TC 6
- Communication Systems
Interview with Augusto Casaca, TC 6 Chair (1998 - 2003)
Augusto Casaca is Full Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal. He is also the Leader of the Research Group on Network Architecture at INESC-Lisbon. He has graduated in Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Lisbon and later on earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Manchester, U.K. He has worked on Digital Systems Design and Computer Architecture for a number of years and, influenced by the digitization occurring in communication systems, moved into the area of networking around 1985. Since then he has been involved in many international research projects on networking and has had a strong participation in standardization activities. His IFIP involvement began in 1991 and he is the TC6 chairman since 1998. Some of his free time is dedicated to music listening and sport. After playing basketball for 15 years, he convinced himself that his height was not the most appropriate to have a huge success in that sport and moved on to tennis and golf.
The Delivery Co: In your opinion, which are the most significant developments and activities of your TC since its foundation?
A. Casaca: TC 6 was founded 30 years ago and its initial name was "Technical Committee for Data Communications". In 1991 TC6 was renamed "Technical Committee on Communication Systems". This change in name reflected the convergence between voice and data communications, which was underway at that time and also broadened its scope of activity.
The TC6 main objective has always been to have a real exchange of technical information on its areas of activity. One of the important components is the interchange of information with developing countries. The exchange of information has been achieved within the specialized working groups and in a broader way via open and working conferences, which have been held all over the world and largely attended by many of the main actors in the field of communication systems.
TC6 has led the way for the technical exchange of information in the most significant fields of telecommunications during the last 30 years. The rapid evolution of this technical area is well known. TC6 has been among the first to organize events in new domains, for example on high-speed local area networks, integrated services digital networks, asynchronous transfer mode protocols, network management and quality of service in integrated networks, just to name a few. The results of these events led in many cases to the preparation of contributions to international standards and to new ideas for advanced research projects.
The TC6 working groups have adapted their technical objectives to the profound changes of the communication systems architecture in the latest years. In consequence, their present fields of work reflect the main trends of research in communication systems, namely on distributed systems and network architecture, performance and quality of service, wireless and optical communications, network management, mobility, intelligent networks and novel applications.
The Delivery Co: Are there any current technical activities within the scope of your TC, which you feel could have a significant societal/economic impact in future?
A. Casaca: Communication systems on the whole have a strong social and economic impact as it is well known. Being more specific, although at different levels, the activities regarding the communication infrastructure evolution and new application trends will have a positive influence on the economy and might also provoke a change in social customs.
The evolution towards optical communication in fixed networks, meaning very high speed and multi-service integrated communications, and the current changes in the communication systems architecture influenced by wireless and mobile networks are two significant examples of change in the network infrastructure with impact on the economy and society. At the application level, the search for novel Internet applications and the dynamic developments that occur in the areas of E-Commerce and E-Government are also good examples of areas which will influence the economy and the societal habits.
The Delivery Co: Are there any specific technical issues you find important for IFIP as a whole to address?
A. Casaca: From the specific technological point of view, there are areas of collaboration that need to be further developed within the IFIP Technical Committees. I am thinking in terms of the application area, in which the good example of collaboration among TC6, TC8 and TC11 for the areas of E-Commerce, E-Business and E-Government should be pursued and even be extended to other areas. Also the domain of security assumes more and more importance in today's systems, not only at the level of the information systems but at the level of the networks themselves. This is an area in which TC6 and TC11 are collaborating, but again, a more structured collaboration is probably needed to give more visibility to this key area of activity. Finally, the collaboration with developing countries is one of the flagship activities of IFIP, which should be increased, and this is definitely an activity that needs to be taken in IFIP as a whole.