Research and Innovation

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

presidentAntonio Sassano

board membersLoredana FicarelliGiorgio Ventre

BOARD OF AUDITORS

presidentMassimiliano Ghizzi

auditorsLuigi La RosaMauro Ceriani

RESEARCH DIRECTOR

Mario Frullone

Fondazione Ugo Bordoni (FUB) is a Culturaland Research Institution under thesupervision of the Ministry of EconomicDevelopment.

FUB boasts a solid tradition of research andapplied studies in the field oftelecommunications and ICT, committed to aprogressive interchange between pure andapplied research.

The public governance model assigned by lawto FUB guarantees the independence neededto provide support and guidance to publicadministrations and independent authorities.

FUB is therefore able to combine ICT researchactivities with public interest services for theprotection of citizens’ rights.

FUB functions in a widecooperative network,involving Universities and researchinstitutions worldwide.

The mission of FUB also includes a strongcommitment to education, participation andpromotion of public debate with regard totechnological innovation and industrialdevelopment in Italy.

UGO BORDONI FOUNDATION

Imagining technological development:A future of economic and social sustainability

Technological Innovation forIndustrial Development andPublic AdministrationModernization

Scientific andTechnological Supportto Institutions andEnterprises

Prospects andSolutions for theProtection ofCitizens’ Rights

Key Role inInnovative ResearchFields

FUB aims at identifying innovative solutionsfor broadband communications and newgeneration networks to meet the challengesposed by technological convergence. Afterhaving developed a solid expertise in the fieldof communication networks, FUB hasextended the range of its activities toInformation and Communication Technology(ICT).

In the future, FUB will develop projects tooptimize infrastructure systems in crucialfields such as energy, health and mobility.

The ICT activity of the Foundation is based ontwo main threads:

• Research activity in the field of ICT

• Specific assignments on commission

Research is a prerequisite for FUB to maintainhigh scientific standards and carry outsuccessful general activities and specificcommissions.

The experience accumulated in the field ofresearch can be applied to a multitude ofoperational projects aimed at transferringinnovative solutions to industrialenvironments or public administrations.

Furthermore, careful analysis andinvolvement in the field guarantee a higherlevel of awareness of the emerging issueswhich will affect the protection of citizens’rights.

Mission

Developing cutting edge solutions that represent a European benchmark

FUB is an internationally recognized scientificand technological research centre thanks toits research and development activities.

FUB research activities are firmly orientedtowards collaboration, confrontation andexchange with third parties, in order to:

• exchange information and share bestpractices for the benefit of Institutions andEnterprises

• enhance its influence on the public debateto promote the modernization of thecountry

Training methodologies for researchers andtechnical staff are part of the intangibleassets of FUB, which has always promotedcooperation with universities and scientificcentres through research grants and contracts.

The teaching scientific investigation methodsis, in effect, a competitive advantage inattracting new resources (researchers, Post-doctoral researchers, final year students anddoctoral candidates) on an international scale.

FUB focuses research on the latest scientifictrends, which are selected for their strategicpotential.

Cognitive Radio, Advanced Quality ofExperience and Information Privacy are someof the “leading edge” research fieldsidentified for the near future.

Research

Research

Advanced Quality of Experience

The quantity of services transported on IPprotocol networks is growing at a very fastpace; nowadays, this platform offers digitalTV (SD, HD e 3D) through PCs or dedicatedvideo devices (smart and connected TV).

In this context, the evaluation of the Qualityof Experience (QoE) perceived by users playsa fundamental role in establishing to whatextent it is influenced by the networkfeatures.

It should be pointed out that new services willsee an ever increasing video component, thusan objective evaluation of QoE that includesnext generation multimedia features is thefirst step to improve perception in futureInformation and Communications Technology(ICT) scenarios.

Particular emphasis will be given to theresearch into a correlation between QoE andnetwork performance, which can bemeasured in terms of Quality of Service (QoS)or through other parameters (resiliency,capacity, congestion, etc). The identification ofa relation between QoS and QoE would allowadapting services to the network and,reversely, orientating the network towardsgiven services.

The interest in cognitive radio systemsoriginates from the growing demand for radiocommunication resources. Cognitivetechnologies are widening the range ofopportunities to access the radio spectrum,thanks to the analysis of spectrum usage andpropagation characteristics within a specifictime interval and the specific geographic areawhere the cognitive radio device is installed.

Cognitive technologies are developing andopening to a wide range of researchopportunities.

One of the most interesting aspects ofcognitive radio technologies is the unlicensedand unprotected use of so-called “whitespaces” left by the systems that use thespectrum in a primary and licensed way. Theuse of cognitive radio technology is allowedprovided that no harmful interference affectsthe primary service.

