E-Commerce Unit-2: The Network Infrastructure for

E-Commerce

NOTES ON:

E-COMMERCE

Er. Sanjay Kumar Sah

Email: [email protected]

UNIT-2:
THE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE FOR
E-COMMERCE
2.1 Introduction to information
superhighway (I-way)
2.2 Components of I-way
2.3 Internet as network Infrastructure
2.4 Internet, Intranet, Extranet
2.5 Software agents (Static and Dynamic)
2.6 ADSL, Wi-Fi, Wide Area Wireless,
UMTS (3G), LTE (4G), Bluetooth 2

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NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE FOR

E-COMMERCE
 The network infrastructure is the underlying foundation
of the system.

 Network infrastructure is required for e-commerce to

transport content.

 Network Infrastructure is the software and hardware

resources of a total network that enable network
connectivity, communication, operations and
management of an organization network.

 E-Commerce is used as a network infrastructure to

transport the content/data used for business purposes. 3

INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY (I-WAY)

 As highways made from concrete help people to physically
transport themselves and their goods from one place to
another.

 Information superhighway is a telecommunications

infrastructure or system (made from telephones, television,
computers, satellites, and other communication devices) used
for widespread and usually rapid access to information,
especially INTERNET.

 The information superhighway is a term coined by Albert

Gore in 1994, describing the future of computers accessing
and communicating over a worldwide network.

 I-way has changed the way business advertises, market or sell

4
their products and services.

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WHAT IS I-WAY ?
 Information Superhighway will allow us to share
information, to connect, and to communicate as a global
community.

 The Information Superhighway is a phrase that describes

the expansion of digital telecommunications, involving
more and more people: locally, nationally, and globally.

 The term Information Superhighway (I-way) describe a

high-capacity (broadband), interactive (two-way)
electronic pipeline used for e-commerce and many more
purposes.

 In other words, multimedia contents are easily 5

transported through I-way.

FEATURES OF I-WAY
 The information superhighway (I-way) may be defined as a
high speed network that transport the data, text, audio, video,
animation, graphics etc.
▪ capable of simultaneously supporting a large number of e-
commerce applications and providing interactive
connectivity between users and services.
▪ telecommunications infrastructure or system used for
widespread and usually rapid access to information
especially internet.
▪ using technology such as the satellite, optical fiber and
cellular telecommunications.
▪ high capacity, seamless, reliable, intelligent networks that
store, switch, address, and deliver.
▪ superhighway will be everywhere, unrestricted by time
and place.
6
▪ driving economic growth, social change, and enhance
democracy.

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BROADBAND
 A high-capacity transmission technique using a wide range of
frequencies, which enables many messages to be communicated
simultaneously.

 Broadband commonly refers to internet access via a variety of high-

speed wired and wireless networks including:
▪ Cable, DSL, FiOS (Fiber Optic Strands),
▪ Wi-Fi, WiMAX, 3G, 4G and satellite,

 The latest global broadband internet speed report by Ookla in July

2023 shows Nepal leading the SAARC region with the fastest
internet speed ranking above India and others in the fixed-
broadband category.

 The report mentions fiber internet speed in 182 countries has Nepal
at 82nd position with 55.57 Mbps download speed.
 The upload speed and latency are shown to be 50.03 Mbps and 5 ms
respectively which should also satisfy many as upload seems to be 7
much less than download.

MARKET FORCES INFLUENCING I-WAY

 The information super highway (I-Way) is the very
foundation for providing the highway system along which
all e-commerce must travel.

 The market forces influencing I-Way or the requirements

of I-Way are:
❑ Users: Becoming information publishers.

❑ Consumers, End Users or Businesses: Consuming

information products/services.
❑ Internet Service Providers (ISPs): Commercial,
government or private.
❑ Value Added Information Providers: Includes third
party brokers, intermediaries, originators of services 8
who added value to services provided by others.

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COMPONENTS OF I-WAY
 It consist of various components which can be broadly categorized as:
1. Network Access Equipment or Consumer Device
2. Access Media
3. Global Information Distribution Networks

Fig. Components of Information Superhighway Infrastructure 9

1. NETWORK ACCESS EQUIPMENT

 This can also be called “customer premises equipment” or
“terminal equipment” and it is at the end of consumers, which
enables the access to the network.

 The way users access e-commerce applications is dependent on

the devices that they use.

 In this segment, hardware and software vendors are also

included.

 It consists of the hardware and software components such as:

▪ computers, modems, routers, switches, hubs for computer
networks,
▪ set-top boxes for television networks, and
▪ software platforms such as browsers and operating 10
systems.

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NETWORK ACCESS EQUIPMENT

i. Cable TV Set Top Box:
 It is a hardware device used for commercial transactions.
 Selected from several highly integrated chips to build standard
digital cable TV set-top boxes for digital video broadcasting.
 Set top boxes have intelligence characteristics like CPU, a text menu
and by selecting several options by remote; a user can enable
particular option.

ii. Computer Based Telephony:

 It means using computer with telephone lines so that high shipment
cost can be avoided.
 There is a need of devices that can combine voice, data, and video
and able users to send, store and receive information.
 In this system, a user of personal computer can transfer data, video,
images and voice messages through the telephone switches more
efficiently.

iii. Software Platforms: 11

 Such as browsers and operating systems.

