Design and performance of future networks

TLDR: In the past 10 years, the Internet has become the network capable of integrating all types of services (data, voice, video and TV) and nowadays, the IP layer appears as the convergence layer for ensuring connectivity between heterogeneous networks.

Abstract: In the past 10 years, the Internet has become the network capable of integrating all types of services (data, voice, video and TV). Nowadays, the IP layer appears as the convergence layer for ensuring connectivity between heterogeneous networks. Even though the shortcomings of the Internet in terms of quality of service, security and mobility are well understood in the technical literature, and in spite of initiatives flourishing all over the world (GENI in the USA, AKARI in Japan and various Research Programs in Europe), the predominance of the current Internet will certainly prevail in the near future. Nevertheless, the emergence of new technologies, especially in optics and wireless, is substantially modifying the current landscape. The availability of smart phones and mobile computers in the mass market is going to accelerate the convergence of fixed and mobile networks. The architecture of the latter will be heavily modified by the introduction of IP as the convergence layer. In addition, the ability of smart terminals to support voice, video, data services and the evolution of the wireless technology towards even higher bit rates, is about to open the door to the transfer of massive volumes of traffic through the air interface. This will imply a deep rethinking of traffic engineering tools for both radio and mobile backhaul networks. The situation is similar for the fixed access with the deployment of optical fibre. Very high bit rates (1 Gbit/s or more for the downlink and at least 10 Mbit/s for the uplink) enable the transfer of huge amounts of traffic that have a great impact on backhaul and core networks. Moreover, the evolution of optical technology towards more flexibility with Dynamic Optical Circuit Switching and Optical Burst Switching should deeply modify the architecture of core networks where a better coordination between the IP and the physical layer will be necessary. In parallel to technological evolutions, the Internet is the place of rapid emergence of new services and usage. As already observed with peer-to-peer networks, many overlay networks are rapidly emerging on top of the Internet, e.g. social networks that can potentially give rise to large amounts of traffic though the exchange of voluminous content (pictures, videos etc.) while requiring an acceptable quality of service level. The situation is similar for Over the Top players deploying services over the Internet and requesting quality of service and flexibility from the network. To facilitate this tremendous emergence of new usage and services, Content Distribution Systems will certainly be deployed on a large scale and will significantly modify the main traffic flows in networks, as we already witness such evolutions. The above evolutions in terms of broadband applications, emergence of new technologies, and changes in usage, require the continual reappraisal of traffic manageP. Chemouil (*) Orange Labs, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France e-mail: prosper.chemouil@orange-ftgroup.com