The most common cognitive technologies arebased on channel sensing and geolocationdatabase.

Cognitive Radio

FUB aims at identifying advancedimplementation and application modes ofcognitive radio.

With regard to the strategies based onchannel sensing, FUB: • has analyzed the so-called Hidden NodeMargin (HNM), evaluating thedependency of this margin fromenvironmental and geometric parameters,in order identify a suitable statisticalmodel

• is involved in research activities to designand create an energy detection algorithmbased on the benefits of mutualcooperation between devices

• has implemented a simulator to evaluatethe benefits obtained through theexploitation of the cyclostationaryfeatures of signals, while extending theresearch beyond DVB-T signals, forexample to mobile radio systems

With regard to geolocation databasetechniques, FUB is working on theidentification of parameters to adopt atinternational scale, in order to evaluate thepower levels allowed on the portions of thespectrum of a cognitive device in a givengeographic position.

With regard to resource management andassignment, FUB has considered the use ofmaster-slave architectures and multilevelcooperative sensors.

The joint application of geolocationdatabase and sensing techniquesrepresents an underexplored research areathat can bring considerable benefits interms of:• reduction of the interference risk• detection of non-primary signals, such asprofessional microphones

The proliferation of personal data and profileson the Internet raises questions and warningsabout privacy and treatment of personalinformation.

At transnational level, the principle of self-determination highlights the right to controlpersonal data, the protection of reputationand the right to oblivion.

The process of acquisition, management andelimination of personal data, however, isextremely difficult to regulate, because of thediversity and the degree of sophistication ofoperational backgrounds and personsinvolved. The most relevant examples arepersonal data in social networks and websites, tracked by search engines and e-commerce platforms or stored in webdatabase or cloud computing infrastructures.

In addition to methodologies that technicallyprevent personal identification (“privacy bydesign”), users shall be made aware of theacquisition and management of their data(“privacy by default”) and shall be givenproactive instruments for the control and theprotection of digital identity and theassessment of privacy-related risks.

Information Privacy

FUB carries out research into enhancedprivacy protection techniques for detectionand retrieval of information and is stronglycommitted to developing user-orientedmethodologies and systems for theidentification and the assessment of privacyrisks.

The activities of FUB will mainly include:• research of metrics to characterise theusers perception

• research on influence of networkdegradations causes (delays, packet loss,jitter…) on the above metrics

• analysis of transportation technologies(fibre optic, xDLS, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, 3G and4G) and routing (MPLS, GMPLS, CarrierEthernet, optical burst switching, opticalpacket switching) and their contributionsto the improvement of the QoE

As a consequence of the activities carriedout for the QoS evaluation of Internetaccess, performed on behalf of Italianregulator AGCOM, FUB acquired an excellentknowledge of the network behaviour, bothat access and backbone level.FUB also has a long experience in the use ofMedium Opinion Score (MOS) developed byinternational organizations.

Application fields include service engineering(characterization of new services toguarantee full performance of new generationnetworks) and network engineering(characterization of fixed and mobilenetworks to guarantee full support ofservices).

Innovative technology transfer for the development and modernization of the country

FUB is strongly committed to activities with ahigh technological innovation and growthpotential.

As the the Technical Advisor for theimplementation of the Italian digitalenvironment and reducing the gap betweenItaly and the most advanced Europeannations, the FUB is a recognized innovationpartner for institutions and enterprises.

FUB provides an extensive contribution to thedevelopment of ICT through the promotion of:

• Processes aimed at overcoming barriers toinnovation (digital divide, lack of standards,limited or excessive regulations)

• Digital literacy in Public Administrations(PAs) and Small and Medium-sizedEnterprises (SMEs)

• Innovation of top-down services: studyingand benchmarking the most successfulbusiness models

Innovation

The spectral resources available for 3G mobilenetworks are not sufficient to support the fastdevelopment of mobile communications, thegrowth of users and the creation of newservices. For this reason, it is necessary toreplace them with new generation mobilenetworks (4G), such as LTE (Long TermEvolution) networks, characterised by ahigher spectral efficiency.

In spite of this, the ongoing refarming ofmobile radio frequencies alone is notsufficient to cater to new services. The switchfrom analogue to digital television is afundamental step, since it allows the so-called“digital dividend” frequencies to be allocatedto broadband mobile communications.

In the current scenario of mobilecommunications development, it is importantto know the actual usage of the frequenciesassigned to broadband mobile services, inorder to define the most interesting bandsand their advantages.

New fundamental technical challenges arearising, particularly with regard to thecoexistence between television and mobilesystems, and the propagation of radio signals.