NETWORK ACCESS EQUIPMENT

iv. Routers, Switches, Hubs and Repeaters:
a. Routers:
 A router is a device that routes data packets based on
their IP addresses.
 Routers normally connect LANs and WANs together.

 Router divide broadcast domains of hosts connected

through it.

b. Switches:
 A device that directs data packets along a path.

 It may include the function of a router.

 A switch tends to be simpler, faster and less expensive 12

than a router.

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NETWORK ACCESS EQUIPMENT

c. Hubs:
 In general, a hub is the central part of a wheel where the
spokes come together.
 Hubs cannot filter data so data packets are sent to all
connected devices/computers.
 It does not control the traffic, so they are less used in
comparison to switches. This leads to inefficiencies and
wastage.

d. Repeaters:
 Repeaters are network devices that amplify or regenerate an
incoming signal before retransmitting it..
 Its job is to regenerate the signal over the same network
before the signal becomes too weak or corrupted.
 They are incorporated in networks to expand its coverage
area.
 They are also known as signal boosters. 13

2. ACCESS MEDIA OR LOCAL ON-RAMPS

 This can also be called ‘Access roads or media’ or ‘Local On-Ramps’
which provides the communication backbone for the transmission of data
and information.

 The access roads is the way in which the consumer homes and work
places are linked with the backbone of the network infrastructure for e-
commerce.

 In e-commerce applications, telecommunication, cables, and wireless

services are the primary transportation providers.

 These can be categorized into four major types:

i. Telecom Based
ii. Cable TV Based
iii. Wireless Based
iv. Internet, Intranet and Extranet Based

 Each of these access media has its own benefits and limitations and is 14
faced with a number of challenges in this fast growing world e-
commerce.

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ACCESS MEDIA OR LOCAL ON-RAMPS

 These providers link users and e-commerce application providers.

 Telecom Based:
▪ Include ling-distance and local telephone service providers.
▪ Using ADSL, its possible to squeeze a video signal through a
telephone wire.

 Cable Based:
▪Depend on coaxial cable and fiber optic as transparent roads.

 Wireless Based:
▪ Radio based – cellular, satellite
▪ Light based – infra-red

 Commercial Online Infrastructure:

▪ Internet, commercial on-line service providers
15
▪ Dial-up linkages of lower bandwidth when compared to telecom
and cable highways.

3. GLOBAL INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

 Global information distribution networks providing the infrastructure for
connecting across the countries and continents (i.e., long distance network).
 They include such networks as the long distance telephone lines, submarine
communications cable, the satellite networks and internet.

i. Long Distance Networks:

 Long distance telephone connectivity is provided through cable (coaxial or fiber)
by the interexchange carriers.
 Long distance cellular networks are using the wireless technologies to connect
the consumers worldwide.

ii. Satellite Networks:

 It play a vital role in the communication industry using satellite.
 They have advantages over the terrestrial networks as:
a. accessible from any point of the globe
b. provide broadband services without the cost of acquiring wire/cable
installation
c. add receiving and sending sites without significant additional costs

➢ 16
Fiber optics has changed the role of satellites in global communication industry
by providing higher bandwidth and is immune to electromagnetic interference.

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COMPUTER NETWORK
 A network is a group of two or more computers or other electronic
devices that are interconnected for the purpose of exchanging data and
sharing resources.
▪ Networks are built with a mix of computer hardware and software.

 Network enable people to share resources including printers, scanners,

removable media drives like hard disks, and applications.

 The internet is a meta-network, that is, a network of networks that

spans the globe.
 Technically, no one runs the Internet. Rather, the Internet is made up of
thousands of smaller networks.
 However, our connection to the Internet is probably controlled by an
Internet Service Provider (ISP).

 Internet use client/server model of communication.

▪ Client make request in the internet by using web browser.
▪ Server makes resources requested by client and responds to client’s
request by using software called web server. 17

COMPUTER NETWORK
 A typical network like the one in figure alongside has three basic
hardware components:
▪ One or more servers or host computers (including
microcomputers and mainframes).
▪ Client (PCs).
▪ A circuit or network system, which is the path over which they
communicate.

18

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INTERNET AS A NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

 Internet links computers for sharing the information using TCP/IP
protocols.
 It helps document to be accessible through using the internet.
 It permits different facilities such as:
▪ E-Mail: Allows us to send and receive email.
▪ Information Database: It also helps us to access to database and
virtual libraries containing both text and multimedia information.
▪ Information Processing Services: It contains remote access to
variety of software programs including operation research,
simulation and visualization tools.
▪ Resource Sharing Services: It provides access to the printers and
other processing services that enable us to use underutilized
machine.
▪ Group Communication: It helps in group conferencing, tele-
meeting, decision support system and distance learning education
across national/international boundaries.
19
▪ FTP: Allows our computers to rapidly receive and view complex
file from remote computers.

INTERNET, INTRANET AND EXTRANET

20

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INTERNET
 An internet is an interconnection of millions of computers together
globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate
with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the
network.

 It is a web of networked devices such as routers, computers,

repeaters, satellites, Wi-Fi, servers etc. constantly
communicating across data lines and wireless signals.

 Internet is a means of sharing information throughout the world.

 The internet uses the TCP/IP internet protocol for communication.

Each device is defined using a unique IP address.

