Service Télématique et Communication

TelecomWatchers® : STC partner of In.Situ Consulting in its New Telecommunications Pricing Survey

On behalf of In.Situ consulting consultants the STC in collaboration with VUB is carrying out a statistical analysis of the telecommunications pricing in the first 1,000 Belgian companies and public institutions. A consultant in the field of telecommunications, In.Situ Consulting has launched this year the “TelecomWatchers®” initiative.

This permanent survey aims to deliver findings and analysis about the actual prices paid, products and services used, service quality assessments and telecom procurement practices from the Top 1,000 Belgian companies.

The method is exclusively based on a customer side approach. The statistical analysis executed by the STC focuses on different parameters of voice-, mobile- and data communications. This study will continue over time to enable trend analysis of the distribution of pricing, operators and technology used.

Time has come for corporations to navigate in the pricing jungle with a full control of the prices in order to deal better. The first reports were released to customers in September 2001. Info :
info@telecomwatchers.be .


	Service Télématique et Communication
	Newsletter n°23	September 2001


Les Nouveaux Chemins de la Connaissance The New Paths of Knowledge


A MEGA SUMMER PARTY and A HISTORIC MOMENT!
				Kindly hosted in the garden of Rosette VANDENBROUCKE, our summer Fête gathered together the present members of our Group, with partners and children, but also some of our former collaborators who remain in close contact, specially when there is a lot of champagne available! (and Paul VAN BINST was given a sword to open it in a “proper” way!)

In August 2001, our Group, now existing since more than 15 years, knew a truly historic moment: for the first time, the number of female members exceeded the number of males! A rare circumstance in the ICT world, undoubtedly due to our multidisciplinary approach… (missing from the picture is Krzysztof Socha, but the female balance remains in any case positive)


	Christel DEPIERREUX, who graduated in psychology from the University of Louvain, joined our Group for a few months, to collaborate on the PASS and FLEXWORK projects.


MEMBERS of SERVICE TELEMATIQUE ET COMMUNICATION
Elsa CORNET, Christel DEPIERREUX, Ali HACHAMI, Alain JOUREZ, Ines MARTINEZ MORENO, Nadia PARONI, Manuela PROFILI, Krzysztof SOCHA, Paul VAN BINST. Our VUB collaborators: Alain ISAAC, Rosette VANDENBROUCKE (for all of the above, e-mail is: surname@helios.iihe.ac.be) Secretariat: Daisy PIRNAY (IIHE/VUB-ULB) (pirnay@hep.iihe.ac.be ) Other regular collaborators: Joël CANNAU, Marie-Paule SPINETTE (ULB), Georges ROUSSEAU, Edwin TORISAEN (IIHE/ULB-VUB). Contact: Service Télématique et Communication - Professor Paul VAN BINST ULB - CP230 - Boulevard du Triomphe - 1050 Brussels - Belgium Tel.: + 32 2 629 3211 or 3209 - Fax: + 32 2 629 3816 Rosette VANDENBROUCKE VUB - ELEM - Pleinlaan 2 - 1050 Brussels - Belgium Tel.: + 32 2 629 3210 - Fax: + 32 2 629 3816 World Wide Web Address: http://www.iihe.ac.be


Pass		ERICSSON'S SURVEY ON MOBILE INTERNET IN BELGIUM
Never heard of the PASS ? It’s a scientific discovery museum opened a year and a half ago in Frameries (Mons) on an old mine area. In February 2002 an exhibition on money matters will be inaugurated. STC has done a preliminary evaluation of children’s representations of that subject. We interviewed children aged 6 to 14. The pursued objective was : -to define the level of knowledge, -to identify the different perceptions, -to know the expectations about this exhibition. That research will enable the conceptors to set up the pattern for the exhibition. We will keep in touch with the PASS for any future collaboration.		On behalf of Ericsson group, ULB/STC has recently achieved a survey on Belgian companies involved in application development and system integration for Mobile applications and infrastructure. Investigation of the IT Belgian scene led to the selection of a significant group of organizations. The results revealed a great interest in Mobile Internet sector from IT Belgian companies, involved in several related activities: development, consultancy and diversified services, responding also to the more specific and particular requests. The collaboration between Ericsson group and local partners could promote the rapid development, in Belgium, of the next generation Mobile applications and infrastructure.