Apart from the evolution of mobile andpersonal communications, the importance ofmobile radio communications is rising also inpublic security systems. The TerrestrialTrunked Radio (TETRA) system, developed inthe European Telecommunications StandardsInstitute (ETSI) upon request of the EuropeanUnion, is an unparalleled system, irreplaceablein some contexts.

Radio Spectrum Management Evolution of Mobile Systems

FUB has assisted the Ministry of theEconomic Development (MISE) throughoutthe analogue switch-off process, providingtechnical, scientific, operational, logistic andcommunication support.

In addition, FUB supports the MISE for theimplementation of the 900 MHz bandRefarming Plan, drafted by the Operatorsand approved by AGCOM and MISE. To thisaim, FUB established a Technical Committeethat verifies, controls and monitors theimplementation process. FUB is also amember of the so-called High LevelReflection Group on radio spectrum.

Finally, FUB played the role of technicaladvisor to MISE in the recent LTE spectrumauction in the 800, 1800, and 2600 MHzbands; they also advised on the awarding ofthe Internal Digital Dividend subsequent tothe analogue TV switch off.

With regard to mobile and personalcommunications, FUB leads theoretical andexperimental research in the followingareas:• Evaluation of the advantages in the use ofthe 800 MHz band

• Ray Tracing• Preparation of 3.5 GHz propagationmodels for outdoor and indoorenvironments

• High-mobility wireless devices• Femtocells networks

With regard to TETRA, FUB and the HighInstitute of Communications andInformation Technologies [Istituto Superioredelle Comunicazioni e delle Tecnologiedell’Informazione (ISCOM)] have played therole of coordinators for equipment typeapproval.

Next Generation Networks

The evolution of ultra-broadband services hasbrought about the need to innovatetelecommunications networks, in terms offunctions, performance, management andmonitoring systems, offer to the end user.

Nowadays, copper networks represent one ofthe bottlenecks to access network capacity,especially with regard to over-the-top (OTT)services (cloud computing, social networks,video streaming, etc) that are creating anenormous rise in the bandwidth demand.

The shift to Next Generation Network Access(NGAN) can benefit from a widespread use offibre optics to reach final users. There arevarious options: Fibre to the Home (FTTH);Fibre to the Building (FTTB); Fibre to the Curb(FTTC) and copper wires to the end user (forexample, through the use of VDSL2 Vectoringtechnology). In addition, fibre optics can beused with point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connections based on a GigabitPassive Optical Network (GPON) technique.

Fibre optics will improve the mobile network(3G and 4G) performance, allowing theconnection of all base stations with extremelyhigh bit rates.

The migration towards packet technologieswill have to meet the needs of many servicesthat require specific features in terms ofquality and reliability. This in turn willtriggerthe need to identify new techniques androuting protocols (from the Multi-ProtocolLabel Switching to the Carrier Ethernet andGeneralized Multi-Protocol Label Switching, tothe Optical Burst Switching and the OpticalPacket Switching).

FUB carries out technical-economicevaluations of the services provided by newgeneration broadband networks, and is aninternational leader for quality assessmentof fixed and wireless networks.In addition, FUB is able to simulate bothwireline and wireless networks coveringlarge geographical areas.

With regard to fibre optics, FUB hasconducted important research works andexperiments on Carrier Ethernet, PONnetworks and WDM PON techniques, aswell as on advanced optical devices likewavelength converters.

Innovation

Network and information security will play adecisive role in the success of new democraticparticipation models (e-government, e-democracy) and new business models(e-commerce, e-banking, mobile payments).

Nowadays, the achievement of a high level ofsecurity in communication networks isnecessary to guarantee top qualityperformance of critical infrastructures. Theyinclude electrical systems, communicationnetworks, air, water, rail and roadtransportation networks, the healthcaresystem, financial networks, etc.

On the one hand,the growinginterdependence of these structures hasdriven improvements in their effectivenessand quality while reducing costs. On the otherhand, it has generated new unexpectedvulnerabilities. Consequently, the protectionof infrastructures plays a vital role in the lifeof both citizens and state.

In addition, the growing mobility of personsand things are creating a need for newintelligent transportation systems (ITS).

ICT Security

The FUB is involved security-relatedt issuesin several European projects dealing withthe development and management ofcritical infrastructures. In particular, FUB carries out researchstudies in the following areas:• ICT security in Service OrientedArchitecture (SOA) systems

• DOMINO (Domino Effect ModellingInfrastructure Collapse) effect

• Crisis Management• Intelligent Transportation Systems

In addition, FUB has explored thedevelopment of mobile payment, and haspaid particular attention to the followingaspects:• security issues in the use of smart cards• regulations and evolution of the market

Evolution of Television Service

The adoption of the Digital TerrestrialTelevision (DTT) represents the mostoutstanding step towards a full digitalconversion of the television system and pavesthe way for further evolution.

