Open Standards and Interoperability : New Learning Models for Electronic Communications - article ; n°1 ; vol.75, pg 163-185

Pierre-Jean Benghozi, Richard Richardjaysolomon, Petros Kavassalis

Description

Revue d'économie industrielle - Année 1996 - Volume 75 - Numéro 1 - Pages 163-185
L'article analyse l'impact des nouveaux modèles de normalisation, tels ceux mis en œuvre dans Internet, sur l'évolution des réseaux traditionnels de télécommunication. Il montre d'abord comment Internet résulte d'une approche cognitive différente de la transmission de données; celle-ci conduit à une nouvelle architecture des réseaux, fondée sur la mise en œuvre de protocoles d'accès assurant l'interopérabilité entre environnements techniques variés. Cette perspective diffère de l'approche en vigueur jusque là dans les réseaux de télécommunications, qui s'appuie sur une homogénéité technique garantie par le contrôle des opérateurs et sur l'élaboration de standards évolutifs. Les deux trajectoires technologiques présentées coexistent cependant de façon dynamique : elles accompagnent la compétition industrielle sur le marché des télécoms et entraînent des trajectoires locales d'évolution différenciées. À partir des observations portées sur ce secteur, le texte s'interroge sur l'éventualité de voir deux «designs dominants» continuer à coexister dans le temps, ainsi que sur l'incidence que peut avoir l'interopérabilité sur les capacités d'apprentissage des industries de réseau.
The paper investigates the impact of the new standardization model, exemplified by the Internet, in the evolution of the traditional telecommunications networks. First, it shows why the Internet, emerging from a different cognitive perception of the data-communication problem, led to a new network architecture. The latter is based on the establisment of protocol «gateways» facilitating interoperability between heterogeneous network environments -instead of the operator - controlled homogeneity of the telecom networks and an «adaptative» way for open standards-setting. These two technological trajectories dynamically coexist and compete for market-shares, yielding relatively different local trajectories of evolution. Observations raise questions about the possibility of the long coexistence of two «dominant designs» and the relationship between the interoperability and the «learning conditions» in the network industries.
23 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Informations

