Signing Books Del. 4.1c: European Libraries for the Deaf ... · Signing Books Del. 4.1c: European Libraries for the Deaf, various scenarios — Telematics - page 1 of 44- Project

Signing BooksDel. 4.1c: European Libraries for the Deaf, various scenarios Ð Telematics

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Project Number: TAP 4209Project Title: Signing Books for the DeafDeliverable Type: PD

Deliverable Number: D041 Ð c (previously published as part b)Contractual Date of Delivery: M07Actual Date of Delivery: M08 Ð Update: Month 24Title of Deliverable: European Libraries for the Deaf, various scenarios, part C: TelematicsWorkpackage contributing to the Deliverable: WP04Nature of the Deliverable: REAuthor: Guus Schijns, Intercai Telematics Consultants

Abstract The objective of the Signing Books Project is the development ofguidelines for the production and distribution of signing books for thedeaf: books in sign language, on video or CD-ROM. This deliverablefocuses on the guidelines for the distribution of signing books. Theseguidelines are presented as several scenarios for library services for theDeaf Ð services that are comparable to the Library Services availableto blind persons in most countries, and that would give Deaf readersaccess to printed information in a format that is adapted to theirreading needs and therefore presented in sign language. Thesescenarios form part A of Del. 4.1.

These scenarios are based on two supporting documents: part B andpart C.Del. 4.1, part B describes the state of the art in the EU of the servicedelivery systems of public libraries and of special libraries for theblind. It also describes library and other information services availablefor deaf persons in the EU-countries. A comparison of these varioussystems resulted in a checklist of issues that have to be taken intoaccount when setting up a library service for the deaf.

Electronic publications, the internet, and other telematicsdevelopments are recent developments that any library has to dealwith and that are especially relevant for libraries serving client-groupsthat are not concentrated in one geographic area but live widelydispersed as is the case for users of sign languages. IntercaiTelematics Consultants was therefore subcontracted to produce aninventory and analysis of media and technology trends in Europe andthe applicability of various media for storage and transmission ofsigning books. Both on-line (CATV, PSTN, Satellite) and off-line(CD-ROM, DVD, etc.) media were assessed. This inventory ispublished as Deliverable 4.1, part C.

Keywords Signing Books, Library for the Deaf, TelematicsClassification

Name of Client: FODOKDistribution List: Signing Books consortium, Intercai Telematics ConsultantsAuthorised by: Liesbeth PyfersIssue: 1.1Reference: Del41cTotal Number of Pages: 46Contact Details: Robert van Eijk

INTERCAI Telematics ConsultantsP.O. Box 92563506 GG Utrecht (NL)

TABLE OF CONTENTSPART IPART II


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Part II: Document Control ............................................................................. 4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................. 5SCOPE........................................................................................................... 6PART III........................................................................................................ 71. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................8

1.1...........................................................................................Background 81.2..................................................................................Subject and Scope 81.3..................................................................................Central Questions 81.4....................................................................................................Notes 9

2. EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS .............. 102.1................................Acceptance of new media in the consumer market 102.2.....................................................................................State of the Art 12

2.2.1 The communication networks.................................................. 122.2.2The Telephony networks.......................................................... 132.2.3 The GSM / DCS networks......................................................... 142.2.4 The Cable TV networks ........................................................... 152.2.5 The Satellite networks ............................................................. 162.2.6 Hybrid Networks...................................................................... 162.2.7 The Internet ............................................................................ 172.2.8 Teletel ..................................................................................... 17

2.3............................................................................Peripherals in Europe 18

3. EVOLUTION IN TECHNOLOGY...................................................... 193.1.......................................................................................... Digitisation 193.2........................................................................................ Compression 193.3.................................................................... Efficient use of bandwidth 203.4.................................................................................. Efficient storage 213.5................................................................... Digital Video Broadcasting 213.6........................................... Broadcasting / Narrowcasting Applications 223.7................................................................... Using Internet technology 22

3.7.1Video by network...................................................................... 233.7.2Video on Internet...................................................................... 23

3.8........................................................................... Integration of PC/TV 243.9............................................................... WebTV / Network computers 243.10 Using Off-line technologies ........................................................... 24

3.10.1 DVD ...................................................................................... 253.10.2 Digital TVÕs........................................................................... 263.10.3 PC storage devices ................................................................. 26

3.11 New devices................................................................................... 27

4. MODELING THE MARKET................................................................. 284.1................................................................................Value Chain Model 284.2..................................................................The Project Context Model 284.3............................................................................... The Process Model 304.4........................................................Case Study: A Library for the Deaf 31

4.4.1 The value chain model ............................................................. 314.4.2 Context model......................................................................... 314.4.3 Process model.......................................................................... 32

5. STRATEGIES OF THE TELECOM OPERATORS.............................. 35

PART IV...................................................................................................... 38

1. REFERENCES......................................................................................... 39


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2. GLOSSARY........................................................................................... 40


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PART II: DOCUMENT CONTROL

Issue Number Issue Date Reason for Change1.0 30 July

1998 Final issue, published as Del. 4.1, part B

1.1 Sept. 99 Draft update2.0 Oct. 99 Final update, published as Del. 4.1, part C


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Signing Books for the Deaf is a European project funded under the TAP-DE programme (TAPDE 4209). The project started on January 1, 1998 and will run for 24 months. Partners in theproject are: FODOK Ð NL (co-ordinator), City University Ð UK, Hamburg University Ð DE,Signum GmbH (associated partner, DE) and sDG Ð NL (financial management).

The objective of the project is the development of guidelines for the production, publication anddistribution of Ôsigning booksÕ for the deaf: books in sign language. Sign language is the preferredlanguage of the early deaf (persons who were born deaf or became deaf early in life) and the onlyfully accessible language for most of them. As of yet, there is no generally accepted writingsystem for sign languages. Therefore, the term Ôsigning booksÕ is used in this project to indicatebooks in sign language, on video or CD-ROM, comparable to the talking books for the blind.Since the 1950Õs large numbers of talking books have been available for the blind. Researchaiming to improve the quality of the talking books as well as of the distribution process has beenongoing ever since, both nationally and internationally.

In contrast, signing books for the deaf are a new development. In some countries, only a fewsigning books are available, often ad-hoc productions; in others, the number of signing booksavailable may be as many as 200-300. Numbers that may seem impressive, but still in the mostfavourable situation, at the most 0.5 % of the number of talking books available for the blind.Research to improve the quality of signing books and of the distribution process is, is Ð as far asknown Ð non-existent.A first activity of the consortium towards the development of guidelines for the production ofsigning books was to collect data on the state of the art: what sign language videos are available,how and by whom were they produced and distributed. The results of these activities are describedin Deliverable 3.1: Signing Books for the Deaf in EU-countries: State of the Art (July 1998;update November 1999).

A second objective of the project is to research the feasibility of ÒSpecial Libraries for the DeafÓcomparable to the special libraries for the blind that are available in many EU-countries. Thisdocument describes the activities that were undertaken to this end.First, the literature on public libraries, and libraries for the blind was studied and interviews withexperts in this area were held. On the basis of this data, the state of the art of the service deliverysystems of public libraries and of special libraries for the blind were described, and reference wasmade to relevant ongoing research projects and expected developments.Then, data was collected on library services and other information services available to the deafin the EU-countries. This data was compared with library services available to the general publicand the library services for the blind in these countries, as well as with data from deliverable 3.1:the state of the art with respect to signing books in EU-countries.The results of these activities are published as Del. 4.1, part B.

Electronic publications, the internet, and other telematics developments are major issues that anylibrary has to deal with and that are especially relevant for libraries serving client-groups that arenot concentrated in one geographic area but live widely dispersed as is the case for users of signlanguages. Intercai Telematics Consultants was therefore subcontracted to produce an inventoryand analysis of media and technology trends in Europe and the applicability of various media forstorage and transmission of signing books. Both on-line (CATV, PSTN, Satellite) and off-line(CD-ROM, DVD, etc.) media were assessed. This inventory is published as Deliverable 4.1, part C(the current document).

The data in Deliverable 4.1, part B refer to the general population. In the time span of thisworkpackage (4 months) no data was found on computer use and access to the internet in thedeaf communities of the EU-countries. A preliminary comparison of the situation in thecountries of the consortium-partners: DE, GB and NL, indicates that there may be major nationaldifferences, possibly influenced by the means that are available in a country for text-telephonyand/or video-telephony.


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The conclusions and recommendations of Del. 4.1 part B and C were integrated and are presentedin the form of several scenarios for ÒSpecial Libraries for the DeafÓ in EU-countries. Thesescenarios are described in Del. 4.1, part A.

SCOPE

This document is part C of deliverable 4.1. Deliverable 4.1 consists of three parts, part A , B, andC. Together, they are the output of workpackage 4 of the Signing Books Project (TAP DE4209). Workpackage 4 started in April 1998, and lasted until 1 August 1998. The update of partB and C however, and most of part A were written in September-October 1999 Ð and reflect theinformation that was collected until that date.


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PART III


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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

As part of the Signing Books project this report will give an assessment/review of the varioustechnology trends relevant to the production, publication and delivery of signing books: ÔbooksÕwith information presented in sign language, and recorded on video.

The media sector is rapidly changing and is, certainly from a technology point of view,developing into a global market. Nevertheless, even within a relatively small area as Europe(EU), significant differences exist per country in the services and applications available to thepublic.

Within the relevant technologies a major distinction can be made between on-line and off-linetechnology. Clearly the emphasis in the market is increasingly shifting towards on-line usage andapplications. The strategies of telecom operators, as facilitators of on-line applications, aretherefore of significant importance to further development of the on-line community. Aseparate chapter has therefore been included which describes the strategies of the variousstakeholders in this field. These strategies may directly influence the production, publication, anddistribution of sign language videos in the near future.

1.2 Subject and Scope

This document is a compilation of data on storage and transmission media currently in use withinthe EU-countries. It describes trends in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT)market that may lead to new standards and applications. As the European telecommunicationmarket is (being) liberalised, new markets evolve and technology / telecommunicationapplications will become widely available.This document first describes standard characteristics of the markets and a number of modelsapplying to these markets and its applications. In the following chapters, more specifictechnologies and applications have been described and evaluated.The feasibility of solutions for signing books has to be viewed from the perspective of theconsumerÕs household. Within this report, reference to business-to-business applications hastherefore only been made within the context of possible or likely migration of services to theconsumer market at a later stage.

1.3 Central Questions

In order to provide input to the Signing Books project, this report addresses the followingquestions:• What are the general trends in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)?• Are there any differences between the countries of the EU, that may interfere with the

introduction of new ICT (projects) that can be used for the publication, production anddistribution of signing books?

• What are the current options for the publication, production and distribution of signing booksand which relevant technological developments are foreseen on the short term?Specifically:

⇒ what are the characteristics of the current approaches to media storage?⇒ what are the developments with respect to Digital Video Broadcasting Services (e.g.

Pay Per View, etc.)1?⇒ how are Internet and its services evolving/developing in view of this project?

1 Technical terms and abbreviations are listed and explained in the Glossary in Part IV of this document.


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1.4 Notes

All figures in this report have been derived from public or semi-public sources. Figures in thisreport are indicative, and are usually averages of published figures in different reports. Many ofthe consulted reports provide different/contradictory figures especially where Internetpenetration and usage are concerned. The trends are however consistent and are in line with thetrends in the individual figures of the different reports.


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2. EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS

This chapter describes general developments in the media sector. These general developmentsand analyses are important, because they define the opportunities and the constraints for acommercially viable library of signing books. In the end, the market will of course decide whichservices and technical solutions will prevail.

Crucial elements to the introduction of new technology are the availability of the networks, theperipherals and the functionality / user friendliness. The penetration rates of the networks andperipherals will be further discussed in the following chapter.

2.1 Acceptance of new media in the consumer market

In 1965, media consisted of paper (newspapers, books, magazines), TV, radio and box-officeshows. In 1995 PCÕs, video-recorder (VCR), audio CD-players, Internet, CD-ROMs and othermedia carriers / peripherals were within reach of European households. Over the last decades a(r)evolution has taken place in the information market whereby loads of new products, servicesand peripherals have been delivered to the end-user.The tables below (from: Eurobarometer 50.1, March 1999) shows the usage of systems connectedwith a TV, at home, in the separate member states of the EU, and the private usage of computersystems.

