Exploring The Challenges To 'Powering The Future' As Telecommunications Transitions To IP Based Networks

Abstract:
The growing market for broadband services which now account for almost half of Internet users in the US is forecast to exceed 75% in 2010. This trend is driving the transformation the legacy Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to a new Internet Protocol (IP) packet-based Public Telephone Network (PTN). Telecom, Cable and Wireless companies worldwide are pursuing acquisitions and network upgrades to offset losses of access lines and revenues to competing Internet and particularly wireless Service Providers (SPs). Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is driving the PTN’s goal of a seamless convergence of voice, data, video, wireless, often referred to as 3Play, that SPs expect will lure and hold high end users. The overarching challenge of this convergence to incumbent SPs is to accommodate a "mixed bag" of services ranging from POTS to HDTV that are transported over facilities that include copper, DSL, FTTx, wireless and satellite. This must be accomplished in spite of the different SP proprietary service bundling models while maintaining the PSTN’s ubiquity, access, and Quality of Service (QoS) and operating at reasonable profit margins in an unregulated very competitive environment. Power system engineers are developing topologies and equipment vendors designing products with higher efficiencies, higher power densities and smaller packaging to meet the demands of IP-based switching, transport and access functions. This transition to a new PTN is proceeding wary of the risks of stranding the embedded base of existing plants or over powering in the event of unfulfilled promises of new markets.