Drivers for the Adoption of Multi-service Networks Digitalization of entertainment and other consumer content makes it possible to use available transmission media resources more efficiently, to use universal storage solutions for the content while providing end user quality experience equal to or better than analogue media. This leads to the need for speech, music, pictures and streamed content to be delivered to homes and mobile users in digital form. Content delivery channels of this type exist or are becoming available in the form of digital telephone networks, digital mobile network systems and digital television. . | 1 Drivers for the Adoption of Multi-service Networks Digitalization of entertainment and other consumer content makes it possible to use available transmission media resources more efficiently to use universal storage solutions for the content while providing end user quality experience equal to or better than analogue media. This leads to the need for speech music pictures and streamed content to be delivered to homes and mobile users in digital form. Content delivery channels of this type exist or are becoming available in the form of digital telephone networks digital mobile network systems and digital television. These technologies are examples of mostly single-service networks at the moment although so-called generation networks can already be used for transmitting pictorial and data content. The challenge of the near future is to provide all kinds of services over single delivery channels in a cost-efficient manner. Facing this challenge in Internet Protocol IP based networks is the topic of this book. Conceptually there are three parties involved in such a delivery chain. The digital content is produced by a service provider delivered to the end user by the network operator and used by a customer. Let us next study the implications of the situation referred to above from the point of view of these three parties. Implementing Service Quality in IP Networks Vilho Raisanen 2003 John Wiley Sons Ltd ISBN 0-470-84793-X 2 DRIVERS FOR THE ADOPTION OF MULTI-SERVICE NETWORKS In this section only the access network operator viewpoint is considered. We shall return to the interrelations of access and backbone network operators later in this book. CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE Currently a home user is typically using multiple access technologies for communication. Wireline telephony Plain Old Telephony System POTS and cellular phones are used for two-way speech delivery. Digital cellular phones also support text and picture form messaging. Broadcast TV and radio are