MEMBERSTATE

SATALITESYSTEM

DIGITALDECODER /

PAY TV

TELETEXT Videotaperecorder

CABLETELEVISIO

NBE 2.5 12.0 59.2 71.6 87.2DK 23.7 10.9 82.7 79.7 51.3WesternDE

32.8 8.0 63.0 72.7 59.0

Total DE 33.7 7.4 64.1 71.4 59.0EasternDE

37.1 4.8 68.2 66.6 59.1

GR 1.8 11.0 5.6 50.2 2.7ES 9.3 12.8 53.7 73.0 5.4FR 11.8 21.3 14.5 75.8 12.4IE 15.9 17.7 61.1 81.4 45.7IT 7.1 8.4 69.3 72.0 1.6LU 16.2 5.7 56.7 76.4 85.2NL 5.2 5.5 83.1 78.4 93.1AT 47.8 7.4 69.8 73.4 41.4PT 9.7 2.6 23.7 53.8 14.3END 14.8 4.1 68.3 69.9 34.0SE 25.1 17.3 81.0 79.9 47.0GB 20.0 19.4 67.4 89.1 14.6 EU 15 17.4 12.5 55.5 74.7 28.4

PC CD CDROM FAX ONMODEM

INTERNETCONNECTION

BE 33.0 19,1 10.1 8.2DK 56.7 44.8 24.5 24.6WesternDE

31.9 23.7 11.2 7.7

Total DE 30.5 22.9 10.2 7.1EasternDE

25.3 19.7 6.3 4.9

GR 12.2 7.0 2.4 2.9


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ES 28.4 17.9 4.6 5.0FI 22.8 17.1 5.5 3.9IE 26.3 16.6 9.0 8.4IT 26.6 16.8 7.0 6.1LU 42.5 34.5 15.0 14.0NL 58.8 39.5 24.7 19.6AT 30.8 24.3 9.6 6.8PT 18.4 10.9 4.2 3.4END 38.6 27.3 17.7 17.2SE 59.8 49.5 34.3 39.6GB 35.2 19.7 9.3 10.7EU 15 30.8 20.8 9.3 8.3

New media-technology is currently being accepted much faster than a number of years ago. Oneof the key-success factors for a higher acceptance rate is the extent to which the new technologyis applied to existing (familiar) applications and extends on, rather than replaces, existinginfrastructures and peripherals. Some examples are:• The mobile phone market; which can grow at incredible rates because the functionality of the

telephone is obvious to everyone; not just because people are becoming more mobile.• The WWW (Internet) which could only grow at its current incredible rate on account of the

existing Ôinstalled baseÕ of PCs and skilled PC users.

The table below shows the changes in the use of the systems of access on a private basis in theEuropean Union, in the past few years (from: Eurobarometer 50.1, March 1999).

It can be concluded that especially where new technology is applied to an existing application andprovides for a clear added-value (i.e. mobility, wider information access) this results in fasterconsumer acceptance.

Nowadays, producers of content keep in mind that an original single-media product can be sold /marketed via other media. Content producers have found new ways to distribute their productsand services through different media channels. A number of examples within the media-marketcan be given:• A Walt Disney box office movie entering, with spin off, the video market, PC-game market,

comic book market, audio market, Internet-market and merchandise market.• Comic books heroes appearing in computer games, television programmes, etc.• Publishers (newspapers, magazines, etc.) using Internet as a second (background) information

channel.These strategies show that content producers are very much aware of the fact that consumershave accepted, or even request, multimedia distribution. The fact that consumers have access tothe different media (via video-recorders, telephone, PC, etc.) makes it commercially attractive toactively support this strategy. This has not just resulted in larger volumes of ÔcontentÕ but hasfacilitated emerging and commercially attractive markets in the field of multimedia.The multimedia trend is based on technical developments (both in quality and in cost) in the areaof digitisation, compression, information processing, information storage and in communication.Some social trends which affect the use of multimedia / information / communicationapplications are:• individualisation• ÔgreyingÕ / cocooning• teleworking / flexible working• mobility• increase of efficient leisure time

This reflects on the use of information and the way it is provided:


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Information, either for education, leisure or professional use has become more individual thanever.Note that this does not imply the disappearance of conventional ways of informationdistribution, merely new methods of dissemination will arise: radio did not replace newspapers nordid TV replace radio.These trends lead to increased use of information technology at the homes of the consumers, amass market attracting all kinds of players willing to invest in new (media) technology andservices. In combination with the liberalised telecommunication markets this provides ampleopportunities for new ventures, projects and products/services.

Chapter 4: ÔModelling the MarketsÕ includes a number of models for looking at these newventures, projects and products/services. Chapter 5: ÔStrategies of the Telecom operatorsÕ willaddress this subject in more detail.

2.2 State of the Art

2.2.1 The communication networks2

It is obvious that the telecommunication markets are changing, not just due to the on-goingdevelopment in technology (and increasingly competitive pricing for technology) but especiallybecause the liberalisation of thetelecommunication markets has amajor impact on consumerbehaviour (usage). Because of thisliberalisation, prices oftelecommunication services areexpected to drop heavily, while inthe meantime service levels increase.

This, combined with reduced pricesfor peripherals and increasedfunctionality, will lead to massacceptance and usage oftelecommunication services.

2 ÔNetworkÕ is a slightly confusing word: ÔnetworkÕ can be used for the Ôhard networkÕ, the copper fiber, etc. underground and therequired equipment, as well the Ôsoft networkÕ: a service that relies on the Ôhard networkÕ (e.g. Internet). Also some Ôhard networksÕcarry more than one network, for instance the ISDN-network partially uses the same twisted pair as the Public Switched TelephoneNetwork (PSTN).

19 98 199 9 200 0 2001 2 002 20 03

0

2 0

4 0

6 0

8 0

100

120

140

x 1 mln Dfl

19 98 199 9 200 0 2001 2 002 20 03bron: Analysys

Number of subscribers EC telecom-networks

consumers

business

Mass MarketsOne-way

DistributionPassive

No controlRandom

Individual / nichesTwo-way

CommunicationActive

User controlOn request


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It should be noted however thatliberalisation has the largest effects onthe business market which istraditionally responsible for theprofits in the telecommunicationssector.

There is currently a clear differencebetween the type of networks used interms of bandwidth, as seen in thefollowing figure. This figure is oftenused to support the statement, thatCATV (Cable TV) networks aresuperior to other networks when itcomes to bandwidth. This requires some explanation, however. Although the cable networksappears to have the largest capacity, its functionality is based on distribution, rather than oncommunication. The capacity of the network is ÔsharedÕ between its users. In practice, this meansthat if one user communicates on the cable network (or more persons use the same informationat the same time) the throughput is 30 Mbps. However, if two people use this network fordifferent applications at the same time, the throughput for each user drops below 15 Mbps(including overhead). Beyond a certain number of users the capacity of the cable networkavailable to an individual user could theoretically drop below that of an analogue line.

2.2.2 The Telephony networksThe Public Switched Telephony Network (PSTN) has originally been designed for voicecommunication. During the last decades, these networks are increasingly being deployed for otherapplications such as fax and data transmission. Though originally analogue/electromechanical, thetechnology used nowadays is based on digital switches. This not only allows more efficient use ofthe bandwidth (combined with transmission of other data types rather then voice), but newsoftware also provided for new network services (Ôthird party callingÕ, Ôcall waitingÕ, numberidentification etc.).

The digital upgrade was also necessary to allowISDN and other types of networks to use thesame twisted pair cable. Note that in allEuropean countries twisted pair cable is still thestandard for communication services in the localloop although large parts of the (backbone)networks have been replaced by broadband fibres.The last meters of twisted pair are often thebottleneck with regard to bandwidth certainly forconsumer households. The PSTN networkcurrently is the only communication networkwith a nearly 100 % penetration in Europe.

The ISDN network connection rate is growingfast in Europe. Not just in the business domain,but especially in the consumersÕ field, thisnetwork is becoming more popular as a result ofthe growing Internet Market. In some countriesthe high-end households had two telephoneconnections, one privately used for telephonyand a second for fax, Internet and/orteleworking. These two lines are now beingreplaced by an ISDN connection.

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Country subscriptions / 100 inhÕs.

PSTN ISDN MobileNetherlands 55 2.0 10Belgium 46 0.5 10Germany 47 3.5 10UK 53 1.5 15Italy 43 0.8 20Spain 39 0.3 13Greece 52 0.1 10Ireland 44 0.2 13Finland 55 0.6 40Denmark 59 0.6 25Austria 49 1.5 10Sweden 74 0.8 35France 53 3.8 10Luxembourg 55 0.9 10Portugal 38 1.8 12


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The growth in penetration rates of ISDNsubscriptions (of households) is high and isfed by the growth of Internet andspecific applications such as teleworking. Note that it is not expected that ISDN will replace thetraditional analogue PSTN connections in the medium term. First of all there is, and is likely toremain, a price and cost difference in terms of subscriptions and services, secondly the currentanalogue peripherals do not support ISDN functions while dedicated ISDN equipment is stillrelatively expensive. Last but not least, the added value of ISDN for households that will onlyuse the telecommunication network for voice telephony is limited.

With regard to differences in functionality between ISDN and PSTN, there is a significantdifference in the transmission speed for data. The PSTN supports up to 33.6Kbps, ISDN on theother hand can support up to 128Kpbs. In addition, ISDN offers at least two in/out lines, whichimplies that when data transmission takes place, a normal phone conversation and / faxtransmission can take place at the same time (at the cost of half of the data transmission speed).

Most new (and traditional) operators can offer large bandwidth in the back bones and city rings.For consumers the bottleneck lies in the local loop connection, the last part of the network withthe terminating point inside the houses. In most European countries this is still a twisted pairPSTN cable. In view of the associated costs, it is not foreseen that in addition to a fixed telecomconnection (twisted pair or 2x twisted pair) and a possible cable connection (1 coax cable) otherterrestrial connections will be made to the consumers households on any significant scale.Communication using the existing electrical power cables may, in the long run, provide for a thirdoption. This technology is however still premature and has not yet been tested on a large scale.From a commercial point of view: communication is not considered to be core business for theenergy sector. This sector is facing competition on its core business already as result of theliberalisation of the energy markets. Two technologically feasible alternatives available today aremobile/wireless GSM/DCS1800/DECT connections or satellite links. Note the former is acommunication (two-way) connection while the latter is (primarily) a distribution (one-way)connection.

Most European countries have only a few (and in many cases just one) supplier(s) of terrestrialtelephony / telecommunication to the consumer market. This is changing as a result of theliberalisation of the European telecommunications sector. In virtually all countries the traditionallocal telephony loop is however still under full control of the incumbent telecommunicationsoperator.

2.2.3 The GSM / DCS networksThough these mobile networks are not of direct interest to this study, service development in themobile networks can on account of their more modern architecture, be expected to lead servicedevelopment in the fixed network sector.Some relevant trends/developments are:• In addition to voice, text messages are becoming more standard. Standard GSM hand sets are

able to send, receive and display messages (SMS).• There is a tendency towards the development of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) with the

functions of a PC (including graphics). It should be noted however that the GSM network doescurrently not allow transmission rates above 9.600 Bps. With the introduction of GPRS thissituation will however change quickly and transmission speeds of a few hundred Kbps will soonbe introduced.

• Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), the third generation mobile networkwill become available early next decade. This system will allow high speed, high capacity(data) communication. It will offer ISDN functionality (and bandwidth) for mobileapplications, which could include video services (for instance video telephony). Note howeverthat initially, systems will be aimed at business applications, although on a mid to long termmobile video telephony be may be an interesting development for this project.


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An interesting matter to observe is the number of consumer related subscriptions totelecommunication networks. Although mobile telephony replaces the ÔnormalÕ phone in mostof its functions (or better), there is no significant reduction in the number of terrestrial telecomsubscriptions. This can be explained by means of a number of (assumed) reasons:• the terrestrial connection is considered as a household / ÔhomeÕ connection, rather that a

personal mobile connection• the terrestrial connection is used or expected to be used for other services (Internet, fax,

etc.) and provides more bandwidth

2.2.4 The Cable TV networksCable networks were originally designed for distributing audio and video signals as a substitute forÔover-the-airÕ transmission, using antennas at usersÕ homes. As technology developed,transmission capacity of a typical up-to-date network can nowadays contain ± 30 TV channelsand a number of radio channels.

As stated earlier, the Cable TV networks (CATV) were originally intended for distributionpurposes. Therefore, the technology used in the networks (switches, amplifiers, etc.) did notsupport two-way communication. Eventually, especially in those countries with a high CATV-network penetration, the networks were upgraded and some equipment was replaced to make thenetwork capable of Ôtwo-wayÕ-communication. A number of cable operators have recently startedto offer cable telephony and Internet-via-CATV services. These services have however not yetachieved a high-penetration and certainly not from the perspective of the total Europeanconsumer market (if only because the penetration rates of CATV networks differentiateconsiderably between European countries). In addition there are usually major technicaldifferences between the networks of the different operators, meaning migration not just requiresone solution but individual solutions for individual networks. As a result of take-overs, in somecases even the individual networks per operator differ.

