Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisors: Stephen McDowell, John K. Mayo, Florida State University, College of Communication, Dept. of Communication. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 15, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 302 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / A semi-synchronous environment consists of a combination of synchronous and asynchronous transport media used to transport messages from source to destination. This thesis explores an empirical solution for guaranteeing the delivery of messages in a multimodal semi-synchronous environment for a Deaf Telephony application. SoftBridge for Instant Messaging Bridging Application (SIMBA), is a communication platform that make use of a semi-synchronous framework to allow a hearing and Deaf person to communicate inside a single uniform space. SIMBA was modified to provide reliability for both synchronous and asynchronous transport media. In the process of modification, SIMBA was renamed to NaradaBrokering integrated in SIMBA (NIMBA). Within the literature various systems are analyzed and successes and failures are distilled to help formulate a good solution for the thesis question. To guarantee asynchronous messages sent, the Message Oriented Middleware (MOM) paradigm was used with Forward Error Correction (FEC) used to guarantee the delivery of synchronous messages sent. The work forms part of a social study conducted at the Deaf Community of Cape Town (DCCT) community centre. Ethnography was used to identify the requirements for a Deaf Telephony application. Thus, this thesis is based on a socio- technical environment where the system is developed in a laboratory and tested in an actual community. Results show that these solutions are cceptable for a semi-synchronous communication environment. However, interviews conducted with a select group of Deaf participants showed that cell phones are currently too popular to be replaced by NIMBA as a primary communication device and service. This is due to the immense popularity of Short Message Service (SMS) among the Deaf and cell phone devices mobile capabilities. The overall goal of the thesis is to guarantee delivery for a semisynchronous environment with broader implications of showing how multimodal semi-synchronous services like Deaf Telephony can be made attractive to service providers concerned with reliability in the new Internet Protocol (IP) world of telecommunications. / South Africa

No description available.

The aim of this Masters Thesis project is to give the Swedish National Post and Telecom Agency, Post- och Telestyrelsen (PTS), an updated view on I P Telephony relative to the Swedish consumer market. The basic questions were raised by PTS and the focus is on the relevant topics from the agency’s point of view. PTS is primarily interested in understanding what state IP Telephony is in and furthermore what IP Telephony can be used for in practice. What are the possibilities of different implementations and what will be their advantages and disadvantages? Despite being on the scene for many years, IP Telephony is now on the verge of a break through. With the creation of gateways between IP and PSTN, various IP Telephony devices, and with the introduction of SIP (described in RFC2543) as a standard signalling protocol, perhaps today, IP Telephony has a significant potential on the consumer market. Many argue that 2003 will be the year that IP Telephony blossoms. The fact that anyone can be their own operator, the role of the traditional operator versus the new operators, the separation of content and signalling transmission, as well as the efficient use of bandwidth are some of the topics covered in this report.</p> Due to the introduction of The Electronic Communications Act that comes into effect the 25th of July 2003, replacing The Telecommunications Act and The Radiocommunications Act, much of the focus in this report lies on regulatory issues. However, in order to get an insight in to the regulatory issues it is important to understand the underlying technology of IP Telephony as well as areas such as security, robustness, privacy, and emergency calls. Through a market analysis, an updated overview of the market for IP Telephony will be given, along with plausible future scenarios. This report will provide the reader with answers not by focusing on the theoretical details of the technology itself, but rather in terms of it’s practical use and limitations. / Syftet med denna rapport är att ge Post- och Telestyrelsen (PTS) en uppdaterad bild av den svenska IP-telefonimarknaden för privatpersoner. Då examensarbetet utfördes för PTS togs de grundläggande frågeställningarna fram av myndigheten och fokus för examensarbetet lades således på ämnen relevanta för PTS. Trots att IP-telefoni har varit på tapeten i flera år, har tekniken ännu inte haft sitt genombrott på privatmarknaden. Existensen av slussar mellan IP och PSTN, samt utvecklingen av IP-telefoniutrustning och standardiserade protokoll (såsom SIP beskriven i RFC2543), har givit IP-telefoni förutsättningen att ta en signifikant roll på den svenska privatmarknaden. Många anser att 2003 är året då IP-telefoni kommer att ha sitt genombrott. Utvecklingen och ändringen av den traditionella operatörsrollen, separationen av signaltrafik och samtalstrafik samt den effektiva och variabla användningen av bandbredd, är några av de faktorer som ger upphov till spännande frågeställningar. Introduktionen av lagen för elektronisk kommunikation som träder i kraft den 25 Juli 2003, och ersätter både telelagen och lagen om radiokommunikation, har gjort att fokus till stor del riktas på de regulativa frågorna inom området. För att sätta sig in i dessa regulativa frågor krävs dock god insikt i tekniken bakom IP-telefoni samt förståelse i områden såsom säkerhet, robusthet, QoS och nödsamtal. En marknadsanalys bidrar med en uppdaterad bild av marknaden för IP-telefoni samt möjliga framtidscenarion. Rapporten förser läsaren med svar genom att fokusera på teknikens praktiska användning och begränsningar snarare än att fokusera på de teoretiska detaljerna.

