Convergence
Section snippets
Convergence of requirements
While the technical capabilities have been developing, so have the requirements of the business and home users. There has been a growing dependence on the available technologies that make business more efficient and cost effective. This has progressed to the point where it is not longer possible to go back to manual systems for many of the processes that we now rely on computers to carry out. Users are also demanding an increasingly mobile and flexible way of working and want to have access to
Biotechnology, nanotechnology and IT
While all of this may seem to be a huge breadth of factors that are resulting in common technological bases and user requirements, it does not stop there and we are also seeing a convergence in other areas such as between biotechnology, nanotechnology and IT. The ICT sector has always been aware that the biological world was worthy of study in order to learn lessons from the natural world, for example in the spread of viruses, both in nature and between computers. However, this need is not one
Fixed and mobile communications convergence
The convergence of fixed and mobile communication systems is currently one of the main developments in the Telecommunications industry and the term is used to describe the connection of the mobile phone to the fixed line infrastructure. The convergence of the mobile and fixed line networks is allowing Telecommunications operators can provide seamless services to users, irrespective of their location, the channel they are using to access the network or the type of device that they are using. The
Why is convergence taking place?
There are almost as many reasons for convergence to take place as there are areas where it is happening. The primary drivers are those that come from business-reduced cost, enhanced capability and the ability to enter new markets. However, it is also taking place to allow for new technologies and services that do not currently exist to come into being and to exploit the potential of those that have recently arrived. Examples of this are the miniaturisation that will allow for new devices to be
Regulatory issues
In the past, there were strict, mostly national, restrictions in both the Telecommunications and the broadcast sectors, which is in sharp contrast with the unregulated environment of the computer and Internet sectors. The convergence of these three areas has meant that, in order to maintain a level playing field, there will be a need to rationalize the different regulatory mechanisms. This will be a non-trivial problem, as the whole environment is now global rather than nationally based. While
Security
In this environment of convergence that is taking place on a number of planes, how do we ensure that appropriate security is put in place to protect the infrastructure itself, the content that is delivered and the end user? Given that the environment is increasingly complex, it is clear that there will be no simple answer. We have struggled to provide and maintain adequate security for the individual elements of the infrastructure and it would be an optimist who thought that we were ‘winning’
Conclusions
This paper has looked at a number of aspects of what we commonly refer to as convergence and has explored some of the depth and breadth of the meaning of the term. It is clear that there is significant benefit to both the service providers and the consumers in the reduced cost of service delivery, reduced management costs and ease of use. However, the very process of convergence is likely to expose significant security issues due to the merging of what have been separate services and