The world focuses on optical networks, Europe develops strategies

Architecture of FTTx systems
(source: Wikipedia)

In 2007, the number of FTTH/FTTB (Fiber To The Home/Building) users was about 16 million. In 2008, the number increased by over 30%, this year it is expected to grow by 40%! The FTTH/FTTB services have most subscribers in Asia. In 2008 the percentage was 78%. The European market is only 5% of the global market.

Analysts estimate that by the end of 2011 year approximately 16 million homes in Europe will be connected to FTTH/FTTB - it will be about 8% of all dwellings. This "ambitious" plan contrasts with the results which were achieved in the end of 2008 in Asian countries: South Korea - 45%, Japan - 25%, Taiwan - 12%.

FTTH saturation at a level higher than 1% was also in Sweden, Norway, Slovenia, the USA, Iceland, Denmark, Andorra, Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, Lithuania, China, Italy, Estonia, Russia, Latvia. It is interesting that the list does not include Germany, France, and Great Britain. A bold policy aimed at quick development of optical networks is conducted by Slovakia which this year entered the group of 20 countries with the most developed infrastructure of this kind.

The penetration of FTTH/FTTB on the U.S. market is about 5%, and the most popular FTTH service is FIOS (Fiber Optic Service). Verizon, the operator of FIOS, has about 3 million subscribers. In China, the FTTH/FTTB share is 1.9%. However, the pace of growth is so fast (about 80% per year) that the report issued by FTTH Councils of Asia-Pacific announces Chinese leadership in the number of installed FTTH/FTTB within two years.

In Asia and the U.S., the development of telecommunications infrastructure is one of the most important elements in overcoming the crisis. In Europe, the need for progress in modern technologies was alreadyrecognized in 2000, when the Lisbon Strategy emerged. The aim of the plan was to make the EU "the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, and respect for the environment by 2010". The implied meaning was to overtake the USA. Unfortunately, Europeans have not managed to overtake Americans, but in many fields have been overtaken by Asian countries...

It stimulates Europeans to step up their efforts for the new strategy "EU 2020", which will replace the existing 2010 EU agenda for growth and jobs (Lisbon Strategy). The basic premise of this project is "more intelligent and ecological, knowledge-based market economy".

The European Commission launched a consultation on the new strategy, waiting for comments and suggestions sent by e-mails to EU2020@ec.europa.eu till January 15, 2010. On this basis, the EC will develop detailed proposals and present them for approval to the heads of states and governments during the summit in March 2010.

Admittedly, the optical infrastructure will not grow from the wide-ranging consultations, but the new strategy will be at least a bright vision of the future.

Modern system of monitoring dorms

Basic system architecture of the IP CCTV system

Maisel SudParis is an non-profit organization whose main mission is to provide accommodation for students of two prestigious French universities: "Telecom SudParis" and "Telecom Ecole de Management" (former INT). The campus located in Evry consists of six buildings with single rooms, studios, apartments, common living areas such as kitchens, dining rooms, laundry rooms, meeting rooms.

In order to counteract vandalism committed on the open access equipment, the administrator decided to install video surveillance system. The system will be launched in February 2010.

It will consist of 106 vandal-proof ACTi cameras integrated by managing and recording software (NVR) - domes with standard resolution (CAM-7321) and megapixel cameras ACM-7411. IP technology allows for simple construction of the large system and provides effective management tools. High resolution of the cameras increases the effectiveness of the fight against pathological behavior. Vandal proof housings of the cameras are ideal for such applications - the cameras can operate without fear of being damaged.
After startup of the system the investor expects a significant reduction of vandalism and petty crime.

LTE - the technology of the future

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a technology of mobile networks in which the download speed will reach up to 326 Mb/s and upload speed up to 86 Mb/s (20 MHz channel, 64QAM modulation, 4x4 MIMO).

The technology is seen as the next stage in the development of mobile networks, allowing them to achieve the possibility of efficient multimedia transmission. The popularity of smartphones (like iPhone) means the growing demand for mobile broadband networks.