A drawback of using a cable network for transmission of information (e.g. a TV station) is thefact that in most countries there is not one cable operator, but a large number of cableoperators, in some countries even more than 100. This means that, if a TV station (or anyother service) wants to go national, it requires contracts with each individual cable operator.From an international perspective, there are only a few international TV stations, coveringmore than three or four countries. Examples are BBC, CNN, Eurosport. Except for languageproblems (including subtitling), there are also legal restrictions. Some of these restrictions can beavoided by hiring space from existing TV stations (a well known policy of teleshoppingorganisations). If a TV station aims to broadcast European wide, satellitetransmission is preferred, although this requires the user tobuy the necessary equipment and national licenses (notethat national laws may prohibit transmission) may also berequired. In contrast to the US, cable decoders, allowing for addedvalue services such as Pay TV, are not very popular insome parts of Europe, as a result of the required investment(purchase, installation and maintenance). Especially in theNetherlands and Belgium, Pay TV channels have neverbeen very successful. Another reason could be the largeoffer of ÔfreeÕ national and international TV stations onthe CATV networks. Also, the required equipment is/was NOT delivered by the cableoperator, but by the individual Pay TV organisation, thusrequiring heavy investments for a single service. Regarding themodels described in the chapter 4: ÔModelling the marketsÕ

Country %-rate ofpenetration

Netherlands 95Belgium 95Germany 44UK 15Italy 1Spain 5Greece n.a.Ireland 45Finland 50Denmark 45Austria 40Sweden 50France 10Luxembourg 95Portugal 15


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Pay TV organisation are forced to fulfil nearly all roles of thevalue chain, fulfil all the processes by it self in a type 1 projectcontext. Company names in the decoderÕs field are Jerrold,Pioneer, Scientific Atlantic and Zenith. There have been a number of projects on value added services like Subscription TV (where aconsumer pays for access to one (or more) TV channels) and Pay Per View (where a consumerpays to watch a specific movie at specific time, as scheduled by the Pay Per View organisation)via the cable networks. There also have been some Near Video on Demand trials, but most ofthem failed, due to the heavy investments / operating costs. Only a few Pay TV organisationhave been (commercially) successful so far. To date, the cable networks have, with the exception of some trials, pilots and small scaleservices, honoured the tradition of passing Radio/TV signals, no more no less. However this ischanging in some of the EU-countries. New services, like Internet Access are becoming popularand serve as a stepping stone towards (Internet) telephony and other communication services.CATV operators are aware of the commercially attractive mass markets for telecommunications.Coax cable networks are considered to be a serious competitor to traditional telephone networks.It should however be noted that this requires substantial investment in market introduction, thenetworks themselves and in cable modems. Although the bandwidth of coax cable networks issubstantial, it should be noted that this bandwidth has to be shared by the different users (asdescribed previously).

2.2.5 The Satellite networks Satellite Networks are some of the major competitors tothe cable TV networks and offer broadband distribution ofdata. Unlike CATV networks they are not limited by local,regional or national borders, but rather by the ÔfootprintÕof the satellite (the area which is covered). Because theactual footprint depends of the size of the dish and theamount of energy put into the satellite beam, a large partof Europe can be covered by one single satellite (that is: ifit is in the right position). In some cases the signal is scrambled either to provideconditional access (Pay TV) or to cover national laws.France (but also other countries) for instance has arestrictive legal system regarding satellite broadcasts. In most European countries there is some kind of trade-offbetween cable and satellite penetration. In countries withhigh cable penetration there is only limited interest insatellite TV and visa versa. Note that satellite TV is verypopular among tourist or immigrants (usually the only wayto receive TV in the mother tongue) and in countries thatare less suitable for CATV networks. There are some experiments concerning Internet over satellite, but these applications seem notbe within reach of consumer households in the short term. An interesting and very usefultechnology, both for CATV networks and satellite (as well as via standard antenna) is DigitalVideo Broadcasting. This technology and its implications are described in a following chapter.

2.2.6 Hybrid Networks In the past there have been several (local, regional) tests with hybrid networks, combining one ormore networks for one service. A typical example is using a broadband network to download largeinformation streams (to the user) and a communication network for interaction (from the user).

Country %-rate ofpenetration

Netherlands 5Belgium 5Germany n.a.UK 20Italy 5Spain 8Greece n.a.Ireland 9Finland 12Denmark n.a.Austria 36Sweden 10France 6Luxembourg 5Portugal n.a.


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These concepts of hybrid networks are still used. A typical example in the Internet environmentis trying to use a satellite network for downloading, while a PSTN connection sends requests,using a DVB card and an 18Ó dish as interface to the satellite. There are many more examples / pilots and projects, most of them either stopped or are stillunder investigation. Most promising seem the DVB projects using Satellite / CATV networks fordownloading.

2.2.7 The Internet The Internet was initially developed in the 60Õs/70Õs. Later, in the 70Õs it linked computernetworks of universities and laboratories in the United States. The World Wide Web wasdeveloped in the late 80Õs. The acceptance/growth rate of the Internet is stunning and can be(partly) explained by the large installed base of PCÕs. The interesting part of Internet is that it isÔhard-networkÕ independent, meaning that Internet data / information can be carried by PSTN,CATV, GSM and satellite networks. The Internet offers many different kinds of network services. Not just E-mail (or evenmultimedia e-mail) but also information (WWW), transactions (E-commerce) and video/audio(Mpeg) applications can be retrieved / transmitted via the Internet. A major current drawback of the Internet is the unreliability regarding transmission speed. Thereare two areas of concern:• the speed of the Internet heavily depends on the number of users connected to the Internet

and their activities;• the speed of communication between two points (e.g. a user and a server, where information

is stored) depends also on the slowest part of the network connection (example: if a server isconnected to the Internet via a PSTN line and a 14.4kbps modem, no matter what high speedequipment or networks is used by other parties, the maximum speed will be no higher that14.4Kbps. If two users would access the same server simultaneously, the speed would dropeven below 7.2 Kbps)

This has direct consequences for real time services such as telephony, video, etc. Due to the factthat current bandwidth and peripherals are too slow, it may cause Ôhick-upsÕ or delay for thesetypes of services. Because there is no real Ôone-to-oneÕ communication path (which is the casefor general voice telephony), the receiving side usually has to wait until all information isreceived in order to avoid hindering Ôhick-upsÕ. For downloading of software or receiving mail theconsequences are limited, because the user has to wait for the complete download anyway. It is obvious that users of real time services however will suffer from these drawbacks, even forservices that require only low bandwidth such as voice / audio service, but most certainly thosethat require the bandwidth that is needed for full motion, full screen video. The good news is that almost all telecom operators as well as the long distance carriers arecontinuously upgrading their network in order to provide competitive services. Also manynational and regional telecom operators are experimenting with new technology (xDSL and alike)to keep up with competitive networks (e.g. PSTN vs. CATV).

2.2.8 Teletel Although a little outdated, the French Teletel network (also known as Minitel (actually the nameof the terminal)) was one of the first mass data communication networks in the world. One of thereasons it was successful was the fact that the main peripheral (the ÔMinitelÕ terminal) wasdistributed for free. This strategy eliminated the chicken-egg problem. Although operators inother countries (other national Public Telephone Operators) tried to copy the success, most ofthem failed, mainly because of the fact that customers were charged for the terminal and its use.Currently, Teletel is slowly being replaced by Internet mainly because of the value added servicesof Internet and the more sophisticated graphical (attractive) interface.


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2.3 Peripherals in Europe

TVÕs and telephones are all generally accepted peripherals all over Europe. Most households haveat least one telephone set, in many cases wireless (using DECT protocols and others). MostEuropean households also have two or more TVÕs. In general the central TV (in the living room)also offers teletext. It should be noted that Europe carries a number of (incompatible) TVstandards such a SECAM and PAL. Also the teletext protocols vary. The following table contains the penetration rates of PC and its correlation with Internet usage(as % of the number of households). In all publications about Internet usage, there is a lot ofconfusion about the definition of Ôhaving access to a PCÕ or Ôon-lineÕ. It is argued that manyhouseholds have access to the Internet via a business connection. For specific consumerapplications however, a home-connection is necessary. Also, many exciting growth rates havebeen predicted. However it is crystal clear that the growth rate will at some point be limited tothe growth rate in peripherals. If there is no PC available in the household, there will be littleInternet usage. As the table shows, the penetration rate of PCÕs(and thus the potential on-line penetration) variesthroughout the EU. For this study this is notnecessarily a show stopper, since a PC may addsignificant added value and the target group maybuy a PC anyway just because of the added value.However, the speed of the general marketdevelopment is heavily related to the generalpenetration levels (Ôis it a mass market or not?Õ). A significant difference can be noticed betweenthe northern and southern European countriesthough. The northern countries tend to have ahigher penetration of Internet connections. We predict continued PC penetration though,partially fed by the sub-$1000 systems, theincreased use of WebTV-style devices, and likelythe introduction of digital set-top boxes, ascurrently introduced in a small percentage of U.S.homes. It should be noted that different projectswith WebTV and Oracle devices are taking placein Europe as well. The WebTV projects do seem to be making a lot of progress, partly due to the hesitating attitudeof the CATV operators.

Country PC PC+Online

Netherlands 45% 10%Belgium 30% 5%Germany 30% 15%UK 30% 10%Italy 20% 5%Spain 15% 5%Greece 10% < 5%Ireland 20% 5%Finland 40% 10%Denmark 45% 10%Austria 15% 5%Sweden 35% 10%France 20% 5%LuxembourgRegional Avg. 30% 10%

note that the figures regarding PC penetration and Internetconnections vary HEAVILY per research report.


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3. EVOLUTION IN TECHNOLOGY

At this very moment technology is moving very fast. Standards are of paramount importance. Insome cases companies like Microsoft can set de-facto standards, in other situation the ISO and/orITU or conglomerates of players can supply the industry with standards. Beside technologystandards, national restrictions also have a major influence on the speed of technologyintroduction. To give an example: modems to analogue networks still have to approved/admittedand often adapted to each individual country as the analogue telephony network varies percountry. This unfortunately implies that there is no such thing as a modem which is availableÔEuropean wideÕ. Because of the required adaptations and procedures involved somemanufacturers just do not introduce their modems in each individual European country.Nevertheless, the following trends can without doubt be observed all over Europe.

3.1 Digitisation

The digitisation of media is a hot issue, especially in the field of audio and video. For mass-market purposes it offers a number of interesting features:• digitised signals offer better possibilities for compression than analogue signals;• digitised material can be stored much more efficiently;• digitised signals can be manipulated, maintained and controlled much more efficiently;• in terms of video transmission: digitised information is not accessible without a proper

decoder and therefore creates a first Ôconditional accessÕ barrier for non-paying viewers(standard TVÕs do not accept digital information, a digital-to-analogue decoder is required),this also applies for pay-radio.

As a matter of fact, many analogue signals are already carried digitally (by means of converters athead-end) in the networks at a higher level. The costs of digitisation are dropping rapidly,especially where the entire chain (for recording/developing content for broadcast /communication) is increasingly based on digital technology. With respect to the digitisation ofexisting material, e.g. video, in most cases regular PCÕs with additional hardware can already beapplied.

3.2 Compression

Compression techniques make it possible to store significantly more information on a storagemedium. In general there are two kind of algorithms:• loss-less: algorithms that retain all information, but store the information in a more efficient

way (e.g. PKZIP)• lossy: algorithms which, do not only store in a more efficient way, but also remove

information from the original. Typical example is MP3, an audio compression technique(based on MPEG-1 layer 3 audio compression) that removes frequencies that cannot heard bythe majority of the consumers (very high and low tones). MP3 compressed audio CDÕscontains about 10 to 30 times more (decompressed) music. MPEG, as another example,compresses video up to 26 times, by removing redundant information and efficient handlingof changes of individual sequential frames rather than storing individual frames.

The most commonly used type of compression, especially for the Signing Books project, isMPEG (video compression) since it is used in various devices and applications. MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group, also known as ISO/IEC JTC1 SC29 WG11, a subgroup ofthe ISO and IEC) was introduced in or about 1988 to develop a world wide standard for video andaudio coding, to be used for various types of media, including transmission and recording. So far a range of 4 MPEG standards has been reviewed, with MPEG-2 as the most recent standard.The first standard MPEG1 was primarily used for computers, CD-ROM and DC-I pictures / video:picture quality comparable with VHS-VCR quality. The MPEG-2 concept is similar to MPEG-1,but includes extensions to cover a wider range of applications. The primary application targetedduring the MPEG-2 definition process was the all-digital transmission of broadcast TV quality


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video at coded bit rates between 4 and 9 Mbit/sec. MPEG-2 is the major driver behind many newvideo technologies (e.g. Internet video, DVB, DVD, etc.). MPEG-3 was intended for HDTV, butwas considered obsolete because MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 satisfy for HDTV too. The MPEG-4standard will enable a whole spectrum of new applications, including interactive mobilemultimedia communications, but is not yet available. MPEG compresses video up to a ratio of 1:26. Concerning broadcasting (for instance DVB ÐDigital Video Broadcasting), this would mean that about 20+ channels can be used in one currentchannel-slot. It will also cause some complications, which are explained in the Pay TV section ofthis document. Also, the ratio of compression heavily depends on the nature of the video-material: ÔfastÕ video (e.g. a video clip or a soccer game with many screen changes) versus ÔslowÕvideo (e.g. news reading, with only marginal changes on the screen). A consortium of companies (Sony, Matushista, Philips, JVC and others) is developing a metalparticle based upon 6 millimetre consumer digital video tape format. It will initially use moreJPEG-like independent frame compression for cheap encoding of source analogue (NTSC, PAL)video. The consequence is a less efficient use of bandwidth (25 Mbit/sec for the same qualityachieved at 6 Mbit/sec with MPEG). Pre-compressed video from broadcast sources will be directlyrecorded to tape and passed-through as a coded bitstream to the video decompression box uponplayback. At this very moment there are some real-time MPEG encoders (real time conversion for video-to-MPEG format). In general, existing video-material is MPEG encoded and stored beforeduplication and/or transmission. New applications such as Digital Video Broadcasting and Internet, will encourage further MPEGuse. Particularly for PCÕs, most MPEG players (that is, the PC software) are free of charge. It isforeseen that MPEG players will be included in pre-installed PCÕs over time.