 Domain name servers (DNS) are then used to assign a name to the
IP address therefore making it easy for users to remember names
21
instead of numbers.

ADVANTAGES OF INTERNET
 The advantages of internet are as follows:
▪ An internet connection provides many people with
ability to work from home or have a virtual office.

▪ Internet has made it possible to send and receive

information across large matrix of computer systems.

▪ With internet one can access information quickly and

easily.

▪ The internet improves internal communications

through emails, connected calendars and chat services
specifically designed to improve business
communications. 22

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DISADVANTAGES OF INTERNET
 The disadvantages of intranet are as follows:
▪ It is unregulated network and therefore it invites
undesirable activities.

▪ Access to internet is not restricted and information is

available to anyone across the world.

▪ If the file server breaks down, the files on the server

become inaccessible.

▪ There is danger of hacking or availability of malicious

viruses.
23

BUSINESS VALUE OF INTERNET

 Primary reasons for business value include the use of the internet
and Web for interactive marketing and customer service.

 Generating revenue from the internet through e-commerce

applications is a growing source of business value.

 Most companies are building commercial sites on the World Wide

Web to achieve following major business objectives:
▪ Attract new customers via Web marketing and advertising.
▪ Improve service to existing customers via Web customer service
and support functions.
▪ Develop new web-based markets and distribution channels for
an existing product.
▪ Develop new information-based products accessible on the Web.
▪ Identify new product development opportunities with your
consumer 24
▪ Delight the customer to create brand loyalty.

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INTRANET
 An intranet is a private computer network that uses internet
protocols, network connectivity to access and share enterprise
information and computing resources securely with its staffs.
▪ Private version of the internet which is accessible only to
an organization’s employees.

 Intranets increase communication within an organization by

allowing employees to easy access important information,
links, applications and forms as well as databases that can
provide company records.

 Intranet is a means of sharing sensitive or confidential

information throughout the organization (i.e., to its members
or staffs).

 An intranet may be accessible from the internet, but it is

protected by a password and accessible only to authorized 25
users.

ADVANTAGES OF INTRANET
 The advantages of intranet are as follows:
▪ It is browser based system so anyone can use within an
organization.
▪ It is lower cost communication system.

▪ It is easy to use and user friendly in operation.

▪ It reduces emails and meetings.

▪ Improves employee engagement and knowledge sharing.

▪ Helps an organization to build an internal collaborative

culture.
▪ Increases productivity in an organization.

▪ With use of intranet, there is reduced incidences and errors.

▪ Enhances centralized access to information.

▪ It is applicable for most of the office application. 26

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DISADVANTAGES OF INTRANET
 The disadvantages of intranet are as follows:
▪ Not powerful for performing the collaborative work.

▪ Intranet can be very costly and time-consuming to

implement.
▪ Poor user experience results in low usage rates.

▪ Hard to measure success and effectiveness.

▪ Information can be shared outside the local network

due to one faulty or compromised machine.
▪ Intranet reduces face-to-face interaction among
employees, and this can hinder cooperation.
▪ Users normally rely on easy to guess passwords and
therefore it is easy to compromise the entire network.
27
▪ Cannot replace all type of business applications.

BUSINESS VALUE OF INTRANET

1. Communications and Collaborations:
 Intranets can significantly improve communications and collaboration within an
enterprise with services such as discussion groups, chat rooms, and audio and
videoconferencing.
 Examples: Intranet browser and PC or NC workstation are used for sending
and receiving E-mail, voicemail, paging, and faxes to communicate with others
within the organization.

2. Web Publishing:
 The comparative ease, attractiveness, and lower cost of publishing and accessing
multimedia business information internally.
 Examples: Company’s newsletters, technical drawings, and product catalogs can
be published in a variety of ways including hypermedia and Web pages, E-mail
and net broadcasting etc.

3. Business Operations and Management:

 Developing and deploying critical business applications to support business
operations and managerial decision making across the internetworked
enterprise.
 Examples: Developing customer applications like order processing, inventory
control, sales management, and executive information systems using intranets.28

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EXTRANET
 An extranet is a controlled private network allowing
customers, partners, vendors, suppliers and other businesses
to gain information, typically about a specific company or
educational institution and do so without granting access to
the organization’s entire network.
▪ Inter-organizational information system.

 It is part of company’s intranet that is extended to users side

of organization.

 It is restricted to selected users through user IDs, passwords

and other authentication mechanisms on a login page.

 The content on the network is accessible to members of the

organization and external members with access to the 29
network.

ADVANTAGES OF EXTRANET
 The advantages of extranet are as follows:
▪ An extranet greatly improves flexibility by making
applications and information available to customers, clients
and partners, allowing all the involved parties to operate
with convenience.
▪ Improved customer service.

▪ Can improve relationships with key customers, providing

them with accurate and updated information.
▪ Can improve organization’s productivity by automating
processes.
▪ With proper implementation, an extranet can help improve
an organizations security by creating different access levels,
consequently controlling who can access company data.
▪ It helps to remove bottlenecks within transactions of an 30
organization and significantly increasing productivity.

