In Tutrials

IFIP IN '95 CONFERENCE Copenhagen 28.-31.8.
1995
TUTORIAL ON INTELLIGENT NETWORKS
Olli Martikainen*, Juha Lipiinen**, Kim Molin***

*Telecom Finland, P.O. Box 106, FIN-00511 Helsinki, Finland Tel. +358 2040 3503, Fax.+358 2040 3251 **Nokia Telecommunications, P.O.Box 33, FIN-02601 Espoo, Finland Tel. +358 0 5116691, Fax. +358 0 5115595 ***Lappeenranta University of Technology, Datacommunication Laboratory, P.O.Box 20, FIN-53851 Lappeenranta, Finland Tel. +358 53 624 3613, Fax. +358 53 624 3650
Abstract
The development of telecommunications technology and the need for more advanced services has created projects on standardization of international Intelligent Networks (IN). The standards of Intelligent Networks define IN in an abstract point of view, so it leaves the service providers the decisions on their own implementations. The first standard sets of IN are Bellcores AIN.0 and the CCITTs Capability Set 1 (CS1). They define the basic services of IN, additional features such as rapid service introduction and a flexible architecture that provides future expansion to further IN Capability Sets. The standardization organisations, such as CCITT and ETSI, work hard to help the service providers to implement their IN architecture in order to be able to provide international IN services. This kind of architecture is better known as Global Intelligent Network architecture and it should be taken into consideration already in the early implementations of IN. This paper presents some history of telecommunications technology, an overview of IN and its services and some additional discussion on the future broadband IN.
Contents
Abbreviations
1. PREFACE 2. INTRODUCTION
2.1 Early computers and telecommunications 2.2 Switching systems development 2.3 Turning-points in telecommunications 2.3.1 2.3.2 UMTS MEDIA
1 2
2 3 5 6 6
3. COMPUTER CONTROLLED TELECOMMUNICATIONS

3.1 CCITT Signalling System No. 7 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.1.3 Network Services Part User Part Signalling network structure
8
8 8 9 9 10 11 11 12 12 12 13 14
3.2 Telecommunications Management Network 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.2.3 Functional architecture Informational architecture Physical architecture
3.3 Intelligent Network 3.3.1 3.3.2 The need for IN Definition of Intelligent Network
3.4 Numbering and Services
4.
INTELLIGENT NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
16
16 16 18 18 18
4.1 Overview of IN 4.1.1. 4.1.2. Origins of IN IN standardization IN standards bodies ETSI
4.1.2.1 4.1.2.1.1
4.1.2.1.2 4.1.2.2 4.1.2.3 4.1.2.4 4.1.2.5
CCITT Phased standardization Structure of CCITT IN standards Capability Set 1 IN CS1 Services
18 19 19 20 21 21 22 24 26 28 28 29 29 29 30 30 30 30 31 31 31 31 31 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 33 33 34 34 34 35 35
4.2 IN Functional Requirements 4.2.1 4.2.2. Service Requirements Network Requirements
4.3 IN Conceptual Model 4.3.1 Physical Plane Physical Entities SSP NAP SCP AD IP SN SSCP SDP SMP SCEP SMAP SCP-SSP interface AD-SSP interface IP-SSP interface SN-SSP interface SCP-IP interface AD-IP interface SCP-SDP interface User interfaces Definition of FEs CCAF CCF SSF SSF/CCF Model 4.3.1.1.1 4.3.1.1.2 4.3.1.1.3 4.3.1.1.4 4.3.1.1.5 4.3.1.1.6 4.3.1.1.7 4.3.1.1.8 4.3.1.1.9 4.3.1.1.10 4.3.1.1.11 4.3.1.2 4.3.1.2.1 4.3.1.2.2 4.3.1.2.3 4.3.1.2.4 4.3.1.2.5 4.3.1.2.6 4.3.1.2.7 4.3.1.2.8 4.3.2 4.3.2.1 4.3.2.1.1 4.3.2.1.2 4.3.2.1.3 4.3.2.1.4 4.3.1.1
Interfaces between PEs
Distributed Functional Plane
4.3.2.1.4.1 4.3.2.1.4.2 4.3.2.1.5 4.3.2.1.6 4.3.2.1.7 4.3.2.1.8 4.3.2.1.9 4.3.2.1.10 4.3.2.1.11 4.3.2.2 4.3.3 4.3.3.1 4.3.3.1.1 4.3.3.1.2 4.3.3.1.3 4.3.3.1.3.1 4.3.3.2 4.3.3.3 4.3.3.4 4.3.4 4.3.4.1 4.3.4.2 4.3.4.3 4.3.4.4 4.3.4.5 4.3.4.6 SCF SDF SRF
BCSM Originating BCSM for CS-1
36 37 39 40 40 40 40 40 41 41 41 42 43 43 44 44 46 46 46 46 47 48 51 52 53 54 54 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 60
SCEF SMAF SMF SCF Model and its relations
Mapping FEs to PEs SIB Call Instance Data Service Support Data The SIB structure Queue SIB Basic Call Process Global Service Logic Relating the GFP to the DFP Service Features Description of CS1 Service Features IN service modelling Credit Card Calling Virtual Private Network Universal Personal Telecommunications