3.3 Efficient use of bandwidth

Another important incentive for fast introduction of multimedia applications is the efficient useof scarce bandwidth. Apart from compression, which is from a telecom operatorÕs point of viewmore a kind of pre- and post- processing of content, the need for efficient transmission is ofparamount importance to all. Nearly all telecom operators are experimenting or piloting newtechnologies and/or introducing new protocols/ technologies on their backbones, city rings andlocal loops. A typical example of technology that is being used now or in the near future is FrameRelay, ATM and xDSL. Very important for home usage is the development of xDSL. xDSL is a range of ÔDigital Subscriber LoopÕ technologies that enable broadband transmission ontraditional copper lines. A typical aspect is the a-symmetric transmission, meaning thatbandwidths reserved for up-link and for down-link transmission are not identical. The up-linkbandwidth (from user to central system) is limited, whereas more bandwidth is reserved for down-link (from central system to user e.g. video information, etc.). Note that distance between centralDSL-server/node and user is crucial. xDSL has four varieties at this moment:• DSL: conventional ISDN in a symmetric 2B+D environment (up to 144 kbps)• HDSL: high speed DSL, 1.5 to 2 Mbps symmetric (bi-directional), maximum distance 4 km• ADSL: a-symmetric DSL up to 8 Mbps downlink, 64-600Kbps uplink, distances up to 2 km• VDSL: very high speed DSL, up to 12 Mbps down link on a distance of 1.5 km.ISDN is considered to be an interim solution towards ADSL, VDSL and single line HDSL. ManyTelecom operators throughout Europe are testing xDSL and preparing to transform theirconventional networks towards ADSL (also additional modems at the userÕs site are required).The development specifically address the available bandwidth in the local loop. In time, one canexpect that especially home users will profit from this technology sophistication. ADSL isavailable in some areas throughout Europe, mostly pilot projects. A list of pilot projects/roll-outplans can be found on www.adsl.com/trial_matrix.html.


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Also, in some European countries ADSL is used by telecom operators as a defensive strategy tooltowards CATV operators and will be kept on the shelves as long as there is no commercial threatto the PSTNÕs core business. In terms of functionality, ADSL is specifically suitable for videoservices and Internet ISDN is becoming more popular and many telecom operators are upgrading their backbone inorder to provide better service to their business users. While interpreting the predictedintroduction time of xDSL, one should not forget that ISDN took 15+ years to become widelyavailable after introduction (and is still not available at the same level in all European countries).

3.4 Efficient storage

Information which has to be transmitted or distributed usually has to be stored first. Applicationslike video on demand require enormous multi-accessible amounts of storage capacity. To give anexemplary figure: a full-featured movie (2 hours) MPEG compressed will take about 2 Gbytes.Multi-accessibility is a must, since more users want to use (parts of) the same information at thesame time. The price of storage devices is dropping fast, whereas capacity of storage devices isgrowing at exponential rates. This is not limited to business applications, as described inparagraph 3.10, the information storage devices for consumer applications also increase capacitywise. CD-writeables, Zip drives and Gigabyte hard drives are within reach of consumer households. Efficient storage is required because the amount of information available is growing exponentiallyas well.

3.5 Digital Video Broadcasting

Digital Video Broadcasting or DVB is typical example of a combination of the previouslydescribed digitisation, coding and compression technologies. DVB can be considered (roughly) asthe on-line version of DVD (Digital Video Disk, or: Digital Versatile Disk). Both use MPEG ascompression technique, whereas DVB is used for information distribution and DVD forinformation storage (using MPEG combined with efficient storage technology). The main driverbehind DVB is efficient use of bandwidth in analogue transmission media. A number of suppliers offer DVB technology. They supply DVB decoders to users to decode thereceived DVB signal, transmitted via CATV-network or via Satellite. These decoders also offercompatibility to a PC (RS232, Centronix, other interfaces), printer and other PC-relatedperipherals as well as SCART in/outputs. DVB decoders offer extended functionality such as Electronic programming guides, a modem forservices like mail and fax transmission, subtitling services and conditional access. One of themajor advantages of DVB is the use of compression (MPEG-2). This multiplies the efficiency ofthe bandwidth offered by cable operators. Although MPEG and other compression techniquescause loss of data, the quality loss which is a result of this loss, is nearly (but not completely)invisible according to sources. In Europe, DVB is especially driven by government-initiatives. In the UK, the broadcastingindustry is expected to start DVB transmission by July 1998. In the US, comparable initiativestake place. DVB can be offered by satellite and by CATV network. DVB-experiments are conducted usingsatellite (Eutelsat and others) as well as using terrestrial cable networks. Although DVB or relatedtechnologies have many advantages, it should be noted that distribution networks in general havea disadvantage when bandwidth is shared between users. More users asking, each asking fordifferent information, results in slower individual service. Because of the expected success ofVideo on Demand, this may diminish the initial enthusiasm for DVB as driver for Video onDemand. As stated previously, an interesting development is Internet-over-DVB.


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3.6 Broadcasting / Narrowcasting Applications

Broadcasting technology traditionally relates to TV / Audio broadcasting. The typical feature ofbroadcasting is that all consumers can receive (presuming they have the proper equipment)identical signals at the same time. Usually broadcast implies no interaction. Throughout theyears, several TV and radio stations offered services intended to be received by a closed user group(usually for commercial reasons). This type of broadcasting is called narrow casting. Although thesignal itself can be retrieved by all users (of a CATV network or of satellite receivers), the signalis usually encrypted or jammed. Only subscribers to the service are able to receive the intendedsignal by using a decoder (in combination with a smart card for identification / transaction / etc.purposes). Typical examples of these services are:• Subscription TV / Radio: customers pay a fixed fee for receiving a (TV/Radio) channel;• Pay Per View: customers pay per movie broadcasted at a specific time;• Pay Per Time: customers pay for the time they watched a certain station. Video on Demand, where a customer pays per movie that is (privately) broadcasted at selectedtimes, is the ultimate service in this area. However, VoD requires an enormous amount ofbandwidth and is, at this moment, commercially not viable, at least not via the CATV networks,over-the-air networks or satellite networks. Digital TV may change this. As a matter of fact,application of compressed video can already be downloaded (with many drawbacks) from theInternet and viewed via a PC. In the near future Digital Video Broadcasting will be able to deliver many more TV channels inthe same bandwidth. This could lead to additional space for sign language information. Some protection, encryption or compression techniques can only work with a fixed number of(bundled) channels. This means a subscriber either receives the complete package or nothing.Also, bandwidth is scarce, meaning that a 25 to 1 reduction of required bandwidth would lead to(because of overhead: less than) 25 channels, but this bandwidth could also be used for other(commercially attractive) multimedia applications. Although DVB is capable of offering morechannels, many commercial opportunities seem possible. Business TV (TV-content only availableto employees of (large) companies) as well as local/regional TV and SIG-TV (SIG: Special InterestGroups, containing various sports-channels, foreign TV-channels, etc.) may fill bandwidth as fastas it becomes available. Beside Ôfreed upÕ bandwidth may be used for data transmission. Also, mainly an issue of organising, the operator has to decide what channels will be broadcast. Inpractise this would mean negotiations with all single packagers are required to make sure that asingle (TV station) is broadcast nationally or Europe-wide.

3.7 Using Internet technology

A primary bottleneck of Internet is transmission speed / bandwidth. Differences between differentÔhard-networksÕ are real, the following example will demonstrate this: Time to Transmit a Single 1 Mb Graphic Image (a high resolution colour photograph)• Telephone Modem 28.8 kbps Approximately 5 minutes• ISDN 64kbps Approximately 2 minutes• Cable Modem 10 Mbps Approximately 1 second [source NCTA] Time to Transmit a 5 Mb Video/Audio Clip (Approximately 1.5 minutes)• Telephone Modem 28.8 kbps Approximately 22 minutes• ISDN 64 kbps Approximately 10 minutes• Cable Modem 10 Mbps Approximately 4 seconds [source NCTA]


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Note that the content (video versus audio) doesnÕt really matter, since it is all data. It makes adifference only in real time applications, since real time conversion of compression and real timetransmission (e.g. a telephone conversation) may be required. Although these figures areindicative, they show the potential strength of the cable networks. Video-over-Internet is a hot topic and for many an end station since it then would be possible tooffer Pay TV services over a cheap medium. Some of the ÔeasierÕ to solve problems are howeverbest illustrated in the following paragraph on Ôvideo by networkÕ.

3.7.1 Video by network Video by LAN is an interesting development, since many of the protocols used may also becomeavailable on public networks in future (IP, Ethernet connections, etc.). The development ofVideo-over-LAN is however still difficult. Full-frame, full-motion colour video requires10MB/second transmission rates or higher. Even with the help of advanced compressiontechniques this is still difficult, mainly because of the fact that there is no guaranteed throughputof data. Because the video-information is sent on the network as small data packages, othertraffic (from other applications) using the same network may slow down the speed, resulting injumpy frames. This is a known problem in the Internet world, in which throughput cannot beguaranteed either (the analogue to a ÔhighwayÕ is striking here: the more cars, the more trafficjams, and the longer it takes to get somewhere; the same applies to data transmission: the moredata on a network, the longer it will take before it gets to its destination). Modern networkingtechnologies such as ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) provide higher bandwidth andisosychronous services needed for video. This however is, at this moment, quite expensive.However it is predicted that these technologies will also be used for Internet and more householdoriented applications, thus opening a mass market and hopefully resulting in better (=lower)pricing.

3.7.2 Video on Internet Real time video / Video on Demand is already available via the Internet. It encounters the sametype of problems as Video by LAN, only worse. A number of formats is offered by various developers. RealVideo allows both PC and Mac users toplay streaming video on their browsers. "Streaming" means the video is playing while the file isbeing downloaded. The result varies, depending on the amount of bandwidth available. Also theÔscreenÕ is rather small. Required speed is 56K of higher although a 28.8k will do as well for verysimple videos. Other popular on-line video players are RealVideoÊ(.rm), VivoActive (viv), andNetshow (others are available as well). Some video formats available via Internet are not on-line, but are downloaded first and thenplayed, or received and delayed (through buffering) displayed. Typical examples are Mpeg orotherwise compressed movies. Other formats are Quicktime, RealVideo and AVI. Quicktime clips are larger in size thanRealVideo (longer download time), but the quality is usually better. AVI is an older movie format(designed for the AVI player for Windows 3.x or Windows 95) and has a higher quality picture,but a long download time. This format is becoming obsolete for on-line use. Other formats can be found as well. Also, there are various experiments with live video, using allkind of different software to gain better efficiency (note the transmission protocol is always IP,and the limitations of speed and unreliable throughput are still given facts). End user players of the mentioned types above can be found on the Internet, usually for free. Thecosts of encoder and/or server software vary. Nevertheless, the streaming video applications stillhave poor quality, strictly because of the way the Internet is built (more users = less bandwidth).Also, in order to provide ÔliveÕ video, the window in which the video is displayed has the size of alarge postal stamp.


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3.8 Integration of PC/TV

One of the hottest topics during last few years, especially since the success of Internet, is theintegration of PC and TV. Devices designed for TV and Audio are, at this moment, not suitablefor data-reception for a number of reasons:• they were originally designed for receiving signals only and not for communication purposes

(comparable with the CATV-network, originally designed for broadcasting only).• TVs and radios were not designed for off-line use. Although recording and replay of

video/audio material is possible via VCRs (storage with the help of additional peripherals),access is always sequential instead of random (in practical terms: you have to (re-)wind a tapein order to find a specific part instead of directly selecting that part).

• TV / Radio is not considered to be a personal device, rather a social device (for thehousehold). Personal use in a household environment (e.g. zapping, changing CDs) is notaccepted in general.

It is however increasingly common to have more TVs per household, and (some of) theperipherals correspondingly become ÔpersonalÕ rather than ÔsocialÕ devices. Also, additionalperipherals can be connected which can offer interactivity.

