January 1998

Editor's New Year Message:

The Restructured Global Communications Society and Its Global Newsletter

By Byeong Gi Lee, Editor

The New Year is significant for the IEEE Communications Society. It brings restructure and an increased number of positions to elected and appointed volunteer Officers (see the article by Allan Ledbetter and Carole Swaim in this issue).
Up to now, a smaller group of volunteer officers was adequate for the management of the Communications Society's activities. We now have a full hierarchical organization responsible for the management of ComSoc activities throughout the world. For example, responsibilities of the former Vice President of International Affairs and Vice President of Membership Affairs have merged into a new position led by the Vice President of Membership Development. This officer manages ComSoc's four regions, which cover the globe: Asia/Pacific (AP), Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), Latin America (LA), and North America (NA). A new Vice-President of Society Relations will contribute to the promotion of intersocietal relations with the Communications Society's Sister Societies and other professional societies all over the world.
We may interpret these changes as reflections of ComSoc's strong resolve to become a truly global professional society. In this context, 1998 will accelerate the Communications Society's move to global service and presence, realizing the globalization initiative stimulated by Maurizio Decina four years ago!
In order to support these important changes in ComSoc as well as the embedded spirit of the Society, we are going to modify the direction of the Global Communications Newsletter (GCN) accordingly. In the past, the role of the GCN was limited to reporting communications-related activities in "global" regions, excluding North America. Last year we modified this to some extent by including ComSoc news and activities. Starting this year, we are going to further extend GCN's content to properly reflect the spirit of full globalization represented in the ComSoc restructure. The term "global" will be converted to the real global nature of ComSoc, which includes the North American region as well. GCN will function as an important vehicle that facilitates the globalization of ComSoc as well as interexchange of information among all constituent entities of the global Communications Society.
The GCN of 1998 will, therefore, encompass a much more diversified scope than before. GCN is the newsletter of the global ComSoc. It will cover ComSoc news and activity reports, which should be of primary interest to ComSoc members. This includes Society news, ComSoc officers' messages, Technical Committee activity reports, meetings and conferences' status reports, journals and magazines' status reports, and other membership development and services-related reports. Articles will also cover the interexchange of global regional information. This will include the GCN Correspondents' reports, regional offices' (Brussel and Singapore) reports, Regional Directors' (AP, EMEA, LA, and NA) reports, ComSoc Chapters' reports, Sister Societies' news, and other global communication communities' news and membership feedback.
I believe this restructuring of GCN matches and supports the restructuring of the Society and further realization of a global Communications Society.
I wish everyone a Happy New Year -- the originating year of ComSoc's global restructuring and its (truly) global newsletter.


ComSoc's New Organizational Structure

By Carole Swaim, Senior Administrator­Volunteer Services and Administration,
and Allan Ledbetter, Senior Advisor (volunteer)

