AMUSE: advanced broadband services trials for residential users

The AMUSE project in the framework of the ACTS program sponsored by the European Union, has answered various questions related to the implementation and provisioning of new multimedia services. The means to pursue such objectives has been the setup and operation of small-scale trials in various European countries, involving real residential users. The article first presents the project as a whole. Then the focus is moved to evaluation of the different technologies experimented with in the field. AMUSE services have been supplied in the context of trial islands characterized by different access network typologies. Validation of the different access technologies and results coming from their installation, integration, and operation have represented a major objective of the project. Although it is very difficult to highlight particular outcomes from the technical experiments, with so many technologies put in place, some general indications emerging from the deployment of some of these technologies are supplied. Emphasis is then put on the facts and findings resulting from the activities performed in the Italian trial island, where interactive services, including fast Internet access from PCs or STBs, Internet TV style, and switched video broadcasting services have been offered. The article concludes with a summary of the major lessons learned from the trials and the identification of a number of key factors of success for interactive multimedia.