113 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences A COMPARATIVE SURVEY ON WIRELESS INTERNET USAGE AND FUTURE EXPECTATIONS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (THE CASES OF USF, AKU AND IUS) Assoc. Prof. Hüseyin Koçak, Afyon Kocatepe University. Assoc. Prof. Süleyman Dündar, Afyon Kocatepe University. Prof.Dr. Hüseyin Arslan, University of South Florida. Abstract This article addresses the question of college students’ internet usage and their ex- pectations for better wireless access. Wireless and mobile internet access recently be- came an integral part of our lives. Especially given the introduction of smart devices (phones, tablets etc.) into the wireless market and the vast number of applications running on these devices, it is possible to become addicted to these devices. Some of us have come to a point where we can leave everything behind us except our phones. To better understand how wireless access has influenced us we conducted a face-to- face survey with three different groups of college students totalling 829. According to the survey, there are some problems while using the internet, such as internet speed and connection. University students do not want to give up mobile communications and they never want to be secondary users. They pay more attention to security and privacy in communication. They are also awaiting functional innovations in future. Keywords: Wierless Internet Usage; Security and Privacy; Cultural Differences; So- cial Reality and Technological Innovations.1 1 This work in parts has been supported by TUBITAK (THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF TURKEY). 114 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al INTRODUCTION Technology is transforming everything especially human relationships and thus the society and urban way of life at large. A wireless internet infrastructure with the capac- ity for fast data transfer is used in all areas from education to e-state and e-commerce. However, the rapid progress of internet and wireless communication gadgets has also brought about some problems with regard to adaptation to this technology. While eval- uating wireless internet and communication, it is necessary that the progress of some national policies and the cultural structure be integrated with technological changes. Mechanical timekeeping, cars, and mobile phones are technologies that have be- come embedded in our lives. These technologies challenged existing systems and firmly established themselves as inevitable for the functioning of society. The clock, the car and the mobile phone have all become central tools in our daily lives. From the mid-1990’s onward, mobile communication became much more commercially accessible, and mobile technological innovations were rapidly accepted. Today, for most of us, it is impossible to think about a life without mobile phones, which began to enter our daily lives nearly 20 years ago. Similarly, mobile computers and wire- less networks are becoming more integrated into our lives every day. Thus, it is not hard to estimate that the improvements in this area will continue in coming years. The relations between wireless communication and society are multi-dimensional. Recent technological developments, particularly those experienced in inter- net technologies, have made the internet a primary tool for communication and access of information. Although the internet now figures in almost all ar- eas of our lives, it is primarily used for communication and interaction. The in- ternet provides educators with an incredible and rapidly developing knowledge base which makes it an indispensable tool to shape instructional endeavors. The rapid development and widespread use of the internet have also revealed some problems in integrating this new technology into the lifestyles of societies. One purpose of this paper is to reveal the cultural differences affecting this adap- tation directly or indirectly. The second purpose of this study is to bring togeth- er the expectations of the companies producing these technologies and the people using these technologies in an effective framework. In this context, innovations in internet and wireless communication can be presented by choice and diversi- ty in accordance with countries, cultures and societies. It is possible that a wider acceptance of these products can be improved by considering the socio-economic aspects of these societies. In this paper, technology and society are discussed con- ceptually. Some historical information about technological developments is given, 115 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” and after this, some technical questions are posed to students of The University of South Florida (USF), Afyon Kocetepe University (AKU) and Internatioanal Uni- versity of Sarajevo (IUS). Students’ opinions and expectations about internet usage are considered comparatively. This paper has a unique focus, as it engages with the technical field of social research as well as the social realities of these problems. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK In this section, we provide a review of the existing literature on social and technical aspects of wireless communication technology. Social Research Technology does not determine society, it embodies it. Similarly, technological in- novation is not determined by the society but instead, society simply uses it. This dialectical interaction between society and technology is present in the works of Fernand Braudel. Technological determinism is probably a false problem, since technology is society, and society can not be understood or represented without its technological tools. We live in the midst of a revolution in communication technol- ogies that affects the way in which people feel, think and behave. Manuel Castells (2009) explores the nature of power itself in the new communications environment. He encompasses business, media, neuroscience, technology and, above all, politics. Are mobile phones expressions of identity, fashionable gadgets, tools for life - or all of the above? ‘Mobile Communications and Society’ looks at how the possibility of multimodal communications from anywhere at any time affects everyday life at home, work, and school, and raises broader concerns about politics and culture both global and local. According to Castells (1998), wireless communication net- works have been diffusing around the world faster than any other communication technology to date, because communication is at the heart of human activity in all spheres of life. He also asks some questions such as: does mobile communica- tion favor the development of new youth culture that makes peer-to-peer networks the backbone of an alternative way of life? How does the interplay between new communication technologies and people’s lives vary according to cultures and institutions in different regions of the world, and among different social groups? Information and communication technologies are, furthermore, particularly sen- sitive to the effects of social users. The network society is also manifested in the transformation of sociability. Studies in different societies have indicated that in most instances internet users are more social, have more friends and contacts, and 116 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al are more socially and politically active than non-users. Moreover, the more they use the internet, the more they also engage in face-to-face interaction in all domains of their lives. Similarly, new forms of wireless communication, from mobile phone voice communication to SMS, WiFi and Wimax, substantially increase sociability, particularly for younger age groups. The network society is a hypersocial society, not a society of isolation. However, there is a crucial change in sociability, not as a consequence of the internet or new communication technologies, but a change that is fully supported by the logic embedded in the communication networks. This is the emergence of networked individualism, as social structure and historical evo- lution induce the emergence of individualism as the dominant culture of societies. The networked society is a society of the networked individual (Castells, 1998). Turkle (2011) has criticized the technology especially new mobile technolo- gies. She asks: how are computers and internet changing us as a people? We are shaped by our tools. And now, the computer, a machine on the border of be- coming a mind is changing and shaping us. Turkle asks how the self is being served. She informs us that the online self is flattened out into the imperson- al. Privacy is gone. Attention is fragmented and shaped as we are urged to mul- titask, and provided with electronic mechanisms enabling us to do so. She also asserts that continuous connectivitiy afforded us by our machines does not bring us to a place of communion with each other, but rather isolates and distanc- es us. She argues that aspects of technology cause addiction and dependency. Technical Research Security & Privacy As mobile internet-enabled devices become more pervasive in the homes and working lives of consumers, the demand to provide services tradition- ally available on desktop computers grows as well. Security is the most com- monly cited reason for consumers’ hesitation to use online services such as banking and shopping. It is not surprising, then, that concerns become even greater as we move from the wired desktop to wireless portable devices. Security remains of primary importance for consumers and businesses that are using wireless services. To take full advantage of the wireless internet, busi- nesses must understand the fundamental principles of security as to enable the implementation of a full range of wireless security measures. Proper securi- ty implementations will enable businesses to support their security claims and demonstrate to consumers that wireless transactions can be performed in a se- 117 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” cure manner with respect to user validation, confidentiality, privacy, fraud and theft. It also lessens the business exposure cardless also extra costs incurred for offering services where, for instance, there are cardless transactions, making the wireless channel a much more compelling one on which to extend its services. Cognitive Radio Cognitive Radio (CR) is a very popular, extensively investigated, concept in wire- less communication research, aimed at improving efficient usage of spectral re- sources. Flexibility, adaptation to the environment, and smart usage of spectral resources should be considered some of the key terms in this concept (Mitola et. al., 1999, pp. 13-18). A famous definition of CR that emphasizes its software-de- fined intellegence is ‘brain empowered wireless communication (Haykin, 2005). Enabling secondary users to utilize the licenced frequencies when the pri- mary frequency owners are idle, dynamic spectrum accessing is one of the most important elements of CR technologies (Zhao, et. al., 2007, pp. 79-89). In order to facilitate secondary users to operate in that manner, many tech- niques and algorithms are developed such as adaptive waveform designes (Zhang, et. al., 2006), spectrum sensing algorithms (Yucek and Arslan, 2009), and spectral resource management techniques (Neel, 2006) in literature. In today’s wireless communication, a fixed spectrum assignment policy is imple- mented for each technology by authorities. Development of different