LTE technology is flexible, both in terms of frequency band and width of the transmission channel. Depending on the needs, LTE networks can operate at frequencies from 700 MHz (rural areas - higher ranges) to 2.6 GHz (metropolitan areas). It is possible to use transmission channels with the following bandwidths: 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, and 20 MHz. With the increase in channel width, the link speed rises as well.
The "downlinks" use OFDM spread spectrum technique with multiple subcarriers, whereas the "uplinks" are based on SC-FDMA (Single Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access) that uses a single carrier (to save the battery life of the client device) .

Additionally, LTE uses Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology which utilizes many antennas. So far, client terminals are usually equipped with two antennas (MIMO 2x2), due to implementation problems in such small devices.

An important element of LTE is a new network structure, called System Architecture Evolution (SAE). It is based entirely on IP protocol.

The technology is evolving in two directions: FD-LTE and TD-LTE. They differ in the utilization of the channel. In the case of FD-LTE, the transmission channel is divided into two frequency bands - one of them is used for transmission towards the base station and the second from the base station to the terminal.
The TD-LTE uplink and downlink transmissions are spread over the whole channel. The time at which transmission is carried out is divided into time slots, separated by guard time. In each time slot the transmission goes only one way. This allows for flexible use of the capacity of the transmission channel.
Currently, TD-LTE is gaining more and more supporters; not without significance is the fact that it is chosen as the primary technology for building commercial LTE networks in China.
The first commercial LTE networks will be launched in 2010 (China, USA, Scandinavia, Japan), however, works are already carried out to develop a more advanced version of this technology, namely LTE-A (Advanced), with estimated throughput of 1 Gb/s (downlink) and 500 Mb/s (uplink) within a 100 MHz band.

Before the 4G - changes among leaders

Generation Mobile" - a new era in telecommunications. The data rates offered by the 4G systems will allow
to transmit HD television to mobile devices.

The year 2010 promises to be a breakthrough in wireless communications. Everything seems to indicate that the 4G standard will be adopted and practically implemented by the first commercial networks using this technology. The promise of huge investment gives rise to increasing speculation which of the industry tycoons is best prepared to become a world leader in wireless communications. Last year, the leader was Ericsson (36% market share), the second place took Nokia (20%), and the third - Huawei (11%). However, this year brings some significant change to that ranking. According to forecasts, by the end of the year the annual turnover of Ericsson will come to US$ 26 billion, of Huawei - 18.4 billion, and of Nokia - 15.7 billion. The Chinese giant will probably increase sales by 21%, just opposite to Nokia with about 22% drop in the figure.

Is there a chance that the trend of rapid growth of Huawei's market position will continue in the next year?

Huawei is a world leader of TD - LTE technology which has been selected by China Mobile as the basis for the construction of Chinese 4G network. Installation of the infrastructure will start as early in the beginning of 2010. Huawei will be the primary equipment supplier. Already in May, at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, a pilot 4G network will start operation in China. The potential of the Chinese market may be crucial, but equally important is the winning of the prestigious tender for 4G in Norway. Huawei beat Ericsson in the Nordic market, which was quite a sensation. Advanced talks between Vodafone and Huawei on 4G in the German market may indicate that it will be another success of the Chinese supplier. Similar negotiations are conducted in Spain. Great potential of Huawei allows for rapid growth, so in 2010 it may become a global leader in wireless technologies.

The 4G system should guarantee mobile data transfer rates of 100 Mbps, and in the case of fixed equipment - 1 Gbps. Development of mobile technology in the direction of 4G is currently achieved mainly in two ways: WiMAX and LTE.
In November this year, ITU (International Telecommunication Union) approved 6 solutions as the basis for the final decision on the adoption of international standard, among them LTE (including Chinese TD-LTE) and WiMAX 2.0 (802.16m). Final adoption of the standard is to be announced on next year's October. Specialists estimate that China may own more than 40% of patents concerning leading telecommunications technologies.

