Directions in Telecommunications An Initial View of the Gilhousen Telecommunications Program

1. Directions in Telecommunications An Initial View of the Gilhousen Telecommunications Program Richard S. Wolff, Ph. D. rwolff@ece.montana.edu 406 994 7172 March 24, 2003

2. Outline • Initiatives in research • Educational initiatives • And some other stuff

3. Research initiatives • Wireless systems – what might work in Montana • Moving optical technology from the bench top to systems applications • Systems issues for transparent optical networks • Optical networks for demanding applications – beyond Internet2

4. Wireless systems – what might work in Montana • Can we cost-effectively cross the digital divide? • Use the demographics of Montana • Mix of high and low-bandwidth services • Select emerging wireless technologies • Use high-level, technology-based model to explore the cost/benefits of alternative wireless technologies

5. SU SU CO Copper FDI Copper M D F Copper Copper or Fiber RN SU To PCS Provider SWAT: Strategic Wireless Analysis Tool Deployment and Coverage Plan Service & Technology Opportunity Market Technology Services Baltimore BTA 0 3.5 7 Low Tier Coverage Areas 1 . High Rise Business Miles 2 . High Rise Residence 3 . Urban Mix 4 . Urban Shoulder 5 . Suburban 6 . Rural Spectrum $$$ ? Wireless and Wired Architecture Economic Results

6. Rapid evaluation of the impacts of alternatives on economics Service & Network Designs Business Economic Results Demand, Traffic, & Rate Plans Detailed Technology Options Detailed Analysis Reports

7. A novel low-cost fixed access system: candidate for cost/benefit analysis

8. Convergence?Use of WiFi for fixed Internet access

9. Status • SWAT software license acquired and installed • Graduate student (Mingliu Zhang) gathering data, developing models • Applied for “Wireless Montana” study funding • “Wireless Montana” workshop – Sept. 2003 • Apply methodology to telematics: working with WTI to define CANAMEX Coalition “Smart Traveler Corridor” project

10. Moving optical technology from the bench top to systems applications • Spectrum Lab is rich with interesting optical materials research • Focus has been primarily on device-level (tunable lasers, narrow line widths, optical processing, etc.) • Launch exploratory work on telecom system applications of spatial-spectral holography

11. time Spatial-Spectral Holographic Processing COMPLEX LASER PROGRAMMING SEQUENCE 1,000,000 Band Optical Equalizer Spectral Holographic Grating Absorption Source: http://www.spectrum.montana.edu/

12. Spatial-Spectral Holographic Processing – some possible uses Buffer Memory and Arbitrary Waveform Generation Correlative Processing and Pulse Shaping True-Time-Delay Source: http://www.spectrum.montana.edu/

13. Spatial-Spectral Holographic Processing – telecom system ideas • Proposal for EPSCoR graduate student support to explore system-level applications of SSH: • dispersion and polarization mode dispersion (PMD) compensation • multi-mode fiber demultiplexing • all-optical reconfigurable routing • Goal: enable ultra-high capacity all-optical networking using the additional capacity of modal multiplexing in multimode fibers

14. Systems issues for transparent optical networks • Problem: switching at optical signals and then combining multiple wavelengths onto a single fiber introduces transients and power level shifts • End-to-end performance will be affected by cascades of switches and amplifiers

15. LTS DARPA NASA West Ring East Ring DISA MEMS OXC LiNbO3 WSXC LiNbO3 OADM DIA NRL OEO OADM EDFA WDM fiber Client l ATDNet: An Experimental Transparent Optical Network

16. Optical Burst Transmission ExperimentATDNet, LTS-NRL-LTS Runser et. al, LEOS, 2002

17. Proposal submitted to DARPA/NSF PTAP • Acquire Calient prototype MEMS • switch, Corning EDFA via PTAP • Conduct system level studies of effects • Of transients on end-to-end performance • Explore active control to mitigate transient effects • Develop engineering guidelines for • Transparent optical network design • Explore mesh network routing and control mechanisms

18. Status • Proposal for graduate student support submitted to EPSCoR • Proposal for MEMS switch and EDFA submitted to PTAP • Surplus optical test equipment acquired from Telcordia • Graduate student (Saritha Acher) beginning to work with equipment • Exploring additional NSF program opportunities for optical technology applications

19. Optical networks for demanding applications – beyond Internet2 • Several applications at MSU that demand hiigh bandwidth connectivity, low latency, remote computation, realtime visualization: • CCB: Neuroscience application requiring distributed processing, remote real-time visualization and real-time access to multiple, distributed data sets • Solar Physics: Satellite operations, Virtual Solar Observatory • Ag Science: Multi-state program involving remote sensing data, visualization • Maybe others?

