Project Lightspeed is SBC's new initiative to extend its new fiber-optics network closer to customers, with a goal of providing 18 million households IP-based services including high-speed data, video and voice services in the next two to three years. This talk will review the key technologies, network elements and architectures that will be used in Lightspeed, including higher speed DSL and fiber-to-the-home solutions. Key challenges will be discussed and an overall project timeline will be presented.

Dr. Ralph Ballart is Vice President, Broadband Infrastructure and Services, at SBC Laboratories, Inc. Ralph’s organization is responsible for broadband network element requirements and approval for use testing for SBC. Ralph began his career with Bell Labs in 1980 and worked on SONET and other transport and switching projects while with Bellcore. Ralph has a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Arizona.

We will continue our feature at the meeting of providing some networking time for those that want to stand and make a brief announcement. If you're looking for a new position, have a position to fill, want to let us know that your new start-up is ready for business or have a similar announcement, bring your resumes, job descriptions or company brochures and be prepared to make a match. Please keep your statements brief, so we'll have time for everyone. There will be time before and after the formal meeting for one-on-one discussions.

" Broadband Access Futures: Where SBC Is Going " presented by Dr. Ralph Ballart, Vice President, Broadband Infrastructure and Services, SBC Laboratories, Inc. (Note: Company policy prohibited the speaker from releasing the presentation given that evening. Rather, the speaker referred the audience to the slides at https://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/11/113088/111104_color.pdf . Those slides are reposted here for convenience.)

This talk outlines the current and the emerging wireless environment, and discusses its technology/service evolution in the next 2 to 5+ years, with focus on user-experience evolution, technology/network innovations, research, and global standardization. As such, it takes a holistic view in time (roadmap, evolution, vision of the future) and space (building blocks, inter-working hybrid systems). The focus on building blocks includes user terminal / user interface, service enablers, core network, and nomadic or mobile access mechanism. Furthermore, the key attributes of evolving hybrid / inter-working systems and co-existence of multiple nomadic / mobile access mechanisms are outlined. The vision of the future towards a true user-centric seamless access across smart user spaces and cooperative networks/devices will be presented, and thereby a perspective on key research topics of the coming years is shared, to encourage focus and collective energy for future research and innovations.

Javan Erfanian has been involved in telecommunications research and industry for the past 15 years. He did his undergraduate university education at the University of Calgary, Canada, in Electrical Engineering and his graduate studies at the University of Toronto, Canada, in Telecommunications. He has published many papers, has been a speaker in many events, and taught many academic and industry courses and programs. In his IEEE involvement, Javan was Chair of IEEE Communications Society in Toronto in 1995-1999 which brought him two international awards. He was the Canadian correspondent for IEEE Communications Magazine in late 90s. He received the IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000, and has been an IEEE Communications Society Expert Lecturer with lecture tours around the world. In his professional career, Javan is currently Senior Associate Director - Technology Research & Strategy, at Bell Mobility in Canada. In this role, Javan conducts research and charts technology strategy, while working with the global industry and academia on research, innovations and standards for new technologies and services. He is also working with a number of Canadian universities on research programs in the area of wireless communications.

" Trends and Innovations in Wireless Technologies & Services " presented by Javan Erfanian, Senior Associate Director - Technology Research & Strategy, Bell Mobility, Canada

The mobile wireless data network is evolving to support broadband services, such as large file transfer, intranet and Internet access, video, and audio services. The next generation of wide area mobile broadband networks, such as IS-856 (1xEV-DO), IS-2000-Rev.C/D (1xEV-DV) and UMTS-HSDPA, share similar physical layer principles. Although intensive studies and simulations have been conducted, the performance of a real live system is still not well known. This talk will present extensive tests and analyses of a 1xEV-DO pre-commercial trial network and shine some light on the behavior of mobile broadband networks.

The performance and deployment of 1xEV-DO are evaluated under various radio conditions with stationary, pedestrian and vehicular mobility. High spectrum efficiency is achieved through adaptive modulation and coding, Hybrid ARQ, multiple user diversity and fast scheduling. The characteristics of those major design components are addressed. The sector throughput is around 5 times that of currently deployed nationwide cdma2000-1x network. The link budget of the 1xEV-DO network is similar to that of the existing cdma2000-1x network. This ensures a cost-effective and capacity efficient deployment of the mobile broadband network.

A highly integrated 1xEV-DO and cdma2000-1x network can provide a spectrum-efficient means to support both delay sensitive voice and delay tolerant data services.

Dr. Jin Yang is a Sr. Member of Technical Staff at Verizon Wireless, where she is responsible for radio network strategy and network planning. She played a key role in the first cdmaOne network deployment in 1996 and the first metropolitan 1xEV-DO commercial rollout in the US during 2003. She has numerous patents, academic papers, and has co-authored one book in wireless communications. Her current primary interests are wireless broadband communications, radio network planning and optimization, CDMA and telephony. Dr. Yang received her B.Sc. and Ph.D. from Tsinghua University.