The medal of ALARM Kielce for the series of ULTIAIR devices for wireless data transmission

The medal of ALARM Kielce for the series of ULTIAIR devices for wireless data transmission

DIPOL company presented at Alarm Video Surveillance Conference and Exhibition in Kielce, Poland, an integrated offer of CCTV devices, software and transmission means for city video surveillance systems, based on ULTIMONITORING concept. On Nov. 5, during the conference The safe city, we made the presentation: "ULTIMONITORING - the latest trends in city video surveillance systems".

We are pleased to inform our customers that, during the trade fair, the ULTIAIR family of access points received an award. The judging panel of the Video Surveillance Conference and Exhibition ALARM in Kielce, Poland, awarded medal for the ULTIAIR series, appreciating the role of signal transmission in the construction of modern CCTV systems.

ULTIMONITORING - is a concept of selecting devices, software and transmission means that are fully compatible with each other and allow to build modern CCTV systems.

Multiswitches for professional installations

Technical parameters significantly better than those of similar devices on the market, reliability, extensive range of models well-suited for the requirements of investors, 24-month warranty, availability of quick service - are the criteria allowing to include some equipment to the professional group. TERRA multiswitches fulfill these requirements, and, according to opinions of installers and the editorial staff of "SatKurier", are the best products on the market.
TERRA company provides two kinds of these devices: cascadable multiswitches (MS series) and radial multiswitches (MSR and MSV series - the latter can be powered remotely). TERRA multiswitches allow to build SMATV systems up to 1000 outlets. Each of the series is divided into two subgroups: 5-input (for one satellite and terrestrial TV) and 9-input (for two satellites and terrestrial TV).

2009 Nobel Prize in physics for groundbreaking achievements in fiber optics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded half of this year's Nobel Prize in physics to Charles K. Kao "for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication", and the other half jointly to Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith for the invention of the CCD sensor.

The research conducted by the Chinese physicist allowed a rapid development of fiber optic technology. First experiments with rays of light guided by glass fibers were conducted in 1870. Thanks to the phenomenon of total internal reflection the beam was propagated through the fiber, but the transmission was possible only on short distances. This resulted from high attenuation of light waves, reaching up to 100 dB per kilometer (currently, attenuation of modern optical fibers is about 0.2 dB/km).

The situation radically changed in 1966 when Charles Kao published the results of his research and pointed out the cause of so high attenuation. He proved that pollution of the fiberglass with hydroxide ions and ions of elements such as iron, copper and cobalt was the main reason of this phenomenon. The study also proved that another reason of increased attenuation was dissipation of energy occurring in the glass structure due to its inhomogeneity. Thanks to the publication of Ch. Kao, already in 1970 the followers were able to obtain the first pure glass fibers without such contaminants and flaws.

Currently fiber optic networks connect the whole world being the main means of communication and transmission of huge volumes of data between any parts of the worldwide information infrastructure. Nowadays fiber optic installations are competitive in price compared to traditional wiring, and they have far more transmission capacity. It's the reason why they start to reach end users (FTTH - Fiber To The Home).

Tvrdosin in Slovakia - the sign of a new trend in video surveillance

In the evening, a woman returns home along a sidewalk in the housing area. She is followed by two young men with hoods pulled over their heads. They look around, run up to the woman and snatch the purse, then join three other people, also identified as offenders... The perpetrators were caught several days after running a new video surveillance system in Tvrdosin.

Tvrdosin is a town with over 10,000 inhabitants, located 12 km from the Polish border (on the Chyzne - Ruzomberk route). The region is full of tourist attractions - Meander Park Thermal in Oravice (thermal watering place), Orava reservoir (large artificial lake), and ski areas. The city authorities decided to build video surveillance system to prevent acts of vandalism and other offenses. The system should be cost-effective, also in long-term perspective (low operational costs of monitoring center).

Traditional monitoring based on PTZ cameras can be effective only when is operated around the clock by a qualified staff. In the case of the small town the costs would be unacceptable.

