BT technologists look into the future of communications in new science Website

BT technologists look into the future of communications in new science Website

BT technologists look into the future of communications in new science Website

Keywords: Telecommunications, Internet, Information

The BT Technology Journal, one of the leading scientific and engineering journals, published quarterly by the Advanced Communications Engineering (ACE) division of BT, is now live on the Internet at: http://www.bt.com/bttj

In the special multi-media millennium edition, which includes animations, interactive features and video clips of contributors, BT's world-renowned technologists explore communications history, discuss current leading-edge practice and forecast the exciting prospects for the future.

Stewart Davies, BT's director of advanced communications engineering, said: "The BT Technology Journal has become a chronicle of excellence in telecommunications engineering. With technological change set to continue at an incredible rate, I believe the best of the BTTJ is yet to come. I am delighted that this work will be freely available to all."

Multimedia and interactive features make the on-line version more accessible to a broader audience than the traditional print edition.

The four main sections feature:

1. 1.

   Drivers: the key technological and business issues guiding the work of BT's Advanced Communications Engineering division.

2. 2.

   Tomorrow: a searching look into the next 20 years. An updated version of futurologist Ian Pearson's popular "Technology Timeline" focuses on possible developments from medical technology to the environment, from robotics to transport.

3. 3.

   Today: in which papers by BT specialists explore subjects as diverse as intelligent software agents, the development of mobile networks, and computing using systems found in nature. In addition, guest author, Arthur C. Clarke, speculates on a recent proposal for cloning via extra-terrestrial interception of human DNA samples sent on an inter-stellar journey.

4. 4.

   Yesterday: a distillation of the 120 year history of the telecommunications industry. It covers a selection of the key steps in the development of today's global communications network, the most complex system ever created by mankind. Several "milestone" papers are included from BT's history of breakthroughs, including the early thinking behind electronic telephone exchanges and pioneering work on optical fibre.

The BTTJ site also contains back issues for the last three years, making the site an essential reference for anyone with an interest in the evolution of communications and information systems.