3.9 WebTV / Network computers

In addition to the trends described previously, telecom operators and service operators are awarethat the Internet growth heavily depends on the penetration rates of PCÕs and modems.Considering the fact that some households will not obtain a PC solely for Internet or do not wantto use a PC at all (considering its complex user interface), a Ôpoor manÕs PCÕ, equipped for theInternet only, at low price and with a simple interface may attract this group of households. Thebasic idea is to connect a simple PC to both the Internet (via PSTN or CATV) and the TV (asmonitor). Network Computers (NCÕs) are the easiest option: a user requests an Internet subscription, plugsthe NC into the PSTN (for communication) and the TV (as monitor) and uses the remote controlto surf. NCÕs can be connected to printers and other peripherals but do not have anything like (alarge amount of) memory and/or processing power and/or storage capability. This limits their use:e-mail cannot be stored locally and interactive software cannot be downloaded. A NC, in fact, isno more or less than a simple, stripped web browser. However, this may change in the future. WebTV devices can also function in combination with regular TVs, but are quite different fromNCÕs. WebTV appears to be an ideal device / service for interactive television (react on TV-events, ask for additional information, search for local information, etc.) since the terminal isprimarily connected to a WebTV host rather than to the Internet. An Internet connection isconsidered premium service, possibly offered by the WebTV service provider. Although there aremany applications to consider, the uptake of Web TV is not as fast as was originally expected.The interactive TV-watcher is a rare type of consumer. In addition, WebTV is more expensivethat the Internet (since it requires an additional subscription to the WebTV service provider).Last but not least, current Internet users tend to look down on WebTV and are certainly notwillingly to install a WebTV device solely for interactive television. The definitive pro however, is that the information is provided by the WebTV service providerand can be arranged and presented in a far more user friendly way than on the Internet. In addition, other ÔinteractiveÕ devices have been introduced over time as well, especially forentertainment use. None of these have however had a serious impact on the market yet.

3.10 Using Off-line technologies

There is a wide range of information carriers and devices available for the consumer market.Most popular are the VCR, audio tape recorder, CD-player, etc. So far these peripherals / carriersare not interactive other than for some manipulation of speed (forward, backward, on, off). New


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devices like PC/CD-ROM and game devices had a big influence on the use of information. Theyoffer inter-activity and direct access to information. As technology evolves, consumers becomemore and more involved in the creation of such interactive media. CD-writeables for audio, videoand PC are currently within reach of the consumer. This new technology is interesting for applications in the area of sign language due to the factthat different media can be combined and that basic software (audio, video, data) can be recycledin a convenient way, especially when a PC is used as integrator. Other equipment like CD-I (CD-Interactive) or CD-V (CD-Video) may be considered as well, but all of these stand-aloneperipherals have options that can be found in a PC as well. Note that a PC, although it can play most of the video / audio sequences of a CD-I, cannot play afull CD-I software programme (a CD-I uses OS/9 file system instead of the standard CD-ROM theISO-9660 file system). An emulator for interpreting coding is to our knowledge not yet available. There is a wide range of storage devices for Video / Information. In fact the two current majorperipherals set limitations: the TV and the PC. In case of a TV, storage devices are currentlylimited to VCRÕs, Video CD and CD-I.• VCRÕs are analogue based and depend heavily on mechanical and electronic parts. The tape

itself is quite vulnerable. The quality of VCR-material is acceptable. The amount of storage islimited to about 8 hours (rather poor quality) video. Also, there are different non-compatiblestandards used throughout Europe (PAL, SECAM). Prices of both device and videotape arereasonable.

• Video CD / CD-I, two storage devices, although different from a functional point of view, areabout to decease. The main problem of the introduction of these systems in the mass marketswas the lack of software, the high costs of peripherals and the limited support of theindustries involved. It should be noted however that in some specific areaÕs, CD-IÕs are stillused intensively for training purposes.

3.10.1 DVDDVD (Digital Versatile Disk) is supposed to be the next generation of optical disk storagetechnology for home and business applications and may replace the CD (ROM) and other digitalstorage devices for PC and TV both (being the most accepted multimedia devices at thismoment), including CD-I. A major breakthrough is the fact that this standard is supported bymost big software and hardware suppliers (Panasonic, Matsushita, Hitachi, Pioneer, Toshiba,Philips, Sony, etc.). Note that there is difference between DVD-video (to be played on a DVDvideo player, PC) and DVD-data (to be used with a PC, game console, etc. but not by a DVDplayer). DVD-video uses MPEG 2 as compression standard for video.The overall DVD-video specifications sets high expectations:• a DVD-disk may hold different version of a movie, which will fit seamlessly;• instant rewind and fast forward;• several digital audio tracks;• optional display of subtitles in various languages. DVD-video is available, both DVD players and software can be bought in regular audio/videoshops. However, this technology is waiting for its break-through. Many movie, audio and othersoftware titles will have to be transferred to this new system. Another important matter is theacceptation rate of the consumers, who still have comparable peripherals at home (VCR, AudioCD player, etc.). Consumer DVD movie players currently (mid 1999) list for about $400 and up.These prices are to drop to VCR prices (starting from $150 and up). The cost of software isexpected to drop to standard VHS-product prices. DVD disks (double layers (DL)) can contain upto 4 hours of video. Although disks can be produced two-sided, commercial reasons donÕt seem tojustify this. As a matter of fact all players are supposed to read double layers in accordance withstandard specifications for players. The following specifications are given:

standard CDÕs ¥DVD-5 (12cm, SS/SL): 4.38 GB (4.7 G) of data, 2 hours video ¥DVD-9 (12cm, SS/DL): 7.95 GB (8.5 G), ±4 hours


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¥DVD-10 (12cm, DS/SL): 8.75 GB (9.4 G),±4.5 hours ¥DVD-18 (12cm, DS/DL): 15.90 GB (17 G), ±8 hours Small CDÕs ¥DVD-1 (8cm, SS/SL): 1.36 (1.4 G), ±0.5 hours ¥DVD-2 (8cm, SS/DL): 2.48 GB (2.7 G), ± 1.3 hours ¥DVD-3 (8cm, DS/SL): 2.72 GB (2.9 G), ± 1.4 hours ¥DVD-4 (8cm, DS/DL): 4.95 GB (5.3 G), ± 2.5 hours Data CDÕs ¥DVD-R (12cm, SS/SL): 3.68 GB (3.95 G) ¥DVD-R (12cm, DS/SL): 7.38 GB (7.9 G) ¥DVD-R (8cm, SS/SL): 1.15 GB (1.23 G) ¥DVD-R (8cm, DS/SL): 2.29 GB (2.46 G) [SS: single sided; DS: double sided; SL: single layer; DL: Double Layer]

DVD faces similar problems as any video media (VCR-tape, Video CD) with respect tostandardisation of video format. Most European players are expected to support all commonstandards. DVD is also supposed to support both 4:3 and 16:9 screen formats. DVD-ROM drives currently sell for around $200 to $600 and are expected to drop to the currentCD-ROM drive price levels. Good news is that DVD players will also be able to read Audio and PCROMs (yellow book, red book compatible). Another interesting feature of DVD is DIVX, which appears to be some kind of off-line pay perview. Connected to a telephone line the disk can be played for some time after which a remoteserver can activate the disk again. Trials on this system still have to start as far as known.

3.10.2 Digital TVÕs New TVÕs usually have both SCART, aerial / coax and/or other input slots. This makes it inprinciple possible to send more than one signal stream, except from aerial input, to a TV forprocessing. Especially digital TVs come with features such as Picture-in-Picture, capable ofshowing one movie (or other TV/Video-program) together with a small window, showing anothervideo. This would be ideal for the simultaneous translation of a program into sign language. Thereis a restriction however: if both programs were broadcast via for instance a cable network, the TVwould require an additional tuner. This can be overcome with the help of a video recorder (whichusually has its own tuner). Since some TVs even have more than one SCART input, more inputdevices may be connected. Also, advanced DVB tuners, in combination with digital TV sets would give the samefunctionality. However, as far as we can see now, the technology will not be available to thepublic at reasonable prices at short notice (and certainly not across Europe).

3.10.3 PC storage devices PCÕs seem to be the ideal peripheral for both off-line and on-line multimedia information. In theoff-line environment, the PC acts an in interactive information station, retrieving informationvia software for various types of storage. Typical storage devices for PC are Jazz-drive, ZIP-drive, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. Note that a typical video file of 2 hours would require about 4GB (in some cases less, due to the compression technology / parameters used. It should be realisedthough that MPEG can compress at several levels, the more compressed the more quality loss(due to the lossy compression scheme).

MBÕs storage Cost Device(Euro)

Typical Cost /medium (Euro)

CD-ROM 645 MB 150 2CD-I (*) 640 MB 400 50DVD (SS/DL)(*) 8700 MB 150 40Floppy disk 1.44 15 0.50Hard disk 2 Gbytes 300 N/A.

[(*) writers are not yet available to the households; given the current prices, DVD disks are notwidely available; it is expected that DVD disks / media will eventually sell at the same price asCD-ROM] Note that media for Video storage require either direct access or at least fast throughput (the unitshould keep up with the speed of displaying a video). Backup devices are not suitable for video


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purposes, other than that the video would have to be stored at a more suitable storage device first(e.g. a hard disk). CD Writers are becoming quite popular among PC-users. Costs of CD writers have been reducedto about 200 Euro, including interface card and software. With the enormous installed base of PCÕs, it is not only commercially attractive to develop newtechnology, but also the uptake by the existing base of users is fast. A high substitution/uptakerate of devices can be seen ÔoldÕ 5.25Ó drives or 720KB 3.5Ó are fully obsolete. Also single speedCD-ROMs are no longer available. With the fast development of multimedia material (such asinteractive VideoÕs for PC-use) a steady, commercially attractive, market for new storagetechnology can be envisaged.

3.11 New devices

Numerous new devices, especially for on-line use, are being developed. Any of thesedevelopments may have an impact on the signing books market. To give an example: currentlyhigh-end copy-machines are being equipped with remote monitoring / status tools, thus enablingdistributors / service suppliers of these machine to diagnose these machines remotely. Suchsystems are cost-effective, since it reduces costs of repair/maintenance on site. Once thistechnology is widely spread and IP-connections are more standard, this kind of service willprobably become available for households for all kinds of devices. Another trend is the use of hand held peripherals, connected to the Internet via a GSM /DCS1800 network. Typical examples are PDAÕs, offering extended functionality. This range ofperipherals will grow as the number of applications and the bandwidth grow, e.g. via the futureUMTS network. UMTS will make video via wireless connections possible.


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4. MODELING THE MARKET

This chapter introduces three general methodologies for assessing an operation / project. Thevalue chain model is a tool for determining the role of a certain player/project/service in thevalue chain, the context model offers insight in the organisation of a project and, last, theprocess model, identifies the different required processes. These models will be used later in thischapter to create a checklist for a signing books library. Note that the given models extend beyond the scope of this project. They explain many of thetrends in the ICT markets and as such are valuable for predicting the outcome of trends andprojects.

4.1 Value Chain Model

The Value Chain model is often used in order to assess roles and functions of players with thevalue chain. The model defines 5 major roles:

• The Content owners: the originators of information, e.g. writers of books / scripts,software developers, etc.• The Content organisers the publishers, organisations that bundle the work of contentowners. Examples are film-studios, etc.• The Network organisers the organisations that bundle organisers (e.g. TV stations) andoffer the products / services to the public through a network.• The Network operators the distribution organisers, e.g. postal organisations, telecom

network operators, etc.• The Gatekeepers the organisation that controls the access to the customer, e.g. ashop, a smart card distributor. In the recent past players tried to gain control over the completechain, or at least tried to become a major player in parts of thechain. Typical examples were CATV operators that took overfilm-studios, film-studios acquiring TV-stations, etc. This trendhas slowed down somewhat. In some cases, activities that wereacquired (as part of this strategy) were/are being sold, whereascompanies returned to their core business (telephone operatorsselling hardware divisions, media hardware organisations sellingtheir software divisions, etc.). Nevertheless, especially contentorganisers tend to stay in control in more than one role of the

chain (typical examples are publishers of Ôthe old mediaÕ, currently involved not only in TV /Internet / Audio content, but also in control of television stations, producing facilities, Internetproviders, etc.). This model is mainly used for analysing and explaining strategic behaviour. In the light of theSigning Books project, this model can be used to verify the specific role a participant wants toplay as content provider / library / etc., as well as getting a clear understanding of the position ofa specific project in the value chain. Also, if players tend to play more roles, it should give awarning signal, since playing more than role usually influences the position of competitors.