technologies, increase in users’s demands and inefficient usage of a limited spectrum enable a new communication network paradigm to emerge and rapidly improve. Cognitive radio networks, which are also known as next generation networks, aim to communicate continuously and rapidly as a result of using the spectrum efficiently and dynamically. The demand for wireless access in voice and multi-media applications has also been increasing. As a result of the convergence of computing, content, and en- tertainment with communication, radio equipment has become part of our daily lives. It has come to a point where we can not live without them. We can- not interact, chat, find our way, have fun or think without them. We can leave everything else behind, but, cannot go anywhere without them. The fun is actually just starting, wait until you see intelligence added to these radios. Today’s wireless services have come a long way since the roll-out of the conven- tional voice-centric cellular systems. The demand for wireless access in voice and high rate data multi-media applications has been increasing too. New gen- 118 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al eration wireless communication systems are aimed at accommodating this demand through better resource management and improved transmission technologies. The interest in increasing spectrum access and improving spec- trum efficiency combined with both the introduction of software defined ra- dios and the realization that machine learning can be applied to radios has cre- ated new intriguing possibilities for wireless radio researchers (Arslan, 2007). Cognitive radio technology is a way in which one radio or even a network of radios are able to learn a useful degree of adaptivity, that aids the user, the net- work, and/or the spectrum owner. There are powerful economic incentives to provide new capabilities, through existing telecommunications infrastruc- ture, and cognitive radios will provide those capabilities. As new services are of- fered, a larger spectrum will be needed and cognitive radios will provide the means for radios to communicate with greater spectrum efficiency (Bruce, 2007). Dynamic spectrum access of primary users (PUs) and secondary users (SUs) is one of the most popular concepts in cognitive radio (CR) and promises to han- dle the congestion problem in spectrum. Considering the fact that most of the licenced spectrum usually becomes available during the daytime, SU concept is introduced to utilize licenced spectrum bands when their holders, i.e., PUs are idle. However, secondary users must leave the spectrum as soon as primary users appear. Therefore, they should monitor the spectrum in a periodic fash- ion to carry out the transmission without interfering with PUs and should only operate when a hole is sensed in the observed spectrum. If the entire spec- trum is occupied, no action can be taken by SU and hence, risk of disconnec- tion always exist for SUs. According to our survey, potential wireless custom- ers do not give a credit such a usage, even if it is offered as a much cheaper price. Signal Seperation & Interference Cancellation In wireless communication literature, signal seperation and interference cancella- tion are emerging techniques allowing signals to interfere with each other. If each receiver can cancel the alien signal or seperate an intended signal from the received mixture by performing some signal processing algorithm, actual data can be ex- tracted properly. By this method, the aforementioned techniques allow multiple us- ers to operate at the same time and frequency, and improves capacity by providing more spectral resource to each user. However, corresponding signal processing algo- rithms may introduce a significant complexity to the receiver device and may result in a degradation of battery life. According to our survey, potential wireless custom- ers do not desire that situation even if their internet speed is considerably enhanced. 119 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” Interference is one of the most critical issues limiting high data rates in wireless communication (Shin, et. al., 2007 and Russell, 1995). Most generally, it is caused by either another wireless signal or self-interference. In literature, interference avoidance (Lopez-Perez, 2009) and operation while allowing interference (Tarhi- ni, Chadi and Tijani, 2007) are two popular approaches in dealing with this issue. However, since they need to allocate a significant part of the spectral resources for a reliable communication, they may not be considered spectrally efficient methods. In order to avoid extra spectral resource consumption unlike the aforementioned approaches, interference cancellation is an alternative method. Instead of compen- sating the effect of interference by introducing redundant information to the signal e.g., coding techniques, or deploying precautions such as guard band and guard time, interference is canceled at the receiver (Jeffrey, 2005). In addition to inter- ference cancellation, various techniques such as full duplexing (Jain, et. al., 2011) and independent component analysis (ICA) (Mike and Christopher, 2007) are also being studied for facilitating the reception of more than one signal transmitted us- ing the same spectral resource. However, these techniques introduce extra com- plexity and consume extra energy at the receiver. Therefore, when they are con- sidered for wireless mobile devices, the life of the battery is degraded dramatically. Multi-Input Multi-Output (MiMo) Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) is a communication technique in which the multipath properties of the channel are utilized to support greater data through- put. In a MIMO system, the