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DISADVANTAGES OF EXTRANET
 The disadvantages of extranet are as follows:
▪ Suppliers and customers who don’t have technical
knowledge feel problem.
▪ Extranets are vulnerable to security breaches since
they give outsiders access to internal database and
systems.
▪ Time is required to train users on how to work with the
network.
▪ The network is prone misuse.
▪ Maintenance cost of the network is high.
▪ Information can be shared outside the local network
due to one faulty or compromised machine.
▪ Reduce personal contact with customers and business
partners. 31

BUSINESS VALUE OF EXTRANET

 The business value of extranets it’s deriving from several
factors such as:
1. Enhanced Communication:
 Extranets provides easy way of communication between
geographically dispersed organizational branches, customers,
supplies and business partners which have positive
implications on business enhancement.

2. Enhanced Productivity:
 Extranets supports the concepts of just-in-time delivery which
is helpful to increase productivity of business processes.

3. Cost Reduction:
 Extranets helps reduce errors, paper work, travel costs etc. by
automating business activities.
 Besides this, it helps to reduce administrative and operational
costs as well. 32

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INTERNET VS. INTRANET VS. EXTRANET

BASIS INTERNET INTRANET EXTRANET
Intranet can be described Extranet can be described
Internet can be
as a network of as a private network that
described as a global
computers, or a private uses public network to
Description system of
network designed for a share information with
interconnected
specific group of users clients (suppliers and
computer network.
(organization). vendors).
Limited number of
Size of The Large number of Limited number of
connected devices over
Network connected devices connected devices
internet
Accessibility Everyone Authorized people Authorized people
Owned by a particular Owned by a single or
Ownership Not owned by anyone
organization multiple organizations
Types of
Public Private Private/VPN
Network
Depends on the device Firewall separates
Security Firewall protected
connected to network internet and extranet
Information can be Information can be shared Information can be shared
Information
shared across the securely within an between employees and
Sharing
world organization external people
33
World Wide Web, Internal operations
Network of related
Example Email, Chat, Social network of an
business operations
Media organization

INTERNET VS. INTRANET VS. EXTRANET

34

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MOTIVATIONS FOR SOFTWARE AGENTS

 Increasingly networked, temporary connectivity
increasing (wireless).
▪ Huge interconnection → hassle in finding resource.

 Data overload (e-mail, web pages, fax etc.).

 Greater exchange of digital information.

▪ Large volume of data → difficulty in knowledge
extraction and mining.

 Increasingly dependent upon electronic sources of

information.
▪ Desire to be “better informed” rather than getting
information manually. 35

NEED OF SOFTWARE AGENTS

Inadequacy of Current Tools:
 Browsers are user driven, pull technology marginally better in
browsers.
 Friendly software becoming more difficult to use (e.g., MS
Word), assistant required.
 WWW too polluted for casual browsing, intelligent search
techniques required.

 Need software agents that can act on our behalf:

▪ can interact with (say) internet data sources.
▪ can process email, voice, fax and other electronic message
sources and push notifications to us.
▪ can communicate with other agents.
▪ can accurately represent our needs and preferences in the
networked information environment. 36

▪ can negotiate.

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DEFINITION OF SOFTWARE AGENTS

 A software agent (or Autonomous Agent or Intelligent Agent) is a
piece of software that functions as an agent for a user or another
program, working autonomously and continuously in a particular
environment.
▪ Carry out some set of operations on behalf of a user or another
program with some degree of independence or autonomy.

 In other words, a software agent is a persistent, goal-oriented and an

intelligent computer program that performs specific tasks on behalf
of their users, independently or with a little guidance.

 Autonomous operation permits software agents to process vast

volumes of data which would be unmanageable by human agents.

 A software agent is a piece of software but it is not just a program.

▪ It is a system situated within and a part of an environment and
37
acts on it.

APPLICATION SCENARIO OF SOFTWARE AGENTS

 Software agents are different from conventional programs in the
sense that software agents work with goals in mind while
conventional programs execute directives stored in memory.

 Software agents differ from other programs in the following ways:

▪ Managing the Information Overload: Software agents are
useful for filtering and sorting the input data such that is easy to
find and analyze required data for managers.
▪ Decision Making Support: Software agents help knowledge
workers such as managers, doctors, lawyers etc. in decision
making by coordinating and interacting with expert systems.
▪ Repetitive Office Activity: Using software agent to do such type
of works reduces labor cost hence increases business productivity.
▪ Doing Mundane Personal Activities: Agents are useful for
performing routine personal activities such as booking and
purchasing tickets.
▪ Domain Experts: Software agents are suitable to model costly 38
expertise and make it widely available.

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SOFTWARE AGENTS ARE INTELLIGENT

 As already stated, software agents are intelligent programs.
 Following are the factors that make software agents intelligent:
Agent Property Definition
Interaction Communication with the environment and other
agents by means of sensors and effectors
Adaptation Can adapts/modifies its mental state according to
message received from the environment
Autonomy Capable of acting without direct external
interventions; it has its own thread and can accept
or refuse a request message
Learning Can learn based on previous experience while
reading and interacting with its environment
Mobility Is able to transport itself from one environment in
a network to another
39
Collaboration Can cooperate with other agents to achieve its
goals and the system’s goals

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOFTWARE AGENTS

 Software agents are like guards and locomotives of most e-
commerce.

