Architecture and Governance for Communication Services

With around 3 billion subscribers, GSM is the world's most commonly used technology for wireless communication. Providing an overview of the innovations that have fuelled this phenomena, GSM: Architecture, Protocols and Services, Third Edition offers a clear introduction to the field of cellular systems. Special emphasis is placed on system architecture and protocol aspects, and topics range from addressing concepts through mobility management to network management. This third edition contains around 25% new and reworked material and has been thoroughly updated to encompass recent advances and future trends. It serves as both an introductory textbook for graduate students as well as a reference resource for telecommunications engineers and researchers. This edition: Presents capacity enhancement methods like sectorization, the application of adaptive antennas for Spatial Filtering for Interference Reduction (SFIR) and Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) Provides a detailed introduction to GPRS, HSCSD, and EDGE for packet-switched services and higher data rates Features updated coverage on the vastly expanded range of GSM services, including an examination of Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) Adopts a highly graphical approach with numerous illustrations

Raj Pandya, international expert in Universal Personal Telecommunications (UPT), guides you through the past, present, and future of mobile and personal communication systems. Telecommunications professionals and students will find a comprehensive discussion of mobile telephone, data, and multimedia services, and how the evolution toward next-generation systems will shape tomorrow s mobile communications industry. A broad systems overview combined with carefully selected technical details give you a clear understanding of the basic technology, architecture, and applications associated with mobile communications. You ll learn valuable information on numbering, identities, and performance benchmarks to help you plan and design mobile systems and networks. A timely discussion of underlying regional and international standards will keep you informed of the influences at work in the industry today. You ll also gain essential insights into the future direction of mobile and personal communications from an in-depth analysis of: * International Mobile Telecommunications 2000 (IMT-2000) * Global Mobile Satellite Systems * Universal Personal Telecommunications * Mobile Data Communications * The outlook for GSM, IS-136, and IS-95. MOBILE AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATION SERVICES AND SYSTEMS is indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand what lies ahead for this rapidly evolving technology.

This practical book on selling and marketing will help architects, engineers, project managers, facilities managers, surveyors, and contractors ‘sell’ themselves to prospective clients. As clients become more sophisticated at both local and international level, and as competition in the construction industry increases, both contractors and consultants have to take a more professional approach to selling themselves. This is especially true for PFI bids where vast resources are committed to winning multi-million pound contracts. Through a simple-to-follow process, illustrated with plenty of diagrams and checklists, Marketing & Selling Professional Services in Architecture & Construction sets out the seven key aspects of selling and marketing professional services. It is full of applicable ideas and examples and is well structured to enable readers to dip into the section relevant to their current needs.

Indispensable coverage of new federal regulatory reforms and federal financial issues An essential guide covering new federal regulatory reforms and federal financial issues Financial Institutions, Valuations, Mergers and Acquisitions, Third Edition presents a new regulatory framework for financial institutions in the post-bailout era. Provides valuable guidance to assess risks, measure performance and conduct valuations processes to create shareholder value Covers the protection of other stakeholders, including customers, regulators, government, and consumers Offers an up-to-date understanding of financial institutions, their challenges, and their opportunities in the post-Sarbanes-Oxley era Over the past decade, substantial changes have taken place in the structure and range of products and services provided by the financial services industry. Get current coverage of these changes that have transformed both traditional organizations such as banks, thrifts, and insurance companies, as well as securities providers, asset management companies and financial holding companies with the up-to-the-minute coverage found in Financial Institutions, Valuations, Mergers and Acquisitions, Third Edition.

With the increasing worldwide trend in population migration into urban centers, we are beginning to see the emergence of the kinds of mega-cities which were once the stuff of science fiction. It is clear to most urban planners and developers that accommodating the needs of the tens of millions of inhabitants of those megalopolises in an orderly and uninterrupted manner will require the seamless integration of and real-time monitoring and response services for public utilities and transportation systems. Part speculative look into the future of the world’s urban centers, part technical blueprint, this visionary book helps lay the groundwork for the communication networks and services on which tomorrow’s “smart cities” will run. Written by a uniquely well-qualified author team, this book provides detailed insights into the technical requirements for the wireless sensor and actuator networks required to make smart cities a reality.

This book fills a gap between high-level overview texts that are often too general and low-level detail oriented technical handbooks that lose sight the «big picture». This book discusses SOA from the low-level perspective of middleware, various XML-based technologies, and basic service design. It also examines broader implications of SOA, particularly where it intersects with business process management and process modeling. Concrete overviews will be provided of the methodologies in those fields, so that students will have a hands-on grasp of how they may be used in the context of SOA.