In 1995 President Maurizio Decina asked Roberto de Marca, Doug Zuckerman, and Celia Desmond to plan a new organizational structure to meet the increasing demands of his "beloved (and growing) global Communications Society." (The reorganization was approved by the ComSoc Board of Governors in November 1995 in Singapore.) Steve Weinstein, during his presidency, began implementing these changes and has just handed the Society reins over to Tom Plevyak. Tom will now guide ComSoc (via this structure) to the year 2000.
With services to ComSoc Members and outreaches to the worldwide community increasing, Maurizio's task force proposed spreading the workload among four vice presidents to ensure that programs, initiatives, and strategic objectives were developed and carried forward expeditiously. Now, 1998 begins the transition year for new vice presidents to lead four strategic areas: technical activities (ComSoc's reason for existence), membership services (how we bring our 'reason for existence' to members), membership development (recruiting new members and expansion), and society relations (collaborating with IEEE societies and reaching out through related professional societies worldwide).
Our Vice President­Technical Activities, Doug Zuckerman, is charged with promoting all technical affairs within ComSoc. Technical Committee chairs, as well as the Awards, Fellow Evaluation, and Technical Committees Recertification committees report to Doug. His Technical Activities Council (TAC) advances the broad range of communications and other related technical areas.
Heading up Membership Services as Vice President is Curtis Siller, who oversees magazines and journals, meetings and conferences, and educational activities. Last year our publications area was split into Journals and Magazines to facilitate the workload and to allow for the difference in focuses of magazines and journals: journals being highly technical and specialized, and magazines covering the broad range of communications utilized by the world at large. Curtis' Membership Services Council is providing a variety of different services. It oversees all educational activities, including programs on basic and continuing education through tutorials, short courses, and guest lectures. This Council also is responsible for our meetings and conferences, establishing policy, setting direction, and providing oversight.
Ron Horn, our Vice President­Membership Development, has two Councils reporting to him. Our International Development Council will continue to address international concerns for ComSoc. The Membership Activities Council will focus on individual member needs and Chapter interests of the members, develop membership and professional programs, and provide information systems.
As the Vice President­Society Relations, Tetsuya Miki will work with his Council to create and maintain a strong presence within IEEE and other professional societies (especially our Sister Societies) worldwide.
So, there you have it -- an overview of our new management working to make our community the world's Communications Society for the 21st century, enabling us to bring more to the Society, accomplishing more for our members, and increasing worldwide awareness of its purposes. May we encourage you to support each of them as they work to bring your visions and goals to fruition.
ComSoc's Vice Presidents and appointed Directors for 1998­1999:
Vice President­Technical Activities: Doug Zuckerman
Vice President­Membership Services: Curtis Siller
Director of Journals: Bill Tranter
Director of Magazines: Hussein Mouftah
Director of Meetings and Conferences: Celia Desmond
Director of Education: Ron Bose
Vice President­Membership Development: Ron Horn
Director, Asia/Pacific: Byeong G. Lee
Director, Europe/Africa/Middle East: Horst Bessai
Director, Latin America: Leonor Wilches-Chaux
Director, North America: Khoi Nguyen
Director, Information Services Development: Dale Armor
Director, Membership Programs: Savo Glisic
Vice President­Society Relations: Tetsuya Miki


Fifth China Youth Communication Academic Conference Held in Beijing

By Zhigang Cao, China

The 5th China Youth Communication (CYC) Academic Conference was held by the China Institute of Communications and Tsinghua University in Beijing from 14­15 June, 1997. More than 100 young people from all over the country attended the conference. The theme of this conference was "The Key Technologies of National Information Infrastructure." There were five subjects: radio transmission, modulation, coding theory, multimedia communications, and telecommunication network management, as well as optical and satellite communication systems. During the conference, three symposia were opened focusing on software radio, Internet, and ATM technologies, respecitvely.
The CYC Academic Conference is a conference sponsored by Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications, Southeast University, Xian Electronic Polytechnic University, and China Electronic Polytechnic University. The first conference was held in 1989. It is becoming more and more famous in China. The many young people who attend the conference represent the backbone of research, development, operation, and manufacture of communications in China. The Youth Working Committee of the China Institute of Communications founded this conference; the chair of the committee is Yang Yixian, professor at Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications.


Status and Activity of the Russian Popov Society and the
IEEE ComSoc Russia Chapter

By Henrich Lantsberg, Member, Russian Popov Society Executive Board and
Vice-Chair, IEEE Russia Section

