Telecom R&D, innovations centrestage at COMSWARE 2008

BANGALORE, INDIA: From innovative software methodologies to finished products, the third international conference on Communications Software and Middleware (COMSWARE) 2008 targeted the whole cycle of communication innovations and saw participation from across the globe.

The conference, being held from January 5–10 at The Chancery Pavilion in Bangalore, received 290 submissions from 36 countries and around 100 articles making it the leading software event in India. 

Dr. Giridhar D. Mandyam, V-P of Technology, Qualcomm, said: India is on a pace to become the second largest mobile phone market within the next two years, and the COMSWARE program was evidence that research into the future of wireless technology is also increasing here with respect to the rest of the world. The Indian mobile market is of particular significance to the world because of the sheer number of subscribers who rely on their mobile phone not only for voice services but also for their only means of Internet access as well.  As a result, a conference which provides an opportunity for researchers both in Indian industry and academia provides insight into the future of mobile telephony for the entire world.”

Subramanyam G.V., V-P and Head, Software Engineering and Technology Labs (SETLabs), Infosys, added: “The telecom industry is witnessing exciting times. Worldover, communication service providers are rolling out next-generation networks and creating a new range of services for digital media consumers At Infosys, we see these trends creating tremendous opportunities for collaborative research. We are working on several key research initiatives in the area of pervasive technologies like context-aware mobile middleware, wireless sensor networks, occasionally connected mobile computing architecture etc, a couple of which we are also showcasing at this conference. COMSWARE provides us a great opportunity to interact with leading researchers and academicians, understand the trends and test the water with some of our initiatives.”

Swaminathan Krishnan, SVP Global Business Operations & CMO, Sasken, said: “The communication industry is at a climacteric point and now needs to look for innovative ways to “un-wire” the next billion people. Communications is the life-blood of any economic development, and the wire-free world has contributed significantly to “inclusive” growth. Indeed communications can bridge the North-South divide, by reducing the information asymmetry and helping the people from all across to participate in the economy. Conferences like COMSWARE 2008, which bring a confluence of technologies and other eco-system elements together, play a catalyzing role in making the world borderless.”

Manoj Dighe, General Manager, Telecom & Product Engineering Solutions, Wipro noted: “Today, India has more than two lakh telecom professionals and this number is growing rapidly. International events like Comsware give us opportunity to connect and develop innovation eco-system in India” He added “Wipro being a global leader in Telecom R&D service space also uses this platform to share its experience with academia to promote telecom R&D in India."

Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT, Chennai, India, commented, “India today adds 100 million mobile phones per year and in that terms the fastest growing telecom market. Our operators are strong today and over the next few years, will start becoming international operators. We have start-ups and established companies in India which designs wireless integrated circuit chips for the world. Our software companies provide services to most telecom companies in the world. Product companies like Tejas and Midas are taking India to center stage of telecom products. It is in the R&D and the technology area that we are still nowhere. Over the next ten years, we aim to become leaders in wireless technology in the world. Such conferences which bring academia and industry together would create an eco-system in this direction.”

Dr. Krishnan Sabnani, V-P, Networking and Network Management Center, Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent added: “India is an exciting telecommunications market - growing at a hyper-exponential rate. Alcatel-Lucent has been a longstanding partner with Indian's technical community and its service providers to developing cutting-edge wireless and wireline technologies and build India's communications infrastructure for the 21st century. COMSWARE, which Bell Labs has been a very strong supporter of since its inception in 2005, is another sign of India's strong focus on networking and its rapid evolution to a place of technical expertise.”

Some of the topics that were discussed at Comsware 2008 include: “Multi-channel Wireless Networks: Theory to Practice”, “On Quality-of-Service of Networked Embedded Systems”, “Wireless Sensor Networks for Intrusion Detection”, “Key Technologies and Architecture for Next Generation Network”, “IPTV Distribution: Making it robust, scalable and efficient”, “Mobile VAS-delivering the necessary user experience”, “Revisiting WiFi Design in the Cognitive Radios Era”, “Ubiquitous Mobility and Multi-Service in 3G and beyond” and “Architecting Market-based Community WiFi Networks”.

The event saw participation from leading companies like Microsoft, Infosys, Wipro, IBM, AT&T, Motorola, Qualcomm, Intel, Sasken, GM, Bell Labs – Alcatel Lucent USA, OnMobile and the likes.  Panel discussions on subjects like “Life after Mobile Voice and SMS: Hype vs Reality!”, “Research in India: Opportunities and Challenges” and “Trends in Emerging Applications and related challenges for Networks” also marked the event and saw active participation.