The growth in the importance of Internet-based services and the decline in fixed line telephony revenues has led to an increasing number of  telecommunication providers introducing next generation networks (NGNs).

This migration from circuit switched Public Switched  Telephone Networks (PSTNs) to telephony services based on Voice over IP (VoIP) promises operational cost savings for operators and innovative new services for customers. Ultimately, an NGN with an IP Multimedia Sub-system (IMS) could provide all fixed line and mobile services.

PTT already offers an online course introducing next generation networks and has now released an updated version of the existing “Voice over IP” course which introduces the principles and basic operation of VoIP.

A companion course “VoIP systems” which expands upon the principles covered by the updated “Voice over IP” course to cover such topics as the provision of a PSTN emulation service over an IMS-based NGN will be released soon.

For information about the new “VoIP systems” course, send an email to info@ptt.co.uk.

The UK communications regulator Ofcom has announced that it will be holding an auction of radio spectrum for fourth generation mobile services early next year. The digital dividend resulting from the switch from analogue to digital TV in the UK has made the 800 MHz band available for broadband mobile services. A 2.6 GHz band will also be auctioned. These bands will provide the much-needed capacity for 4G long-term evolution (LTE) networks to satisfy the increasing demand for high-speed Internet access while on the move.

The national telecoms regulators in France, Spain and Australia are also expected to award mobile spectrum for 4G services in 2012 while India and Germany have already held auctions.
LTE mobile services are already available in several Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish cities and Verizon plans to have at least 147 cities in the USA covered by LTE this year.

PTT’s online course MBF: “4G and LTE mobile systems” is designed for those who are, or intend to be, involved in planning strategies for 4G mobile systems and LTE (Long Term Evolution).

The most up-to-date and comprehensive overview of telecommunications available online, this new PTT online course SRD: “Telecoms networks and services” is ideal for those joining the telecoms sector or those wanting to keep pace with advances in communications technology.

This online course discusses the technical, commercial and regulatory aspects of telecommunications provision with emphasis on the capabilities and facilities of modern telecoms services.
This new course is part of the StarTel suite of online courses which together provide an unrivalled introduction to telecommunications.