BRUNETTE AU MUSEE
Brunette au Musée , a pedagogical project carried out in close collaboration by the City of Brussels' Education Department and Service Télématique et Communication is now completed and actually reachable at the following address: http://www.brunette.irisweb.be

The activities, based on visits and contacts with t he City's museums, have involved a large number of the educative community members according to their competences (from elementary to graduate) using the Brussels Network of Telematics in Education as support. Brunette au Musée has been developed within the framework of the IRISweb programme, supported by the Scientific Policy Ministry and coordinated by CIRB (Centre Informatique pour la Région Bruxelloise). This project also includes an Internet site devoted to senior accomodation in tne Brussels region (see http://www.senior.irisnet.be ) as well as a Web advanced research module for libraries. In a nearly future, this various modules will be integrated and reachable at the following address: http://www.irisweb.irisnet.be .

Renewed activities with BELNET

Under a collaboration contract with BELNET, the Belgian national research and education network, ULB-STC provides expertise on a number of mutually agreed topics.

As can be read elsewhere in this Newsletter, the emergence of IPv6 as a hot topic for the future of the Internet – and the so-called Next Generation Networks – is at the centre of our present activities. The development of native IPv6 connectivity within BELNET and for its customers, linked with the international backbones, is now well under way, in collaboration with a young company called ARPNET.

Renewed activities with BELNET
Under a collaboration contract with BELNET, the Belgian national research and education network, ULB-STC provides expertise on a number of mutually agreed topics. As can be read elsewhere in this Newsletter, the emergence of IPv6 as a hot topic for the future of the Internet – and the so-called Next Generation Networks – is at the centre of our present activities. The development of native IPv6 connectivity within BELNET and for its customers, linked with the international backbones, is now well under way, in collaboration with a young company called ARPNET.

A meeting of the NATO Advisory Panel on Computer Networks in Armenia

Related to the NATO Science Committee, the Advisory Panel on Computer Networks recommends a number of projects and activities, particularly in the Central Asian countries. One of the newest and largest projects so far is called “the virtual silk highway” and aims at providing good Internet connectivity through satellite links to eight countries: Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan and Turkmenistan.
A meeting of the panel, of which Paul VAN BINST is a member, took place in Yerevan, Armenia, at the end of June. That gave of course the opportunity to admire Mt. Ararat, culminating at more than 5000 meters.

A meeting of the NATO Advisory Panel on Computer Networks in Armenia
	Related to the NATO Science Committee, the Advisory Panel on Computer Networks recommends a number of projects and activities, particularly in the Central Asian countries. One of the newest and largest projects so far is called “the virtual silk highway” and aims at providing good Internet connectivity through satellite links to eight countries: Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan and Turkmenistan. A meeting of the panel, of which Paul VAN BINST is a member, took place in Yerevan, Armenia, at the end of June. That gave of course the opportunity to admire Mt. Ararat, culminating at more than 5000 meters.

Two EC IST contracts almost ready to start…

Already announced in our previous Newsletter, the ADONIS project is about to be launched; the contract went into the signature process in September, and our next issue will give all details about this activity which will span a number of European Union countries, as well as Armenia, Russia and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, another - very large - project called 6NET was being finalised during the summer, also in the scope of the European Commission IST (Information Society Technologies) programme. Led by CISCO and grouping more than 30 partners, 6NET will aim at deploying a pan-European gigabit network based on the new Internet IPv6 protocol. The preparations for the contract (a tremendous work with so many partners, and quite a large budget) were almost complete as we go to press. The emergence of a significant pan-European IPv6 activity will no doubt boost our own NGN-LAB project, which has also progressed well during the summer.

A contract with SEMA for
training the Macedonian Customs Department

In the scope of a larger contract with SEMA, two weeks of training were organised by ULB-STC for a group of high-level Macedonian customs civil servants in the fields of telecommunications, telematics and computer networks.

