Protocols for Mobile Multimedia
The long standing packet-switched versus circuit-switched controversy splits the board of a large wireless telecom solutions provider. The two vice-presidents are in opposing camps. Each one claims that his/her strategy is the best. Your task, as advisory engineering firm, is to give well founded support for one of the views or to present your own strategy.
For one part there is full agreement: voice, video and data will all three be important sources of income for the wireless telecom solutions provider in the foreseeable future. In order to reduce the costs of operation and maintenance to an acceptable level, there is a need to choose for one switching paradigm that can offer simultaneously all three forms of communication,
However, vice president Mr. Levevre strongly favors starting from a circuit-switched solution, whereas vice president Ms. Jones is convinced that the future is with packet-switching. But, in order to stay in business, the board of the company has to choose for one of the two strategies.
Defending his strategy to start with a circuit-switched solution, Mr. Levevre argues that GSM has already the infrastructure in place and is future proof. Next to voice, as the current money maker, new options HSCSD and GPRS will allow data and video in the coming years. This evolutionary approach is much safer than revolutionary approach of his colleague.
Defending her strategy to go now for a packet-switched solution, Ms. Jones shows that IP is presently becoming the convergence layer for most forms of telecommunication. The flexibility of IP, and its efficiency in resource sharing, are already driving wireline communications to widespread use of solutions like Voice over IP. In wireless communication the efficiency advantage is even more pronounced. Moreover, the flexibility of mobile IP can not be matched by layer 2 solutions like GSM.
What is your advice? Choose for a strategy that (you believe) gives the company the best chances in the future. Try to be as specific as possible. List what kind of services will be provided, which protocols support those services and why your solution is the best fit for those protocols. Your report should also include a requirements specification of the capabilities and performance (i.e. numbers on delay, reliability, quality) of the services to be marketed.
Your quality as Mobile Multimedia Consultant (i.e. your grade) will be judged from:
And, if you have chosen for this assignment, from the effort + quality by which the points below are executed by your engineering firm (i.e. by you and your group):