TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Apr 94 10:09:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 167 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Ring Down Unit Wanted (Sal Kabalani) Call Waiting Detection (Michael Stroucken) Information Wanted on PCMCIA (Lars Kalsen) Wanted: Cellular/Microcellular Network Simulator (Ravi Prakash) Textbook Inquiry (Dennis Esteban) Re: Question About MIN and ESN (Gregory Youngblood) Re: Question About MIN and ESN (Henrik Rasmussen) Australian Communications Futures (Steven Byrne) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: sal@ins.infonet.net (Sal Kabalani - Operations Manager / Info Systems) Subject: Ring Down Unit Wanted Date: 6 Apr 1994 21:56:53 GMT Organization: INS Info Services, Des Moines, IA USA Reply-To: sal@ins.infonet.net I am looking for a "ring-down unit" which is used to send the output of a fax machine (scanned documents) to a PC directly without using the telephone lines. I am told the device is connected via a regular phone cord to the fax machine so that when a document is scanned into the fax memory, the ring-down unit is started, connects to the fax machine, and downloads the document to a PC conencted to it. If this sounds familiar, please drop me mail on what exactly it is, and where to get it. Thank you, Sal A Kabalani InterNet: SAL@ins.INFOnet.net Operations Manager PhoneNet: (515) 830-0436 Information Systems FaxNet: (515) 830-0123 Iowa Network Services YellNet: Yo! Sal-Man! 4201 Corporate Drive Centralized Equal Access West Des Moines IA 50265 Internet Provider ------------------------------ From: mxsst1+@pitt.edu (Michael Stroucken) Subject: Call Waiting Detection Date: 6 Apr 94 03:44:07 GMT Organization: University of Pittsburgh Hello, I've got call waiting where I live, and since I'm on my modem quite alot, I've relied on call waiting to interrupt my connection, so I could take the call. But lately, my connections seem hardly affected by the call waiting signal. I would like to know if there is something I can attach to the phone line that would either flash a light or make noise if a call is coming in. Thanks, Michael Stroucken mxsst1@pitt.edu Mud+IRC: Stroucki ------------------------------ From: dalk@login.dkuug.dk (Lars Kalsen) Subject: Information Wanted on PCMCIA Date: 6 Apr 94 21:01:39 GMT Organization: DKnet Hi, What is a PCMCIA card really? What are the uses and how does it work? Please E-mail me if you can explain that to me. Lars Kalsen dalk@login.dkuug.dk ------------------------------ From: prakash@cis.ohio-state.edu (ravi prakash) Subject: Wanted: Cellular/Microcellular Network Simulator Date: 6 Apr 1994 11:39:53 -0400 Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science I would like to simulate a cellular/microcellular network, and observe its performance over a period of time for different channel allocation strategies. Is there a simulation package available, that I can use for my work? I have access to CSIM, but would rather use a simulator that gives me greater flexibility to send messages between interacting processes. Any information will be highly appreciated. Thanks, Ravi Prakash Office: Bolz Hall, #319b prakash@cis.ohio-state.edu Phone: (614)292-5236 - Off. Department of Computer & Information Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 Fax: (614)292-2911 ------------------------------ From: desteban@mis.nu.edu (Dennis Esteban) Subject: Textbook Inquiry Date: 7 Apr 1994 06:20:59 -0700 Organization: National University, San Diego I was wondering if anyone can recommend an informative text book on telecommunications to include cabling, communication protocols and LAN wiring. Thanks! desteban@mis.nu.edu ------------------------------ From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Subject: Re: Question About MIN and ESN Date: Thu, 07 Apr 1994 00:19:00 PST Organization: TCS Computer Systems sathya@uw-isdl.ee.washington.edu (Sathyadev Uppala) writes: > What is the difference between MIN and ESN? > Each mobile unit in a celllular system has a unique ESN, so what is > the need to have a MIN? The ESN provides a unique serial number which is used to identify the phone. The idea behind the ESN is to make it difficult to change so that normally the rule/idea of one phone to one ESN is the case. The ESN can be written two ways, either in HEX or in DECimal.. here's a breakdown: HEX: xx xxxxxx DEC: xxx xxxxxxxx The first two digits (three in DEC) refer to the brand of phone. I don't have a chart in front of me, but each company has their own code for identification. This helps to insure that one company doesn't come up with the same ESN as another company. The last six digits (eight in DEC) is the actual electronic serial number. In several cases you can look at the physical serial number of the phone, add a couple of zeros or drop the first so many digits, add or subtract a certain value and insert the manufacturer's code to find the ESN. Each manufacturer is slightly different, for example, Motorola doesn't have a correlation between the ESN and the physical serial number, where NEC and others you can just add a couple of zeros the the decimal value, put the manufacturer's code in the front, and you have the ESN. Now, why the MIN? The MIN allows the phoen to be programmed for use in a certain area, and allows for more natural dialing. Can you imagine if all cellular numbers were either eight or eleven digits long (plus the 1 for long distance ones?) Not only would it make it unusual, it wouldn't be the "seamless" integration of wireless radio and telephone that many wanted in the industry's infancy. It also allows each phone to be used in a certain area and makes billing easy, since you can look at a NPA/NXX combination and knwo where that