4.2 The Project Context Model

This model was originally defined for an evaluation study of chip card projects [Chipcards]. Thismodel can however generally be used for all kinds of media applications/projects. The modeldistinguishes between applications in the way they are organised. Although the different

Content Owner

Content Organizer

Network Organizer

Network Operator

Gatekeeper

End user


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categories are non-exclusive (there is a grey area between the different categories) it is very usefulfor analysis. The model divides applications and/or projects into three main types: Type 1 Applications of this type are initiated by a single party or similar parties in one distinct sector(e.g. banks). Other suppliers involved (e.g. telecommunication operators) do not play any role ofcrucial involvement. Typical examples are company internal applications such as areidentification cards for security purposes or internal Local Area Networks, but may also includePay TV operations, home-shopping, etc. Major implication for the owner of the project is the fact that both costs and revenues remainwith the same initial party. Standardisation is a non-issue. The critical factors of success and failure of this category are• the lack of alternative technology• a relatively high price of the end product or a large volume market• cost / (measurable, quantifiable) revenue• critical mass The chicken-egg problem is a dangerous threat to these types of projects. Type 2 Applications/project of this type are initiated by several parties, involved in several economicsectors. The parties share each otherÕs research, knowledge, etc. in the project. If for instance atelecom operator is involved, its involvement goes beyond that of a standard supplier: it supportsin expertise, development, etc. The parties involved usually already have some kind ofinterrelationship, in addition to the project. A typical application is large home-shoppingInternet site with telecom operators, banks and content owners as partners. The success keys of this category are• sharing of knowledge, experience and resources• strength of partnership• clear allocation of costs and revenues• defined and measurable added value to the different players Typical failure factors are disagreement between the partners on the last two items above. Standardisation is usually a non-crucial issue. Typical motives to join a Type 2 project are• learning by doing• generating spin off for the existing core-business• investments-motives• creating new core-business• creating new (marketing) channels

Type 3 Applications of this type require the involvement / knowledge / skills of many different parties,but in such a way that the project is dependant on the infrastructure that is created by theseparties, without having the parties themselves interfere with the project. A typical example isInternet application (e.g. a small home-shopping site): a pre requisite is the existence of atelephone network, an Internet infrastructure, a billing infrastructure and a postal infrastructure,but none of the owners of such infrastructure is actually involved in the application. The critical success factors are:• limited investments in infrastructure• standardisation Typical failure factors are:


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• ÔToo earlyÕ: the market is not ready, the technology is not mature, the processes are not inplace.• current standards are not meeting critical requirements. In general Type 3 projects can be established without major investments, thus including small-scale operations that may grow over time. Typical examples are Teletel information providers,where the Teletel infrastructure and peripherals was made available by third parties. The Internetis a similar environment. As already noted, a clear distinction cannot always be made. Over time projects/applications tendto shift from type1 / type 2 to type 3 as standardisation leads to wide availability of networks,peripherals and knowledge. In most cases (inter-)national governments play a major role indeveloping the networks. Depending on the goals of projects / services, type 1, 2 or 3 are more suitable. However, inrelation to telecommunications, type 3 is far more preferable. As a matter of fact, the (mass)market projects / services are actually moving towards this type, for a number of reasons:• major players in the markets are returning to their core business and are no longer willing to

invest in an infrastructure that has only limited added value to their core products, becausecompetition on the other areas is (too) high and the organisations want to use what isavailable.

• standardisation is becoming a key issue: apparently a number of dominant parties have set a(de facto) standard and using these standards is far more efficient than developing ownÔstandardsÕ, although the existing standards may not suit completely.

There is dominant role of, for instance, Microsoft. Windows CE is implemented in a numberof devices. Although it is not fully efficient (as the full functionality of Windows CE is notused), given the fact that this operating system can be used nearly Ôoff the shelfÕ with othersystems, it probably will become the standard. Mostly because the (adjusted) devices that (can)use Windows CE are price competitive to new developed devices / protocols.

Also, as the infrastructure becomes widely available, the Ôchicken-eggÕ problem seems to becomeless important since the infrastructure and installed base is already in place and used. Maybe evenmore important, new services tend to build on existing services and are much faster accepted byusers of the similar service. Once a type 3 infrastructure is in place, new ventures can be initiated at short notice. To give anexample, mobile telephony is similar to normal telephony, except that it can be used outside thehome, in a mobile environment, no additional knowledge is generally necessary to operate amobile phone. Once the GSM networks were in place several service suppliers could easily selltailor made subscriptions based on the different fees of the original operators. The same can besaid for Internet access and its services. It is also common practice to let the consumer upgrade their service / products rather than sell anew full swing peripheral and service in the first place. Type 3 infrastructures are used forintroduction of the service, while upgrading of the service is accomplished via type 1 projects.Typical examples are PCÕs that can be upgraded with specific cards or VCRÕs with a very simpleremote control in the first place, while opening the remote control special, more sophisticatedfunctions become available.

4.3 The Process Model

Another way of looking at Information and Communication Technology applications is using theprocess model as a guideline: what processes are necessary to deliver the service to the end user.One of the pre-requisites of a service is that all necessary processes are in place. The value chainand context model outlined already that not all functions require one and the same player /organisation.


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Looking at the following figure, it can be concluded that (especially for the Signing Booksproject), many of the necessary processes must be in place, maybe operated by third parties, inorder to have a full service. Since this is a generic model, manyservices do not contain all of the processesas given in this figure. This model applies however very well toservices like Pay Per View or Internethome-shopping. Looking at the variousprocesses, the bottleneck of services,especially in the new media sectorconcentrate in the processes of(controlled) delivery and billing. All the different processes can be furtherdivided into sub-processes, depending onthe business related to the service. It is relevant to note that all (sub-)processes have interfaces with the outsideworld and depend on systems / networks.

4.4 Case Study: A Library for the Deaf

For a possible Library for the Deaf (refer to Del. 4.1, part A), the models described in thepreceding paragraphs can easily set some preliminary requirements. In this study, we specificallyaddress libraries using electronic media and telecommunication networks as a delivery mechanism. The checklists are not complete, but are intended to give an impression of what is required forstarting a library service.

4.4.1 The value chain model A library typically belongs to the Network Organiser players. It adds value to existing products byoffering products by lending rather then selling, open to specific (closed) user groups. Thisimplies that a library is per definition is not involved in content nor in networks/peripherals.These tasks specifically belong to different players. A library, in the role of networks organisersimply collects content and distributes this via various networks / media. This last remark is quiteimportant, a library, especially in the given context, should be able to offer its services viadifferent existing networks / media. Involvement in other roles (e.g. content owner) may - under certain circumstances - be valid fora library, but experience in other areas (e.g. the telecommunication environment) shows thatsuch diversification of roles may be dangerous in terms of management (identifying core business,cross subsidising issues, etc.) and marketing (causing competition between libraries in their role ascontent provider). Given the fact that the content will be distributed in multimedia format (videos, books,presentations, PC-software, etc.) and on an (inter-)national level, the organisation should notrely on only one distribution network, but it should cover postal networks and telecommunicationnetworks, unless the strategy is clearly focused on one (or more) specific type(s) of media.

4.4.2 Context model The rather limited market, in terms of commercial possibilities, for signing books drives anyLibrary for the Deaf into a type III project, meaning: making a maximum use of existinginfrastructures, rather than developing and operating its own infrastructures and peripherals. Given the limited number and (geographically) scattered target group of consumers, developing aspecific system for distribution, etc. (type I) would not be commercially viable, except for some

Marketing Services

Subscription

Marketing Products

Order Entry

Control/Handling

Delivery

Billing

Service Development

Cus

tom

er C

are

Service Improvem

ent

Purchasing / inventory

Aftersales service

Disconnection


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very specific requirements. A type II project organisation could be interesting, but the value addedfrom a library project towards other parties would be limited (given the low impact on existinghearing customers) and may eventually be a reason to stop the project once the funding (eitherby money or by manpower, hardware) by other parties stops at the end of a trial period.Participation in for instance an ADSL-project would provide experience and market knowledgeand as such would provide valuable information. But it should be clear that such a project may betemporary in the first instance. Type III is viable for a number of reasons. As already described, a large number of infrastructuresare already in place. Throughout Europe the telecommunication networks, postal services etc. arein place and the required hardware is widely available. Furthermore, individualisation as a driverwithin new marketing thinking may be supportive for a signing books project, since this alsorelates to specific groups that may be similar to other targets markets of hard/software/servicesuppliers.

4.4.3 Process model As earlier described, the processes need to be in place. The model as described provides a checklistfor assessing any library project. Most crucial for a library model are the marketing aspects, the delivery (and returning!) and thebilling. This will also apply to an electronic library. • Service Development

Crucial part of the development is the match between the libraryÕs hardware and the methodof delivery and the customersÕ requirements for receiving the requested information. Atechnical inventory of the target customers installed base regarding equipment and networkconnection is a must. Offering sign language videos over the Internet at this moment is quiteuseless, since the download time (and/or quality) of a movie is unacceptable for the major partof the European users. Also, throughout Europe there are major differences in penetration of certain networks /peripherals as well as used standards (compare e.g. PAL vs. SECAM) and state of the art ofthe different networks (including postal networks). Depending on the different product (text,video, animation, etc.) the existing networks and peripherals are more or less suitable though. Specific questions related to the service are:− what is the mission statement of the service;− what kind of products and services are delivered;− how is the service limited (what is not offered);− based on what strategy are new products / service acquired / developed;− is the service self-supporting or are additional funds required.

Typical checklist bullets on the more technical / procedural service aspects are:

− can the server, hardware and network requirements and its (European) availability befulfilled and guaranteed;

− what software development, both at central and customer sites, is required;− is the required software standard / off the shelf or are parts to be developed;− what is the required installed base of required customer peripherals / network connections;− how are operational issues and implications on existing processes covered;− how are multi-lingual (both for spoken and in sign languages) aspects covered.

• Marketing of the Service

− Is the target group identified and can this group be addressed (e.g. by e-mail, direct mail,via special interest groups, etc.);

− How does the service obtain its target mailing / contact lists;− Is the service clearly defined in terms of customer preferences;


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− what (international) channels are being used for promotion, both to the target customersas well as interested organisations.

While introducing electronic delivery of products it should be noted that marketing alsoreaches (potential) customers that do not have the (minimum) required hardware. Promotingan Internet service via the Internet only reaches Internet connected individuals, althoughthere may be large market for potential users, not yet connected to the Internet. Promotionusing a homepage is not sufficient as many potential customers will never find the specifichome page: traditional means of marketing (e.g. leaflets, flyers, publications) may be moreefficient. Targeting non-PC users implies a promotion of the service rather than promoting aPC that may be necessary for the specific service. This implies that the service may includeselling / installing pre-installed PCÕs, specifically for this service. Selling and installing of thedevice may be an added value service of a library. It should be clear that to provide such aservice one would have to deal with specific (national, local) elements, such as connecting toa local Internet provider, etc.

• Subscription to the Service− How do users subscribe to the service (by phone, Internet, mail)? Is this secure and

reliable;− Are there any limitations towards new users? Country-discrimination, language

discrimination, peripheral discrimination;− Is there a credit check;− How are users informed about a (un-)successful subscription.

• Marketing Products

This process relates to the individual products / services (e.g. books, videoÕs) that areavailable at the library:− What media are used, does it appeal to the target group, does the target group have access

to these media;− How is the product list updated, how are users informed about new products / service in

addition to the existing list. • Order Entry

− How are products/services ordered (mail, telephone, e-mail, etc.)? Does this appeal to thetarget group?

− Does the target group have access to the required media?− How is the user informed whether the product is available?− Is a back-order service available?

• Control / Handling− how is the order handled, what parts are automated?;− how is stock control maintained?;− how is the user informed that a product will arrive later?

• Delivery / Returning

Physical delivery and returning This process (and its requirements) is probably already investigated, since comparable libraryservices already exist. In a standard library environment, physical books / tapes / etc. maybehandled by postal services. One should keep in mind that in Europe postage costs vary, asdoes the quality of service (compare Dutch vs. Italian postal service). Also: electromagneticmedia may suffer from external sources. In terms of legal aspects, the library will remain theowner of the products and will follow the standard legal procedures. Electronic delivery Most important are the requirements set for the users. Although it is very well possible tocarry video information over the Internet, throughput is restricted by both the used networkAND the peripherals in the home of the user.


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As soon as information is transferred electronically (especially via the Internet), copyrightsmay become an issue, for the delivery of the product itself consists of a copy of the original.The good news is that the product is not to be returned since the original still exist at thelibrary. Also certain European countries have strict guidelines regarding encryption of data(e.g. France) and content.

Typical questions are:− What are the specific (technical) characteristics of the service?− Are the required specific network and peripherals known to both the library and the users?− Do the users have acceptable access to the service (in terms of technology / peripherals)?− Do the service discriminate certain users (due to technology restrictions)? If so, are there

alternatives?− Are there any legal aspects regarding electronic delivery (throughout Europe)?

• Billing

Billing is often an underestimated issue. The price of billing is often overlooked: $ 2.00 isgood guideline for a standard bill including collection. If the price of goods and service per billis low, than billing cost will be a substantial part of the overall price. Especially home-shopping organisations, selling low price / low quantity goods, suffer from this fact. Althoughthere is much talk about paying-online, this concept is not within reach throughout Europefor the forthcoming years. Credit card acceptance may be a reasonable alternative at shortterm. Paying in advance is usually not acceptable by most customers. Bad debt may also be anissue.− Is the billing concept defined (pay per item, subscription, debit/credit, etc.)?− Is the way of paying clear and are the processes in place (credit cards, checks, etc.)?− Is the billing process in general in place?− Are the billing costs identified and included in the pricing?− How about bad debt?

• After Sales / Customer Care

− Is there any support towards customers?− Are the customer inquiries processes in place (e.g. telephone, e-mail assistance, fax

request) with respect to products, services, opening hours etc.?− is the help desk multi-lingual?− how does the subscription / order entry / billing system interface with a customer system?

• Disconnection

− Are the disconnection processes in place (removal from databases, billing systems, etc.)?− Is the information to be stored e.g. for marketing purposes (according to legal

requirements)? • Purchasing / Inventory handling

− Are the contracts with publishers and content owners in place?− Are any copyright issue solved?− Is there a stock policy?


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5. STRATEGIES OF THE TELECOM OPERATORS

As described previously, a trend can be seen from type 3 applications (refer to paragraph 4.2),where companies tend to outsource non-core business processes / services. This especially appliesto the rapidly changing markets for telecommunication services.The liberalisation of the Telecom markets has forced monopolists into competition. New playerswith new roles have entered the markets and new distributors of services and products have beenable to obtain a secure position.