Global Functional Plane
Service Plane
4.4 The IN-structured network 4.4.1 4.4.2 4.4.3 SCE The function of IN IN Application Protocol
4.5 Personal Communications Services 4.6 Integration of TMN and IN 4.6.1 Comparison of IN planes to TMN planes
4.7 Globalizing the IN 4.8 Future IN Capability Sets
4.9 Current activities of IN
61
5. CHANGES IN BUSINESS
5.1 Technology and services 5.2 Liberalization, alliances and competition 5.3 IN services 5.3.1 5.3.2 Benefits of IN Cost structure Initial cost of IN Operational costs of IN Basic call production costs Operators capability of offering services Sales of service portfolio Service development time frames
62
62 63 64 64 65 65 66 66 66 66 66 67 67 67 67 67 67 68
5.3.2.1 5.3.2.2 5.3.2.3 5.3.3 5.3.3.1 5.3.3.2 5.3.3.3
Service portfolio
5.4 Evolution of IN capabilities at Telecom Finland 5.4.1 5.4.2 5.4.3 Pre-IN Centralized IN Special services
5.5 Distribution channels 5.6 Changes in enterprises
6. BROADBAND INTELLIGENCE AND MEDIA

6.1 Broadband networks 6.1.1 B-ISDN Physical layer ATM layer ATM Adaption Layer CBR VBR SEAL Control plane Management of the B-ISDN architecture 6.1.1.1 6.1.1.2 6.1.1.3 6.1.1.3.1 6.1.1.3.2 6.1.1.3.3 6.1.1.4 6.1.1.5 6.1.2
70
70 70 70 71 71 72 72 72 72 72 72
ATM networks
6.1.2.1
Virtual Channelss and Virtual Paths
73 74
6.2 Applications for the broadband networks
7. BROADBAND IN
7.1 Introduction 7.2 Telecom Finland BIN Project 7.3 BIN Architecture 7.3.1 Components
76
76 76 77 77 77 78 78 79 79 79 80 80 80 80 80 81 81 81 82 83 83 84
7.4 BIN and IN 7.5 Broadband services categorizing 7.6 Functioning of BIN architecture 7.6.1 Requirements of ATM network
7.7 Course of BIN events 7.7.1 7.7.2 7.7.3 7.7.4 Service request phase Service activation phase Service usage phase Service after-usage phase
7.8 BINAP 7.8.1 BINAP-messages 7.8.2 User identification 7.9 CUSTOMER SERVICE PALETTE 7.9.1 BIN conceptual model
7.10 BIN MIB 7.11 TMN and BIN 7.12 The hardware configuration 7.13 Proposed services
8. REFERENCES
85
ABBREVIATIONS
AAB ABD AC ACB ACC AD AOD AP ASE ASN.1 ATM ATT AUC AUTC AUTZ B-IN B-ISDN B-OSF B-SCP B-SMS B-SSP BAF BCP BER BRI BSF BTF CBR CCAF CCBS CCC CCF CCITT CCS CCSN CD CD Automatic Alternative Billing Abbreviated Dialling Application Context Automatic Call Back Account Card Calling Adjunct Audio On Demand Application Process Application Service Element Abstract Syntax Notation One Asynchronous Transfer Mode Attendant Authentication Center Authentication Authorization Code Broadband IN Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network Business OSF Broadband Service Control Point Broadband Service Management System Broadband Service Switching Point Basic Access Function Basic Call Process Basic Encoding Rules Basic Rate Interface Base Station Function Basic Transit Function Continuous Bit Rate Call Control Agent Function Completion of Call to Busy Subscriber Credit Card Calling Call Control Function Concultative Committee for International Telephony and Telegraphy Common Channel Signalling Common Channel Signalling Network Call Distribution Compact Disk
CD-ROM CF CFC CHA CID CIDFP CLI COC CON CPM CRA CRD CRG CS CS1 CT2 CUG CW DC DCP DCR DDD DECT DFP DTMF DUP EC EF EIR ERMES ETSI FC FE FEA FIE FMD FPH GAP
Compact Disk-Read Only Memory Call Forwarding Call Forwarding on BY/DA Call Hold with Announcement Call Instance Data CID Field Pointer Calling Line Identity Consultation Calling Conference Calling Customer Profile Management Customized Recorded Announcement Call Rerouting Distribution Customized Ringing Capability Set Capability Set 1 Cordless Telephone 2 Closed User Group Call Waiting Detection Capability Destination Point Code Destination Call Routing Direct Distance Dialing Digital European Cordless Telecommunications Distributed Functional Plane Dual Tone Multi-Frequencies Destinating User Prompter European Community Elementary Function Equipment Identification Register European Radio Message System European Telecommunications Standards Institute Functional Component Functional Entity Functional Entity Action Facility Information Element Follow-Me-Diversion Freephone Call Gapping