A comprehensive guide to current issues and practices in governance for Takaful and re-Takaful operations As the global demand for Islamic insurance products increases, a thorough understanding of Takaful principles is vital for accountants, auditors, and leaders of companies offering these products. This book covers the basic accounting principles and practices of Takaful operations, including the segregation of assets, liabilities, income, and expenditures between the Takaful operator and participants; the setting aside of cash reserves for meeting outstanding claims and future claims; and the management of revenue and expenditure. Featuring extensive case studies from real-world situations, this book is the perfect primer for accounting students and practitioners unfamiliar with Islamic finance and Takaful operations. Written by experts from the International Islamic University Malaysia, the leading organisation in research in Islamic finance Covers all the major accounting principles and practices Based on real-world experience and packed with illustrative case studies For practicing accountants and business leaders, this book offers a thorough education in Takaful operations while also serving as an excellent guide for undergraduate students and researchers.

The governance theories that have developed over the past twenty years offer a new framework to consider and examine the collective conditions of a «Responsible Research and Innovation – RRI» linked up with the policy challenges of a society in transition in all its modes of regulation. This book will recall the genesis of the reflexive point of view in the context of the development of the theory of governance. It will then develop the strengths of the model and finally, will show the fruitfulness of its application to the field of the RRI.

An invaluable reference discussing the Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA), its infrastructure, usage and integration into existing networks Cellular Authentication for Mobile and Internet Services introduces the reader into the field of secure communication for mobile applications, including secure web browsing with a phone or PC, Single Sign-On (SSO), mobile broadcast content protection, secure location services, etc. The book discusses the Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA) of the mobile standardization body 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and its American counterpart 3GPP2 in full detail and with all variants. It explains the usage of GAA by various standardization bodies and standardized applications, and also looks at a number of non-standardized ones, such as secure remote login to enterprise environment and card personalization. Cellular Authentication for Mobile and Internet Services: Describes the usage of the generic authentication architecture (GAA) by various standardization bodies and standardized applications, covering mobile broadcast / multicast service security, Single Sign-On, HTTPS (i.e. secure web browsing), secure data access, secure location services, etc Provides guidance on how to integrate the generic authentication into existing and future terminals, networks and applications Explains the functionality of the application security in general as well as on application developer level Describes various business scenarios and related security solutions, and covers secure application implementation and integration Brings together essential information (currently scattered across different standardization bodies) on standards in one comprehensive volume This excellent all-in-one reference will provide system and protocol designers, application developers, senior software project managers, telecommunication managers and ISP managers with a sound introduction into the field of secure communication for mobile applications. System integrators, advanced students, Ph.D. candidates, and professors of computer science or telecommunications will also find this text very useful.

The book not only gives a clear picture of the policy and strategic framework of PFI/PPP projects, the governance and knowledge management issues through different phases from planning, design development to operation and service delivery and the processes associated with each phase, but practical tools, methodologies and capabilities needed to deliver PFI/PPP projects in a range of sectors are also explained. It clearly demonstrates the key imperatives that are the hallmark of successful programmes and projects no matter what there method of funding or delivery. I have no doubt that, in undertaking the programmes and projects that I am responsible for delivering and in undertaking OGC Gateway Reviews, to support clients delivering their own programmes and projects, I will draw on the material contained in this book. —From the Foreword by Rob Smith, Director of Gateway Reviews and Estates & Facilities, Department of Health There is a growing demand worldwide for transport, healthcare, education, energy and water infrastructure. However, government resources are often insufficient to meet the needs of new projects and to upgrade existing infrastructure. Private participation in public infrastructure is therefore increasing but the respective roles of the public and private sectors are the subject of intense debate. This has led to renewed interest in public-private partnerships in developed and developing countries. Governance and Knowledge Management for Public-Private Partnerships shows how effective governance and knowledge management can improve the performance of PFI/PPP projects. It provides an in-depth understanding of different dimensions of governance and how they affect project management structure, processes, and decision-making ability of actors and teams involved in PFI/PPP projects. The role of knowledge management strategy, the need for benchmarking knowledge management efforts, specific tools and methodologies for capturing, sharing and applying knowledge to accelerate learning and capacity building are also examined. The book is essential reading for all those involved in PFI/PPP projects, including policy makers, industry practitioners, academics and students. The practical tools for governance and knowledge management it offers make this book particularly useful for consultants, contractors and client organisations.