A researcher from the Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC), a joint research and innovation center established by Khalifa University, Etisalat and BT and based at Khalifa University, has penned four books in the last two years that shed light on the foundations and inner workings of Internet Protocol (IP) networking. IP networking is the packet routing technology at the core of today’s information and communication infrastructure and central to emerging technologies such as 5G.��

, is the sole author of the four books. The latest books, titled “IP Routing Protocols: Fundamentals and Distance-Vector Routing Protocols” and “IP Routing Protocols: Link-State and Path-Vector Routing Protocols” were published this year by CRC Press, one of the world’s leading science and technology publishers.

The two earlier titles include “Switch/Router Architectures: Systems with Crossbar Switch Fabrics,” published in 2019 also by CRC Press, and “Switch/Router Architectures: Shared-Bus and Shared-Memory Based Systems,” published in 2018 by Wiley.

Before and during his time at EBTIC, Dr. Aweya has developed a number of patented, industry-first technologies that are helping to accelerate the transition from circuit-based time-division multiplexing (TDM) networks to packet-based networks. This, in turn, has supported the deployment of newer mobile networks and services.��

One of the technical challenges preventing the deployment of packet-based networks for mobile services is the need for very accurate clock synchronization in the network between source and destination – an essential capability for delivering present day and emerging mobile services. Traditionally, this has been delivered over time-division multiplexing (TDM). Understanding such mechanisms is critical for understanding the design and deployment of newer and emerging services and applications, which now are all based on IP.

The books aim to present the fundamentals behind IP routing protocols. Internet Protocols, or IPs, are the set of rules for routing and addressing packets of data so that they can travel across networks and arrive at the correct destination.�� Each packet is routed hop-by-hop through a series of routers, and across multiple networks from source to destination. Each hop in this case represents a routing device (or router).

IP routing protocols are the set of procedures and rules that govern how routers communicate with each other to exchange routing information about how destinations can be reached. The IP routing protocols serve as the brains behind the routers and provide information about how paths can be constructed between networks from a packet’s source to its destination.

The inspiration for his books came during the 13 years when Dr. Aweya worked as a Senior Systems Architect with the global telecom company Nortel, based in Ottawa, Canada.�� During his time there, Dr. Aweya worked on communication networks, protocols and algorithms, router and switch design, and other telecom and IT equipment design.��

The first book, “IP Routing Protocols: Fundamentals and Distance-Vector Routing Protocols,” covers the fundamentals of networking and routing protocols as well as the design and application of the two main distance-vector routing protocols in use today, RIPv2 and EIGRP. These routing protocols are suitable for small to medium size networks ,such as those used in companies, universities, hospitals and airports.

The second book, “IP Routing Protocols: Link-State and Path-Vector Routing Protocols,” covers the design of the link-state routing protocols (OSPF and IS-IS) and path-vector routing protocol (BGP). These link-state routing protocols are mostly used in large-scale networks such as those used by service providers and telecom companies. BGP is the main protocol used to interconnect all the different and separate enterprise and service provider networks to create the global Internet as we know it.

The books are presented from a practicing engineer’s perspective, linking theory and fundamental concepts to common industry practices using real-world examples. They target practicing engineers and researchers and can also be used as senior undergraduate and graduate level textbooks. Each book contains many illustrations and each chapter ends with review questions and references.

The third and fourth books, “Switch/Router Architectures: Systems with Crossbar Switch Fabrics” and “Switch/Router Architectures: Shared-Bus and Shared-Memory Based Systems,” describe the design of the routing devices that run the IP routing protocols described in the IP Routing Protocol books.

Dr. Aweya received his BSc (Hon) degree in electrical and electronics engineering from the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, an MSc in electrical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, and a PhD in computer engineering from the University of Ottawa, Canada. He has authored approximately 54 international journal papers, 40 conference papers, 43 technical reports, and has been awarded 68 US patents, with several patents pending. He was awarded the 2007 Nortel Technology Award of Excellence (TAE), Nortel’s highest technology award, for his pioneering and innovative research on “Timing and Synchronization across Packet and TDM Networks.” He was also recognized in 2007 as one of Nortel’s top 15 innovators.��

Today, Dr. Aweya is a Chief Researcher at EBTIC. Established by Etisalat, BT, and Khalifa University, and supported by the UAE’s ICT Fund, EBTIC aims to advance intelligent systems technologies for the Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and NGN-enabled ICT applications and services. The books written by Dr. Aweya contribute significantly to the ongoing work in EBTIC.