The digitalization of the TV signal transformsthe traditional television device from achannel tuner into a real multimedia hub andpaves the way for the convergence ofdifferent platforms. This process determines acommunication environment that integratesvarious types of portable devices (mobilephones, smartphones, tablets, etc) and fixeddevices (set-top boxes, gaming consolesconnected to digital TV, personal computers,etc).

Traditional transmission of TV signals(terrestrial, cable and satellite) coexist withinteractive models that exploit the broadbanddata transmission (mainly on xDSL today and,in the future, more oriented towards the fibreoptics).

The fast-growing use of Internet and theincreased availability of broadband accesshave paved the way for the use of TVplatform over IP, that is, an interactive digitalplatform that uses the Internet as atransmission channel for television contents.

The most interesting trend is perhaps theadvent of new, advanced features in the TVsets currently entering the markets: flatscreen, high definition, 3D, connectable TVdevices.

Since 2004, FUB has been operating adigital TV Laboratory that is able toreproduce the whole value chain of digitaltelevision: generation, processing andbroadcast of programmes and services.

Following the switchover to digitaltelevision, FUB has implemented theMONITOR DTT monitoring actions -Evaluations of the User Experience throughDigital Terrestrial Television.In addition, it is carrying out research oninterference between DVB-T signals andbroadband mobile in the UHF band.

FUB carries out research on the evolution oftelevision service and the experimentationof alternative TV platforms. In thisframework, several significant researchprogramshave been performed (supportedby experimental tests carried out at ISCOMlaboratories) on the potential of TV over IPin view of the use of TV as a tool to accessthe Internet.

In addition, FUB was involved in the designand coordination of an important formaltest campaign for the evaluation of highand ultra-high resolution video. This activityallowed MPEG to start the standardizationof the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)image compression algorithm.

In the framework of the HD Forum Italia,FUB plays the role of neutral guarantor forstrategic choices in national technical normson HDTV, contributing to technicalspecifications and communication activitieson High Definition features, as well as to thedesign of deployment scenarios.

Innovation

The paradigm of Energy efficiencyencompasses a set of technologies, products,services and models that can positivelyinfluence the environmentally friendlytransformation of the country, while leading ittowards the environmental goals set out bythe EU. Within this strategic corpus, adistinction shall be drawn between twodifferent approaches:

- the attention to Energy saving in TLC andICT (Green ICT) areas

- the contribution of ICT in enabling energyefficiency in other areas (ICT for Green)

Possible fields of work include smart grids forthe achievement of energy efficiency goals,the research on costs/benefits of renewableenergy sources, the challenges that TLCoperators are called to face to reach theirgoals of CO2 emissions reduction, and theevolution of smart cities. In this scenario,persons and objects will be more and moreinterconnected and will be able to satisfytheir needs - study, work, services, and sociallife – by a remote connection.

Green ICT and ICT for Green

With regard to the direct approach of GreenICT, FUB has conducted research on Energysavings, with a specific focus on thefollowing areas:• Use of energy in new generationnetworks based on fibre optics

• Energy savings in access networks andbackbone networks

• Reduction of energy use in mobile radionetworks

With regard to the ICT for Green approach,FUB carried out investigations on thefollowing areas:• Growing integration of ICT in smart gridsfor utilities

• Solutions for energy efficiency ofhouseholds and public buildings

In order to stimulate the debate aroundeconomic and regulatory aspects, FUB haspublished a document entitled “Green ICT.Electricity and Telecommunication Market”[“Green ICT. Mercato elettrico etelecomunicazioni”], a summary of bestpractices in Italy and Europe, with adescription of new regulatory profiles.

FUB is also member of RES4MED-Renewable Energy Solutions for theMediterranean, a non-profit association,whose aim is to foster the adoption ofrenewable energy sources and to enhancethe electrical infrastructures of theMediterranean and the Balkan area. Thisinternational activity involves top-notchItalian operators, who also work as partnersin ongoing regional projects (network ofnetworks).In this framework, FUB shares its know-howin the field of ICT and provides technicalsupport for the optimization of efficiencyand security issues in new power plants.FUB is also involved in the Joint Programmeon Smart Cities within the European EnergyResearch Alliance, with a particular focus on‘Smart Grid’ and ‘Urban energy networks’Sub-Programmes.

Finally, FUB develops joint initiatives withCESI, the Italian Electrical and TechnicalExperimental Center to design andimplement energy infrastructures,considering funding opportunities at EU andInternational level.