The first course took place in Skopje in July and was conducted by Prof. Paul VAN BINST; then a subgroup of the Macedonian people came to the Brussels Universities Computer Centre and were hosted by Prof. Robert BINON.

The activities in Macedonia were coordinated by ARTISOFT .

Belgian Broadband Platform

The Belgian Broadband Platform Symposium 2001 will take place on 30 November at the BBL Marnix premises. The main topic of the day is “Broadband Networks and DIGITAL TV” featuring several presentations and a panel on ‘Television on PC or Internet on TV “. More information at http://www.broadbandplatform.be or mail vandenbroucke@helios.iihe.ac.be .

Two EC IST contracts almost ready to start…
	Already announced in our previous Newsletter, the ADONIS project is about to be launched; the contract went into the signature process in September, and our next issue will give all details about this activity which will span a number of European Union countries, as well as Armenia, Russia and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, another - very large - project called 6NET was being finalised during the summer, also in the scope of the European Commission IST (Information Society Technologies) programme. Led by CISCO and grouping more than 30 partners, 6NET will aim at deploying a pan-European gigabit network based on the new Internet IPv6 protocol. The preparations for the contract (a tremendous work with so many partners, and quite a large budget) were almost complete as we go to press. The emergence of a significant pan-European IPv6 activity will no doubt boost our own NGN-LAB project, which has also progressed well during the summer.

A contract with SEMA for training the Macedonian Customs Department
	In the scope of a larger contract with SEMA, two weeks of training were organised by ULB-STC for a group of high-level Macedonian customs civil servants in the fields of telecommunications, telematics and computer networks. The first course took place in Skopje in July and was conducted by Prof. Paul VAN BINST; then a subgroup of the Macedonian people came to the Brussels Universities Computer Centre and were hosted by Prof. Robert BINON. The activities in Macedonia were coordinated by ARTISOFT .

Belgian Broadband Platform
The Belgian Broadband Platform Symposium 2001 will take place on 30 November at the BBL Marnix premises. The main topic of the day is “Broadband Networks and DIGITAL TV” featuring several presentations and a panel on ‘Television on PC or Internet on TV “. More information at http://www.broadbandplatform.be or mail vandenbroucke@helios.iihe.ac.be .

A new series of lunch time
conferences at the Brussels Teleport The European “eWeek2001”

The successful series of “Midis du Téléport”/”Middagen van de Telepoort” is resuming this autumn. The first event is on October 15, from 12:00 till 14:00 at the Buro&Design Centre, on the topic “Telework and flexible working”, with speakers from the Leuven and Brussels universities: Prof. Geert VAN HOOTEGEM and Paul VAN BINST.

The next events are on November 13 and December 11. All details on
http://www.tele port-brussels.be

Traditionally taking place at the beginning of November, the “eWeek” has already two scheduled events in Belgium: the first one is organised by FOREM in Sambreville on November 6 and will feature a number of speakers including Minister Marie ARENA.

On November 12, the eWeek Awards ceremony will take place at Sodehotel in Brussels, and will be concluded by a cocktail offered by the Belgian Teleworking Association.

See http://www.etw.org and
http://www.bta.be for further information

A new series of lunch time conferences at the Brussels Teleport		The European “eWeek2001”
The successful series of “Midis du Téléport”/”Middagen van de Telepoort” is resuming this autumn. The first event is on October 15, from 12:00 till 14:00 at the Buro&Design Centre, on the topic “Telework and flexible working”, with speakers from the Leuven and Brussels universities: Prof. Geert VAN HOOTEGEM and Paul VAN BINST. The next events are on November 13 and December 11. All details on http://www.tele port-brussels.be		Traditionally taking place at the beginning of November, the “eWeek” has already two scheduled events in Belgium: the first one is organised by FOREM in Sambreville on November 6 and will feature a number of speakers including Minister Marie ARENA. On November 12, the eWeek Awards ceremony will take place at Sodehotel in Brussels, and will be concluded by a cocktail offered by the Belgian Teleworking Association. See http://www.etw.org and http://www.bta.be for further information