Dr. Aweya and the Smart Infrastructure team at EBTIC are working towards creating a start-up company that will offer a highly competitive offering in the field of network synchronization, that would be applicable to such sectors as finance, energy, industry 4.0, smart city and telecommunications.

Links to purchase books:

IP Routing Protocols: Fundamentals and Distance-Vector Routing Protocols

IP Routing Protocols: Link-State and Path-Vector Routing Protocols

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Switch/Router Architectures: Systems with Crossbar Switch Fabrics

Switch/Router Architectures: Shared-Bus and Shared-Memory Based Systems

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Erica Solomon
Senior Publication Specialist
21 April 2021

The post Four Books Published on the Role of Internet Protocols appeared first on Khalifa University.

Celebrations on 24 April to Showcase EBTIC’s Alignment with UAE’s Knowledge Economy Transformation Goals and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030

The Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC), founded by Khalifa University, Etisalat and BT (British Telecom), and supported by the UAE’s ICT Fund, will mark its 10<> year anniversary with the latest technology demonstrations on an array of research projects.

The celebrations scheduled for Wednesday 24 April 2019 will mark a decade of successful contributions by EBTIC. During the event, three members of EBTIC’s Technical Advisory Board will highlight current research directions and challenges, artificial intelligence (AI) applications that impact the society, and EBTIC’s evolution over the decade.

In addition, accounts of how EBTIC has collaborated with partners that has helped students and researchers, as well as EBTIC’s landmark achievements over the years will be highlighted. Details of success on EBTIC’s technology startup initiatives will also be shared with guests at the event.

Dr. Nawaf Al Moosa, Acting Director of EBTIC and Assistant Professor at Khalifa University said: “The 10th year anniversary celebrations provide us an opportunity to showcase our landmark achievements that continue to benefit the industry and the community. As an industry-government-academia partnership, EBTIC possesses unique capabilities to develop intelligence systems and applications-focused research and innovation, delivering business benefits to partners locally and internationally. With over 40 patents granted and 60 more currently being filed in ICT, big data, and data storage, EBTIC is delivering on the promise for scientific excellence, as we enter the next decade.”

Over the years, EBTIC has produced more than 400 scientific publications, trained more than 400 students, developed their expertise and refined their skills in innovation and research, and organized 10 specialized exhibitions globally in communications and information technology. It currently hosts 40 Master’s and PhD program students and has 35 full-time staff guiding researchers, including 16 UAE nationals.

EBTIC’s activities include a training course organized for UAE Government employees, which focuses on theoretical principles and development of practical skills in artificial intelligence. The course, which began in 2015 and is organized in cooperation with The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), has promoted the transfer of technology to various government entities, with more than 100 employees trained in more than 20 government agencies.

For four successive years, EBTIC has also organized the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, teaching young Emirati students ways to turn fledgling ideas into a feasible business ventures in the future

In alignment with the UAE’s knowledge economy transformation objectives and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, EBTIC aims to advance intelligent systems technologies for the Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and NGN-enabled ICT applications and services, to put in place the support infrastructure to facilitate, develop and enable the digitally networked economy in the UAE and overseas.

News Writter

17 April 2019

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Top 50 Talented Students Selected from UAE Schools to Learn about Innovation Process, Business Development, Commercialization Skills and IP Issues at Four-Day Bootcamp

The Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC) and Khalifa University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Education, are organizing the fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp to teach the young Emirati students ways to turn fledgling ideas into a feasible business ventures in the future.

Organized under the patronage of His Excellency Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, the bootcamp will be held from March 31 – April 3. It will teach participating students the innovation process, business development, commercialization skills, entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property (IP) issues.

A total of top 50 talented students have already been selected from schools across UAE to participate in the four-day bootcamp. Their selection was based on the winning projects they had submitted for the UAE National Science, Technology and Innovation (NSTI) Festival 2019, an event modelled after Ireland’s successful BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE). The Bootcamp will be developed and delivered in partnership with British Telecommunications (BT) and EBTIC.

Dr. Nawaf Al Moosa, Acting Director of EBTIC and Assistant Professor at Khalifa Universitysaid: “The fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp by EBTIC is designed to inspire young students to effectively plan and execute their business concepts through the path of innovation. We are delighted to host this event for the students, offering them a platform for charting their future course. We believe the bootcamp this year will help nurture the talented students who can hone their skillsets for developing into full-fledged professionals in various business sectors.”

