Research Division

The Telecommunications Software & Systems Group is a research centre that is thematically structured by competence centres (in the Research Division) and by product centres (in the Commercial Division). The TSSG's reputation from 1996 to 2006 has been based on two core themes: telecommunications management and distributed software services (particularly the use of knowledge from the latter domain to inform solutions to problems within the former domain). This page describes the competence centres in the Research Division that are the latest incarnation of core structural themes.

For more information on the TSSG see:

• TSSG A4 FLYER (October 2006)
• TSSG eStrategies Europe overview article (March 2007)

Communications Infrastructure Management (CIM)

This centre encapsulates one of the traditional two focuses of TSSG research: telecommunications management. CIM is currently focused on an integrated activity set including:

• Telecommunications and infrastructure management, especially autonomic management for traditional telecommunications networks and for newer pervasive smart spaces. The dominant paradigm here is the use of distributed policy-based management and modelling to allow for autonomic elements to negotiate sensible configuration in a secure manner. This activity provides policy-based management solutions that are deployed into the TSSG testbeds and also provides simulation scenarios.
• Security both as high-level strategic concept and security as lower level IP-based network issue.
• Testbed activities focused on building and deploying reusable hardware and software testbeds for software interoperability testing and repeatable experimental analysis of performance issues. The aim is that the testbed incorporates network elements and service management components that enable the investigation of next generation IP-based (especially next generation IPv6) networks and services.

The emphasis in CIM is on the move from traditional fixed telecommunications networks to mobile networks, and the move to IP-based (in particular IPv6-based) infrastructures.

Pervasive Communications Systems (PCS)

This centre encapsulates one of the traditional two focuses of TSSG research: distributed software services. The PCS current comprises a number of strategically linked activity sets:

• Semantic composition of services to implement a set of scenarios for integrated services on pervasive devices.
• A cluster of activity based on Accounting and Billing as part of an integrated telecommunications management infrastructure (this activity stream is closely linked to the CIM competence centre).
• A cluster of activity around location and positioning in pervasive systems as an exemplar of the general issue of context awareness for pervasive systems.
• A cluster of regional development and applied technology projects, including links to the SEISS (the Irish South East Information Society Strategy) group and other regional activities.

The emphasis in PCS is on managing the increasing complexity in services that have resulted from the adoption of existing and future pervasive networks, and the use of mobile devices as an end-user platform for these services.