Multimedia Information Systems

FUB operates in technological areas such as:• Recording techniques and multisensoryreproduction techniques (olfactory andthermic)

• Dialogue modelling techniques, renderingmodels and algorithms for the creation ofstorytelling segments

• Integration of multimedia technologies,such as video stereoscopy and 3D audio,through the extension of multisensoryinformation (olfactory and thermic), withthe aim of experiencing advanced formsof representation of reality

These activities can be applied to thefollowing purposes:• Creation of new technology platformsoriented to access of multimedia contentsand services

• Creation of applications and high-techenvironments for virtual, multisensory andinteractive use of cultural heritage

FUB operates in a wide range of areasconcerning the retrieval and analysis ofWeb contents and large databases: • Definition of new techniques for clusteringand ranking

• Automatic classification of images• Development of methodologies and toolsfor opinion mining

In particular, FUB is involved in thedevelopment of a platform that integratesadvanced IT technologies and innovativescientific methodologies for automaticmetadating, semantic classification andmultimedia content retrieval.

FUB has signed a Scientific CooperationAgreement on Data Mining with theNational Research Council, launched onFebruary 25th 2011.

The technological convergence brought by thedigital language integrates traditionallyseparated systems into mixed multimediaenvironments. Innovative techniques for thetreatment of multimedia signals (images, 2Dand 3D audio and video) involve the entireprocess of creation, acquisition, coding,transmission, processing and presentation ofinformation. Web and social networks, videoarchives, traces left on e-commerce sites andsearch engines, data collected throughpersonal communication devices, sensornetworks and remote sensing systems arejust a few examples of the digital informationstream. The possibility to analyze these dataautomatically paves the way for newapplication scenarios, such as discoveringhidden rules in data sequences, recognizingsemantic entities, modelling sensorial andinstrumental data in real time, profiling usersimplicitly. Data retrieval and data miningsystems raise interest in the scientificcommunity, private enterprises and publicinstitutions.

From the point of view of the contentindustry, digital technologies allow for themanagement of nearly unlimited virtualcatalogues, while reducing distribution costs.This model is transversal to all media andentertainment industries (from book selling toaudiovisual content distribution and musicindustry), while revolutionizing traditionaldistribution systems. Against this background,it is possible to position tools for analysis anddocument research for digital libraries, whosedatabase does not only contain text-baseddocuments but also visual, audiovisual, audioand multimedia contents.

The digitalization of PA develops in two mainareas: e-government and e-governance. Theterm e-government refers to service andprocess innovation carried out by publicadministrations through the use of ICT. Theterm e-governance refers to the applicationof ICT to public policy models with regard totransparency and participation in thedecisions of the public management.

Digitalization of Public Administration(PA)

FUB provides scientific and technologicalsupport to PAs for the introduction of newdigital technologies with the aim ofreducing costs and improving theeffectiveness of services.

These activities include: • Support to the Italian Patent and BrandOffice [Ufficio Italiano Brevetti e Marchi]with regard to various application fields:creation of a Quality Management system;personal data management; monitoringtechniques applied to complex processesthat exploit function points metric

• Adjustment to the latest quality standardsof a speech-recognition system createdby FUB and applied to legal settings andinvestigations

• Experimentation of automatictranscription of hearings

Supporting citizens’ rights in the Information Society

Citizen Protection

The evolution and the growing pervasivenessof ICT have contributed to modify the notionof citizenship and the definition of individualand collective rights.

IT security is an issue of growing concern:from protection of sensitive data archived indigital format to the protection of minors.

From the market point of view, the growingacknowledgment of the centrality ofindividuals (intended as customers, users orcitizens) and the focus on service (in terms ofimprovement, customization and satisfaction)are shared by public and private sectors.

FUB promotes the development of ICT whileproviding its technical-scientific support withregard to the QoS and IT security to operators,Public Administrations and independentauthorities for citizens’ protection.

In addition, it encourages the awareness ofcitizens about their rights, and thecomprehension of the regulation into force inthe field of electronic communications, use ofaudiovisual media and privacy.

Italians are among the most enthusiasticusers of mobile communications, while Italianregulations on exposure to electromagneticfields are among the most restrictive in theworld and their respect is continuouslymonitored and verified.

For a long time, Italy has been considered acentre of excellence at international level forthe national monitoring network ofelectromagnetic fields. The FUB has had aleading role in this, building the largestelectromagnetic monitoring network, which isrecognized as a “best practice” on aninternational level.

A constant, structured and well organizedmonitoring service – unbeatable in dimensionsand coverage – makes it, even today, thelargest Italian network ever created for themonitoring of physical agents.

Since the growing use of fourth generationand wireless mobile networks is of utmostimportance, the evaluation of theirelectromagnetic impact is once again going tobecome a major concern.