 The following are very few characteristics:

▪ acts on behalf of another.
▪ can do their task without any outsource intervention.
▪ social interaction with other software agents and human.
▪ specific in their goals.
▪ can make decisions on other’s behalf autonomously.
▪ capable of adapting to changing environments, learning
from user interaction, co-operation, and mobility.
▪ must be programmed in a powerful language so as to
express the rules.
▪ safety of the information must be promised by the agent.
▪ effective usage of the existing resources.
▪ must be a good sailor. 40

▪ must be very careful in handling unauthorized users.

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COMPONENTS OF SOFTWARE AGENTS

 While developing software agents, programmer needs to
include certain essential components:
▪ Owner: Agent can have owners. By having this
information, one knows to whom to refer if there is any
problem.
▪ Author: It is name that has developed the agent. By having
this information, one knows to whom to refer if upgrade is
required.
▪ Lifetime: It define time to alive for the agent. If lifetime is
known the agent can be killed after it has finished its
mission so the no more bandwidth is consumed.
▪ Account: It is linked to owner's account. With this
information, is easy to bill owners and pay for the service.
▪ Goal: It represents the measure for success. Measures for
success may include completion of transaction within the
boundaries of stated goal. 41

STATIC AND DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT

 There are two types of software agents depending on
environment: static agent and dynamic agent.

1. Static Environment:
 If an agent perceives the at time t0 and the agent performs no
action until t1, the world will not change.
 The world only changes by the performance of actions by the
agent itself.

2. Dynamic Environment:
 The world constantly changes.
 Even when an agent is executing an action a with a pre-
condition p which holds true before the execution, p may not
be true at some point during the execution.
 The outcome of an agent’s action cannot be guaranteed as
other agents and the environment itself may interface.
42
 It is more difficult to build agents for dynamic environment.

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1. STATIC SOFTWARE AGENTS

 Static agents reside on PC or server and provide expert advice
or services locally.
 It uses embedded knowledge to process the volume of incoming
information.
 An agent is capable to receive command from computer users
and can act intelligently to do those tasks which has been
delegated by computer users.
 During this activities, an agent basically can interact with the
environment, learn and then using its knowledge to do its task
without much interaction and command from computer users.

Example:
 Mail Agents are responsible for replying email automatically
and Filtering Agents are responsible for processing large
volume of information and extracting summary information
43
from it.

2. DYNAMIC SOFTWARE AGENTS

 Dynamic agents are also called mobile or roaming agents which
travel from host to host i.e., it actually travels around the web
collecting data.
 Dynamic agents execute on remote computers and then returning
results to the computers.
 Reduces traffic on the network. Only the relevant data is forwarded.
 It is responsible for processing large volume of information and
extracting summary information from it.

Example:
 Mobile agents are example of dynamic agent.
 Software agent that searches over the internet and returns the
cheapest product of some particular brand is an example of dynamic
agent.
 An agent that searches for new jobs and then posts these jobs in any
social networking sites.

❑ Note: Static and dynamic agents need to collaborate with each other
44
to perform complex tasks.

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BENEFITS OF DYNAMIC SOFTWARE AGENTS

 The advantages of dynamic software agents are as
follows:
▪ Reduce communication cost.
▪ Utilize limited resources for businesses processes.
▪ Provides environment for free market trading service.
▪ Flexible maintenance – to change an agent’s actions,
only the source (rather than the computation hosts)
must be updated.
▪ Bandwidth conversion which is conversion the
bandwidth one host to another host.
▪ Reduction compilation time parallel processing –
asynchronous execution on multiple heterogeneous
network hosts.
▪ Dynamic adaptation – actions are dependent on the 45
state of the host environment.

TYPES OF SOFTWARE AGENTS

 Agents are classified into different types based on the
characteristics they possess.

 The software agents are classified into following agents.

46

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1. LEARNING AGENTS
 Also called collaborative learning agents.

 The learning element is responsible for improvements which

can make a change to any of the knowledge components in the
agent itself.

 It improve performance by time.

 It solve many problems in AI.

 Applications:
▪ Self Driving Car
▪ Search Algorithms used in Search Engines
▪ Recognition of Gestures
47
▪ Computer Vision

2. INTERFACE AGENTS
 Emphasize autonomy and learning in order to perform tasks for
their owners.

 Interface agents are computer programs that employ machine

learning techniques in order to support and provide assistance to a
user dealing with a particular application.
▪ Anticipate user needs.
▪ Make suggestions.
▪ Provide advice without explicit user requests and so on;
▪ Limited cooperation with other agents.
▪ Limited reasoning and planning capabilities.
▪ Kind of secretary that helps the user in their work environment.

 Applications:
▪ Mail management, Scheduling meeting, News filtering, Internet
browsing
▪ Buying/Selling on user’s behalf
48
▪ E.g., Digital Assistants line Siri, Cortana etc.

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3. COLLABORATIVE AGENTS
 Emphasize autonomy and cooperation as well as communication
with other agents.

 A collaborative agent is a software program that helps users solve

problem, especially in complex or unfamiliar domains by correcting
errors, suggesting what to do next, and taking care of low-level
details.

 Typically operate in open multi-agent environments → Multi-Agent

Systems (MAS).

 Collaborative agents are also refereed as collagen, they normally

have very limited learning capabilities.

 Applications:
▪ Air traffic control, management of a team of robots.
▪ Different offices of a multi-national business.
▪ Health care provision (family doctors, nurses, specialists, 49
laboratory analysis etc.).