DIPOL Slovakia proposed to build a system based on fixed megapixel cameras. It is the sign of a new era in video monitoring - use of a combination of megapixel cameras with wide-angle lenses instead of PTZ devices.

The system employs eight 2.0 Mpix IP cameras ULTICAM DS-852MF-E K1441. Three of these cameras have been installed on the walls of the town hall, the rest are deployed in the housing area, called Medvedzie. This district is 680 m away from the monitoring center. The video is transmitted wirelessly with Access Point integrated with antenna - ULTIAIR.

Each of the five video streams is sent at data rate of 4 Mbps, which is sufficient for high quality of the images (1600 x 1200 @ 12.5 fps). The monitoring center is located in the town hall. The system is managed (monitoring and recording) by ULTISYSTEM software. High-resolution images, both live and played back from the archive, can be digitally enlarged many times enabling identification of people who do not respect the law.

IP megapixel camera ULTICAM DS-852MF-E (code: K1441) is equipped with 1/3" CMOS sensor. It provides MPEG-4 video stream. The camera can send images of UXGA resolution at 12.5 fps, or HD720p, SVGA (800x600) and lower-resolution video at 25 fps. It allows to define 15 levels of access rights and adjust many parameters:

• image quality,
• kind of frame,
• type of stream,
• bitrate parameters,
• repeatability of "I" frames,
• maximum bitrate - aside from the preset values, it can be set freely, up to 8 Mbps.

ULTISYSTEM surveillance suite (K3216) is professional surveillance software allowing to integrate IP monitoring systems based on transmission of digital video streams in Ethernet networks.
The system based on the software is able to integrate IP cameras, video servers, modern DVRs. The software does not impose restrictions on the resolution of the cameras - it supports megapixel cameras, too. It allows simultaneous viewing of images from cameras, monitoring of the status of alarm inputs, switching between cameras, capturing pictures, etc.

The flexibility of the system based on ULTISYSTEM software allows for its expansion by adding next surveillance cameras and recording servers. The software enables full support for any number of remote users. VDRS application allows to program a schedule, record sound, responses to alarms and system events. Thanks to many options, the system may react in different ways, e.g. depending on the day of the week, day or night time etc. This is a very powerful and versatile tool, providing the possibility of precise tuning of the system to specific needs.

ULTIAIR is a family of professional Access Points, designed for efficient long-term outdoor operation. Integration of the transceiver and Technologic antenna into one weather-resistant housing enables the installer to perform the job quickly, without additional operations. ULTIAIR devices are characterized by short delays and high throughput. Outdoor housing of IP 66 class guarantees full protection against adverse weather conditions as well as corrosive environments (industry).

ULTIAIR devices are perfect for creating effective systems of city monitoring. ULTIAIR family allows to build both the backbones of the systems and wireless access networks. The unique versatility of the devices is based on the implemented Linux software that allows different applications, from simple point-to-point links, indispensable in extensive IP video surveillance systems, to very sophisticated systems of data transmission. They can be managed via WinBox utility or telnet. They operate in unlicensed 5GHz band - no special permissions are needed.

ULTICAM cameras, ULTISYSTEM software, and ULTIAIR devices are flagship brands of DIPOL company.

more about CeBIT 2009

Website of the CeBIT.
Opening of the fair was visited by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Video from the opening.

CeBIT 2009

The world's leading trade fair for IT and telecommunications, or ICT industry - CeBIT 2009 in Hanover - took place from March 3 to 8. This year there were about 4300 companies from 69 countries, exhibiting their products, and about 400,000 visitors. However, these numbers showing the scale of the event are much smaller than that of the peak 2001 year with 8100 exhibitors.



IBM, MSI, Panasonic, Comarch, Intel, ASUS, Microsoft and... beautiful women at CeBIT fair 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAhq9YjEbu8&fmt=18

The absence of many traditional leaders of telecommunications market, both in the case of manufacturers and telecoms, and a very weak representation of companies supplying products for banking industry - were the main symptoms of the crisis. Among German operators we saw Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone, but couldn't find E-Plus and so blatant before O2 stand.