Evaluation of Environmental and SocialImpact of Electromagnetic Fields

The Robinson list [Registro Pubblico delleOpposizioni] was established by PresidentialDecree no.178/2010 in the aim of reaching abalance between the needs of citizens whodo not want to receive advertising calls andthe needs of enterprises that will be able touse enhanced telemarketing tools in a moreordered and transparent environment.

The service, started on January 31st 2011, hasmarked the shift from an opt-in to an opt-outstructure, allowing the European Commissionto close its infringement procedure againstItaly for the use of databases collectedwithout clear consent of users.

Citizens who do not want to receiveadvertisement or commercial calls can usethe “Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni” toprotect their privacy, as including their phonenumber in the registry list does express theiropposition to telemarketing; otherwise, theprinciple of “tacit consent” applies.

Telemarketing operators who use telephonedirectories for their campaigns are asked tosubscribe to the Registry and communicate tothe Registry Manager the list of numbers theywish to contact, which will be sent back tothem after eliminatingof the numbers of userswho have subscribed to the Registry.

The service is free of charge for citizens, whilethe use for telemarketing operators is subjectto a fee, as per Ministerial Decree of the MISE.

Protection of Privacy, and Telemarketing

The Ministry of the Economic Development– Department for Communications – hasentrusted FUB to create and manage the“Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni” bymeans of a service agreement.

Citizen Protection

Technological evolution – particularly fast inthe mobile communications field – ischaracterized by the coexistence of networks,based on different technologies and standards(second, third and fourth generation), offeringdifferent features and performance, but stillcapable of interoperating to optimize the finalquality for end users.

Quality of Service (QoS) plays a fundamentalrole in a healthy and competitive market andis strictly linked to European standardizationactivities carried out within ETSI, in particularreferring to:

• QoS parameters

• QoS assessment methods

The Italian regulator AGCOM issued directiveson Quality of Service and on relevant Chartersfor main electronic communication services,prescribing operators to provide “comparable,adequate and updated information concerningoffered services”, thus providing end userswith an adequate tool to compare serviceoffers.

The considered services are:

• Landline telephony (Deliberationsno.254/04/CSP and no.79/09/CSP)

• Personal and mobile communications(Deliberations no.104/05/CSP andno.79/09/CSP)

• Pay-tv (Deliberation no. 278/04/CSP)

• Fixed Internet access (Deliberationsno.131/06/CSP and no.244/08/CSP)

Quality of Electronic Communication Services

FUB has identified a new research pathwayaimed at providing indications to update theexisting regulatory framework.

With regard to communication services, thefollowing areas have been identified:• quality of service of mobile and personalcommunications

• quality of service and consumersprotection for Internet access from fixedstations

• evaluation of mobile terminals

With reference to TV service, FUB haslaunched , in cooperation with the ItalianCommunications authority AGCOM, a projectconcerning the control of acoustic levels(loudness) of advertisements andpromotional messages.

In addition, the FUB digital TV Laboratory isaccredited for the certification of non-interactive decoders (zapper) with regard tothe technical features and guidelinesdefined by AGCOM deliberations.

FUB also carries out research on the use ofadvanced tools for field prediction, such asRay Tracing, in fourth generation mobileradio systems.

Considering its expertise, FUB intends tocontribute to update, renew and enhancethe research in this field, and to stimulatenew evaluations in order to combine healthprotection and development of newnetworks.

In order to consolidate its active role in thenational debate on these issues, FUB is partof the Elettra 2000 Consortium, whosemission is to update the methods to assessthe environmental and social impact ofelectromagnetic fields. The Consortium supports PublicAdministrations by carrying out trainingactivities for their technical staff andmanagers with regard to regulations andauthorization procedures in force; theConsortium also plays an advisory role forthe elaboration of local regulations andprogrammes for territorial development oftelecommunication networks. In addition,the Consortium promotes, in cooperationwith and on behalf of administrations,conferences, workshops and public events,at both local and national level.

Citizen Protection

Digital inclusion (e-inclusion), that is, theinclusion of citizens in the information society,is based on technological solutions that mustbe supported by adequate strategies to boostthe demand. The main challenge is digitalliteracy, starting from the total elimination ofthe digital divide.

The key issue of e-inclusion was initiallyidentified with access problems to theInternet and IT software by people withdisabilities. The introduction of digital servicesby the public administration urged for theadoption (starting from the very designphase) of practices to make these servicesaccessible to all. At legislative level, this needwas implemented in Italy by Law 4/2004(“Regulations to encourage the access ofpeople with disabilities to IT tools”)establishing as mandatory the accessibility ofweb services of public administrations.

In the last few years, digital inclusion hasbeen intended as the full participation of allcitizens in the information society. Digitalinclusion is analyzed also from the economicperspective, with regard to its impact onsales, employment, new social models andpossible business models.