GFP GNS GSL GSM
Global Functional Plane Green Number Service Global Service Logic Global System for Mobile communications Groupe Special Mobile
GUI GUS HDTV HLR HP IN INA INAP INCM IP ISDN ITU IVS LIM LOG MACF MAP MAS MCI MIB MIT MMC MPEG MSC MSCF MTP MWC N-OSF N_ID NAF Ne-OSF NEF NNI
Graphical User Interface Gravis UltraSound High Definition TeleVision Home Location Register Hewlett Packard Intelligent Network Intelligent Network Architecture IN Application Protocol Intelligent Network Conceptual Model Intelligent Peripheral Integrated Services Digital Network International Telecommunications Union INRIA Videonconferencing System Call Limiter Call Logging Multiple Association Control Function Mobile Application Part Mass Calling Malicious Call Identification Management Information Base Management Information Tree Meet-Me-Conference Moving Pictures Experts Group Mobile Services Center Mobile Switching Center Function Message Transfer Part Multi-Way Calling Network OSF Network ID Network Access Function Network element OSF Network Element Function Network-to-Node Interface
NSP O-O OAM OC-x OCS ODR OFA OMAP ONC ONE OSF OSI OSIRM OUP PABX PCM PCS PDH PE PIN PLMN PN PNP POI POR PRI PRM PRMC PSTN PTN PVC QOS QUE RACE RBOC REVC rN ROSE
Network Services Part Object-Oriented Operations And Maintenance Optical Carrier level at x Originating Call Screening Origin Dependent Routing Off Net Access Operations, Maintenance, and Administration Part Off Net Calling One Number Operations Systems Function Open Systems Interconnection OSI Reference Model Originating User Prompter Private Access Branch eXchange Pulse Code Modulation Personal Communications Services Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy Physical Entity Personal Identification Number Public Land Mobile Network Personal Numbering Private Numbering Plan Point Of Initiation Point Of Return Primary Rate Interface Premium Rate Premium Charging Public Switched Telecommunications Network Personal Telecommunications Number Permanent Virtual Channel Quality of Service Call Queueing Research and technology development in Advanced Communications technologies in Europe Regional Bell Operating Company Reverse Charging relationship N Remote Operations Service Element
RTP S-OSF S_ID SACF SAO SCCP SCE SCEF SCF SCF SCP SDF SDH SEAL SEC SF SIB SIG SLP SMS SP SPC SPL SRF SS SS7 SSD SSF SSN SSP STM STP SVC TCAP TCP TCS TDR Telco
Real-time Transport Protocol Service OSF Service ID Single Association Control Function Single Association Object Signalling Connection Control Part Service Creation Environment Service Creation Environment Function Service Control Function Selective Call Forward on Busy/Dont Answer Service Control Point Service Data Function Synchronous Digital Hierarchy Simple and Efficient Adaptation Layer Security Screening Service Feature Service-Independent building Block Special Interest Group Service Logic Program Service Management System Service Plane Stored Program Control Split Charging Specialized Resource Function Service Subscriber Signalling System no. 7 Service Support Data Service Switching Function Subsystem Number Service Switching Point Synchronous Transport Module Signalling Transfer Point Switched Virtual Channel Transaction Capabilities Application Part Transmission Control Protocol Terminating Call Screening Time Dependent Routing Telecommunications Operating Company
TINA TMN TP TRA U_ID UAN UDP UDR UMTS UNI UP UPT VBR VC VCC VCI VLR VOD VOT VP VPI VPN WSF
TMN+IN Telecommunications Management Network Transact Processing system Call Transfer User ID Universal Access Number User Datagram Protocol User-Define Routing Universal Mobile Telecommunications System User-to-Network Interface User Part Universal Personal Telecommunications Variable Bit Rate Virtual Channel Virtual Channel Connection Virtual Channel Identifier Visitor Location Register Video On Demand Televoting Virtual Path Virtual Path Identifier Virtual Private Network Work Station Function
Tutorial on Intelligent Networks
changes in the switching systems and some turning-points
1.