20. The opportunity: respond to NSF Experimental Infrastructure Network (EIN) Program • EIN goals: Explore next generation networks to meet e-science application needs not met by today’s networks • NSF looking for application-driven innovation in networks and software • Encouraging multi-campus, regional collaborations; • Use of pre-market emerging technologies; industry participation

21. EIN Proposal • CS, ECE lead the effort, develop common software and network infrastructure to support multiple applications • Partnerships: • Remote sites with application-specific data, computational capabilities, models • Become client of advanced grid computing: OptiPuter project (UCSD) • Join National Light Rail: high speed fiber backbone • Industrial partners: • Calient Systems: MEMS-based optical switch • Telcordia Technologies: transparent optical network management software

22. 15808 Terminal, Regen or OADM site (OpAmp sites not shown) Fiber route NLR Footprint and Layer 1 (15808s) Topology SEA POR SAC BOS NYC CHI OGD DEN SVL CLE WDC PIT FRE KAN RAL NAS STR LAX PHO WAL ATL SDG OLG DAL

23. Status • CCB, Physics, Ag Science applications identified • Collaboration with University of Utah and other sites being discussed • Discussions with network providers for access to dark fiber and/or dedicated wavelengths underway • Defining software and network requirements • ITC support obtained • Proposal due May 8

24. Educational initiatives • ECE focus on telecommunications – some curriculum adjustments • Gilhousen Telecommunications Colloquium series • Gilhousen undergraduate student scholarships • Graduate student recruitment

25. ECE focus on telecommunications – some curriculum adjustments • Continue ECE 400 level telecom courses annually (EE 445, EE 446, EE 447) with some adjustments to EE 447 • Offer EE 543 (telecom switching and transmission) each fall • Add a graduate level course, “advanced topics in telecom systems”, offer annually and allow repeated enrollment • Encourage EE/telecom majors to take CS 440,”computer networks” • Add a CS or EE course in advanced network architectures and protocols

26. Gilhousen Telecommunications Colloquium series • Broad range of topics, loosely related to telecommunications issues • Bring in external speakers, supplement with talks by faculty and grad students • Mondays, 2:10 PM 101 Roberts Hall Computer Scientists are WELCOME!!

27. Gilhousen Telecommunications Colloquium series – Spring 2003 • March 17: Trends in Wireless Systems, Rich Wolff • March 24: Atmospheric Optical Propagation for Communications and Remote Sensing, Joseph Shaw, ECE • March 31: No Colloquium, Infocom • April 7: Broadband Access: Powerline Carrier and DSL, Dave Waring, Telcordia • April 14: Volunteer Needed!!! • April 21: The Evolving Optical Internet, Nim Cheung, IEEE Distinguished Speaker • April 28: The Science of Audio in 2003, James Johnston, Microsoft

28. Gilhousen undergraduate student scholarships • Open to ECE majors • Ten students, $3500 per year • Renewable based on performance • Three graduating seniors • Obligation to participate in seminars and other activities Good recruiting tool!

29. Graduate student recruitment • The word is out (at least to international students) the MSU is focusing on telecom • Looking for students with system-level interests • Would like to recruit some MSU undergraduates • Synergies with CS recruiting should be explored – clone the relationship with Physics in optical technologies!

30. And some other stuff • Wireless LAN for the College of Engineering • Working with CS, BTC, Physics and ITC to make this happen! • Areas for more interdisciplinary work • Apply ad hoc networking principles to telematics applications: CS/ECE/WTI • Explore new approaches to free-space optical communications: ECE/Physics/Spectrum Lab • Routing in all-optical networks: ECE/CS • Software defined radios, migrating applications to mobile hosts: CS/ECE • ?????????????????????