At EU level, digital inclusion featuresprominently in the Digital Agenda for Europe(DAE), adopted by the European Commissionin May 2010. In particular, under Pillar 6“Enhancing digital literacy, skills andinclusion”, the Commission proposes a seriesof measures to promote the use of digitaltechnologies by potentially disadvantagedgroups, such as the elderly, people with a loweducation level or with a lower income.Improving access for people with disabilities isanother of the policy actions set by the DigitalAgenda. An important part of the digitalinclusion agenda bears in mind demographicageing and the help that ICT can provide inthis area: a better quality of life for theelderly, reduced costs of care, businessopportunities in the “silver economy”.

E-inclusion

FUB dealt with accessibility issues since the1980’s, with the participation to the firstEuropean initiative, Interface4ALL, and hascontributed to draft technical annexes forthe application of the above mentioned Law4/2004.

FUB adopts a convergent approach thataddresses potential benefits and synergiesof different platforms; the main actionsinclude:• providing advice to technology buildersand service developers on how to createnew platforms, in accordance withaccessibility guidelines

• support the legislator in the regulation oftechnological development, in order toguarantee the digital inclusion of allcitizens

Communication campaigns in Digital TVswitch off areas

FUB has been entrusted by MISE to inform allcitizens about deadlines and modalities of thedigital TV switch off, as well as to provide thenecessary tools to face this change.

The selection of media has was chosen on thebasis of which would best reach thepopulation of the involved areas. Relevantinformation was shared through press, localTV stations, radio, billposting and the Internet.

Public Communication Campaigns

FUB directly managed the followingactivities:• planning of broadcast information on localTV stations, as indicated by the GeneralDirectorate of Electronic and RadioCommunications (DGSCER) of the MISE

• creation of vehicles for the “Mind thedark” [“Attenti al buio”] campaign (TV andradio Advertisement; graphic layout forpress campaigns and billposting;information sheets)

• organization of a roadshow: a dedicatedvan for a practical demonstration - by FUBtechnical staff – of the procedures fortuning decoders; the van has visited mostmain Italian cities and towns prior to theswitch off in their respective regions,while distributing information materials tocitizens

The institutional campaign, which sloganand graphics were created by FUB, has beenpromoted through:• private local radio broadcasters• national and local online newspapers• weekly magazines• free press newspapers• institutional websites

Initiatives created and managed by FUB: • dedicated sections onwww.registrodelleopposizioni.it

• information sheets, including brochuresand vademecums

• video tutorial on the offered service• Help Desk to support citizens• social media communication on YouTube,Facebook, Twitter

FUB publishes a monthly report withaggregated data on the trend ofsubscriptions, while monitoring the systemand guaranteeing full transparency in theRegistry management.

FUB has created tools and promotedinitiatives to raise the citizens’ awarenessabout the main normative changes in thefield of telemarketing and has improved theaccessibility of relevant procedures in caseof suspect illegal treatment of personaldata.

Communication campaign on the “Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni”

FUB has been entrusted by MISE to create aninstitutional information campaign for the“Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni”. Thiscampaign was carried out in the first sixmonths after service start up, in the aim ofenhancing full awareness of citizens abouttheir rights concerning the treatment ofpersonal data for advertising purposes.

In addition, beside its technical role, FUB hasimplemented other tools to facilitate thecitizen comprehension, with regard to theservice and the current regulations ontelemarketing.

FUB Observatory

FUB carries out scenario analyses in the ICTsector. Utmost attention is paid to economicand social processes in relation with the useof new technologies, with particular regard tothe following aspects:

• socio-economic scenarios in ICT

• user-related aspects

Data collection, analysis and processing isorganized around two macro-sectors, namelytelecommunications and Audiovisuals, thusproviding a transversal support to all otheractivities of the institution.

The results obtained – in the form of internalresearch reports, working documents andpublications – represent an originalcontribution to the research on ICT in Italy.

Within this activity, we should point out twooutstanding research reports:

• “DTT Monitor”

• “The role of human capital in ICT” (incooperation with COTEC foundation forTechnological Innovation)

Dissemination and Communication

FUB has achieved a sound, internationallyrecognised, experience of participation ininternational research initiatives andprogrammes, including the SeventhFramework Programme of the EuropeanCommission as well as other European andinternational initiatives.

In this way, FUB contributes to theachievement of the Europe 2020 strategy. Inparticular it has contributed to two of itsFlagship Initiatives, namely “InnovationUnion” and “Digital agenda for Europe”,promoting multilateral cooperation amongresearch institutions within the EuropeanResearch Area.