phone belongs to. [Imagine a database for billing roaming calls ... if the phones were known by ESN and not MIN, then the roamer database would have to have an individual record for every cell phone in use, whereas with a MIN, they can have a pattern match, i.e. 713-822-xxxx belongs to Houston Cellular and 713-823-xxxx to Houston's GTE Mobilnet (these are examples, they may or may not be accurate). So, two entries separated 20,000 physical phones to two separate carriers, but if the ESN was used, the database would have to have all 20,000 entries so it would know where to bill for each ESN. Also, the MIN and ESN combination also serves as an extra measure of security. If the ESN doesn't match the switch's record of what the ESN is supposed to be for a certain MIN, then the switch isn't supposed to let the call go through. [This doesn't take into consideration cloning where people actually change the phone's physical equipment so that it reports another phone's MIN and ESN effectively getting around this.] All in all, the MIN provides a very useful feature. My phone, for example, could have the number: 555-555-7500 for its' MIN, imagine trying to remember: A5-08c13d and use it for dialing. Greg ------------------------------ From: Henrik.Rasmussen@lambada.oit.unc.edu (Henrik Rasmussen) Subject: Re: Question About MIN and ESN Date: 6 Apr 1994 01:51:04 GMT Organization: The University of NC at Chapel Hill, the Experimental BBS. In article , Sathyadev Uppala wrote: > What is the difference between MIN and ESN? > Each mobile unit in a celllular system has a unique ESN, so what is > the need to have a MIN? MIN= mobile identification number, the "phone number" of the cellular phone. This is a number that uses area codes and NXX patterns that are part of the national system. Mobile phones need MIN because a customer may change phones over the years but want to keep a phone number. ESN= Electronic serial number. Identifies a piece of equipment not the user. Henrik Rasmussen Audiovox Cellular Communications Corp. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Another analogy might be to wired or 'landline' telephones: each phone wire running to the exchange has a number, but in addition each subscriber has a number. We dial the subscriber number (or listed directory number as it is sometimes called) to reach the other person, we do not dial the circuit or wire pair identification number. But these two provide a check on each other. We might claim we are speaking from one number or another, but the iden- tification of the wire pair is proof of the accuracy of the number we say we are at. I often times think of the MIN in cellular as the listed directory number and the ESN as the equivilent of the identification assigned to cables and wire pairs in the central office. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 16:10:01 EST From: Steven=Byrne%CFP%BTCE@smtpgate.dotc.gov.au Subject: Australian Communications Futures This may be of interest to a number of TELECOM Digest readers internationally who wish to be kept abreast of developments in telecoms research on the Pacific Rim. Some of this work (the Module 5 Paper 2) in particular contains an extensive discussion of technical developments that TELECOM Digest readers may want to find out more about. All CFP documents are available for anonymous FTP at happy.dotc.gov.au. =============================== AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS FUTURES PROJECT (CFP) OVERVIEW This posting sets out the background to the CFP, a research initiative of the Australian government to examine the emerging trends in the telecommunications and related industries, and consider their possible implications for Australia. The CFP on 28 March 1994 publicly released its first two work-in- progress papers, titled: "Emerging Communications Services - an Analytical Framework"; and "Delivery Technologies in the New Communica- tions World". Summaries of these papers are also below. Full text of all CFP papers will be available from 1 April 1993 by anonymous ftp from happy.dotc.gov.au, in the directory \cfp_documents\. Please note: Enquiries about any CFP matters, or anyone wishing to be included on the circulation list for Bureau work-in-progress papers for this project and/or for notification of relevant seminars should contact Ms Ann Morris, phone [Australia] +61 6 274 6016 or at Internet e-mail address: Ann=Morris%cfp%btce@smtpgate.dotc.gov.au. _______________________ ABOUT THE COMMUNICATIONS FUTURES PROJECT ... The CFP is a research project being undertaken by the Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics. It aims to upgrade understanding of future economic, technical, commercial, regulatory and policy implications of emerging information and communications services and technologies; and to stimulate and inform public debate on these issues. The project's terms of reference are wide ranging and call for an examination of likely developments in services and technologies; implications of these developments for market participants in those industries (including the underlying economic factors influencing industry growth and change, and emerging patterns of commercial relationships within and between traditional industries); and implications of these developments for policy and regulation over the coming decade. The project is due to report by the end of 1994. Project work is, however, proceeding in stages ('modules'), and work in progress (of which this paper is one of a series) is being exposed progressively to encourage feedback, and to stimulate discussion. Terms of Reference The CFP Team will examine and report on: 1. likely developments over the next decade and beyond in information, entertainment and communications services