4. SMART AGENTS
 The smart agents are the new form of software agents
that interface with other agents forming an artificial
intelligence.

 Agent that posses all three attributes: learning,

cooperative and autonomous.
▪ that is it can learn and cooperate in autonomous
manner.

 Comprise the attributes of collaborative learning agents,

interface agents as well as collaborative agents.

 Can be used in diverse fields including real estate,

complex problem solving, research and also as smart 50
marketing tool.

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OTHER TYPES OF AGENTS

5. Hybrid Agents:
 Combination of two or more agent philosophies within a single agent
will yield a better functioning agent.
 An example is collaborative interface agents.

6. Information/Internet Agents:
 Agents that manage the access to multiple, heterogeneous and
geographically distributed information sources.
 The intelligent part of software which can automatically search for
information on the website is termed as information agents.
 Information system can be considered as knowledge base system.

7. Reactive Agents:
 These agents are responsible for stimulating the response to the
present state of the environment in which they are embedded.
 Reactive to their environment and external stimuli.
 Reactive agents can hardly communicate and collaborate (only
51
through actions that modify the common environment).

OTHER TYPES OF AGENTS

8. Heterogeneous Agents:
 These agent systems unlike hybrid, refers to an integrated set up of at
least two or more agents which belong to two or more different agent
classes.
 Heterogeneous agents may also contain one or more hybrid agents.
 A key requirement is in agent based software engineering where
heterogeneous agents play role in autonomous software maintenance,
upgrade or rewrites.

9. Mobile Agents:
 Able to migrate from host to host to work in a heterogeneous network
environment, not only an agent transport itself, but also its state.
 When it reaches the new host, the agent should be able to perform
appropriately in the new environment.

10. Search Agents:

 A search agent (or search bot) is a software program or bot that searches
online for goods or services that meet certain criteria set by an user.
 Based on searching algorithms like genetic algorithms which can learn
52
and update knowledge regularly.

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EXAMPLES OF SOFTWARE AGENTS

 There are a number of different software agents, including:
1. Buyer Agents or Shopping Bots:
 These agents revolve around retrieving network information
related to good and services.

2. User or Personal Agents:

 These agents perform a variety of tasks such as filling out
forms, acting as opponents in games, assembling customized
reports and checking email, among other tasks.

3. Monitoring and Surveillance Agents:

 These agents observe and report on equipment.

4. Data-Mining Agents:
 These agents find trends and patterns in many different
sources and allow users to sort through the data to find the 53
information they are seeking.

BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY
 Early 1999, US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which
regulates telecommunications and broadcasting in USA issued
definition of broadband, which is widely accepted.

 Broadband refers to the transmission medium or physical connection

with which user can access the internet at high speed.

 Its access can be done through any medium copper, fiber or wireless.

 Different technology used in network infrastructure are:

1. ADSL
2. Wi-Fi
3. Wide Area Wireless
4. UMTS (3G)
5. LTE (4G)
54
6. Bluetooth

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DSL
 DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a wired transmission technology
that transmits data faster over traditional copper telephone lines.
▪ Offers faster internet connection than dial-up connection.

 DSL technology works by splitting the existing telephone line signal

into two separate channels, one for normal voice usage and the other
for data usage.

 DSL based broadband provides transmission speeds ranging from

Kbps to Mbps.

 The availability and speed of DSL service may depend on the

distance from home or business to the closest telephone company
facility.

 Two types of DSL transmission technologies are:

i. ADSL
ii. SDSL 55

CONNECTION OF DSL

56
Fig. DSL Modem and Router Connections.

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ADSL
 ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is a type
of DSL broadband communication technology used for
connecting to the internet over copper telephone lines.

 ADSL connection available from telecom companies using

existing phone lines providing faster download speed than
upload speeds.

 It is primarily used by residential customers who receive a lot

of data but do not send much.

 A big advantage of having an ADSL connection is not missing

calls while you're online, as both voice and data can be
transferred at the same time.

 ADSL supports data rates of from 1.5 to 9 Mbps when

receiving data (downstream rate) and from 16 to 640 Kbps
57
when sending data (upstream rate).

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF ADSL

 It appears to be always online, so no need to wait to get
connected to the internet.

Advantages of ADSL:
▪ Simultaneous internet and voice/fax capabilities over a
single telephone line.
▪ Uninterruptable, high-speed internet access that’s always
on-line.
▪ Cost effective solution for society.
▪ Data security that exceeds other technologies.
▪ Fast download speeds.

Disadvantages of ADSL:
▪ Distance sensitives.
▪ Slower upload speeds.
▪ Phone line required. 58

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SDSL
 SDSL stands for symmetric digital subscriber line is a technology
based on DSL, which enables data transfer on a single line and
allows symmetric bandwidth on the upstream and downstream.

 The working mechanism of SDSL is considered opposite to that of

ADSL technology
▪ SDSL has uploads and downloads data rate at the same speed
▪ ADSL has different data transfer rates for uploading and
downloading

 It is used typically by businesses for services such as video

conferencing, which need significant bandwidth both upstream and
downstream.

 SDSL mainly targeted at small and medium businesses who don’t

need the service guarantees of higher performance of a leased line.
59

WIRELESS
 Wireless communication is the transfer of information between two
or more points without the use of wires or cables i.e., there is no
physical connection between them.