FROM:

VIA:

TO:

With this evolution in mind, existing telecom operators need to develop new strategies to outlastcompetitors and to keep up with the evolution of technology. All operators, especially in thefixed area (using terrestrial lines) are focusing on Internet. There is a general consensus in thismarket that nearly all communication will tend towards Internet Protocol basedtelecommunication. To give an example, ÔVoice over IPÕ (that is: using the Internet for normaltelephone conversations) is seen as major threat by the existing telecom operator (an obviousconsequence would be that the highly profitable international calls would devaluate to local calls).On the other hand, new players may use this technology as their vehicle to enter the market. Wesee the following model as a concept in the minds of many operators:

Telecom operator Cable operator

Subscriber

Customer

Dealers

Service Providers

Network operators

Long Distance Carriers

Customer

Retail Markt / Dealers

Service providers

Netwerk providers

Long Distance Carriers

Telecom products/servicesOther products/services


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?

Teleco operator

LocalCATV operator

vo icefax, etc

InternetEmail

BB-services

HomeEntertainment

Both small and broadband (BB) networkoperators are looking for ways to provide IP-services, maybe using each otherÕs network forparts of the service (e.g. the local loop).Looking at the current strategy of telecom operators the following trends can be observed:

Existing products/services New products/services

Con

sum

erM

arke

tsB

usin

ess

Mar

kets

Telephony

HQ / HSInternet

ISDNLeasedLines

HQ / HSServices

MMServices

ADSLxDSL

SOH

OM

arke

ts

PSTN+

InternetAcces

PSTNServices

Fax

Existing telecom operators are looking towards new technologies in order to increase bandwidth,necessary for multi-media services and High Quality / High Speed services (such as guaranteedInternet access for Intranet / Extranet applications). Although the existing telephone-networkshave all the functionality for communication, they lack the possibility of carrying broad bandinformation (e.g. video). ISDN should be seen as an intermediate network,/technology which willeventually migrate to xDSL networks, capable of carrying large amount of data.

Nevertheless, xDSL is today often deployed as a defensive strategy only: to be used ifcompetitors (CATV operators) are threatening the traditional core markets of PSTN operators.The main reason is that the business case for especially the consumer based services is still unclearand highly speculative.

On the other hand cable operators, using broadcasting networks do have broad band networks, butlack communication capabilities. As such they are focused on bringing communicationfunctionality to their networks.

IP-connection

?

KPN Telecom, FranceTelecom, Castel, A2000,Telfort, WorldCom,....

voicefax, etc

InternetEmail

BB-services

HomeEntertainment

New Services


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Existing products/services New products/services

Con

sum

erM

arke

tsB

usin

ess

Mar

kets

SOH

OM

arke

ts

CATVBroadcast

PPVPay TV

HQ / HSInternet

InternetAcces

LeasedLines

HQ / HSServices

MMServices

TelephonyServices

PSTN++

With respect to the ÔtelephoneÕ-telecommunication operators and the ÔCATVÕ-telecommunication operators a few important notes have to be made with regard to the nature ofthis study:

1. ÔTelephoneÕ-telecommunication operators have a nearly 90-100% coverage and access to thehouseholds. In general the local loop (the last part of the network up to the premises) isowned by one national organisation (usually the former state-owned monopolist such asDeutsche Telekom, France Telecom, etc.). International connections are no point ofdiscussion in terms of technology.

2. As for CATV operators: not only is there a different coverage per country, in general there is

not ÔoneÕ CATV network per country, but several (up to hundreds) different, independentnetworks. In the Netherlands, there were more than a hundred different CATV network,organisationally and technically different from each other. And even if a cable operator ownsmore local / regional network, this does not necessarily mean that these networks are linkedto each other. In the worst case, introducing a national service means negotiations with eachindividual network operator and technical changes for each individual network.

With respect to this last point, there are initiatives to overcome this problem by introducing astandardised decoder. But also here there are different national views. Although all players realizethat a digital decoder will be the best solution in the long run, many current operators are testinganalogue decoders. This can be explained by looking at some older experiments, wheretechnology was not a problem, but especially the marketing of new services (such as Pay PerView). The reasoning is therefore Ôif we canÕt sell the service, why introduce the technologyÕespecially since the digital technology is far more expensive than the analogue technology at thismoment. As such many operators are waiting for:

• more cost effective technology;• ÔkillerÕ-applications;• mass market (the infamous chicken-egg paradox).

DVB is one of those technologies that is foreseen as one of the Ômust-haveÕ technologies, but asstated previously, many CATV operators are very cautious.

CATV operators are also threatening PSTN operators by CATV-modems, capable of telephonyand Internet access. On a European scale, however, this is only a marginal threat (given the lowEuropean penetration rates of CATV)


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PART IV


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1. REFERENCES

Chipcards, Applications and Opportunities, Akkermans, Schijns, et al., TRC 1993, ISBN 90-14-0477101

The Digital Broadcasting Revolution: Financial Times, 1996, ISBN 185334-581-4

Electronic Highways, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, 1994

European Information Technology Observatory 98, 1998, ISSN 0947-4862

INRA (Europe), European Coordination Office, March 199Eurobarometer 50.1: Measuring Information Society

KaganÕs European Cable TV Databook: Kagan World Media, 1998

Profiles Telecom Providers, Intercai 1998


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2. GLOSSARY

Access Network The network which gives access to a telecommunication service. The access network is, for instance, thecopper wire (twisted pair) between the house service connection and the telephone exchange of the networkoperator (local loop). Other examples are the wireless connection between a GSM handset and its GSMnetwork or the coax cable of the cable television operator.

Access Server A network element which provides access services. For instance an Internet access server provides accessservices by means of modems. It is also the access serverÕs task to concentrate data traffic, this explains theterm access concentrator for the same definition. Another commonly used name is network access server.Whenever a remote location is used for access (in case of in-call services) the term remote access server isoften used.

ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. ADSL is a transmission technique for transporting a broadband signal with,an ISDN or telephone signal, by copper wire (twisted pair). The transmission speed is 6 to 8 Mbits/s downstreamand about 1 Mbit/s upstream. In future it will be applied for services which take a wide bandwidth of thenetwork into the direction of the subscriber, for example fast Internet access or VOD for the residentialsubscriber.

Applet A small software program written in Java. Activating makes the applet to be downloaded on the network ( forinstance Internet) and executed on a local computer.

ATF-3 (Also ATF-1 and ATF-2) PTT designation for an analogue mobile telephony network. ATF-3 is based on NMTtechnology. In time this network will be replaced by GSM/DCS1800.

ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A switching technology for building fast (wide band) networks. ATM can beused for transport of voice, computer data and video. In the early days ATM networks were known as Wideband ISDN. Nowadays we see ATM also as a switching technology in networks liken LANÕs and Internet.ATM is suitable for switching voice, data and video. There are ATM standards varying from 2 Mbits/s to 2.5Gbits/s.

Bandwidth Bandwidth means capacity of a transport medium. Larger bandwidth means the ability of transporting moreinformation per second. Originally bandwidth is an analogue term. Bandwidth should be expressed in Hertz.Often bandwidth is expressed in bits per second.

Bandwidth on demand On demand the user obtains capacity. Bandwidth on demand can be used for Ôusage based tariffingÕ, i.e. theuser will only pay for used capacity. Some services, like leased lines, do not offer comparable flexibility. In thatcase the subscriber pays a fixed amount, independently of really using network capacity.

Billing The process of arranging and processing the costs of the use of telecommunications services in order to presenta bill to the subscriber.

B-ISDN Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network. A (future) high speed network, based on ATM.Bit Binary Digit. The smallest amount of information, recognisable for a computer. A bit is either Ô1Õ or Ô0Õ. A

standard for transmission speed (or capacity of a transmission medium) is bits per second. Therefore if thetransmission speed is 64 kbit/s, 64000 bits per second are being transmitted.

B-Channel An ISDN communication channel with 64 kbit/s capacity. The B-Channel is primarily used for sending voice ordata. Between two sides, the B-Channels are switched by the ISDN using signalling information from the D-Channel.

Bps / bps (Bps) Bytes-per-seconds or (bps) bits-per-second. 1 Byte contains 8 bits, so Bps is eight times as fast as bps.Note that this convention is often violated where Bps refers to bits-per-second instead of Bytes-per-second. Toavoid confusion often written as bits/s or bytes/s.

Broadband Broadband refers to a large capacity channel. During the 70Õs ISDN (64 kbits/s) was considered broadbandtechnology. Nowadays broadband means 2 Mbit/s or more. Broadband can be split into Ôbroadband in thebackboneÕ and Ôbroadband to the userÕ. Broadband in the backbone means a 2 Mbit/s or more network, butindividually the user can not use this capacity. The network capacity has to be shared with other users.Exemplary are the telephony network and a 10 Mbits/s Ethernet LAN.Broadband to the user means control for the user of a 2 Mbits/s or more dedicated bandwith. At this momentbroadband applications are available ( for example Video on Demand, fast Internet access, high quality videoconferencing).

Broadcast Broadcast means sending identical information to all connections. Television distribution for example.Browser Software program for World Wide Web access. Commonly known browsers are Navigator (Netscape) and

Explorer (Microsoft).

CableDECT A technology based upon DECT. However the DECT protocol is not used for mobile communication. The usedline is Coax of the CATV operator. DECT takes care of sustaining individual channels within a coax basedshared medium. CableDECT can be the base for interactive cable services like telephony and Internet.

Cable-modem A cable-modem can be used to provide interactive services over a CATV network. (like telephony and/oraccess of Internet)

CATV Distribution of TV-signals on coax-cable.CATV-operator: Organisation which manages and controls a distribution network for television signals. For instance Casema,

Deutsche TelekomCCITT CCITT stands for Consultative Committee on International Telegraphy and Telephony. Formerly the ITU-T.CDMA Code Division Multiple Access. A technique for multi users share of the radio transmission spectrum. This

technique is needed to give every user its own communication channel and also to use the available frequenciesmost efficiently. CDMA uses individual codes to make difference between traffic of different users. The mostimportant alternatively used technique is TDMA.

CityRing Most common meaning; a glass fiber infrastructure in an urban area, meant for high quality telecom services.Compression Process that codes an information stream into a smaller amount of bits to use capacity more efficiently. Can be

divided up in ÔlossyÕ compression (meaning reduction of orginal information) and Ôloss-less compressionÕ(meaning all original infomation can be restored).


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Connectionless network A network processes information packet-wise. Every packet has its own address and based upon that it will besend to the right location. The route of the packet is not defined beforehand.

CPE Customer Premises Equipment. Equipment which is only meant for customers. The equipment is installed at thehomes of customers or on industrial areas.

CT2 Cordless Telecommunications 2. A digital standard for wireless telephony. The system is in can be comparedwith DECT, however DECT offers more possibilities.

CTM Cordless Terminal Mobility. Telecommunications service which offers mobility based on wireless entry to thepublic telephony network. CTM is possible with DECT extensions on a normal telephone exchange added withextra intelligence in the telephony-network. CTM can de positioned as a cheap alternative for GSM.

D-AMPS Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System. D-AMPS is a standard for digital mobile networks. D-AMPS is analternative for GSM. D-AMPS is commonly used in Northern America.

Dark Fiber Telecommunications Service which gives a customer unlimited access to the fiber of the operator. The customerhas to pay a fixed price.

Data Generally, the term data is simplification of the term computer data, for example computer files which aresend through the network.

DCS1800 DCS1800 is quite similar to GSM. The difference between DCS1800 and GSM is that DCS1800 uses anotherfrequency (GSM on 900MHz, DCS1800 on 1800MHz). Because of the high frequency DCS1800 can handle ahigher intensity of users. The handsets can also operate on a lower power level. However more base stations(antennas) are needed for the DCS1800 system.

DECT Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications. DECT is a standardised wireless system. This system is used incompany areas (wireless PBX). In the nearby future DECT will also be used in domestic environments andpossibly become the wireless gateway to the fixed telephony network. DECT is a high quality standard (betterthan GSM) and offers mobility too. It can also handle high density traffic i.e. many users in a certain area.

D-Channel A communication channel used in ISDN with a capacity of 16 or 64 Kb/s. The D-Channel is mostly used forsignalling-information between user and network.

Download To transport computer data from one computer (for example: a network computer) to another (for exampleyour own PC). Opposite of ÔuploadÕ

DTMF: Dual Tone Multiple Frequency. A system that translates the keys on a telephone into audio signals readable fortelephone exchange. Many telephone exchanges and IVR-systems can be controlled by DTMF tones.

DVB: Digital Video Broadcasting. A digital method to transport Video signals through a CATV network.

E-commerce E-commerce is the general term for electronic payment and electronic banking. It concerns for instance thepayment with a chip card (or charging the card), payments by Internet (for example by sending a credit cardnumber), electronic payment between companies in a business section, etc.

Electronic highway (Inter)national infrastructure suitable transporting information very quickly (for example fiber, fast switches,etc.). The electronic highway is very important from an economical point of view, since a good infrastructureto transport information is essential for organisations to manage their businesses. Electronic highway is oftenused as a synonym for Internet, which is not correct!

