Due to emerging trends in ICT concerning the extension of communication objects (including not only humans but also machines and objects) and ways of communication, the ITU-T Study Group 13 has proposed a name – SUN (Smart Ubiquitous Networks) – as a new vision that incorporates current activities and emerging trends. At the meeting in May, it was decided that activities for SUN in the following areas would commence: content awareness, context awareness, programmability, smart resources management and autonomic network management.
N.B – The definition of SUN is IP-based packet networks that can provide transport and delivery to a wide range of existing and emerging services to people and things. The services provided by the networks can cover aspects such as control, processing and storage. The networks are smart in the sense that they are knowledgeable, context-aware, adaptable, autonomous and programmable, and can instigate services effectively and securely. The networks are ubiquitous in the sense that they allow access anytime, anywhere, through varied access technologies, access devices including end user devices and human-machine interfaces.