 Wireless broadband connects home or business to the internet using

a radio link or electromagnetic wave.

 Wireless technologies using longer-range directional equipment

provide broadband service in remote or sparsely populated areas
where DSL or cable modem service would be costly to provide.
▪ Speeds are generally comparable to DSL and cable modem.
▪ An external antenna is usually required.

 Wireless broadband can deliver fast internet access by using radio

waves instead of cables.

 Wireless internet connections come in two forms:

▪ Wi-Fi 60

▪ Wireless Area Wireless

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WI-FI
 Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity is the continuous transmission of
high-bandwidth video and multimedia information to provide in-
building broadband coverage.

 It serves the LAN (local area network) market.

▪ Also known as the WLAN (wireless local area network).

 It is used to set up private wireless network in home or offices

allowing to connect to the internet.
▪ also used for public access at restaurants, coffee shops, hotels,
airports, parks etc.
▪ provide internet access to devices like laptops, mobile phones,
smart TVs, and other compatible wireless devices.
▪ Radio Signals are the keys, which make Wi-Fi networking
possible.

 In other words, it enables computers to “talk” to the internet without

being connected to a modem, DSL or cable. 61

WI-FI CONNECTION

 One significant advantage of Wi-Fi over WiMAX and 3G is its wide

availability of terminal devices.

 These radio signals transmitted from Wi-Fi antennas are picked 62

up
by Wi-Fi receivers, such as computers and cell phones that are
equipped with Wi-Fi cards.

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ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF WI-FI

Advantages of Wi-Fi:
▪ Freedom: can work from any location where the device get
signal.
▪ Mobile Access: wireless device can be moved from one place to
another.
▪ Setup Cost: devices without wire can reduce the cost of wires.
▪ Scalable: can be expanded with growth.
▪ Flexibility: quick and easy to setup in temporary and
permanent space.

Disadvantages of Wi-Fi:
▪ Harmful: generate radiations which can harm the human
health.
▪ Range: cannot transfer the data for long distances.
▪ Expensive: implementation is very expensive when compared to
the wired connection.
▪ Security: greater exposer to risks.
63
▪ Range: affected by various medium.
▪ Speed: slower than cables.

WIDE AREA WIRELESS

 WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) is a WAN (Wide Area
Network) and the only thing is that the connectivity is wireless.

 Where WAN can be wired or wireless, the WWAN connections are

completely wireless.

 In our day to day life, we are using the WWAN of different sizes and
depending on it delivery of telephonic calls, Web pages and
streaming video, data sharing occurs.

 WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) differs from WWAN (Wireless

Wide Area Network) technology wise for example:
▪ WLAN uses Wi-Fi to connect and transfer data
▪ WWAN uses telecommunication cellular network technologies
such as 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G to transfer data.

 It uses a network of fixed and smart antenna to allow users to

connect to high speed internet wirelessly rather than through cables.
64

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WIDE AREA WIRELESS

 WWAN not only always refers to a wide area rather a closed area
with large geographic coverage such as cities.
▪ It provides regional, nationwide and global wireless coverage.

 The main technologies used in wide area wireless are:

i. GSM
65
ii. CDMA
iii. WiMAX

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF WWAN

Advantages of WWAN:
▪ Global wireless coverage

▪ Flexible with cloud management, deploying and

relocating
▪ Better security than WLAN

▪ Diverse, cost effective backup for data applications.

▪ Quick deployment for new applications.

Disadvantages of WWAN:
▪ Replacement of lost WWAN may be costly.

▪ To maintain the reliable network connectivity.

▪ To build a cost effective solution is a challenge. 66

▪ Decreased throughput during large coverage area.

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GSM
 GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital
cellular network that is widely used by mobile phone users
across the world.

 GSM operates on the mobile communication bands 900 MHz

and 1800 MHz in most parts of the world and 1900 MHz
mainly used in the US.

 GSM is a circuit-switched system and it provides advanced

voice and data services including roaming service.

 It uses SIM (subscriber identity module) that contains user

account information.

 It also includes SMS (short messaging service) which enables67

users to send text message to each other.

CDMA
 CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access is a channel access
method used by several radio communication technologies.

 It is a digital cellular technology generally used for mobile

communication.

 Multiple access means that several transmitters can send

information simultaneously over a single communication channel.

 Provide 10 times the calling capacity of earlier analogue network and

5 times the capacity of GSM system.

 In this system, different CDMA codes are assigned to different users,

and the user can access the whole bandwidth for the entire duration.

 It optimizes the use of available bandwidth as it transmits over the

68
entire frequency range and does not limit the user's frequency range.

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WIMAX
 WiMAX stands for “Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access”.

 It is based on Wireless MAN technology which uses radio

waves to transmit signal.

 WiMAX systems are expected to deliver broadband access

services to residential and enterprise customers in an
economical way.

 WiMAX would operate similar to Wi-Fi, but at higher speeds

over greater distances and for a greater number of users.

 WiMAX has the ability to provide service even in areas that

are difficult for wired infrastructure.
69
 It is an IP based Wireless Broadband Access Technology
where user can browse fast internet.

UMTS (3G)
 UMTS stands for Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System, one of the mobile phone technologies known as third-
generation or 3G cellular system based on GSM standard.
▪ also called 3G broadband packet-based transmission.

▪ data rates upto and possibly higher than 2 Mbps.