Ethernet Ethernet is a certain technique for a LAN (Local Area Network) environment with a 10 Mbits/s rate. Thestandard is set by the IEEE. Since Ethernet is the cheapest available technique it is the most frequently usedtechnique.

ETSI ETSI is the abbreviation of European Telecommunications Standards Institute. This institute records standardsfor telecom equipment.

FDMA FDMA is the abbreviation of Frequency Division Multiple Access. This technique is used to share the spectrumof radio transmission in a way it can be used by multiple users. Each user will have its own communicationchannel. FDMA uses different frequencies to distinguish users. Alternative techniques are: CDMA and TDMA.For GSM, combined use of TDMA and FDMA takes place.

Firewall A firewall is a filter for certain data transport. A firewall can be used for separating Internet (available to thepublic) and Intranet (limited access, only for employees for example).

Frame Relay Frame Relay is a package switched technique used in a computer data environment. Frame Relay isstandardised by ETSI, ITU-T and the Frame Relay Forum. To a certain level it can be compared with X.25. Thedifference is that the overhead is taken out. In this way Frame Relay can work faster. Frame Relay can beused to support many forms of data transport, because packages of data are wrapped up in the same way.Frame Relay is a connection oriented technique. Frame Relay is frequently used to connect two LANs atdifferent locations.

FTP FTP is the abbreviation of File Transfer Protocol. A tool to transport files from one computer to another (byInternet for example).

Gateway A Gateway is used to give access from one network to the other. The term gateway is used in both the data-communication and the telecommunication branch. Of course the apparatus differ among these branches. Fordata-communication a sort of router is used while for telecommunication some kind of telephone exchange isused.

Gbps Gbps stands for Gigabits per second (Gbits/s). This means that the transmission speed is one milliard (USA:billion) bits per second.

GEO GEO is the abbreviation of Geostationairy Earth Orbit. GEO stands for a certain altitude of a satellite. BesidesGEO satellites there are MEO and LEO satellites which are closer to Earth. A satellite is called geostationair ifit does not move relative to the surface of Earth. The altitude of a GEO satellite is 36000 kilometre above theequator and therefore circles around Earth in 24 hours.

GSM GSM stands for Global System for Mobile communication. GSM is a digital, cellular system for mobilecommunication services. GSM is originally an European standard, but is now also used in other parts of the


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world. GSM can use three frequencies: 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz. The 1800 frequency is calledDCS1800 and the 1900 frequency is called PCS1900.

HFC HFC means Hybrid Fiber Coax. HFC is used for a network infrastructure and consists of fiber and coax. Forexample fiber is used to a certain point in the street. From that point on coax is used into houses. A modern cableTV network is designed with HFC.

HTML HMTL is the abbreviation of Hyper Text Markup Language. Programming language to design informationpages on WWW and to make hyperlinks (added entry that can be activated) possible.

HTTP HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP is a protocol for viewing www-pages.

IBCN IBCN stands for Integrated Broadband Communication Technology. IBCN is synonym to B-ISDN.ICT ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. It is a general term for the telecommunication,

computer-technology, Information Technology (IT) and possibly media (TV, video).Internet There are many ways of defining Internet. Internet could be defined as a new medium for communication,

which is additional to TV, radio, newspapers and telephony. Looking at Internet from a telecomÕs perspective,it is a huge collection of many networks linked together. From a userÕs point of view, Internet provides, accessto databases, communication and the possibility to give information to others. Often Internet is incorrectlycalled Òthe electronic highwayÓ and is used as synonym for WWW.

Internet Connection oriented network: A network in which the connection is made first (circuit switched), then the information istransported. Examples are the telephony network (PSTN), ISDN and ATM.

Intranet The use of Internet technology of in a network of a company is called Intranet. Intranet is a Closed UsersGroup, which is able to communicate and use shared software. Intranet is separated from Internet by means ofa firewall.

IP IP is the abbreviation of Internet protocol. IP is a protocol which has an important functionality in Internet. IP isa protocol which can be used in several kind of networks (ATM-networks, ISDN, LAN etc.) IP is needed forseveral services, like E-mail and WWW. IP is often used with TCP.

IP-switching The term IP switching is used for all techniques of combining, routing (specifically IP) and switching(specifically ATM). Examples of these techniques are MPLS, MPOA and the original ÒIP switchingÓ developedby Ipsilon. IP data, telecommunicationdata

IPv6 IPv6 also called ÒIP next generationÓ, is the latest version of IP. It can handle telephony and video better thanthe last version. IPv6 is also the solution of the deficit of IP-addresses (user-addresses) of Internet.

ISDN ISDN is the abbreviation of Integrated Services Digital Network. ISDN is a standard for digital communication.ISDN can easily support several services like telephony, communication of data and video. ISDN has thepossibility to use of one or several channels of 64 kbit/s. De most important standard ISDN interfaces are BRAen PRA. BRA has two B-channels. For example one to telephone and one to use Internet. PRA has 30 B-channels. For example to connect a PBX to the public network of telephony.

ISP ISP is the abbreviation of Internet Services Provider. An ISP is a company which provide access to Internet.Some Internet Services Providers deliver extra services by making web pages, for companies, with interestinginformation. Examples of ISP in the Netherlands are Planet Internet, World Online, and XS4all.

ITU-T International Telecommunications Union Telecommunications Standards Sector. ITU-T is an world wideorganisation which creates and records standards for telecommunication in general.

kbit/s kbps kbit/s or kbps means kilobits per second. This is the dimension for transmission speed in one thousand bits persecond.

LAN LAN is the abbreviation of Local Area Network. An example of LAN is a network of a company, whichconnect several printers, servers etc. The most common medium for communication by LAN is Ethernet.

Leased Line Leased Line is a telecommunication service. The subscriber has the disposal of a permanent connection anddefined capacity for a fixed tariff. For example, a leased line can be used between two locations to connecttheir PBX or LAN. If telephone lines are used intensively (for example ticket machine), it can be advisable touse a leased line instead of a regular telephone connection.

LEO LEO is the abbreviation of Low Earth Orbit, also called Intermediate Circular Orbit (ICO). LEO satellites circleat hights of 700-1000 kilometres around the world in two hours. A well known LEO satellite system is IRIDIUM.GEO satellites and MEO satellites circle in higher orbits.

Local Loop Local loops are the cables in the public network of telephony from local exchange to the user.Long distance carrier Provider of long distance telephony in the USA. The largest providers in the USA are AT&T, Sprint and MCI. A

new law in the USA says that RBOCÕs and long distance carriers are allowed to compete with each other.

Mbit/s Mbps Mbit/s or Mbps means mega bits per second. This is the dimension for transmission speed in one million bits persecond.

MEO MEO is the abbreviation of Medium Earth Orbit, also called Intermediate Circular Orbit (ICO). MEO satellitescircle at hights of 10.000 kilometres around the world. They are not geostationary, which means they haverelative speed in regard to the earth. GEO satellites circle in higher orbit than MEO satellites.

Modem Modem is the abbreviation of Modulation/demodulation. A modem is necessary to transport digital data overanalog lines (for example data from Internet over telephone-lines).

Mobilofonie Mobilofonie was one of the first possible ways of mobile communication. Mobilofonie is a closed group of users,who are able to communicated with each-other directly or with the help of a exchange. The communication ismostly half-duplex, which means that only one person is able to talk at the same time. Mobilofonie is forexample used by police and the fire-brigade and is than called PMR (Private Mobile Radio).


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MPEG MPEG is the abbreviation of Motion Picture Experts Group. MPEG is a code for moving pictures. This code usesless information (bits). A high quality video-signal can be encode in for example a bitstream of 1Mbit/s.

Multimedia A way to present information to the user; it contains a combination of speech, video, pictures, text, computerdataand sound. There are a lot definitions of ÒmultimediaÓ. The term is used in many different ways, for examplemultimedia PC (PC with sound , graphic functions and CD-ROM), multimedia presentations (presentations withthe use of films and pictures), multimedia application (telecommunication-service where pictures, sounds andcomputerdata is exchanged between the users). See also videoconferencing.

Narrowcast Situation where the same information is send to a selective group of destinations.NC Network computer. Computer that is optimised for the use of Internet. For example, it doesnÕt contain a harddisk

and is therefore less expensive.N-ISDN Narrowband Integrated Services Digital Network. This is the term used for the ordinary ISDN, that is based on

the use 64 kbit/s channel.N-VOD Near Video on Demand. A technology which allows you to select and watch a movie from a distance using a

communication network. VOD allows you to select the exact movie you want on the exact time you want. WithN-VOD you depend on a programme (for example the film starts once every hour).

OSI Open System Interconnection. The OSI-model is a reference model for the design en realisation of computer-and telecommunicationnetworks. It is based on the principle of layered protocols (protocolstack).

Pay Per View Pay TV, where a consumer pays to watch a specific movie at specific time, as scheduled by the Pay Per Vieworganisation.

PC Personal Computer. The PC used to be a calculator, after that it became more and more a typewriter. In thefuture it will develop into a multifunctional apparatus for communication.

PCS1900 PCS1900 can be compared with GSM. The only difference is the use of an other frequency: GSM is based900Mhz where PCS1900 is based on 1900Mhz (and DCS1800 is based on 1800Mhz). PCS1900 is used in theUnited States of America.

PDA Personal Digital Assistant. A small computer with a build in cellular radio (GSM).POTS Plain Old Telephony System. The ordinary telephony system. Term used to refer to telephony services, mostly

used in a context where terms as ISDN and more advanced technologies are used.PPV Pay Per ViewPRA Primary Rate Access. A standardised digital ISDN-interface. The speed is 2Mbit/s, the PRA is structured in 30B-

channels and a D-channel for signalling. The PRA is mostly used for the connection of a PABX with a publictelephony network.

PSTN Public Switched Telephony Network. The public network for (analogue) telephony.PTO Public Telecom Operator. A company that exploits telecommunicationnetworks and telecommunicationservices.

Examples: PTT-telecom and NWD

Router A network element that takes care of the routing of informationpackages from the source to the rightdestination. Most of the routers route IP-traffic.

RSVP Resource Reservation Protocol. A function within Internet (or an Intranet) which allows you to reservebandwidth. This will increase the possibility to offer video-services and telephony over the internet.

SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy. A high speed (155Mb/s) technology for digital transmission oftelecommunication-traffic. SDH can be used as a carrier for ATM. SDH is in comparison with PDH morereliable.

Service Provider An organisation which puts telecommunication services on the market. A service provider may use theinfrstructure of a network operator. Debitel and Liberphone are for instance service providers for cellular radioservices.

SMS Short Message Service. Message service standardised for GSM-networks. By using SMS short messages can besend an received with a cellular phone.

STM Synchronous Transfer Mode. A switching technique based on TDM. STM is often confused with SDH.

T1 American transmission standard for 1.5Mbit/s connections. Also known as DS1T3 American transmission standard for 4.5Mbit/s connections. Also known as DS3TCP/IP TCP and IP are two protocols, used for the communication over Internet. E-mail and other services make use of

these protocols.TDMA TDMA is the abbreviation of Time Division Multiple Access. This technique divides the spectrum of radio-

transmission for multiple-use. Every users of the spectrum has its own communication-channel. TDMA makesuse of several time-slots (also TDM), to separate the communication traffic of different users. TDMA is used inGSM. The most important alternative is CDMA.

Twisted pair/UTP UTP is the abbreviation of Unshielded Twisted Pair. UTP is a copper transmission cable for communication. Incontrast with ÒShielded Twisted Pair (STP)Ó, UTP doesnÕt have a jacket of copper, which exclude distortion.UTP is used in many ways, for example in business- and other buildings. UTP is also used for local loop.

UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System.UTP see Twisted pair.


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VDSL VDSL is the abbreviation of Very high-speed Digital Subscriber Line. VSDL is a technique for thetransportation of Òwide-band signalsÓ through a cable (twisted pair). The transmission-velocity could be 25 till50 Mbit/s downstream and 1 Mbit/s upstream. VDSL could be the future successor of ADSL.

Videoconferencing This is an application makes it possible to communicate with each-other with video and sound. Sometimes theuser could also make use of data-signals during a conference. Videoconferencing is the example of amultimedia application in a telecommunication-network. There are many standards for video-conferencing. Themost important standard is H.320.

VOD VOD is the abbreviation of Video on Demand. This is a technology which make it possible to select a video andbroadcast it on a communication-network. VOD has the possibility to start the video every moment the userwants. NVOD has the possibility to start the video on regular times.

W-CDMA W-CDMA is the abbreviation of Wideband Code Division Multiplexed Access. This a wireless technology,based on CDMA. W-CDMA makes it possible to build transportation with high capacity. For example, W-CDMA can be used for mobile Internet and video-communication.

Web-TV Web-TV is a concept for the use of television for Internet-services.WWW WWW is the abbreviation of World Wide Web. WWW is a popular communication-platform. HTTP makes it

possible to broadcast and receive text, pictures (moving or not) and sound on the communication-platform.Often WWW is incorrectly as synonym for Internet.

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