IMPACTS OF MOBILE AGENT TECHNOLOGY ON MOBILE COMMUNICATION-SYSTEM EVOLUTION

The development of third-generation mobile communication systems, such as UMTS, should be based on state-of-the-art middleware technologies. Today distributed object technology, such as OMG's CORBA, has gained considerable acceptance in the telecommunications environment: within the evolution of IN, TMN systems, and also in the context of UMTS desi gn. Another new software technology mobile agent technology, is gainin g momentum in the field of telecommunications, too. In view pf emergin g agent standards (such as the recent OMG work on MASIF) which conside r mobile agent technology as an important enhancement of DOT, studies on the impact of MAT on telecommunications systems (such as IN and TMN ) are underway. This article discusses the potentialities of the use o f emerging standard mobile agent platforms in the context of third-gen eration mobile communication systems, such as UMTS.