FUB also participates in relevant internationalForums and cooperates with several Europeanand non-European institutions. Particularlyworthy of note is the technical-scientificsupport to the Ministry of EconomicalDevelopment (MISE) for activities of theworking groups established within CEPT(Conférence Européenne des Administrationsdes Postes et des Télécommunications). FUBalso participates in official events organisedby the International Telecommunication Union(ITU), including several editions of the WorldRadiocommunication Conference (WRC)where FUB staff was part of the official Italiandelegation.

International Environment

FUB is active also in several COST (EuropeanCooperation in Science and Technology)actions in the fields of ICT and of Individuals,Societies, Cultures & Health. COST is an inter-government framework to coordinatedifferent research initiatives financed by theirrespective administrations on a Europeanscale.

FUB participates also to other internationalnetworks, including the already mentionedJoint Programme on Smart Cities within theEuropean Energy Research Alliance (where itis involved in the sub-programmes on “SmartGrid” and “Urban Energy Networks”) andRES4MED (Renewable Energy Solutions forthe Mediterranean). Furthermore, it is amember of European networks EIP-AHA(European Innovation Partnership on Activeand Healthy Ageing) and NET-EUCEN(Network of European stakeholder to enhanceuser centricity in e-governance).

Finally, FUB has an extensive experience inmanaging EU-funded projects, especiallywithin the 7th Framework Programme and theCompetitiveness and Innovation Programme.

Bordoni Seminars

Research is in the genetic code of FUB. Thisresearch is oriented towards technologicalprocess with an interdisciplinary approach.

The use of information and knowledgeproduced within FUB is best expressed in theBordoni Seminars, which provideopportunities for exchange and collaborationin scientific and economic areas.Presentations and speeches given at theseSeminars are top quality contents; for thisreason, at the end of each seminar cycle, themost significant lectures and speeches areincluded in dedicated printed volumes. Thesevolumes represent an instrument for furtherexamination and elaboration of the scientificand technological aspects dealt with.

Telèma2.0

www.telema2puntozero.it is an excellentopportunity to explore and debate keyinnovative ICT issues, stemming from therenowned Telèma Magazine – edited by theFoundation since 2001 – in the aim ofstimulating ideas, critical analysis andproposals for the economic, social and culturaldevelopment of the country.

Researchers from different disciplines expresstheir points of view on a given topic, thuspaving the way for an exchange of opinionsand contents and generating new knowledge.“Telèma2puntozero” offers a proactiveparticipation of the readers through adedicated section of the website.

Quaderni di Telèma

“Quaderni di Telèma” are monographic books,written by FUB researchers, concerningvarious topics, mainly about the social andeconomic impact of ICT. Since 2002, “I Quaderni” are included as attachments inthe Media 2000 Magazine.

CONVENTIONS, COLLABORATIONS ANDPARTNERSHIPS

Government- Presidency of the Council - Department of Civil Protection of the Council

of Ministries

Ministries- Ministry of the Economic Development- Ministry of Justice- Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities - Ministry of the Environment

Independent Authorities- Authority Manager for Communications

(AGCOM)

Public Organizations and Institutions- Italian Patent Office- Invitalia - General Command of Arma dei Carabinieri - UNCEM- Sviluppo Lazio- National Organization of Engineers [Ente

Nazionale Ingegneri]

Enterprises - ENI- ENEL- TERNA- Poste Italiane- RAI- SNAM RETE GAS- ENEL GREEN POWER

Research Institutes- High Institute of Communications and

Information Technologies [Istituto Superioredelle Comunicazioni e delle Tecnologiedell’Informazione (ISCOM)]

- CNR- COTEC - CESI- IMT Alti Studi di Lucca

Italian Universities- University of Rome “La Sapienza”- University of Rome “Roma Tre”- University of Rome “Tor Vergata”- University of Florence - University of L’Aquila- University of Bologna - Catholic University of Milan - University of Milan-Bicocca - University of Modena - University of Pisa- University of Urbino - University of Sassari- University of Naples “Federico II”- University of Palermo - University of Lugano - University of Bergamo- University of Ferrara- Polytechnic University of Turin- Polytechnic University of Milan

ASSOCIATIONS, FORA AND CONSORTIA

• RES4MED • Joint Programme on Smart Cities within the

European Energy Research Alliance (EERA)• HD Forum Italia• Forum TAL• Consorzio Elettra2000

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

• VI and VII Framework Programmes• Competitiveness and Innovation Programme• Ambient Assisted Living (AAL)

Research and Innovation

Viale del Policlinico, 14700161 Rome, Italytel +39 06 5480 1fax +39 06 5480 4400

c/o Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico - Dipartimento per le ComunicazioniViale America, 20100144 Rome, Italytel +39 06 5480 1fax +39 06 5480 2400

Villa Griffone40037 Pontecchio Marconi (Bo)tel +39 051 846854fax +39 051 845758

www.fub.it