Preface
in telecommunications are the main concern. The concept of Computer Controlled Telecommunications is described in section 3. It also includes signalling network history
This Tutorial on Intelligent Networks has been prepared for the IFIP IN '95 conference in Copenhagen. The first version of this tutorial appeared in the second Winter School on Telecommunications in Helsinki, March 1994, and was then considerably improved for the IFIP TC-6 Workshop on Intelligent Networks in Lappeenranta on August 1994 and later for SEACOMM'94 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After that some corrections and modifications have been added, and the authors express their sincere gratitude for all the help they have obtained. The tutorial has been written in co-operation with Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland, but at present the second author is working with Nokia Telecommunications. The tutorial considers Intelligent Networks (IN) from user, operator and application points of view. It gives some history of the development of computers and telecommunications networks towards more advanced systems and networks that provide additional features, for example, to the normal telephony services. These computer controlled telecommunications networks and architectures that add value to conventional telecommunications networks are often referred to as Intelligent Networks. This tutorial provides a presentation of IN concepts, standards and technologies and gives a description of the situation today. Also some influential changes in the area of telecommunications business is considered. Scenarios of future developments of IN are provided. The authors of this tutorial are responsible for the possible errors and mistakes in the text and all critics and improvements are welcome. Section 2. describes the history of telecommunications and its development towards the future techniques. The
and
development,
management
networks
for
telecommunications networks, and the need for more advanced services. The Intelligent Network Architecture (INA) is presented in section 4. from an abstract point of view. Also some future plans to expand the architecture are studied, such as Telecommunications Management Network and Intelligent Network integration. In section 5. the effects of telecommunications networks development to the telecommunications business are studied. Some additional discussion of broadband networks and possible broadband services in Intelligent Networks is provided in section 6. References are given in the text for further reading. For this reason the references given are not always the original ones. This tutorial has been given a permission by the authors to be used freely in noncommercial educational purposes.
Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland
instrumentation devices. Later on, the process industry
2.
Introduction
became heavily computer controlled, and the computer control of manufacturing was extended largely later in the 1970's. It was also then when the extensive use of telecommunications networks became possible. This was supported by digital PCM-transmission technology (PDH-systems) deployed in the 1960s and 1970's and modems with signalling rates of about 300 bauds. In those days, the telecommunications networks were still largely non-digital and did not provide bit errorfree data transfer. Bit errors appeared very often and for this reason transport protocols at end systems and heavy link and network protocols between the network nodes were developed to minimize this unreliability problem.
2.1
Early computers and telecommunications
It is almost fifty years ago since intelligence first was introduced in the concept of programmable electronic calculators. Since then, the development of these machines towards computers has been rapid. In 1950s computers acted as cenralized batch processors and there were no computer networks because of the insufficient network technology. The programming of early computers was very difficult because of low level instructions and primitive user interfaces. However, first high level languages such as Fortran were introduced already in 1950's. The batch processor computers worked in a simple way. They read the paper tapes bit by bit containing information presented as holes in the paper. So the Input/Output (I/O) operations of the computers were far too inefficient to use the analogous telecommunications network that was provided at that time. The computers in those days were mainly used to scientifical calculations that needed no other I/O operations than instruction and data read, and a printout function of the calculations. So, early computers were completely in local use. The next generation of computer technology followed from the development of time sharing operating systems in 1960's. Time sharing made it possible to have multiple I/O-terminals connected to the computer, which was the origin of local terminal networks with datacommunnication protocols. At the same time the use of computers was started in the process industry, where computers removed process measurement and control tasks from humans in the 1960s. This meant that the I/O operations of the computers had to be developed further and they could already communicate with other
Figure -1. Transaction processing system. In 1970s Transaction Processing systems (TP) were taken in use in the area of banking. These TPs centralized servers located in the main office. The clients sended requests via the communication network and the TP answered them with low delay responses. Terminal networks developed to local area networks (LANs) in the 1980's and packet switched data networks (X.25) were introduced in late 1970's (Figure ). TPs with communication networks was a remarkable development step and this client-server model is still in use in banking. At day time, these computer systems work as transaction processors, but at night they are used in batch processing. This is because of the daytime heavy load of transaction requests (even hundreds of thousands of requests per hour) that arrive from several offices simultaneously.