• Publié par: REVUE_D-ECONOMIE_INDUSTRIELLE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1996
• Nombre de lectures: 10
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Petros Kavassalis
Jay Solomon
Pierre-Jean Benghozi
Open Standards and Interoperability : New Learning Models for
Electronic Communications
In: Revue d'économie industrielle. Vol. 75. 1er trimestre 1996. pp. 163-185.
Résumé
L'article analyse l'impact des nouveaux modèles de normalisation, tels ceux mis en œuvre dans Internet, sur l'évolution des
réseaux traditionnels de télécommunication. Il montre d'abord comment Internet résulte d'une approche cognitive différente de la
transmission de données; celle-ci conduit à une nouvelle architecture des réseaux, fondée sur la mise en œuvre de protocoles
d'accès assurant l'interopérabilité entre environnements techniques variés. Cette perspective diffère de l'approche en vigueur
jusque là dans les réseaux de télécommunications, qui s'appuie sur une homogénéité technique garantie par le contrôle des
opérateurs et sur l'élaboration de standards évolutifs. Les deux trajectoires technologiques présentées coexistent cependant de
façon dynamique : elles accompagnent la compétition industrielle sur le marché des télécoms et entraînent des trajectoires
locales d'évolution différenciées. À partir des observations portées sur ce secteur, le texte s'interroge sur l'éventualité de voir
deux «designs dominants» continuer à coexister dans le temps, ainsi que sur l'incidence que peut avoir l'interopérabilité sur les
capacités d'apprentissage des industries de réseau.
Abstract
The paper investigates the impact of the new standardization model, exemplified by the Internet, in the evolution of the traditional
telecommunications networks. First, it shows why the Internet, emerging from a different cognitive perception of the data-
communication problem, led to a new network architecture. The latter is based on the establisment of protocol «gateways»
facilitating interoperability between heterogeneous network environments -instead of the operator - controlled homogeneity of the
telecom networks and an «adaptative» way for open standards-setting. These two technological trajectories dynamically coexist
and compete for market-shares, yielding relatively different local trajectories of evolution. Observations raise questions about the
possibility of the long coexistence of two «dominant designs» and the relationship between the interoperability and the «learning
conditions» in the network industries.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Kavassalis Petros, Solomon Jay, Benghozi Pierre-Jean. Open Standards and Interoperability : New Learning Models for
Electronic Communications. In: Revue d'économie industrielle. Vol. 75. 1er trimestre 1996. pp. 163-185.
doi : 10.3406/rei.1996.1613
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rei_0154-3229_1996_num_75_1_1613Petros KAVASSALIS
Massachussets Institute of Technology /
Research Program on Communications Policy (RPCP)
Richard Jay SOLOMON
Massachussets Institute of Technology /
Research Program on Communications Policy (RPCP)
Pierre- Jean BENGHOZI
CNRS,
Centre de Recherche en Gestion de l'École Polytechnique
OPEN STANDARDS
AND INTEROPERABILITY :
NEW LEARNING MODELS
FOR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS (*)
Internet Key-words Mots clés : Standardisation, : Standardization, télécommunication, telecommunication, architecture network architecture, de réseau, interopérabilité, interoperability,
INTRODUCTION
1. The problem
It is commonly held that the current standards-setting process in the
telecommunications industry suffers from enormous inefficiencies and delays
that make it difficult to keep up with a rapidly changing industry. Traditional
telecom standards-making bodies magnify Herbert A. Simon's Tempus'
syndrome (1). Tempus, a hard-working manufacturer of exquisite watches
was jealous at the prospering business of his neighbour Hora. Nevertheless,
both Tempus and Hora enjoyed a good reputation and new orders were
constantly arriving, usually by phone, at both shops. But, whereas Hora
responded successfully to customers' demands, Tempus' production line
failed, disturbed by the frequent phone calls for new orders. The two high-
(*) The authors would like to acknowledge extensive discussions with J. Bayleu and the
helpful suggestions of L. McKnight, D. Carver, S. Neil, J. Roth & Fred.
(1) In Simon's adress to American Philosophical Society [see, H. A. Simon 1962]
REVUE D'ÉCONOMIE INDUSTRIELLE — n° 75, 1er trimestre 1996 technicians had radically different approaches to assembling their quality
1000-pieces watches. Tempus put his watches together piece-by-piece. Hora,
whose watches were less complex than those of Tempus, made ten-piece sub
components that could be assembled into a completed watch as orders came
Hora' s work made him lose only a small in. Telephone orders interrupting
part of his effort. But interruptions were disastrous for Tempus, whose entire
watch assembly would collapse even if he had 995 parts already in place. As
N. Eldredge [1995] who recalls the Simon's story concludes, «the more
popular [Tempus] work, the more the phone would ring, and the
difficult it became for him to finish a single watch...».
2. «Old» and «new» models for standard-setting
The Tempus-Hora metaphor highlights the differences between the old
standardization model, as followed by most standards bodies today, and the
new approach exemplified by the Internet (2). Traditional standards processes
and products, even if they try to adapt to the digital multilayer paradigm
requirements (3), have not done well in the marketplace in spite of
considerable investments.
Let us give some exemples. The huge technological battles of the 1980s are
ending an impression of «much ado about nothing». For example, ISDN -
Integrated Services Digital Network, considered as the next step of the
digitalization of the telephone network - has been only a moderate success
where private lines were forbidden or prohibitively expensive. Where the
private data networking has always been a significant part of the market, as in
the U.S., ISDN is just a transitional technology for access to private systems
such as the Internet. Similarly, the Intelligent Network (IN) concept (4) for
conventional Central Offices and the X.25 (5) packet protocol have been
superceded in functionality and rapid diffusion by the Internet's TCP/IP
protocols (6). Either the standards turn out to be sub-optimal despite the
(2) For a more detailed analysis of the differences between «old» and «new» models of IT
standards-making, see R. Solomon and A. Rutkowski [1992], MIT Communications
Forum [Nov. 1993], B. Kahin and J. Abbate's [1995].
(3) To get with rapidly changing technology, enhancing, many «old» standards bodies have
generaly adopted a 7-layered model to enhance interoperability and scalability of complex
systems. However, in reality there are only 3 layers - the underlying electrical or optical
physical layer, a middle-level layer for signaling and control and an application layer. The
Internet's TCP/IP protocol represents a «spanning layer», that spans across network
technologies and user interfaces, as we will demonstrate later in this paper on the basis of
D.Clark paper [1995].
(4) The label «Intelligent Network» signifies the ongoing upgrading of the ISDN envisaging
to add more switching functionality (computerized databases and very complex software).
(5) X.25 is the network protocol used by public telecommunications operators for providing
data services.
(6) TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol) are the main protocols
supporting the Internet. X25 and TCP/IP are building on competing networks concepts.
REVUE D'ÉCONOMIE INDUSTRIELLE — n° 75, 1" trimestre 1996 designs effort in advance of application, as with IN, or too late as enormous
in ISDN. Or, as in the case with X.25, the approach itself - top-down, too
close to the telecom carriers' operational perceptions - has become
increasingly unworkable for advanced, distributed processing networks. In all
of these examples, the standards makers failed to anticipate the single, most
influential change: the advent of incredibly cheap, and very powerful
microprocessors embedded in Customer Premise Equipment (CPE).
To sum, the problem stems from the cognitive limits of the «old model»
standards-setting organizations (7). The old model worked well when
transmission characteristics dominated interface specifications. As moved from analog to digital, from static to dynamic through
computer processing, and as switching became more differentiated, the old
model gave only the illusion of being sufficient. Progressively, it has become
increasingly irrelevant to the real time world changes that are taking place in
applications and networking.
Indeed, the Internet indicates that the technological