It gives me great pleasure and honor to take this opportunity to introduce the Russian Popov Society to the IEEE ComSoc "Sister Society" members. The Russian Scientific-Technical A. S. Popov Society for Radioengineering, Electronics & Communications was created in December 1991. The Society is the successor of the All-Union Popov Society formed in May 1945. The creation of the Russian Popov Society was a result of the disintegration of the USSR and formation of CIS countries. The main goals of the Society are as follows: integration of the activity of the Russian scientific-technical community in the field of radioelectronics and communications directed toward the development of science and technology, assistance to scientists and engineers in their R& D efforts, and organization of conferences, workshops, symposia, and exchange of information. One of the main purposes of the Society is to develop international cooperation and maintain productive relations with the world scientific community.
The President of the Russian Popov Society is Yuri Gulyaev, Director of the Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a scientist known worldwide for his work in the field of solid state physics and communications. The Society has now more than 100,000 members and 45 regional branches located from Western to Eastern Russia. The Society consists of 30 scientifically and technically oriented sections on different aspects of modern radio electronics and communications (computer, TV, communications, optoelectronics and fiber optics, information theory, general radioengineering, antennas and propagation, etc.). The Society publishes eight journals and magazines. The society and its regional branches organize more than 350 conferences and workshops annually, including some international events.
Efforts to establish cooperation with the IEEE go back to the 1950s. The first official agreement on cooperation between the IEEE and the Popov Society was signed in October 1988 in Munich, Germany. The two parties expressed their wish to continue the strong scientific-technical relations, and also agreed to encourage their members to submit papers for publication in their journals as well as mutual participation of scientists and engineers in conferences, workshops, and other activities (e.g., exhibitions, video conferences). The agreement provided the organization of joint workshops on relevant problems of science and technology, cooperation in arranging visits of research institutes and corporate organizations for delegations of each society,and exchange of information. The Popov Society agreed to advise and assist the IEEE in its efforts to develop membership and establish the IEEE Section and Chapters in Russia. The agreement has been extended and is valid at present.
In cooperation with the Russian Popov Society the IEEE Russia Section was established in 1990. Prof. Yuri Gulyaev was elected chair of the IEEE Russia, which now comprises more than 600 members, well known Russian scientists and engineers, with 18 chapters of different IEEE societies. The chapters are located in several cities of Russia from the West (Saint Petersburg, Moscow) to the East in Siberia (Irkutsk, Novosibirsk). The section has also two student branches.
Among the chapters created within the IEEE Russia Section there is an IEEE Communications Society Russia Chapter, one of the most active chapters of the IEEE Russia Section.
The Russian Popov Society, IEEE Russia section, and IEEE ComSoc Russia chapter, and IEEE Region 8 (Europe, Middle East, Africa) in cooperation with other organizations convened the 1st International Conference on Satellite Communications (ICSC '94, October 1994, Moscow, Russia). The conference explored the theme "Satellite Communications that Unite Nations" and was attended by 300 scientists and engineers from England, Italy, Russia, CIS countries, the United States, France, and Turkey.
Past President of IEEE ComSoc Steve Weinstein participated in our second ICSC '96 held September 1996 in Moscow and presented a paper, "Role of Satellites in Internet Multimedia Applications." During his stay in Moscow he visited some research institutes and met with the members of the Russian Popov Society Board and the officers of the IEEE Russia Section and its chapters. Prof. Weinstein has been elected a Member of the newly created International Telecommunication Academy.
The Russian Popov Society has reached with IEEE ComSoc a "Sister Society" agreement on cooperation. The agreement (valid until 1999) has been signed by Yuri Gulyaev, President of the Russian Popov Society, Steve Weinstein, Past President of IEEE ComSoc, and Yuri Zoubarev, Chair, IEEE ComSoc Russia Chapter. The two organizations expressed their strong desire to pursue scientific-technical relations. The members of Popov Society (ComSoc) may submit papers to mutual meetings, conferences, and journals with some privileges, as well as subscribe to journals at reduced Sister Society rates. The Russian Popov Society has English-language translation publications (journals Telecommunications, Radioengineering, Radioengineering & Electronics, and Electrical Communications). The agreement contributed greatly in promoting our future beneficial cooperation.
During 1997 the IEEE ComSoc Russia Chapter, in cooperation with some other organizations, organized many scientific meetings and other events. Some important events to be held in Moscow, Russia are scheduled by the IEEE ComSoc Russia chapter and cosponsored by the IEEE ComSoc for 1998 are:
  1. 3rd Business Forum, Mobile Systems '98 (March)
  2. 1st International Conference and Exhibition on Digital Signal Processing and Its Applications, DSPA '98 (June)
  3. 3rd International Conference and Exhibition on Satellite Communications, ICSC '98 (September)
  4. 1st International Mobile Communications Conference, IMCC '98 (November)
An important event took place in October 1995 in Barcelona, Spain: an agreement was reached on opening an IEEE Russia Section Secretariat in Moscow, Russia. The agreement between IEEE Region 8 and IEEE Russia Section provides services to the IEEE members and chapters in Russia; extends the IEEE information network to reach all electrical, electronics, and computer engineers in Russia; supports the section's and chapters' efforts to organize meetings and workshops and fulfill obligations regarding elections and reporting in accordance with the IEEE Bylaws. It was generally agreed that the creation of the IEEE Russia section office in Moscow will open some new opportunities for developing further cooperation.
We consider the experience of our cooperation as fruitful and creative. All these agreements facilitate an active participation of Russia in the world scientific community. International scientific-technical cooperation is of great benefit, as it strengthens mutual understanding and contributes much to further development of modern science and technology.