transmitter transmits multiple channels of data traffic through multiple antennas: The receiver learns the channel behavior between the transmitter’s multiple antennas and the receiver’s multiple antennas, and uses signal processing to compute what waveform was transmitted by each transmitting an- tenna and the corresponding data stream. In this way, the same frequency is reused in the same geographic region to deliver greater amounts of data traffic than could be expected from a single transmitting and receiving antenna (SISO) system. Some MIMO systems also have the ability to learn to suppress interference from unrelat- ed transmitters, further enhancing network performance. These MIMO techniques are practical when sufficient space for mounting antennas on the radio or platform are available (Bruce, 2007). Apart from technological advancement, MIMO sys- tems have other practical projections onto the end-user’s perspective such as bat- tery life and the form factor of the mobile device utilizing multiples of antennas. (MIMO) is increasingly used in wireless communication systems (Biglieri, 2010). The reason for this attention is that MIMO provides two types gain. First, for re- ducing the possibility of signal decay that will be sent simultaneously from differ- 120 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al ent antennas, in radio channels of communication that will arise from the signal weakening that occur randomly (or failure). In other words, it enables the conti- nuity of the signal from a fading antenna even stronger signals from other anten- nas -relatively- creating diversity enables mobile communication more smooth- ly. The other major advantages of MIMO is that the different signals from both antennas sending and receiving data traffic is provided in parallel with the num- ber of antennas and communication speed can be increased proportionately (Lo- zano and Jindal, 2010, 186-197). However, these gains in multiple antenna radio channels have a critical requirement: size is comparable to the wavelength, in- dependent of the distance between antennas (Chiani, 2003). That is the diversity of MIMO multiplexing gain of the wireless devices needs to be increased in size. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Scientific research is performed to understand “social reality”. One way of under- standing social reality is to pose questions to the participants. The social impact of technological developments and innovations is one of the most studied topics in re- cent years. It was necessary for comparative research into the relationship between technological innovation and social needs to be conducted. Although technological developments are shaped by social needs, it is true that mankind’s curiosity and mo- tivation to achieve have a significant impact on these developments. When we look at developments in the internet and wireless technology, we see that it is characterised by consistently rapid changes. Within a short time, developments in the communi- cations field has reached a very important stage. Wireless and mobile internet access have become an integral part of our lives In order to evaluate wireless internet usage by university students and their future expectations for future wireless service, a number of questions were put to three groups of university students, to establish the views and needs of these three different communities and their respective cultural structures. This survey was administered to college students from three different countries simultaneously. The main objective of this research is determining the habits of college students’ internet usage and to get information about and expecta- tions for future technology and its impact on the students’ socio-cultural processes. Research universe and sampling In general, topics such as technology, society, and internet technology cov- er the research universe. In particular, it includes habits of college stu- dents’ internet usage and expectations. The students of USF, IUS and AKU are the sample of the study. This survey was conducted in February 2014. 121 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” USF (The University of South Florida) The University of South Florida is a research university located in Tampa Bay on Florida’s west coast. It is one of the largest public universities in the nation, and among the top 50 universities, public or private, for federal research expendi- tures. The university is one of only four Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of re- search universities, a distinction attained by only 2.3 percent of all universities. The University of South Florida is serving nearly 48,000 students (www.usf.edu). AKU (Afyon Kocatepe University) Afyon Kocatepe University was founded in 1992 in Afyonkarahisar, Tur- key, and started educational activities during the 1992-1993 academ- ic year. Now, the university has educational activities with 12 facul- ties and 4 schools at the Bachelor of Science degree level, 15 vocational colleges at the Associate Degree level, 3 institutes for graduate education. Afyon Kocatepe University has more than 30 000 registered student (www.aku.edu.tr). IUS (International University of Sarajevo) The International University of Sarajevo is located in Sarajevo, the capital of Bos- nia-Herzegovina. During undergraduate and postgraduate studies, students are developing in a quality intellectual atmosphere and are able to choose one of the 14 programs of studies within the three faculties, containing programs in differ- ent areas ranging from industrial engineering and computer sciences art and so- cial sciences and to business administration and humanities. There are more than 2000 students studying in the first, second and third cycle of studies, coming from all continents and approximately from 40 countries of the world (www.ius.edu.ba). METHODS AND TECHNIQUES USED IN THIS RESEARCH This study encompasses a ‘micro-field survey’ as well as a literature review and analysis of survey techniques. The first section of the research is theoretical, while the second part is practical. After reviewing the literature on the subject, data were obtained to try to establish a general framework in the light of the research. This framework offers a theo- retical premise and in order to test the hypotheses, a survey was completed by students. