<p>Statistical distributions are used to model behaviour of real VoIP traffic. We investigate call holding and inter-arrival times as well as speech patterns. The consequences of using an inappropriate model for network dimensioning are briefly discussed. Visual examination is used to compare well known distributions with empirical data. Our results support the general opinion that the Exponential distribution is not appropriate for modelling call holding time. We find that the distribution of talkspurt periods is well modelled by the Lognormal distribution and the silence periods by the generalized Pareto distribution. It is also observed that the call inter-arrival times tend to follow a heavy tailed distribution.</p>

e-Government systems are considered by both governments and international organisations to improve administration and management. In Tanzania, an e-government system for education administration, EMIS, is partly implemented but shows several limitations. Statistical data is collected but the process is resource demanding and much of the collected data are never put into the system, and therefore remain inaccessible from this electronic system. The overall aim of this study is to propose an approach to designing more efficient e-government systems within the education sector. The focus is on public schools. The more specific aim of the present study is to: explore more efficient data transfer (faster, more reliable, and potentially less resource demanding) by using mobile telephone technology, especially SMS, as a means for statistical data collection for Tanzanian education management. The study is guided by an overall research approach that comprises systems theory and a socio-technical view. This research is performed as a case study, inspired by the ethnographic method and comprises field studies in East Africa. A multi-technique approach is used for empirical data gathering, including literature study, interviews, and direct observations. The analytical process is performed by developing and applying three analytical models: XIF - the eXtended Sustainable ICT Framework   Triple A - Access, Attitude, Awareness Seven Aspects – an Approach Towards Success The contributions of this thesis are as follows. A mobile supported SMS-based statistical data collection process employing a blended digital solution is proposed. Likely effects of such a system would be ‘better’ data e.g. less transmission errors, which provides for ‘better’ administration, ‘better’ decision-making, and also provides for transparency. Moreover, it is very likely that the proposed system is significantly less resource demanding than the present system. The three analytical models that are developed specifically for this study have generic characters and can be used during the implementation process of other e-government solutions.  The most important part of the contribution is not the technological solution per se; it is the process that foregoes the actual implementation. The proposal departs specifically from the Tanzanian educational context but has implications for e-government systems solutions and information systems implementation in developing countries in general. Finally, three overall reflections are made based on the major observations of the research findings: the Double ‘e’ Dilemma, on the problem of prioritising electronics before electricity, the Mobiles to Avoid Mobility paradox, highlighting connectivity before mobility, and the opportunity to use the SMS to Combat Corruption weapon.

This Master’s Thesis examines transnational conflicts and Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria between the years 2001 and 2006. It focuses on two major transnational conflicts: The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and the Danish cartoon controversy of 2005/2006. It discusses the impact of these transnational conflicts on Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria in the light of the implementation of the Sharia Law in some northern Nigerian states and the improved access to the broadcast media and mobile telephone communication in Nigeria. By underscoring the relationship between transnational conflicts and the local context, this study provides a new perspective for understanding Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria

<p>På några år har användningen av IP-telefoni inom svenska företag tredubblats och vi börjar nu se ett attitydskifte gentemot en teknik som länge dragits med dåligt rykte på grund av kvalitetsbrister.</p><p>IP-telefoni är ett resultat av att data- och telefonikommunikation vävs samman och att kapaciteten i nätverken ökar. Detta medför att man genom att införa IP-telefoni kan genomföra kostnadsbesparingar och effektivisering. Men tekniken erbjuder även ökad funktionalitet och därmed även mervärde för organisationer som använder IP-telefoni. Inser organisationer detta och utnyttjar man fördelarna med tekniken för att skapa acceptans inom organisationen?</p><p>Syftet är att undersöka vilka faktorer som motiverar en övergång från kretskopplad telefoni till IP-telefoni, och hur man inom en organisation skapar acceptans för den nya tekniken.</p><p>Syftet har uppfyllts genom en kvalitativ studie som byggt på semi-standardiserade intervjuer. Studien genomfördes hos fyra svenska organisationer som implementerat en ”ren” IP-telefonilösning med IP-växel och hårdvarutelefoner.</p><p>Resultatet av studien visar att det är vanligt att utnyttja en större händelse som startskott för implementationen. Detta kan röra sig om en flytt eller en renovering av organisationens lokaler. De främsta orsakerna till att man väljer IP-telefoni har visat sig vara kostnadsbesparingar, effektivisering av nätverksinfrastrukturen samt att man ser tekniken som en investering för framtiden. Det har visat sig att de företag som genomfört en grundlig studie av IP-telefoni som teknik, inledningsvis har identifierat fler fördelar med tekniken.</p><p>Vidare har studien även visat att organisationer upplever ett initialt motstånd till förändringen från anställda och att detta motstånd ofta uppkommer i anknytning till tekniska problem som uppstår i samband med implementationen.</p><p>Det är mycket ovanligt att organisationer har en speciell fas för att skapa acceptans för förändringen, vilket troligtvis beror på att man ser användandet som liknande med traditionell PSTN-telefoni och att resurser istället läggs på att lösa tekniska problem.</p> / <p>Over the last few years there has been a threefold increase in the use of IP telephony within Swedish companies. We are now beginning to see a change in attitude towards a technology that thanks to poor Quality of Service has been struggling with a bad reputation. IP telephony is a result of computer and telephone networks being con-verged, and by doing this, costs can be saved and efficiency boosted. But the technology does also offer increased functionality and thereby added value to the organisations using it. But do organisations realize this, and do they exploit the benefits of the technology in order to create acceptance for it within the organisation?</p><p>The purpose is to examine what the motivating factors are for a transition from PSTN telephony to IP telephony, and also to study how acceptance for the new technology is created within the organisation.</p><p>The purpose has been fulfilled by conducting a qualitative study based on semi-standardized interviews. The study has been conducted at four Swedish organisations that have implemented a "pure" IP telephony solution including IP gateways and IP telephones.</p><p>The result of the study shows that it is common to use a "big event" as a starting block for the implementation. This could be a relocation or the restoration of an office building. The main reason for choosing IP telephony is the fact that convergence cuts costs, boosts efficiency, and that organisations see IP telephony as an investment for the future. We have noticed that organisations that conduct a thorough study of IP telephony have identified more functional advantages with the technology.</p><p>Furthermore, the study has shown that organisations experience initial resistance from users, and that this resistance often arises in connection to technical problems that transpire during the implementation.</p><p>It is rare for organisations to have special phase for creation of acceptance, which most likely is due to the fact that organisations see the use of IP telephony as similar to the use of traditional PSTN telephony, and that resources instead are being placed on solving technical problems</p>

The predominant use of mobile media such as SMS and MIM across various sectors in Ghana is incontrovertibly influencing and reshaping interpersonal communications. This paper looked at the use of the Esoko SMS and WhatsApp MIM platforms and how the use of these two dominant platforms are enhancing and reshaping digital communication in the rural and urban Ghana respectively, as barriers of socioeconomic factors limits the use of sophisticated technologies in the rural setting. This is done by employing Madianou and Miller's notion of polymedia” to draw on the moral, social and the emotional use of mobile media in enacting interpersonal relationships and communications whilst keeping in focus the recursive repercussions.

The issues involved in Internet telephony (Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device) can be best understood by actually implementing a VoIP device and studying its performance. In this regard, an Internet telephony device, providing full duplex voice communication over internet, and a user interface program have been developed. In the process, a number of implementation issues came into focus, which we have touched upon in this thesis. Transport layer network protocols are discussed in the concept of real time streaming applications and Real Time Protocol (RTP) is modified to use as transport layer protocol in developed VoIP device. Adaptive playout buffering algorithms are studied and compared with each other by trace driven simulation experiments with objective measures. A method to solve clock synchronization problem in streaming internet applications is presented. One way and round trip delay measurement functionalities are added to the VoIP device, so that device can be used to investigate the network characteristics.