The batch functions are for example realizations of the money transfer requests such as payment of salaries every month ar any account transfers. These computer systems need to serve the realtime queries and give responses to thousands of locations worldwide.
points. Furthermore, the long development time frames and the then-available technologies favored producing this new service by slightly rearranging the internal structure of the switching systems and squeezing in the new capability. The end result was that DDD increased considerable network-related data in the local switches and also added new functions related to the network connection capabilities into the local switches. On many of the existing switches, this involved adding specialized boxes to correctly interpret the new dialed numbers and route them to the correct places for proper DDD connectivity. To get some idea of the development of technology associated with the interconnection aspects of the telecommunications at that time, we can look at one of the services we consider basic today. In 1956, the first undersea cable using repeaters was activated at a cost of about $6 million/circuit resulting in a cost of about $75/minute. By 1976, the cost per circuit was reduced by a hundredfold, thus permitting later developments to focus more on providing various services beyond connection. One of the driving forces for more complex services at this time was the reduction in the cost of the basic connections so that groups of customers with specialized needs came to the market asking for capabilities beyond simple connectivity. This was the beginning of the transition period in which the structure of the telecommunications industry was changing away from the former connection focus toward a new service focus. However, the pace of change was slow given the technological problems that still had to be overcome to provide fast and economical connections with high quality. Thus, there was no driving need to reorganize the basic structure of what existed; nor was there any real guidance as to what kinds of services the customers would be willing to purchase as a service marketing was in its infancy Benne93.
2.2
Switching systems development
From 1870s to 1950s, the primary focus of swithing system development was on producing better technologies for permitting two people to engage in voice communications over larger and larger distances and to make this technology more readily available, cheaper, and more reliable. During this period the industry moved from local calls being handled by operators with plug boards, to step-by-step switches, to panel switches, to crossbar switches and to Stored Program Controlled (SPC) switches. It is interesting to remember that in 1925 one of the most significant breakthroughs was the separation of the connection control activities from the maintenance of the actual connections during an active call. This change, over time, allowed the switching systems to reuse the more complex resources of the switch (those used for initiating and setting up a call), thus ending an era of having to duplicate these costly resources and having them tied up for the entire duration of a call. One of the major implications of switching systems development during this period was that almost all the information about how connections were to be created resided on the individual switches, specifically, subscriber data, information about how to provide the limited functions available at that time, and implicit network information were all contained in each switch Benne93. In the 1950s, Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) began to be deployed as a new service, but this was still a continuation of the general focus to provide telecommunications connections between two fixed
During the 1960s and 1970s, the requests for additional services began to grow, but the pace was rather slow by todays standards since the technology to support these new services was not readily available on the general market. Since the new SPC-exhanges were able to swith 64 kbps connections transmitted over digital PDH systems, it was a natural idea to propose this capability as a basis for data communications. This was the birth of the ISDN-concept (Integrated Services Digital Network) where two digital 64 kbps data channels and one digital 16 kbps signalling channel was provided to the customers. ISDN was an important concept since the current service-driven thinking was created during its development. For example, the other 64 kbps channel could be used for speech and the other for data transmission simultaneously. The whole capacity of 128 kbps could also be used for a reasonably high quality compressed real time video connections. The availability of ISDN growed, however, much slower than was expected. The reasons for this were the existing large installation base of analogous switching and transmission systems incapable to support digital channels. Once again, it was more economical and easier to squeeze the new capabilities into the existing switching systems than to change the switches and have to replace the embedded base with newer technologies. services. For example, the office automation technologies available were not very advanced and did not produce digital data storage and transfer. Also, the derivative technologies associated with the growth of computers, personal computers, and microchip technology had not reached a state where they were demanding telecommunication services much beyond classical interconnectivity services. During this period, the efforts to put more and more new service capabilities onto the switching systems resulted in This slow evolution process was aided by the small market base for the newer