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 1. Participants are aware that the Wi-Fi modem in their homes actually has a small base station function. 2. Participants do not prefer a service provider which gives a service with a 122 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al higher risk of connection failure but lower prices. 3. Participants want to use the fastest device to access the internet, regardless of size. 4. The mobility during communication is always important for the partici- pants. 5. Participants would accept having less battery life (e.g., half ) if they would have doubled internet speed the same price. 6. By paying more money, participants expect more secure personal commu- nication carried out via email, social networks etc. FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS Representative examples of our universe, our research group; 131 females and 139 males in USF, 142 females and 156 males in AKU and 42 females and, 219 males in IUS consists of a total of 829 people. All of these students answered the questions by filling out questionnaires. These responses were analyzed by statistical methods. Frequency tables, which were generally involved in the study, give the percentage of the sample group. 1. Gender Name of the University Response Categories Frequency Percent USF Male 139 51,5 Female 131 48,5 Total 270 100,0 AKU Male 156 52,3 Female 142 47,7 Total 298 100,0 IUS Male 219 83,9 Female 42 16,1 Total 261 100,0 When looking at the gender distribution of the participants, it is clear that there is an equal distribution between males and females. However, the rates of distribution are: 51.5% male, 48.5% female for USF. These distribution are 52.3% male, 47.7% for AKU. These are 83.9% male and 16.1% female for IUS. Quite different from physical definition in our mind, gender issue is based on physcological and sociologic dis- crepancy as a scientific definition. Necessarily asked in social science research. The 123 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” gender question has a determinant role in people’s social lives, routines and decisions. 2. Are you aware that the Wi-Fi modem in your home is actually a small base station? Name of the University Response Categories Frequency Percent USF Yes 140 51,9 No 52 19,3 No idea 67 24,8 I don’t have a modem 11 4,1 Total 270 100,0 AKU Yes 211 70,8 No 38 12,8 No idea 20 6,7 I don’t have a modem 29 9,7 Total 298 100,0 IUS Yes 118 45,2 No 52 19,9 No idea 74 28,4 I don’t have a modem 17 6,5 Total 261 100,0 The aim of this question is to learn if the people who think that base stations are dan- gerous under normal conditions, are aware that the modem which they have in their houses has the same function. Certainly, modems at home may not affect people’s health in as much as the base station outside. On the other hand, is there any incon- venience to put a Femcotell (a device which provides the mobile phone with the mo- dem at home rather than the base station outside) into the houses in the near future? In terms of deploying such a technology this, it might be considered as an important question. 51.9% of the USF students indicate that Wifi modems at their houses func- tion as a small base stations. However, this rate is 70.8% for AKU students, it is 45.2% for IUS students. It might be said the most of the participants are aware that the mobile phones use the same technology with the base stations and Wifi. This case strength- en the possibility that applications like Femtocell will not create much of a reaction. 124 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al 3. Would you prefer a service provider which gives a service with a high- er risk of connection failure but lower prices? Name of the University Response Categories Frequency Percent USF Yes 23 8,5 No 247 91,5 Total 270 100,0 AKU Yes 38 12,8 No 260 87,2 Total 298 100,0 IUS Yes 119 45,6 No 142 54,4 Total 261 100,0 This question is being asked to understand how the society meets the secondary user concept in cognitive radio applications. In this concept users are classified into two groups called primary users (PUs) and secondary users (SUs). Primary users can be described as the owners of the spectral resources. For example, a frequency band is assigned to a PU for a given time period and he can use it whenever he needs. In this way, available spectral resources are shared between PUs in a geographical area. However, PUs do not always need to use these resources. Considering this fact, cog- nitive radio introduces secondary usage concept and allows users having no allocat- ed spectral resource to operate in frequency bands of PUs when they are idle. How- ever, secondary users have to leave the frequency band of a PU immediately when the PU start to use it. Therefore, communication of an SU might me interrupted by a PU and connection failure risk becomes quite higher even if it costs less than own- ing a spectral resource. USF students mostly gave no answers (91.5%). A minority responded ‘Yes, I prefer’ (8.5%). AKU students answered this question as 87.2% “no”, 12.8% “yes”. IUS students presented opinions as 54.4% “no”, 45.6% “yes” for this question. Here, the most different result belongs to IUS students. Among the IUS students, the rate of being secondary users is fairly high. The reason of this result may be the high price of internet in that country. On the other hand, it is seen that people generally don’t prefer low price services with the secondary base station. Or rather, even if it is cheap, an operator which has a high risk of cessation is not preferred. 