Esta tesis contribuye a varios campos del conocimiento. Primero, en ella se estudia el efecto ambiguo que la tecnología de Internet tiene en la estructura de costes de transacción en el caso de las ventas al por menor. En segundo lugar, esta tesis estudia empíricamente que factores determinan la adopción de la tecnología de Internet y la telefonía celular a nivel mundial desde 1980. Se demuestra que las diferencias entre países están determinadas en gran medida por el clima de inversión que afecta los incentivos de adoptar tecnologías basadas en activos específicos. Finalmente de desarrolla y pone a prueba una teoría que relaciona los sistemas electorales y las configuraciones de gobierno con la protección de los derechos de propiedad. Se propone un modelo, que establece una relación negativa entre el número de instituciones de toma de decisión consensual y el grado de protección de los derechos de propiedad. / This research contributes to several fields of knowledge. It studies the ambiguous effects that the Internet has on the transaction costs structure in the case of retailing. Next, it presents an empirical study of the determinants of worldwide Internet and cellular phone penetration levels since 1980. It is shown that cross-country differences in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) are to a considerable extent due to differences in investment climate, which determines the incentives to adopt technologies based on site-specific assets. Finally, this thesis develops and tests a theory regarding the effect that electoral formats and government configurations have on the degree of property rights protection. A formal model is presented, which establishes a negative relationship between the number of institutions of consensual collective decision-making and the degree of property rights protection.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:36:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 3033244 bytes, checksum: e99c06debab1ade6a603c593035a9da1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-01-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / With the economic growth experienced in recent years, many brazilian cities have also encountered problems such as population growth, congestion of vehicles and violence. At the same time, the purchasing power of the population has grown, allowing many of them to purchase new equipment, such as mobile phones, with Brazil surpassed the barrier of a cell phone per inhabitant. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of using computer simulation systems, using data from the mobile telephone network, aiming a system of urban monitoring usig vehicles. The results showed that the higher was the number of vehicles on public streets, most will hit rate with the data from the cellular network using the methodology of Erlang. / Com o crescimento econômico vivido nos últimos anos, muitas cidades brasileiras têm também se deparado com problemas como o aumento populacional, congestionamento de veículos e a violência. Ao mesmo tempo, o poder aquisitivo dos habitantes tem crescido, permitindo que muitos pudessem adquirir novos equipamentos, como os telefones celulares, tendo o Brasil ultrapassado a barreira de um telefone celular por habitante. Esse trabalho objetivou a analise de viabilidade do uso de sistemas de simulação computacional, utilizando dados da rede de telefonia móvel celular, visando um sistema de monitoramento urbano com veículos. Os resultados mostraram que, quanto maior foi o número de veículos em circulação nas vias públicas, maior será a taxa de acerto com os dados oriundos da rede de telefonia celular utilizando a metodologia de Erlang.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:52:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LuizCBN.pdf: 3604754 bytes, checksum: af35eb23b3195b5822746a901e37f35e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-16 / The competition in the telecommunications industry has grown in Brazil since the privatization, forcing companies that are active in the market to a growing commitment to quality products and services in order to survive. In this context, this work aims to understand the main factors that influence the degree of satisfaction exists in respect of a mobile operator with its corporate customers. The research covered theoretical concepts and analytical models of quality management system and models of indices related to the measurement of customer satisfaction. For the field research was carried out in a practical application of the main approaches based on this thesis by a case study in corporate segment, through a questionnaire applied to 10 consultants and 40 corporate customers of that company. Comparing the results of research with the consultants and corporate clients there is the concern of respondents to the indicators that comprise the constructs of customer satisfaction, commitment calculated, the price index and the handling of complaints, denoting the dissatisfaction of the general assessment for corporate customers with the carrier, against its current expectations. It is concluded that the mobile operator of the telecommunications industry have a big challenge, after ten years of privatization and consequently the period of rapid expansion of customer base and with the depleted, retain corporate customers as highly strategic, thus avoiding that migrate to other companies. We emphasize the need for further research and analysis of different approaches through research and using the same models to specifically evaluate and measure customer satisfaction of mobile enterprise, to adjust the model to the national market. Finally, we suggest the creation of an effective customer loyalty program with a strategy of relationship and specific to the corporate sector of mobile telephony / A competi??o no setor de telecomunica??es tem crescido no Brasil desde a privatiza??o, obrigando as empresas que est?o atuando no mercado a um comprometimento cada vez maior com a qualidade dos produtos e servi?os prestados para poderem sobreviver. Neste contexto, este trabalho tem como objetivo principal entender os fatores que influenciam no grau de satisfa??o existente na rela??o de uma operadora de telefonia celular com seus clientes corporativos. A pesquisa te?rica abrangeu conceitos e an?lise de modelos de sistema de gest?o de qualidade e modelos de ?ndices relacionados ? mensura??o da satisfa??o do cliente. Para a pesquisa de campo procedeu-se a uma aplica??o pr?tica das principais abordagens fundamentadas nesta disserta??o via estudo de caso no segmento corporativo, atrav?s de question?rio aplicado a 10 consultores corporativos e 40 clientes desta mesma empresa. Comparando o resultado da pesquisa junto aos consultores e clientes corporativos verificou-se a preocupa??o dos entrevistados com os indicadores que comp?em os construtos satisfa??o do cliente, compromisso calculado, ?ndice de pre?os e tratamento das reclama??es, denotando pela avalia??o geral a insatisfa??o dos clientes corporativos para com a operadora, contrariando suas expectativas atuais. Conclui-se que as operadoras de telefonia celular do setor de telecomunica??es t?m um grande desafio, passado dez anos da privatiza??o e conseq?entemente do per?odo de expans?o vertiginosa da base de clientes e com o mercado exaurido, reter os clientes corporativos considerados altamente estrat?gicos, evitando assim que migrem para outras empresas. Enfatizamos a necessidade de novas pesquisas e enfoques de an?lise diferenciada atrav?s de pesquisas utilizando o mesmo e outros modelos para avaliar e medir especificamente a satisfa??o do cliente corporativo de telefonia celular, visando ajustar o modelo ao mercado nacional. Por fim, sugerimos a cria??o de um programa de fidelidade efetivo com uma estrat?gia definida de relacionamento e espec?fica para o setor corporativo de telefonia celular