and technologies; 2. implications of these developments for market participants in those industries, including (a)the underlying economic factors influencing industry growth and change; (b)emerging patterns of commercial relationships within and between traditional industries; and 3. implications of these developments for policy and regulation over the coming decade. The proposed areas of project work include: Services, content and marketing 1. Emerging communications services - an analytical framework; 2. Development and marketing aspects of emerging services; 3. The effects of emerging electronic communications services on related industries; 4. Demand for emerging communications services; Technologies 5. Delivery technologies in the new communications world; 6. The state of Australia's existing communications infrastructure; 7. Cost models for delivery technology alternatives; 8. Costs and network evolution Market behaviour 9. A profile of industry participants (internal); 10. Corporate strategies and communications investment; Policy and Regulation 11. An analytical framework for regulation; 12. Market structure, competition, and emerging communications issues; 13. Industry development aspects of emerging services; 14. Some social policy implications of developments. CFP Paper 1, Module 1: EMERGING COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES - AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding changes in the communications industry structure and performance. This is done by describing categories of communications services in terms of the technological combinations and the distinctive user needs they are expected to meet. The framework will provide a basis for further analyses, including: the identification of key demand factors, which may be used to forecast demand for emerging services; the analysis of service production possibilities, which may be used as a basis for outlining production functions, cost modelling and understanding industry organisation trends; and access issues. To understand convergence it is necessary to understand the dynamics of communications markets. This is because it is the competitive market which is driving convergence by pursuing both productivity improvements (such as increases in signal capacity) on the one hand and service improvements (such as increasing the range, volume and quality of services) on the other hand. This paper considers factors that drive communications demand as well as the productive processes by which organisations provide such services. This provides the context for the convergence framework. Structure of the paper: Chapter 2 describes the existing markets for communications and related services in terms of their current (but changing) demarcation as telecommunications, broadcasting, entertainment and information technology sectors. Key characteristics such as prices and volumes of various services are examined. A summary of the relative value of each sector, and available demographic and household expenditure information is provided. The outcome suggests an industry evolving in its approach to providing for the needs of users, and users who are becoming gradually more sophisticated in their needs. Chapter 3 illustrates the way a dynamic market has worked to develop services over recent years. It considers how individuals and organisations in a market make their preferences known, and how suppliers organise to provide goods and services in response to these preferences. The interaction of buyers and sellers to establish appropriate services is complex, extensive and ongoing. Market activity is also subject to influences intended to deal with questions related to both imperfections in the market and equity and social issues such as universal service and content control. Understanding the realistic dynamic context helps provide an understanding of current developments in the communications market. In this context the main characteristics of communications services as valued by users are outlined in chapter 4. The theory of consumer demand established by Lancaster (1971) considers services as bundles of characteristics. Different users value different characteristics differently, depending on their individual preferences. Many service features provide an indication to potential users of the likelihood that a new service will be useful or meet their needs. Understanding these characteristics will provide more information about which services may be more successful: by definition, the characteristics will form part of the analytical framework. In chapter 5 the main attributes of services from the service providers' perspectives are outlined. The chapter briefly describes how organisations combine different skills, materials and equipment, and through technology process them to provide, deliver and market services to buyers.The chapter summarises the theory and its application to communications and related industries. The distinguishing features for communications services are the technologies employed, including both the various inputs employed and the productive process itself. These include both delivery technologies and value-added and 'functionality' technologies. Key technological features define certain services and match characteristics valued by users. These also, by definition, form part of the analytical framework. Chapter 6 provides a brief summary of some of the main views on emerging communications services and environment. These include selected summaries from the USA, Canada, Japan, and from industry companies and analysts. The chapter also contains a literature survey of emerging services, and a classification scheme. Chapter 7 provides a summary of the communications services framework in the