125 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” 4. Noting that the size of a smartphone is proportional to its data rate, I prefer a large smartphone with high data rate to a small one with a lower internet speed. (Please ignore the benefit of wider screens of the large phones in this question.) Name of the University Response Categories Frequency Percent USF Totally agree 9 3,3 Agree 42 15,6 Neutral 86 31,9 Disagree 100 37,0 Totally disagree 33 12,2 Total 270 100,0 AKU Totally agree 52 17,4 Agree 75 25,2 Neutral 45 15,1 Disagree 76 25,5 Totally disagree 50 16,8 Total 298 100,0 IUS Totally agree 21 8,0 Agree 40 15,3 Neutral 78 29,9 Disagree 85 32,6 Totally disagree 37 14,2 Total 261 100,0 The point of this question is to understand what will be the reaction of people to the deployment of wireless capacity increasing techniques that require more space on the devices such as MIMO (more antenna usage on the device). Us- age of such technologies leads to increase of device sizes, naturally. How much will the people be content with this? 49.2% of students in USF, 42.3% of stu- dents in AKU, and 46.8% of students in IUS presented opinions as ‘I disagree and stronly disagree’. On the other hand, in this question, how much could the people isolate the screen advantage is also another important factor to consider. 126 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al 5. I prefer watching an online video over cellular network with moder- ate quality rather than waiting until I arrive at home/office for watching the same video over WiFi with high quality. Name of the University Response Categories Frequency Percent USF Totally agree 32 11,9 Agree 96 35,6 Neutral 63 23,3 Disagree 64 23,7 Totally disagree 15 5,6 Total 270 100,0 AKU Totally agree 76 25,5 Agree 102 34,2 Neutral 36 12,1 Disagree 64 21,5 Totally disagree 20 6,7 Total 298 100,0 IUS Totally agree 15 5,7 Agree 34 13,0 Neutral 70 26,8 Disagree 92 35,2 Totally disagree 50 19,2 Total 261 100,0 While students in USF gave 47.5% ‘strongly agree and agree’ answers, 59.7% of stu- dents in AKU and 18.7% of students in IUS gave ‘strongly agree and agree’ an- swers. Here, the most salient finding is the thoughts of the IUS students. 54.4% of IUS students remark that they don’t agree with this idea. Interestingly, in this question it is seen that the answers have a balanced distribution. However, overall tendency shows even if it has lower quality, people will not give up mobile access. If the user or device is moving, this can disrupt the received signals, and the re- flection angle and other parameters can vary rapidly. If transmitters and receivers do not follow this change in surrounding; the quality of communication declines (Torbjorn, 2002). The effect of this reduction of the data rate is relatively low (8-15 kbps) in voice communications, and is not noticeable. But anything that requires high data rate, real-time (video-over-IP), or video applications such as video-on-de- mand mobility directly affects the quality of service. On the other hand, support 127 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” for mobile communication wireless local area networks (Wireless LANs) provides services with higher data rates. So from the local network to the cellular cellular service providers discharge data (data off-loading) is working on (Lee et. al., 2010). In another study, even without taking into account the need to defer 65% of the cellular network to the local network traffic can be obtained discharge. By an- ticipating users’ movements before there are studies that aim to realize in this off-loading in an efficient manner (Baier). Consequently, we also tried to pre- dict by this question providing mobile services for cellular networks of mul- timedia applications and wireless local area networks due to mobility in the distribution of the share of the falling quality of service. Interestingly, the partic- ipants have approached this issue with a similar range. Nevertheless, there is a trend that people do not give up the ease of access even in a lower quality. At the same there are some users who are delaying the needs by loading transfer from the cellular network to the local network and these can not be underestimated. 6. I would accept having less battery life (e.g., half ) if I am going to have doubled internet speed with the same price. Name of the University Response Categories Frequency Percent USF Totally agree 39 14,4 Agree 106 39,3 Neutral 61 22,6 Disagree 51 18,9 Totally disagree 13 4,8 Total 270 100,0 AKU Totally agree 24 8,1 Agree 49 16,4 Neutral 50 16,8 Disagree 101 33,9 Totally disagree 74 24,8 Total 298 100,0 IUS Totally agree 21 8,0 Agree 57 21,8 Neutral 72 27,6 Disagree 70 26,8 Totally disagree 41 15,7 Total 261 100,0 128 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al This question is to understand how wireless capacity increasing techniques that demands more energy comsumption will be accepted by the users. In this con- text, signal seperation and interference cancellation techniques are considered in this study. They are emerging techniques allowing signals to interfere with each other. If a receiver can seperate the intended signal from the received sig- nal mixture by performing some signal processing algorithms, actual data can be extracted properly. If