" Real-World Experience with a Mobile Broadband Network " presented by Dr. Jin Yang, Sr. Member of Technical Staff, Verizon Wireless

Smart antennas are well-known as a means to increase the range of wireless networks. While the theoretical capacity gains provided by smart antenna systems are well understood, practical applications have lagged behind because of high costs of multiple RF chains. With increasing integration of RF circuits, costs are dropping and widespread adoption of advanced antenna technologies is imminent.

One product arena that has sparked great interest in smart antennas is the series of evolving WLAN standards such as IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g. In particular, IEEE Task Group 802.11n has been chartered to boost network throughput to 100 Mbps. This throughput is 4-5 times higher than the best throughputs currently available. The candidate technologies required to achieve this ambitious goal are channel bonding, burst aggregation, and MIMO (multiple input, multiple output systems, i.e., systems with multiple antennas and multiple RF chains at both the AP and client).

We will focus on MIMO and other smart antenna architectures such as SIMO (single input, multiple output), and MISO (multiple input, single output), highlighting the differentiating features of each architecture such as diversity gain, array gain and multiplexing gain. Multiplexing gain in particular boosts the maximum point-to-point throughput without consuming extra transmit power or signal bandwidth, and is unique to the MIMO architecture. We reveal channel measurements and simulation results substantiating the range and throughput gains realizable with practical SIMO and MIMO architectures.

Dr. Sumeet Sandhu is a senior staff researcher in the Corporate Technology Group at Intel Corporation in Santa Clara. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a B.S and M.S from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to Intel, she held positions at Iospan Wireless, Hughes Research Laboratories and Bell Laboratories. Her primary interests are space-time coding, stochastic signal processing and error control coding for point-to-point wireless systems, and distributed processing for cognitive networks.

" IEEE 802.11n: Multi-Antenna Techniques for High Throughput Wireless LANs " presented by Dr. Sumeet Sandhu, Senior Staff Researcher, Intel

We are presently in the midst of an irreversible transition of the telephone network from a circuit-switched to a packet-switched framework. From its initial corporate moorings (where telephony is supported over internal networks), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) use is now surging into the residential market place, as evidenced by recent worldwide announcements from major telephony service providers and cable multi-system operators. In this talk we consider the impact this evolution has in terms of digital signal processing (DSP) requirements at various points of the network.

We focus on the customer premises equipment (CPE), while making a brief reference to packet voice gateways. CPEs for packet voice telephony range from a simple single-line telephone to private branch exchanges (PBX) catering to hundreds of users.

While the choice of protocol (SIP, H.323, H.248) and its actual implementation is a crucial factor, this talk will be confined to how various elements of the DSP layer need to be configured to ensure quality and inter-operability in a cost-effective manner. This layer is the foundation over which higher layer protocols and quality-of-service mechanisms facilitate deployment of VoIP across different physical media (DSL / cable modems, Wi-Fi, etc.).

This talk will consider the following key voice processing aspects of the DSP layer:

• Voice compression alternatives
• Requirements for line echo cancellation
• Support for various call progress and signaling tones
• Packet loss concealment

Specifically, these functions will be presented in the context of end-user IP telephones as well as that of a multi-user IP-PBX. The associated processing requirements will also be considered. Finally, some trends for the future will be highlighted.

Krishna Vemireddy (V V K) is a DSP Solutions Architect at LSI Logic. He holds a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and has over 17 years of industrial R&D exposure. Prior to LSI Logic, he has worked in Bangalore, India at IISc, Bharat Electronics, Ncore Technology (now Encore Software), and Signion Systems. His primary interests include adaptive filters and their applications.

" Signal Processing for Packet Voice Telephony" presented by Krishna Vemireddy (V V K), DSP Solutions Architect, LSI Logic

Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) has emerged as the most popular standard for broadband wireless data access, changing the way we work and live. Yet coverage has been limited to indoor environments (office/home) and short-range hotspots in public areas. This presentation will describe a self-organizing dense-cellular architecture that provides ubiquitous broadband wireless coverage with high throughput over an entire metropolitan area, currently deployed by police departments and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the nation.

Dr. Audeh will address the challenges in implementing robust metro-scale Wi-Fi networks:

• Coverage,
• Backhaul, and
• Throughput

The dense-cellular Wi-Fi approach will be shown to offer higher performance and lower cost than potential third-generation (3G) cellular offerings. For 3G to match metro-scale Wi-Fi in terms of uplink or downlink performance, a significant multiplicative number of base stations must be constructed. These exciting prospects will continue to fuel the astronomical growth of Wi-Fi.

Dr. Malik Audeh is a Senior RF Systems Engineer at Tropos Networks working on the design and deployment of metropolitan area networks. Previously, he held product management and systems engineering roles at Trapeze Networks, Hybrid Networks, and Pacific Telesis. He is a voting member of the IEEE 802.11 working group and was a voting member of the IEEE 802.16 broadband wireless access working group.