Introducing the Signal Processing for Storage (SPS)
Technical Committee

By Jaekyun Moon, Chair of the SPS Technical Committee

The main mission of the Signal Processing for Storage Technical Committee (SPSTC) is to promote research and development activities for communications and signal processing technologies which can be used to enhance data storage systems. Data storage is a rapidly growing field. The storage market is currently growing at an average rate of nearly 100 percent a year in terms of gigabytes shipped, and worldwide annual revenue is expected to reach around US$90 billion by the year 2000. Since the early 1990s storage densities of high-end magnetic disk drive systems, for example, have been growing at a compound rate of 60 percent a year. In the past, major breakthroughs in the heads and media technologies have mainly been responsible for the spectacular growth in storage capacity, but communication and signal processing techniques are increasingly viewed as cost-efficient means of achieving high storage densities, fast access, and low error rates.
The SPSTC recognizes the need for improved communication techniques for storage, and in an effort to stimulate research in this area, the committee provides a forum for discussion and exchange of information among communications and signal processing professionals interested in storage-related topics. The committee activities include sponsoring technical sessions at ICCs and GLOBECOMs, and organizing workshops and tutorials. The committee held a highly successful workshop at ICC '95 on next-generation data channels for magnetic recording. The committee is also sponsoring a tutorial session at ICC '98 on the topic of constrained coding. The SPSTC also organzes special issues for IEEE publications such as IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Communications Magazine, and IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. Our technical topics of interest include stochastic modeling of underlying noise and nonlinearity, detection and equalization methods, error correction and constrained codes, timing recovery, channel capacity computation, VLSI issues, and consumer recording systems. Our mailing list now includes about 250 members, 38 percent of whom are from outside North America. While a large number of our members are from the data storage and consumer electronics industries, a growing number members come from academia.
The committee meeting is typically held twice a year, at every ICC and GLOBECOM. For meeting announcements as well as other information on SPSTC's activities, please visit the SPSTC Web site, or contact the committee chair, Jaekyun Moon of the University of Minnesota (phone: +1-612-625-7322).


Privatization and Liberalization of Telecommunications in Lithuania

By Algirdas Pakstas, Norway

Plans about partial privatization of Lithuania's telecom company Lietuvos Telekomas announced recently are a challenge for Telia, Sweden's state-owned telephone company. Up to 66 percent of Lietuvos telekomas will be sold for about US$600­900 million, and Telia is willing to participate in this deal. Telia is active in the Baltic market and has already earned a profit of SEK 99 million on the SEK 108 million it invested in various telecom operations in Estonia. Mart Nurk, who is in charge of Telia in the Baltic countries, thinks that it can be profitable for Telia, while Telia's involvement in Latvia has so far not been a success. "Business Eastern Europe" in the British magazine Economist was not so certain about the success of this privatization project, particularly if the government of Lithuania insists on its requirement that all the nearly 10,000 employees of Lietuvos telekomas be kept employed by the new owner.


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