receivers can carry out these processes, we can allow multiple users to operate at the same time and frequency. Thus capacity is im- proved by providing more spectral resource to each user. However, aforemen- tion signal processing algorithms introduce a significant complexity to the re- ceiver device and result in a considerable degradation battery life. By evaluating the answers given to “Question-6”, we discuss the future of these techniques. While the 53.7% of USF students give ‘strongly agree and agree’answers, this rate among AKU students is 24.5% and 29.8% for IUS students. Here, different views belong to USF students. Students of IUS and AKU gave similar answers. Although people mostly complain about the link speed, they do not want to be charged more to connect to the internet faster. It is seen that battery life maintains its importance for many people. It is possible to make two inferences: Studies to prolong battery life will maintain impor- tance, and the producers should focus on decresing waste of energy in mobile devices. 7. By paying more money, I want more secure personal communication carried out via email, social networks etc. Name of the University Response Categories Frequency Percent USF Totally agree 4 1,5 Agree 22 8,1 Neutral 65 24,1 Disagree 105 38,9 Totally disagree 74 27,4 Total 270 100,0 AKU Totally agree 52 17,4 Agree 87 29,2 Neutral 67 22,5 Disagree 59 19,8 Totally disagree 33 11,1 Total 298 100,0 129 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences “A comparatıve survey on wıreless ınternet usage ” IUS Totally agree 8 3,1 Agree 22 8,4 Neutral 78 29,9 Disagree 101 38,7 Totally disagree 52 19,9 Total 261 100,0 Security is a crucial task in wireless communication due to the broadcast nature of wireless signals. In order to achieve data protection, encryption based security tech- niques have been implemented so far. Recently, security precautions in physical layer (PHY) have also become popular and are being intensively investigated in literature. Unlike encryption techniques, PHY security deals with the secrecy of signal rather than the data. By this way, it provides a complementary protection in wireless commu- nication. However, all of these techniques may require extra-spectral resource con- sumption and will likely cause a raise in wireless service charges. This question discuss- es the future demand for a secure communication at expense of paying more money. The rate of the USF students who want to pay more in return to communi- cate securely is nearly 9.6%. A similar rate with 11.5% belongs to IUS students. The different view about this topic belongs to AKU students. 46.6% of AKU stu- dents want to communicate securely paying more. In recent years, security problems in Turkey may have caused this result. As these results indicate, Turk- ish people prefer to pay more to provide secure communication. They conclud- ed that the price is not important as long as a secure communication is provided. CONCLUSION Scientists think; engineers make. Engineering is fundamentally an activi- ty, as opposed to an intellectual discipline. The goal of science and philos- ophy is to know; the goal of engineering is to do something good or use- ful. But even in that bare-bones description of engineering, the words good and useful have philosophical implications (Stephan, et. al., 2012). Society and communication is one of the most important issues in recent years. The innovations in the field of wireless communication especially have devel- oped very quickly. Social structure and urban life are affected by this change. Communities can benefit from innovations developed in the field of wire- less communication and the enrichment of the otherwise backward. What im- portant is not only the use of technology to produce it. In this context, science 130 Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, (2015) © Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences H. Koçak, et. al and technology policies should be revised by the corresponding authorities. This research is one of the first into the area of social provision of technical prob- lems, and has generated interesting results. Technical problems and prospects have been investigated through the questions posed by our survey. The research- ers working in this field have contributed in the creation of technical questions. College students are preferred because they represent certain segments of society; they are more likely to use technological devices and more sensitive to these areas. In this respect, the answers from the three groups of people from different societies have revealed that wireless innovations will continue to be one of the determining factors in social behavior. Although accepting the smartphone as a leading role in the personal life does not seem to be a widespread adoption, new technologies in wireless systems will still be the directors of the main elements in the personal and social life. Awareness of the tecnological developments and the end-user requirements that can be chal- lenging in the technological perspective are among the evidences of this direct role. In terms of the technical aspect, this study also investigated the future of current research topics in wireless communication technology by identifying the expecta- tions of users. Since nothing comes for free, proposed improvements in wireless technology are also obtained at the expense of various disadvantages, e.g., deg- radation in battery life, higher service costs, increased device sizes etc. Our sur- vey questions were prepared and posed to the college/university students, in or- der to compare the advantages and the trade-offs in aforementioned research fields. 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