But the greatest sensation was caused by Samsung, not having its own stand but only being represented by distributors. It was a stark contrast in comparison with last year, when the corporation fascinated everyone with a grand scale, as well as with the number of new products. The sponsorship of World Cyber Games (WCG), with thousands of StarCraft, Counter-Strike, and Warcraft III gamers, was a thing of the past. It raised questions about the corporation's financial condition - the end of the sponsoring "e-sports" could be a real blow to the image of the tycoon among young people.

Japanese companies were modestly represented by NEC and Sony Ericsson; Toshiba, DoCoMo, Motorola failed to show up. There were no stands outside - last year's AMD show with off-road vehicles promoting new AMD processors was just a memory - the company was absent as well.

We couldn't find exhibitors presenting new technologies, probably the manufacturers didn't believe in possibility of profitable implementations in the near future (for example - lack of promising LTE technology). There was only one word for the pavilions promoting Green IT - boredom.

Was the fair a failure? - No !!!
More about CeBIT.

Photo Contest 2009

Subject of the photo contest is a challenge that, at first, seems to be difficult to be up to. What can be interesting in antennas? Can they really inspire and become the focus of artistic interest?

DIPOL organizes this photographic competition for the eight time. The seven previous editions showed that antennas can be interesting subjects of the environment we live in, and - besides useful functions - they can bring artistic inspiration. We hope the competitors will again take up the task that, apart from having aesthetic qualities, requires dash of imagination, grain of wit, and sometimes a certain measure of risk.

Antennas constitute a part of our everyday landscape. Many of us can remember all of these past "forests" of traditional TV antennas that disappear from our lives being replaced by "dishes" of satellite antennas, and "tubes" or "columns" of communications devices.

Some of them irritate our sense of beauty and ruin the looks of even the most architecturally-advanced buildings, but others may have just an opposite effect, creating a sort of unity and harmony with their surroundings.

Works can be submitted from June 1st, 2009 to September 30, 2009. The works will be adjudicated by photographer and designer from Krakow, Mr. Pawel Zechenter (I and II prize).
III prize will be awarded by our technical department - the main criterion is ability of communicating technical ideas in an interesting way.

The results of the previous editions are available at DIPOL website.
In 2008 the first prize went to Mr. Dariusz Mączynski for the aesthetic values of the series "In a distorting mirror".

Photo Contest 2009

Subject of the photo contest is a challenge that, at first, seems to be difficult to be up to. What can be interesting in antennas? Can they really inspire and become the focus of artistic interest?

DIPOL organizes this photographic competition for the eight time. The seven previous editions showed that antennas can be interesting subjects of the environment we live in, and - besides useful functions - they can bring artistic inspiration. We hope the competitors will again take up the task that, apart from having aesthetic qualities, requires dash of imagination, grain of wit, and sometimes a certain measure of risk.

Antennas constitute a part of our everyday landscape. Many of us can remember all of these past "forests" of traditional TV antennas that disappear from our lives being replaced by "dishes" of satellite antennas, and "tubes" or "columns" of communications devices.

Some of them irritate our sense of beauty and ruin the looks of even the most architecturally-advanced buildings, but others may have just an opposite effect, creating a sort of unity and harmony with their surroundings.

Works can be submitted from June 1st, 2009 to September 30, 2009. The works will be adjudicated by photographer and designer from Krakow, Mr. Pawel Zechenter (I and II prize).
III prize will be awarded by our technical department - the main criterion is ability of communicating technical ideas in an interesting way.

The results of the previous editions are available at DIPOL website.

In 2008 the first prize went to Mr. Dariusz Mączynski for the aesthetic values of the series"In a distorting mirror".

CCTV monitoring in automotive wholesale center

GAZELO deals with import and distribution of spare parts for cars. In Poland, it is the sole representative of several manufacturers of electric fuel pumps and lambda sensors from Korea, Taiwan, and China.