The students will be divided into teams of six each, with a professional mentor, and they will be guided through a series of interactive workshops and challenges with the purpose of developing a business or investment proposition around a specific project. Expert speakers will also cover interesting and relevant topics such as innovation, intellectual property and creativity during the workshops.

On the final day of the bootcamp, students will present their business plans as a team to a judging panel comprising academics and senior business executives or professionals, selected from industry, academia, government and media.

EBTIC is an ICT research and innovation center founded by Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Etisalat and BT, and supported by ICT Fund.

News Writer
24 March 2019

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Panel of Judges Selects Student Team that Presents the Most Innovative and Pragmatic Business Concept for Top Award

Under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education and Vice Chairman of the Khalifa University Board of Trustees, more than 40 students from across schools in the UAE participated in the fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp organized by the Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC) and Khalifa University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Education.

The bootcamp that opened on 31 March, successfully concluded with an awards ceremony on 3 April. It was attended by industry, academia and government stakeholders as well as technology leaders with an excellent track record in initiating and leading business start-ups.

The student team that presented the most innovative and pragmatic business concept was declared winners. In all, a total of six teams participated in the fiercely contested challenge in which the students showcased and presented their projects to a panel of judges. The judges’ panel comprised academics and senior business professionals, selected from industry, academia, government and the media.

His Excellency Al Hammadi said: “The fourth EBTIC Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is one of the pioneering initiatives that supports the UAE’s progress, through inspiring innovation, a key focus area in the country’s future strategy. The Ministry of Education always aims to achieve an innovative school community, in order to build a scientifically-tuned future generation. This bootcamp provides the right environment to students and guides them towards developing new capabilities and expanding knowledge, especially through research and investigation that help transform ideas into projects, benefiting the community.

“Initiatives such as this bootcamp are fertile grounds for encouraging creativity, helping students to expand their knowledge, especially through practical lectures and workshops in innovation, business development, marketing, entrepreneurship, intellectual property. The bootcamp also emphasizes strengthening the student’s connection with each new and enhancing aspect of planning, study and research in important developmental sectors,” he remarked.

His Excellency Al Hammadi added: “The participants, chosen through the National Festival of Science, Technology and Innovation (NSTI) held in February 2019, are already distinguished in knowledge and research. We expect them to have a scientifically and professionally promising future. And we believe the bootcamp will help build well-informed future leaders suitable for the UAE’s sustainable knowledge economy.”

Eng. Saleh Abdullah Al Abdooli, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat, said: “Etisalat has always believed in laying the foundation for the future, nurturing creativity and fostering the growth of tomorrow’s innovators, future scientists and engineers. Innovation and digital transformation are key to our success and a result of our vision at the next level of development that has led the company to play a greater role in the digital lives of consumers and enterprises.

“This collaboration with EBTIC is in line with our strategy ‘Driving the digital future to empower societies’ that will pave the way for smarter solutions and applications, mentor the next generation of young UAE innovators and entrepreneurs and contribute towards an innovative knowledge-based economy. Etisalat is constantly looking to tap into the possibilities of the booming startup ecosystem. We are looking for avenues to support entrepreneurial growth by creating partnerships that will provide them the platform to grow and showcase their abilities. We are able to work together with these young innovators and entrepreneurs to imagine, design and co-create the future. This has led to Etisalat actively contributing to UAE’s national innovation strategy where digital technology is also one of the top seven primary national sectors.

“The association with EBTIC’s fourth ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp’ will give a platform to the youth to develop STEM skills enabling them to translate their fresh and innovative ideas into solutions that will contribute to the development of the society and economy.”

Eyad Shihabi, Vice-President, Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, BT, said: “The innovation and entrepreneurship bootcamp is designed to bridge the gap between the worlds of education and business, as well as inspire and mentor the next generation of innovators. Over the past few days, some of the brightest young minds in the UAE presented their creative inventions and business propositions, and the talent on display was inspiring. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Khalifa University and the UAE Ministry of Education through EBTIC, to create a learning platform wherein students can develop skills for life.”

