On Mar 30, 2012, at 1:11 PM, Dean Willis wrote: > From today's meeting, taking to list. > > Remote participation for users connecting via the PSTN though gateways into a > VoIP conference platform raises some issues. > > One of these is "registration" . There are hacks like PINs that can be made > to work. > > But to me, the biggest problem is that it is just really hard to make it > work, especially for participants on the fringe of the PSTN. Echo > cancellation may be impossible to provide without exceeding the 150ms latency > interaction/interrupt threshold determined in Brian Rosen's research. > > One doesn't necessarily need "broadband" to use IP. I've talked quite > successfully between participants with EDGE mobile connections. But going > over a long path of telephone network to a PSTN gateway, thence over IP to a > conference platform is a recipe for disaster. > > I therefore propose that our remote participation system neither require nor > support dial-in telephone numbers. This assumption can greatly simplify the > system, reduce operating expense, and reduce the probability of systemic > marginal failure where the system "works" but not well enough to actually use. > > Some argue that this would unfairly exclude people who can't get Internet > connections, but I counter that it's certainly less of an exclusion than > requiring them to physically attend the meeting, and it's far more unfair to > make an IETF meeting fail for these who are actually using the Internet to > participate in it.
I disagree that providing service to people connecting from PSTN or through a gateway from the "wrong" software (like Skype) needs have any effect on the service provided for the other remote participants. People might be excluded because they are behind a corporate firewall or because the particular solution we chose does not run on their favorite distribution of Linux or z/OS. I also disagree with Brian's claim that 150ms is a limit for the kind of discussion that takes place in IETF working groups. It does apply to phone calls, but WG discussion tends not to be interrupt-driven. People politely wait their turn at the mike, with the chairs signaling the use of the "floor". Not having the ability to connect from work (when the IETF is in a suitable time zone) means having to take the day off or relying on cellular internet that seems to have higher latency anyways. So I think some ability to connect via PSTN (and Skype) should be a requirement. _______________________________________________ NOTE WELL: This list operates according to http://mipassoc.org/dkim/ietf-list-rules.html. https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/vmeet