Dr. Audeh received his BSEE from University of Illinois, and his MSEE and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in the area of wireless communications.

" City-Wide Wi-Fi Mesh" presented by Malik Audeh, Senior RF Systems Engineer, Tropos Networks

The NEXT BIG THING for the wireless communication industry is data services made possible by the newer wireless networks generally known as either 2.5G (Two and a half Generation, such as GPRS/EDGE) or 3G (3rd Generation, such as UMTS) networks. The industry is counting on the wireless data applications to increase the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). These enhanced data services require increasingly complex handsets. At the same time competitive market forces are pushing the handset vendors to shorter development cycles. Handset manufacturers are meeting these challenges by adding the capability to update the device software using Over-the-Air (OTA) interface.

OTA software update capability provides a low cost method to deliver:

• software patches (bug fixes) and
• software upgrades to add new features

Wireless service providers want to shorten the time to market and to offer feature upgrades to their customers after sale of the handset. OTA software update is a possible solution. This presentation will describe the market place, OTA update technology, key issues and evolving standards.

Bill is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco in the MSIS program. He has been active in the telecommunications industry for over twenty years in various R&D positions. His areas of interest include system architecture, software development, communications systems, information system security and artificial intelligence. Most recently Bill led the new technology development for DoOnGo Technologies, a leading startup in the emerging over-the-air (OTA) update and management of wireless device software. Prior to DoOnGo, Bill led the network security technology program at Vodafone. He has held key R&D and management roles in several companies including Bell Laboratories where Bill began his career.

Bill holds a Ph.D. in Computer and Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

" Mobile Phone Firmware Update On-the-Fly" presented by Bill Kaminsky, Adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco

Ever accelerating trends in the IT industry place mission critical business process applications on the Web. Along with simplified management of universal Web access for employees and business partners, system administrators also get increased exposure to hackers routinely exploiting a diverse range of applications’ security vulnerabilities.

This presentation will introduce basic Web application deployment settings in the data centers and application security concepts. The talk will focus on common application vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows, cross-site scripting, and parameter tampering. Their potential adverse impact will be highlighted by an overview of the basic hacking toolbox including simple, common exploitation methods. A survey of a range of practical intrusion defenses, such as security scanning, remedial application patching and application firewalls will emphasize their critical strengths and weaknesses. Finally we will introduce some of the industry efforts to standardize interactions between the defensive systems prompted by the growing awareness of the application vulnerabilities.

Jan Bialkowski is a founder and the Chief Technology Officer of NetContinuum, a leading provider of web security appliances that consolidate all critical DMZ functionality into a single system to enable cost-effective deployment of secure web applications.

Prior to founding NetContinuum, Jan was a Distinguished Engineer at FORE systems responsible for defining the architecture of the company's next generation switching system. Before that, Jan was a Founding Engineer of Berkeley Networks and the primary architect of the ASIC-based forwarding engine and product line of L3/L4 switches. Earlier, Jan was Chief Technologist at Bay Networks, responsible for developing advanced system architectures and a Consulting Engineer at Wellfleet Communications. Among his many achievements is the design and implementation of a fault-tolerant multiprocessing OS used in the Wellfleet/Bay Network routers. Jan started his career as a software engineer at Data General. Jan has a BS in Computer and Information Science from Syracuse University where he graduated with highest honors in 1985.

"How are Credit Card Numbers Hacked on the Web?" presented by Jan Bialkowski, Chief Technology Officer and Founder, NetContinuum, Inc.

Many of you may recall the multi-billion dollar acquisitions of ArrowPoint Communications and Alteon Web Systems by Cisco and Nortel respectively. While those glory days are history, the market for "load balancing Switches" continues to grow, as IP and Web applications have become the norm rather than the exception.

Today's Enterprises and Service Providers face numerous challenges in managing mission-critical web applications. These challenges range from protecting the servers from increasing security threats to improving the high availability and manageability of applications to scaling computing capacity with low-cost commodity servers. Layer 4-7 load balancing switches have evolved to be the leading choice of the world's most demanding customers to secure and scale server farms. This presentation will help you understand the use of load balancers to scale web application server farms to support millions of clients. You will get an update on load balancing technology and applications from one of the pioneers in the load balancing market.

Gopala Tumuluri is the Product Marketing Manager at Foundry Networks for the Multi-Layer Switching Business Unit. Foundry is a leading provider of high-performance end-to-end switching solutions for enterprises and service providers.

Mr. Tumuluri has been in the networking industry for more than 8 years. Prior to joining Foundry in July 2003, he held Product Management and Marketing, and Engineering positions at Elematics, Calient Networks and FORE Systems. Mr. Tumuluri graduated with an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in December 2000, and an MS degree in Computer Science from the University of Kentucky.

"Scaling IP and Web Applications and Server Farms with layer 4-7 Load Balancing Switches" presented by Gopala Tumuluri, Foundry Networks.