Dr. Nawaf Al Moosa, Acting Director of EBTIC and Assistant Professor at Khalifa University said: “The fourth EBTIC Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp proved even more successful than the previous years with enthusiastic participation by students who developed some of the most innovative business concepts. The student teams’ presentation skills, honed by the team mentors, were remarkable. We thank all the stakeholders and partners for their support to this bootcamp and we hope to continue our efforts towards building and nurturing young talent.”

Earlier, a BT official offered an overview of the bootcamp that aims to teach participating students the innovation process, business development, commercialisation skills, entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property (IP) issues.

The six participating teams had a professional mentor, who guided the students through a series of interactive workshops in order to help the students develop a business or investment proposition around a specific project.

EBTIC is an ICT research and innovation center, founded by Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Etisalat and BT, and supported by the ICT Fund.

News Writer
03 April 2019

The post EBTIC’s Fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp at Khalifa University Concludes Successfully appeared first on Khalifa University.

Public Interaction on 24 April Highlights New Advances in Operational AI,Sentiment Analysis, Smart City and IoT Applications.

The Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC) marked its 10 th anniversary celebrations,showcasing some of its technology achievements, especially advance intelligent systems and network technologies and applications, at the Khalifa University main Campus today.

The celebrations on Wednesday 24 April 2019 marked a decade of successful contributions by EBTIC, which was founded by Khalifa University, Etisalat and BT, and supported by the Telecom Regulatory Authority’s (TRA) ICT Fund.
Some of the EBTIC projects showcased during the celebrations included intelligent optimization of organizational and infrastructure assets, social media and sentiment analysis, Automatic Arabic summarization, Smart Cities, Big Data and internet of things (IoT). In addition, two startup technologies currently undergoing commercialization were also featured at the event.

Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “Congratulations to EBTIC whose track-record suggests not only human and intellectual capital development but also knowledge transfer across the academic and government sectors. A decade of achievements and excellence is a proud moment for EBTIC and Khalifa University. We thank all the collaboration partners who have consistently supported EBTIC in its research initiatives and ensured continuous economic impact from its research outcome.”

Presenting some of the landmark achievements, Dr. Nawaf Almoosa, Acting Director, EBTIC,offered a chronological review of EBTIC’s evolution in its first decade.

Dr Almoosa said: “During the last 10 years, we have successfully demonstrated our capabilities in human and intellectual capital development, research and knowledge transfer, as well as commercialization. We are also proud to mention that we have expanded the geographical reach of our IP portfolio into China, beyond the traditional EU and North American markets. As we look into the next decade of vigorous growth, we will remain committed to expanding our research scope and facilitating new solutions that will bring benefits to the UAE and the global community.”

Dr Ahmed Bin Ali, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communication, Etisalat Group, said: “I want to congratulate EBTIC on its 10th anniversary as an institute that has laid the foundation for the future and fostered the growth of tomorrow’s innovators, future scientists and engineers.

This falls in line with the UAE 2021 national agenda that aims to develop a world-class education system by raising standards and creating a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation, research, science, technology and an education system above international standards.

“Etisalat works closely with EBTIC to help achieve our vision and strategy of ‘Driving the digital future to empower societies’ and contribute to the next level of development of playing a greater role in the digital lives of consumers and enterprises. We look forward to working with EBTIC��and the next generation of young UAE innovators and entrepreneurs to contribute towards an innovative knowledge-based economy.”

Prof Tim Whitley, Managing Director, Applied Research, BT said: “EBTIC and its vision have been a major regional priority for BT, and we are delighted to be in the company of such illustrious peers in this initiative. The consistent march of technology and its impact on lives and society is something that every nation faces, and with initiatives such as EBTIC, the UAE is showing how the coming together of Government, academia, and industry can have real-world impact on a nation and its future. The 10th anniversary of EBTIC is an opportunity to look back and celebrate, as well as a chance to look ahead with optimism, and I congratulate all our partners in EBTIC on this milestone.”

Dr Ken Ford, Director of the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, and EBTIC Technical Advisory Board Member, spoke about the current research directions of the AI industry and the challenges, while Prof. Mike Georgeff, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University Australia, and EBTIC Technical Advisory Board Member, deliberated upon AI applications and their impact.

Prof. Gerard Parr, Professor of Telecommunications Engineering and Head of School of Computer Science, University of East Anglia, and EBTIC Technical Advisory Board Member, offered an overview of EBTIC’s evolution over the past 10 years.

EBTIC currently has over 60 patents filed/being filed, of which 42 are granted.

News Writer
24 April 2019

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