Afnic, the association in charge of .fr as well as several other overseas and generic extensions, and IMT Atlantique, a technological university, today announced the launch of a new joint research chair in SCHC (Static Context Header Compression) technology, demonstrating their joint commitment to innovation in the Internet and, more specifically, in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT).
A data compression technology
A data compression technology initially developed by IMT Atlantique and now recognized as an international standard, SCHC optimizes data exchanges by reducing their volume, a necessity in the constrained networks used by connected objects. SCHC plays an essential role here, acting as an intelligent translator: it compresses messages while preserving their meaning and integrity, making communications more efficient and less energy-intensive.
Afnic and IMT Atlantique aim to make this chair a framework for scientific and technological exploration of SCHC technology. More specifically, it will focus on the following areas:
- Promote interoperability. Explore how SCHC, as a standardized and open technology, can facilitate communication between heterogeneous systems.
- Enhance security. Study ways of simultaneously improving communications security and data compression and transmission.
- Increase network efficiency. Evaluate the impact of SCHC on energy efficiency and the reduction of resources consumed during data transmission.
- Promote sustainability. Investigate how to improve the communication capabilities of existing devices to reduce their energy consumption and minimize their ecological impact.
Integrating the SCHC mechanism into communication technologies
The chair plans to work on integrating SCHC into various communication technologies, with the aim of extending the compression mechanism to other protocols defined within the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). Although SCHC technology first came to prominence in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector, its potential extends beyond this framework. Its ability to alleviate the impact of current protocols or reduce latency in modern networks makes it a particularly relevant candidate for 5G, in environments with very specific constraints such as underwater or space communications (with scenarios as ambitious as exchanges between the Earth and the Moon, or even Mars), or even in the financial sector, where efficient and rapid transmissions are essential.
"We believe SCHC has a real role to play in creating ever more resilient, sustainable and high-performance networks. We are extremely enthusiastic about the idea of contributing, through this chair and the exploration of this technology, to transforming the Internet of Things and the more global telecommunications landscape", says Guillaume Moreau, head of Research and Innovation at IMT Atlantique.
"To achieve this ambition, we are launching this chair with the aim of federating an ecosystem of players - companies, academic institutions, research organizations - around SCHC and bringing together expertise to meet the challenges of modern communications together, promote innovative solutions and thus contribute to an Internet that is both sober, sustainable and high-performance", concludes Pierre Bonis, Director General of Afnic.
by Pierre-Hervé VAILLANT
