MediaTeam and Convergence

1. Welcome
2. 1. Preface
3. 2. Birth and Infancy
4. 3. Video Analysis Researcher
5. 4. MediaTeam and Convergence
6. 5. Ubiquitous History
7. 6. Waterfall Model of Innovation
8. 7. Living Lab and Societal Impact
9. 8. Humanism and Technology
10. Credits

Network and service development is one of MediaTeam’s key research fields. The focus of the research has been on convergence – that is, the unification of telephone networks and the Internet. In practice, this is most visible in current mobile phones, which are capable of using both the protocols and resources of the Internet like any other computer. Overcoming the differences between phones and computers has only been achieved through research that has led to them becoming increasingly alike.

The convergence of mobile terminals and the Internet began with the development of new packet-based network techniques and services and has now reached a point where the mobility of terminals is harnessed and put into use in new applications. Initially, mobile terminals were capable of using Internet services via slow, expensive connections, such as GSM data and GPRS, and only the recent development of broadband WLAN and 3G connections has allowed their comfortable use. MediaTeam’s research in this area has proceeded logically from studying the early integration of computers and telephones to studying fourth-generation IP phones and applications and developing next-generation networking technology.

The CTI (Computer Telephone Integration) and Princess projects started in early 1998 were MediaTeam’s first looks into this field. The CTI project studied different platform technologies and technical service concepts related to the integration of telephones and computers, while the Princess project focused on mobile multimedia services and media adaptation. The Red Skins project, which started in June 2000, shortly before CTI was concluded, went a step further, focusing on IPv6-based Internet telephony, messaging and multimedia technologies. Later on, in 2004, the Application SuperNetworking (All-IP) project went even further, developing a founding for next-generation networking applications, services and networks.

The concept of a wireless office has also been studied at MediaTeam: “We developed IP-based media phone services in office environments and a software development kit on which services could be built.” says Anja Keskinarkaus, the project manager of the Duchess project in 1999. “Basically, we studied multimedia conference calls in which the participants could, besides talking, see each other, share applications and, say, edit a text file together. We were especially interested in using digital watermarking to incorporate extra information in the data stream – text in speech, for example. This enabled one participant to exchange information with another without the rest of the participants knowing.” Keskinarkaus explains. The Duchess project paved the way for ever more advanced research – a lot was learned of signalling protocols, and the research on information hiding evolved into a separate research branch at MediaTeam. “In the beginning, most of us were very young and inexperienced. The amount we learned during the project was unbelievable, and I’m sure that know-how has spread to the entire research group by now.” Keskinarkaus concludes.

In 2000, after the CTI and Duchess projects, several of MediaTeam's researchers founded Icecom, a company that sells components for SIP-based communication architectures, server components and terminal software. “One of the most important reasons for founding Icecom was the desire to put the theoretical know-how gathered at the university into practical use. Other important factors were the enthusiasm of youth and the desire to try something new. There were also other like-minded people working in MediaTeam who saw that starting our own business would be sensible. And that is how it started.” explains MediaTeam researcher Jani Korhonen, the chairman of the board of Icecom. While the future for Icecom looks challenging, as it competes with international network component manufacturers, its strengths lie in its broad product component assortment and strong software base.

Convergence research comprises of several areas – enabling technologies such as distributed signalling techniques and service platforms, and the testing of end-user-oriented application and service scenarios with prototypes. “The impact of this research will grow more and more as new converged services and Internet service platforms are developed,” says Professor Mika Ylianttila, MediaTeam’s research manager. “Finland’s electronics and IT businesses are outsourcing their production to cheaper countries, so it is essential that Finland’s research and development industry is able to create enough intellectual property in the information services area to encourage new businesses.” Fortunately, MediaTeam is right at the forefront of the research in this field, having received funding and cooperation for several new national and joint European projects from companies such as Nokia, Ericsson and Nethawk, as well as the National Technology Agency and the VTT Technical Research Centre. The quality of MediaTeam's research on convergence is further underlined by the appointment of Dr. Junzhao Sun, a researcher in several MediaTeam projects related to the field, such as Red Skins, the CAPNET program and All-IP, to the post of Academy of Finland Research Fellow in August 2006. His research concentrates on a cross-layer optimization for sensor networks, aiming to bridge the gap between the technologies needed for modelling, processing and networking by investigating high-level cross-layer optimization techniques in a top-down fashion.

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