2.1.1 Information Types
The NIG is not expected to transport only textual and graphical data but
must cater for all types of information that can be communicated through
standard telecommunication channels now and in the future. Within
this context, information types can be grouped by their suitable speed-of-transfer
(bandwidths) that are generally referred to as narrowband, wideband
and broadband. The table below (Table 2-1) lists these three
groups and typical information types associated with each telecommunication
bandwidth.
As technology advances further and sometimes converge, information will
be stored in larger volumes and in more complex forms. Data in textual,
audio, graphic and video formats will coexist and stored, manipulated,
and disseminated through the use of information technology. Therefore,
it is important to constantly bear in mind that the NIG must be designed
to handle and deliver the whole range of data formats and types, as soon
as each format or type becomes commercially available, acceptable and saleable.
| Bandwidth Group | Common Network Type | Typical Transfer Speeds | Data Format suitability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrowband | Voice Switched Network | 4 KHz-Voice | Voice / audio signals |
| Voice Grade Data Network | 4
KHz-Data
Conditioned (2400, 4800, 9600 b/s) (14.4K, 19.2K, 56K b/s) |
Binary / textual data, fax signals, financial and trade transactions | |
| Public Data Network | 64K, 128K b/s | Vector graphics, simple bitmap images, high-volume / formatted text | |
| Wideband | Private Networking / Public Wideband Network | 1.2M - 45M b/s | High-grade images, digital audio clips, hypertext, low-grade multi-media |
| Broadband | Public Broadband Network | 51M - 630M+ b/s | High-grade multi-media, full-motion video and sound |
From the industry-sector standpoint, all the information types that the NIG handles can be categorised as the following:
- Government databases
- Commercial databases
- Education (schools, universities and academic institutions)
- Medical
- News agencies and advertising
- Networking & messaging services (bulletin boards, Internet, E-mail, etc.)
- Advisory services (traffic, weather, airlines, etc.)
- Transaction services (remote banking, home shopping, payments etc.)
- Trade exchanges (share market, commodities, etc.)
- Entertainment
- International Databases