Malgré la croissance de la téléphonie mobile, la diversité des services et la spécificité de cette technologie, nombreuses sont les populations urbaines et rurales en Afrique qui n’en bénéficient pas. L’investigation théorique et empirique des facteurs déterminant la pénétration de la téléphonie mobile en Afrique a fait l’objet de cette thèse. Cette recherche s’inscrit dans une démarche hypothético-déductive et est structurée en deux parties. L’objet de la première partie était de développer un modèle conceptuel de l’usage de la téléphonie mobile en Afrique en partant d’une revue de la littérature sur les modèles d’adoption et d’usage des Technologies de l’Information. Plusieurs concepts issus de la théorie unifiée de l’acceptation et de l’utilisation de la technologie (Venkatesh et alii, 2003, 2012) et des théories d’adoption des technologies de l’information en Afrique ont ainsi été examinés : la théorie d’identité (Ndiaye et alii, 2008), les théories de distribution (Touré, 2010) et les théories de l’énergie (Chéneau-Loquay, 2010). La seconde partie avait pour objectif de vérifier les relations entre les variables du modèle de recherche. Un instrument de mesure a ainsi été élaboré et testé auprès d’experts avant son administration au Mali et au Sénégal afin de cerner les antécédents de la pénétration du mobile en Afrique. Partant du postulat que le comportement individuel peut être imputé aux perceptions de l’individu sur : la performance attendue, la facilité d’utilisation, l’influence sociale, la motivation hédonique, la valeur du prix, le réflexe dû à l'habitude et les conditions de facilitation ; nous avions présumé que ces construits, ainsi que leurs interactions, influençaient positivement l’intention d’utilisation et l’utilisation de la téléphonie mobile. D’une manière générale, les résultats ont confirmé ces hypothèses. Les résultats sont discutés dans une perspective managériale et professionnelle. Ils peuvent guider les autorités de régulations et les pouvoirs publics et orienter les opérateurs de télécommunications, les équipementiers et les fournisseurs de services dans l’élaboration de leur stratégie. / Despite the growth in mobile telephony, the diversity of services and specificity of its technology, there are many urban and rural populations in Africa who do not benefit from it. The theoretical and empirical investigation of the determining factors of mobile telephony penetration in Africa is the subject of this thesis. The research uses a hypothetical-deductive reasoning and is divided into two parts. The purpose of the first part was to develop a conceptual model of mobile telephony usage in Africa beginning with a review of the literature on the models of adoption and usage of Information Technologies. Also, several concepts from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (Venkatesh et alii, 2003, 2012) and theories of adoption of information technology in Africa were examined: the theory identity (Ndiaye et alii, 2008), theories of distribution (Touré, 2010) and theories of energy (Chéneau-Loquay, 2010). The second part was to verify the relationships between the variables of the research model. A questionnaire for data collection was developed and tested by experts prior to its administration in Mali and Senegal in order to be able to identify the background regarding mobile telephony penetration in Africa. Starting from the premise that individual behavior can be attributed to the perceptions of the individual’s : expectation of performance, the ease of use, social influence, hedonic motivation, price value, a reflex due to habit and the facilitating conditions ; we assumed that these constructs and their relationships positively influence the intended use and the use of mobile telephony. In general, the results have confirmed these hypotheses. The results are discussed from a managerial and professional perspective. They can guide regulatory authorities and governments and can orientate the telecom operators, OEMs and service providers in developing their strategy.

Acknowledgements section and vita redacted from this digital version.

