This book contains the proceedings of the first international symposium devoted to research on the evaluation and planning of new person-to-person telecommunication systems. It was sponsored by NATO's Special Programme Panel on Systems Science and took place, in September 1977, at the University of Bergamo in the north of Italy. Telecommunication systems which provide for communication be tween people, rather than computers or other instruments, are of two kinds. There are mass communication systems (broadcast radio and television) and interpersonal systems (for example, the telephone and Telex) which join together individuals or small groups. Here we have included in the interpersonal category certain systems for re trieving information from computers, essentially those systems in which the role of the computer 1s primarily to act as a store and to identify that information which best fits a user's request. (This excludes management information systems in which the computer performs important transformation functions. ) Distinctions between interpersonal and mass communication sys tems, and between these two and da ta communication systems, are increasingly breaking down for those who provide the services. (In the U. K. broadcasters are piloting information retrieval services and the British Post Office is competing with a more sophisticated sys tem which could also be used for the exchange of messages. Elsewhere computer da ta networks are increasingly employed for the exchange of personal messages.

Examines the underlying processes behind telecommunications service department. This guide shows how to successfully build, organize and manage a service within an organization and describes the two critical phases of telecommunications product development--the product and service delivery levels--and shows how they work together to form a finely tuned communications service.

Comprehensive reference to successful service design for the telecommunications industry Telecommunications companies operate in increasingly competitive environments. The companies that survive and excel are those offering the most compelling range of products and services. These services are complex since they touch all aspects of business. Service design and implementation skills are therefore the key for staying on top of the competition. Successful Service Design for Telecommunications provides a comprehensive guide into service design and implementation. The author provides a consistent approach to designing scalable and operable processes that can be used when designing a variety of technologically based services; offering concepts, principles and numerous examples that the readers can easily adapt to their technological environment. Key features: Defines what telecommunications services are from business, technical and operational perspectives Explains how telecommunications services can be implemented, including implementation strategies for both new service introductions and enhancements to existing services The principles and management processes described can be used on all telecommunications services (fixed, mobile, broadband and wireless) and technology (e.g. IT and Internet) based services Includes references to the current best practices and industry standards and complements the eTom and the OSS/ BSS models proposed by the TeleManagement Forum Features numerous real-life scenarios and examples to support the discussion on the key concepts of service design This book will be of interest to managers, service designers, project managers, IT professionals, operation managers and senior executives who work in the telecommunications sector. University students studying telecommunications, IT and service science courses will also find this text insightful.

Offering telecom service providers a survival strategy based on customer-centered marketing, this forward-looking resource helps strategic planners and managers assess their company's market potential and target desirable segments successfully.

An unprecedented look into the present and future of next generation networks, services, and management in the telecommunications industry The telecommunications industry has advanced in rapid, significant, and unpredictable ways into the twenty-first century. Next Generation Telecommunications Networks, Services, and Management guides the global industry and academia even further by providing an in-depth look at current and developing trends, as well as examining the complex issues of developing, introducing, and managing cutting-edge telecommunications technologies. This is an orchestrated set of original chapters written expressly for this book by topic experts from around the globe. It addresses next generation technologies and architectures, with the focus on networks, services, and management. Key topics include: Opportunities and challenges of next generation telecommunications networks, services, and management Tri/Quad Play and IP-based networks and services Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) requirements Convergence and an important convergence vehicle, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Next generation operations and network management architecture Ad hoc wireless and sensor networks and their management Next generation operations and network management standards from a strategic perspective A defining look at the future in this field This book will serve as a contemporary reference for the growing global community of telecommunication and information professionals in industry, government, and academia. It will be important to faculty and graduate students of telecommunications as a graduate textbook.

This edited book serves as a companion volume to the Seventh INFORMS Telecommunications Conference held in Boca Raton, Florida, March 7-10, 2004. The 18 papers in this book were carefully selected after a thorough re view process. The research presented within these articles focuses on the latest methodological developments in three key areas—pricing of telecommunica tions services, network design, and resource allocation—that are most relevant to current telecommunications planning. With the global deregulation of the telecommunications industry, effective pricing and revenue management, as well as an understanding of competi tive pressures are key factors that will improve revenue in telecommunica tions companies. Chapters 1-5 address these topics by focusing on pricing of telecommunications services. They present some novel ideas related to pricing (including auction-based pricing of network bandwidth) and modeling compe tition in the industry. The successful telecommunications companies of the future will likely be the ones that can minimize their costs while meeting customer expectations. In this context the optimal design/provisioning of telecommunication networks plays an important role. Chapters 6-12 address these topics by focusing on net work design for a wide range of technologies including SONET, SDH, WDM, and MPLS. They include the latest research developments related to the mod eling and solving of network design problems. Day-to-day management/control of telecommunications networks is depen dent upon the optimal allocation of resources. Chapters 13-18 provide insight ful solutions to several intriguing resource allocation problems.