▪ able to operate at a higher frequency than GSM.

 UMTS systems were created with the intention of allowing

users to have global mobility with services including internet,
data, messaging, paging, and telephony etc.

 One of the main benefits of UMTS is its speed which makes

possible the kind of streaming video that can support movie
downloads and video conferencing. 70

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3G UMTS NETWORK CONSTITUENTS

 The UMTS network architecture can be divided into 3 main

elements:
1. User Equipment (UE):
 The User Equipment (UE) is the name given to the mobile, or
cellphone.
71
 It could also be anything between a mobile phone used for talking to
a data terminal attached to a computer with no voice capability.

3G UMTS NETWORK CONSTITUENTS

2. Radio Network Subsystem (RNS):
 The RNS also known as the UMTS Radio Access Network,
UTRAN, is the equivalent to the Base Station Subsystem
(BSS) in GSM.
 It provided and manages the air interface for the overall
network.

3. Core Network:
 The core network provides all the central processing and
management for the system.
 It is the equivalent to the GSM Network Switching Subsystem
(NSS).

➢ The core network is then the overall entity that interfaces to

external networks including the public phone network and 72
other cellular telecommunications networks.

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ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF UMTS

Advantages of UMTS:
▪ Support 2Mbit/s information rates.
▪ Higher data rates at lower incremental costs.
▪ Improved security
▪ Improved network coverage i.e., wider coverage
▪ Multimedia support
▪ Seamless connection.

Disadvantages of UMTS:
▪ It is more expensive than GSM
▪ Requires more spectrum (radio frequency) to operate
▪ Lower download speeds so poor video experience
▪ UMTS still not broadband 73

LTE (4G)
 LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution which is 4G (Fourth-Generation)
mobile communications standard intended to replace 3G, allowing
wireless internet access at a much higher speed.
▪ the customer will feel better internet browsing experience.
▪ supports only packet switching technology.
▪ based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies.

 The 4G wireless communications offer a maximum speed of 10 times in

3G network.

 It provides downlink peak rate of 300 Mbps and uplink peak rates of 75
Mbps.
▪ higher definition (HD) videos can be streamed without interruption.

 The significant aim of LTE is to resize and simplify the network

architecture with a system based on IP which in turn reduces the
latency.
74
 The interface of wireless LTE is not compatible with 3G or 2G networks
and so it is worked with a distinct radio spectrum.

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LTE NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

 The high-level network architecture of LTE is comprised of following
three main components:
▪ User Equipment (UE).
▪ Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN).
▪ Evolved Packet Core (EPC).

 The EPC communicates with packet data networks in the outside world
such as the internet, private corporate networks or the IP multimedia
subsystem.

 The interfaces between the different parts of the system are denoted Uu,
S1 and SGi as shown below:

75

LTE NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

1. User Equipment (UE):
 The internal architecture of the user equipment for LTE is exactly the
same as that of UMTS and GSM, which is mobile equipment (ME).

2. E-UTRAN (The Access network):

 An evolved packet core or ePC controls the various information packets
that are sent between mobile devices and the core network.
 In contrast to an eNB, which is a base station that controls mobile
devices in one or more cells.
 An eNodeB controls radio communication between an evolved packet
core or ePC and mobile devices.

3. Evolved Packet Core (EPC) (The Core Network):

 The architecture of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) has been revealed in
the diagram.
 Besides, a few elements have not been shown in the diagram for
simplicity reasons.
 The Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS), Equipment
76
Identity Register (EIR) and Policy Control and Charging Rules Function
(PCRF) are examples of these components.

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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LTE (4G)

Advantages of LTE:
▪ High throughput: High data rates can be achieved in both
downlink as well as uplink.
▪ Low Latency: Time required to connect to the network is
in milliseconds.
▪ Cost Saving: More cost effectiveness.
▪ Superior End User Experience: Reduced latency (to 10 ms)
for better user experience.
▪ Plug and Play: System automatically recognizes the
device, loads new drivers for the hardware if needed, and
begins to work with the newly connected device.

Disadvantages of LTE:
▪ Needs the implementation of the antenna at the base
station for transmission of data.
▪ Increases the implementation cost in network
infrastructure. 77

BLUETOOTH
 Bluetooth is a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology and
is used for exchanging data over smaller distances.

 It is a radio communication technology that enables secure protocol, low-

power, short distance wireless networking between phones, computers,
and other network devices.

 It operates in the unlicensed, industrial, scientific and medical (ISM)

band at 2.4 GHz to 2.485 GHz.
▪ maximum 7 devices can be connected at the same time.
▪ ranges up to 10 meters.
▪ provides data rates upto 1 to 3 Mbps depending upon the version.

 Bluetooth technology was designed primarily to support

networking of portable consumer devices and peripherals that run on
batteries.

 Compared to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth networking is slower, more limited in

range and supports fewer peer devices. 78

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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BLUETOOTH

Advantages of Bluetooth:
▪ Low cost

▪ Easy to use

▪ Can also penetrate through walls

▪ Creates an adhoc connection immediately without

any wires
▪ Used for voice and data transfer

Disadvantages of Bluetooth:
▪ can be hacked and hence, less secure

▪ Has slow data transfer rate: upto 3 Mbps

▪ Has small range: 10 meters 79

FOR YOUR ATTENTION !

Any Questions?
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