Abstract Competitive Strategies from 2G to 3G ¡V A case of Taiwan Mobile Group In trend with WTO, globalization and government policy, the domestic telecommunication market has gradually moved from monopoly to free market. Suddenly, the liberalization of telecommunication resulted in fierce competitions in the market, each fighting for customers and market share, staging a battle scene in the telecommunication industry. Although 2G has excelled, it could not lead the fixed network out of its distress. Business enterprises were still stuck in the swamp of the last mile. On the other hand, 3G was launched with a thunderbolt posture, but its expensive license fee has deeply scarred business enterprises once again. Competitors tried their best in both hard selling and lucrative promotions, only to find very few customers have been touched. Money has been spent, but the future seems dim. Faced with a chaotic market, fierce competition and a hazy future of 3G market, how the telecommunication business enterprises innovate new business models, provide attractive service content to consumers, so as to avoid fierce price competition and establish new competitive advantage, the business mindset, strategic positioning are crux of the matter. In Porter¡¦s Competitive Strategies, the objective of competitive strategy is to be different. In other words, when a business manager establishes a different set of business activities, provides a unique set of values to customers, can it thus have a unique competitive advantage. Taiwan Mobile Group is one of the three largest domestic telecommunications company. Its scope of business includes fixed network, cellular network, 2G and 3G mobile telecommunication, customer service and all other telecommunication businesses since the liberalization of the industry. The business team ¡V Fubon Financial - is one of the top business group in Taiwan. Is its factor of success in 2G one of internal advantage or one of external opportunity? What is its competitive strategy from 2G to 3G? Can its success in 2G ensure similar success in a competitive advantageous position in the 3G and future market? Faced with a slow development of 3G market, lack of competitiveness in the service function, as well as the impact of 4G WiMAX V technology, what kind of strategic posture should it take? This thesis investigates the development of Taiwan Mobile Group from 2G to 3G, its strategic positioning, internal competitiveness and how it should innovate a new business model, establish a different set of business activities, or provide unique service value, so as to create an unique competitive advantage, to reap greater market opportunities and continually create competitive advantage. Six conclusions are made for the case study company: (1) The success of 2G is the strength and foundation for Taiwan Mobile Group in the 3G market. (2) The development of Triple Play digital bus cross-industry system integration aids in the competitive advantage of 3G. (3) Merger strategy and resource integration strategy may not achieve synergy. (4) Corporate governance has poor results, unclear vision does not aid the long term development of the business. (5) Concern for employee should take a higher priority than focus on customers. (6) Dependence on external technology and lack of R&D capability do not facilitate development of continuous competitive advantage. Eight recommendations to the case study company: (1) Research and develop a killer ¡§integrated mobile digital service platform¡¨ to dominate the 3G and markets of the future. (2) Cultivate senior management with skills in innovation and integration. (3) Institute a forward-looking ¡§vision¡¨ to lead its employees, inspire passion and seize the future. (4) Build up a corporate culture of ¡§customer is paramount¡¨, ¡§employee first¡¨, and ¡§continued business operation¡¨. (5) Decentralize the organization, humanistic management, simplify process, rationalized costs. (6) Construct a ¡§business resource integration platform¡¨ to integrate all internal resources and build up a strong competitive force. (7) Cultivate the ¡§corporate client¡¨ market. (8) Plans moves in China with a global vision. Further studies: (1) Study of the competition and cooperation strategies between 3G and WiMAX. (2) How does Taiwan innovate an ¡§integrated mobile digital service platform¡¨. Keyword: Competitive Strategy, Competitive Advantage, Second Generation Mobile Telephony (2G), Third Generation Mobile Telephony (3G)

No description available.

Rural telephony has historically been a recurring subject of concern for most large developing countries. It is generally considered that rural telephone users do not generate the same level of telephone traffic and, thus, revenue as urban users, lowering the incentives to invest in rural telecommunications. The financial implications of wiring a vast area for low telephone traffic causes most telephone service providers to ignore or delay offering telephone service to those regions. Still, it is known that telecommunications are essential to the economic development of a region, and that traffic increases rapidly as soon as the service is available. A satellite-based telephone network can provide efficient long distance telephone service to remote rural communities at a lower cost than land-based wired networks in most cases. Mobile satellite systems already provide this service, but are limited in capacity and charge high per- minute fees for the satellite link. Small earth stations and GEO satellites can provide this service more efficiently and at lower cost. A methodology to optimize the network performance has been developed. A set of economic models to evaluate different combinations of network topologies and multiple access techniques have been implemented, and a technical-economic assessment has been performed for the different technologies under different traffic scenarios. Traffic intensity, network size and per-minute user costs have been optimized to achieve the network's economic break-even point under different conditions and constraints. The general behavior of fixed-assignment Single Channel per Carrier SCPC), fixed-assignment Multiple Channel per Carrier (MCPC) and demand-assignment SCPC star networks, as well as demand-assignment SCPC mesh networks has been analyzed. Important parameters have been identified in order to improve the process of effective and cost-efficient satellite rural telephone network design. / Ph. D.