context of interacting buyers and sellers. The framework is comprised of (i) valued service characteristics; (ii) technological and functional attributes; and (iii) certain non-market influences, as indicated in preceding chapters. The framework has a dynamic aspect as it is based on observed trends in these factors in the life cycle of certain communications services. In conclusion, the framework may be used to provide indications of some likely new services (and claimed services) and as a basis for further research by the Communications Futures Project. (end of excerpt) CFP Paper 2, Module 5: DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES IN THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS WORLD INTRODUCTION Even a casual reader of the communications (and increasingly the popular) press both in Australia and overseas would quickly become aware that one of the major themes of discussion relates to the delivery platform(s) for future communications services. Among the more common questions that are raised, often implicitly, are the following: What sorts of delivery systems can be used to provide the range of new communications services that are often being mooted, and how do these delivery systems line up against each other? How are the various technological solutions likely to fare in the market place over the next few years? Is an optic fibre network the inevitable, all- embracing solution for satisfying all our communications needs in the future? (And, if so, should the Government be actively supporting this technology in preference to other solutions?) This paper provides some early insights into these and similar questions, and sets a foundation for future Communications Futures Project (CFP) work on the current and future development of communications markets and the policy implications arising from this development. The paper aims to provide a framework for further analysis by bringing together some early views about the key platform technologies and their market- relevant characteristics, about how these technologies influence and are influenced by market developments, and about some known market activities in Australia. Such a survey is perhaps timely given the almost unprecedented state of ferment at present in the cable and satellite industries. Much of the flurry of standards activity and corporate mergers and the general hype about 'information superhighways' surrounds the implications of two relatively new, but fundamental, changes in delivery platform technologies - digital compression and optic fibre. There are also some important developments in terrestrial wireless technologies that are sometimes overlooked. Taken together, these new technologies offer the prospect of a communications environment that is qualitatively different from the one that currently exists, characterised by service (or channel) abundance, and based on a wide range of delivery platforms that are or soon will be available. In comparison with many other markets, this matter assumes a somewhat greater practical significance in Australia than in many other markets because of the Commonwealth Government's decision to allow the introduction of narrowcast and subscription television. The practical implementation of pay television in particular will probably give rise to a range of issues with a technological dimension as it progresses commercially. Some of these are already apparent, including digital compression standards, capabilities of 'set-top unit' alternatives, and the maturity and costs of new technologies such as asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL). These are frequently the subject of conflicting claims from commercial participants who often speculate on the commercial timing and capabilities of particular solutions that are not yet commercially (and sometimes even technically) proven. This implies a transitional phase in which policy makers will need to have a clear understanding of important concepts and issues. In the longer run, these technological developments are important because they will strongly influence market structures. Some of the supply-side fundamentals of future communications markets will depend on the inherent economies of scale and scope, and the barriers to entry of different technological solutions. Although the level of technological maturity is not likely to permit definitive views on these issues yet, a basic understanding of how these issues can help shape market evolution is important. This paper focuses strongly on delivery platform technologies. While developments in information processing technologies are probably more pervasive, the issues relating to platforms are likely to have a particularly direct influence on the direction and nature of future market evolution and market structure and to raise more tangible issues for policy consideration. The paper is in two parts. Part One (chapters 2 to 5) sets out the technological framework: a description of important design concepts (chapter 2), the mature delivery platforms (chapter 3), the major recent developments in delivery technologies (chapter 4), and some of the issues surrounding the consumer electronics required to support a multi-channel environment (chapter 5). Part Two deals with market evolution (chapter 6), relevant current market activities in Australia (chapter 7), and some early observations on these developments (chapter 8). Posted by: Steven Byrne, Principal Research Officer Communications Futures Project. Canberra, Australia Internet: steven=byrne%cfp%btce@smtpgate.dotc.gov.au CIS: 100033,1506 OZ-Email: SBYRNE@OZEMAIL.COM.AU ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #167 ****************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------