A agricultura de precisão (AP) é um das grandes responsáveis pela inserção de tecnologias cada vez mais avançadas dentro dos sistemas de produção agrícola. Um equipamento que já faz parte da AP é o computador de mão (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA). Porém com a evolução crescente dos dispositivos móveis tais como smartphones e tablets, os PDAs têm se tornado uma alternativa mais obsoleta do ponto de vista tecnológico. São várias as características que tornam smartphones e tablets dispositivos móveis mais atraentes tecnologicamente. A comunicação direta destes com sistemas de posicionamento via satélite foi o primeiro passo para torna-los válidos para o uso em AP. Além disso, dentre as tecnologias de computação, a computação móvel é a que tem mais aceitação pelos usuários do meio agrícola devido à gradativa inserção mercadológica que os telefones celulares exerceram durante os anos passados em todo o mundo. Com a ideia de criar uma nova ferramenta para a AP baseando-se no reconhecimento de voz para substituir e/ou minimizar o uso das telas sensíveis ao toque e planilhas no campo foi escolhido o sistema operacional Android para o desenvolvimento desse aplicativo. O projeto se baseou inicialmente em revisão bibliográfica de estudos de aplicativos móveis desenvolvidos para a AP e por acompanhamento em campo de procedimentos de coleta de dados. O aplicativo resultante desse desenvolvimento se baseou em três partes: configurações, coleta de dados por voz e mapas. Na parte de configurações é permitido ao usuário configurar opções como: variáveis de coleta, uso do GPS (Global Positioning System), uso do reconhecimento de voz, pasta de armazenamento e informações cadastrais. Na coleta de dados por voz o usuário tem um formulário com as variáveis configuradas, que é preenchido por reconhecimento de voz, automaticamente. Os mapas utilizados para auxiliar o usuário a se orientar pelo campo são criados a partir do sistema Google Maps®. É possível também habilitar um assistente de voz que fala ao usuário, por sintetização de voz, o nome da variável que está coletando e confirma para ele o valor que foi reconhecido a partir de sua voz. Um arquivo \'txt\' é criado a partir das informações do formulário contendo também as coordenadas geográficas de cada ponto de coleta, obtidas pelo sistema integrado de GPS do dispositivo, e esse arquivo pode ser utilizado para a entrada de dados em sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG) para a criação de mapas posteriormente. / Precision agriculture (PA) is one of the major responsible for the insertion of increasingly advanced technologies within agricultural production systems. Equipment that is already part of precision agriculture is the handheld computer (PDA). But with the growing trend of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, PDAs have become a more obsolete option in the technological context. There are several characteristics that make these devices technologically more attractive. Direct communication of such devices with satellite positioning systems was the first step to make them applicable for use in PA. Moreover, among the computing technologies, mobile computing has more acceptance by users of agricultural marketing due to the gradual insertion that mobile phones have had over the past years worldwide. With the idea of creating a new tool for PA based on the speech recognition to replace and/or minimize the use of touchscreen and worksheets in the field, Android was chosen as the operating system for the development of this application. The design was based initially on studies of mobile applications developed for PA through published articles or through monitoring procedures in field data collection. The application resulting from this development is based on three parts: settings, speech data collection and maps. Part of settings allows the user to set some options for operation of the application as: variables to collect, use of GPS, use of speech recognition, file storage folder to \'txt\' file and registration information, etc. In the data collection the user configures the variables he wants to collect and the application creates a form that is filled through speech recognition automatically. The map is used to help the user navigate the route through the use of Google Maps® base. It is possible to enable a voice assistant that tells him, by voice synthesizer, the name of the variable he is collecting and confirms to him the value that has been recognized by his voice. A \'txt\' file is created containing data along with geographic coordinates obtained from the onboard GPS of the device and it can be used for creating maps in geographic information systems (GIS).