Personal Communication Systems is large.

A Current Trend

Power paging is the current trend in wireless services and is paving the way for PCS. In actuality power paging is a bit of a misnomer, in that the terminal is more of a computing device than standard pagers. “Motorola has made a bid for leadership in the two-way wireless market with the announcement of Memos, an ambitious, client/server-based messaging platform” (Matzkin 31). Memos provides both a complete operating environment and an open development environment. This device will offer wireless Web access and a lot of messaging options, including e-mail, fax, and voice messaging. All of this while fitting into the palm of your hand.

The fusion of computers and communications into a unified entity may appear to be a subtle distinction from the computers and networks popular today.

Unified Communications

The day is gone where businesses just used telephone sets and fax machines to do business. We now see many different ways to communicate in getting through a day’s work. Desktop computers, notebooks, IM (Instant Messaging), email, voice mail, PDAs, soft phones, mobile phones, video conferencing- well you get the picture- have become everyday tools. We no longer have conversations we have communications sessions.

 

While each is a very useful tool the many ways of communicating can be an obstacle course to productivity. While you are on the rope ladder your customer may be crawling under the barbed wire. Many valuable minutes are wasted leaving voice messages on the office phone, the cell phone, sending an email and doing everything short of sending out APBs. It has become a big challenge to overcome these obstacles before your competitors do.

 

The advances in technology have in many cases done the opposite of what they were intended to do which is to improve communications. A customer in Toronto who wants to reach their sales rep immediately might cancel an order if she is in Cleveland and hasn’t answered her

email. The consumer world is one of instant gratification. You can’t improve the company’s bottom line if productivity is down.

 

The solution to this latest problem is called Unified Communications or UC.UC has an official definition but by the time you read through it your eyes will glaze over. Simply put, it is using Internet Protocol (IP) to integrate all these tools so they work together. How the integration occurs can resemble a Lego set put together in the dark by a drunken sailor or it can be a nicely configured work of art that makes the technology work in your favor.

 

According to Sage Research, employees at organizations using unified communication technology with their IP communications platform save a full 32 minutes a day on

average by being able to reach other coworkers on the first attempt. In addition, the average employee using unified messaging saves 43 minutes per day from being able to manage all emails, voicemails and faxes from a single inbox. As a result, you can accelerate decision making while simultaneously cutting costs to deliver real business value.

 

The principle behind unified communications is simple: provide end users with the means to choose how, when and where to be reached and to access key data instantly. The decision making may not be as simple as just saying to a vendor I need a UC solution. There are many factors that go into the decision beginning with where are we now and where do we want to go. The existing equipment may need to be replaced depending on what path you take. Or there are solutions that could include keeping your legacy equipment.

 

The financial people will want to know about the economic feasibility. In most cases the ROI will be favorable for two reasons; the monthly costs should be less and the productivity should be higher. The important thing is to do what you do with everything else- buy what you need not what you are being sold. Getting a second opinion or using an independent

consultant can be invaluable.