To increase security and improve the organization of work in the new wholesale store, the investor decided to install CCTV monitoring. In the construction process the contractor made cabling to all planned outdoor camera points, using gel-filled cat 5e UTP cable, prepared for CCTV cameras placed in housings equipped with video transformers with BNC sockets - TR-1Q. Video signals from four cameras are received by video transformer TR-4P placed in the building and providing its output signals to the DVR. If needed in the future, the installation allows to transmit audio, e.g. for transmitting some orders. Indoor CCTV cabling has been based on CCTV YAR cable with two power wires.

The employed outdoor day/night SUNELL cameras have on board 1/3" SONY EX-View CCDs. Thanks to high parameters, the cameras can work even in extreme lighting conditions (e.g. they can be used for monitoring of roads). Some places, very dark at night, required to use compact cameras with IR illuminators. Outdoor color cameras (with 4-9 mm varifocal lens and IR illuminator)">VF-515 IR/B, with SONY Super HAD sensors, 550 TVL resolution, equipped with 4-9 mm varifocal lenses and IR illuminators seemed to be the best choice. They were easy to mount and adjust, providing quality images with increased resolution. The inside parts of the building and the rooms are monitored with the vandal proof cameras VC-412. This model of universal (ceiling / wall) color vandal-proof camera is equipped with built-in 3.6 mm lens and IR illuminator.

Images from the set of cameras are recorded by 16-channel DVR - CPD-507 and 4-channel DVR - CPD-560. Some selected images are also available via RF system (due to use of TERRA modulators MT27P) and can be viewed on TV sets located in administrative part of the building.

There are plans for future development of the system. The key cameras will be connected to ULTIMAX DVR that allows live monitoring, preview of archives, and configuration of the system via LAN or the Internet. H.264/AVC compression is 50% more efficient compared with the previous kind of MPEG-4 algorithms, saving disc space and available bandwidth of IP networks.

ULTIAIR employed by a city's ISP

The investor, Internet service provider in Krakow, required high performance and reliability of radio links, with high throughput in the whole backbone network. The main goal was broadband (30 Mbps) wireless connectivity to the central node and between the root node and branch nodes scattered in Nowa Huta district.

The contractor, Zax.pl, has chosen ULTIAIR devices. The family of professional outdoor access points is characterized by short delays and high throughput. The devices have been designed to create efficient wireless IP CCTV and ISP networks.
They operate in unlicensed 5GHz band. Integration of the transceiver (RouterBoard with Mikrotik system) and antenna into one weather-resistant housing enables the installer to perform the job quickly, without additional operations. The outdoor housing of IP 66 class guarantees full protection against adverse weather conditions and corrosive environments.

The wireless network allows to integrate the nodes of the system and ensures easy development of the infrastructure in the future. Everyday operation of the network confirms the guidelines - high throughput and stable work.

Megapixel revolution in Prague - Pragoalarm/ Pragosec 2009

The 17th international fair of security equipment, systems and services, fire protection and safety equipment - PRAGOALARM/PRAGOSEC 2009 - will be held from February 24 to 26, 2009. It promises to be the biggest event in this industry in Central - Eastern Europe, because this year the Securex in Poznan does not take place (it is held every two years). Czech market is one of the most advanced and demanding in Europe, so the fair will be attended by leading companies from all over the world: exhibitors.
The fair will be attended by DIPOL Czech and Slovakia, presenting products that bring about "A megapixel revolution". A candidate for the prize of the fair is ULTISYSTEM software, a unique in the world surveillance suite that effectively combines local CCTV systems with city surveillance.

Network video recorder NUUO provides means for recording video streams from megapixel cameras. DIPOL will exhibit megapixel cameras from four world leaders in video surveillance industry (ACTi, IQinVision, Pixord, ULTICAM), including new developments in the market - the devices using H.264 compression.
The organizers have prepared a pool of free tickets for all professional visitors that registe rat the website by February 8, 2009.