a large expansion of the types of information being placed on the switches, e.g., variations of call models, more network-related information was brought into the switches, and data under the control of the end users was moved onto the switches (speed calling lists, centrex data, etc.). As this data was moved onto the switches, the programs to manipulate the data and ensure its integrity also had to be installed in the switches. This resulted in the switches becoming also very general data control and usage systems Benne93. As we entered the 1980s, the advanced computer technology started to penetrate from industrial and office use also to low end products. Computer technology became as an embedded technology in customer equipments such as faxes and portable phones, and as a control technology for the management and intelligent control of networks. The computer technology breakthrough was facilitated by the introduction of open computer platforms (UNIX and Personal Computers, PCs), the fast reduction of cost in computing and the networking of PCs, minicomputers and mainframes. The PCs provided a general platform for digital customer premises equipments, capable to communicate via Local Area Networks and Public Networks. This, in conjunction with the lowering of transmission and interconnection service costs, resulted in an exponential growth in the demand for newer and more flexible telecommunications services. Another major factor driving toward more specialized services was the liberalization and competition in telecommunications business. In the
United States the operator competition started with the breakup of the Bell System and resulting competition, where services were the factor that differentiated one carrier form another. Furthermore, with diversiture, the former local operating companies were permitted to make instructions into one anothers traditional service areas and, to do this effectively, they needed to have something to offer that was not available from the local service 4
provider. All of these changes resulted in customers being more aware of what technology provided and demanding that the telecommunications industry should new requirements for services Benne93. The 1990s and beyond will demand that the meet the
NMT Corporation networks Packet data networks Analogous telephony service Modem services PC ISDN SS7 B-ISDN IN GSM
UMTS MBS Broadband IN
MEDIA ATM
telecommunications industry change its basic ideas about the structure of their networks and how they will evolve. Up until the 1980s, network development was driven by the need to provide cheap and efficient interconnections between two fixed points. There was only minor
Batch 'Real' processors computers 1950 1960 1970
1980
1990
2000 Time
emphasis on structuring the switching systems to be readily adaptable to the rapidly changing service requirements that have appeared in the last decade. Now that cheap, efficient interconnection capabilities are available, the relative roles of the interconnection capabilities and end-user services will be interchanged. The demand for more and more customer based services will continue to grow, and there will be an inceasing demand for having the new services in shorter and shorter time frames. Thus, the basic structure for the network, and especially the structure and function of the switching systems, will change to accomodate this need for rapid deployment of more and more custom oriented services. In summary, the telecomunications industry, which has been interconnection-driven, will, in the future, be service-driven. In this tutorial we shall discuss these modern trends more thoroughly.. Figure -2. The development of telecommunications. First, the beginning of data transfer by the use of analogous telephony service was an important stage in the history. This service was not good for use in corporations because of its low data transfer speed. Then, there was a need for a data transfer service that used billing by data amount while the expences of the analogous telephony service consisted mainly of the data transfer time. The packet switched data networks were developed especially for corporations use. Second, CCITT (Consultative Committee for International Telephone and Telegraphy) introduced its seven layer OSI protocol stack SS7 to replace the analogous signalling system. This was the corner-stone for the digital telecommunications technology that is used, for instance, in ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). In the late 1980s radio signalling technology was advanced enough to provide 2.3 Turning-points in telecommunications digital telephony service. The GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phone technology, Several turning-points can be found in the history of telecommunications technology (marked as circles in the figure 2) . introduced ito use n 1991, is also suitable for low-speed data transfer. The Intelligent Network is an architecture capable to integrate all the telecommunications services mentioned in a flexible way. The telecommunications networks and wide area
networks used PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) technology in the physical data transfer. At the Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland 5
introduction of CCITTs SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) technology the physical data transfer rates increased remarkably. A new technology, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), was introduced to use the available bandwidth efficiently in the 1992. By the introduction of ATM it was possible to imagine of such concepts as B-ISDN (Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network ), broadband mobility and broadband IN. These technologies will be discussed more accurately later on. Broadband infrastructure will make it possible to introduce advanced value added, mobile and media services (Figure 2-3).
Figure 2-4. Evolution of mobile services and systems. In the next five years the third generation mobile networks will be developed called the UMTS (Universal Figure 2-3. Turnover Value of Service Types 2.3.1 Mobile Telecommunications System). UMTS was researched in the RACE program of EC (European UMTS Community) and ETSIs group SGM5, which research will be continued in the ACTS program of EC. This new generation is based on application and service oriented technology that supports on-demand transmission capacity up to 2 Mbps in various radio environments. The ultimate goal is to provide seamless end-to-end services to the user by using a combination of fixed and wireless/mobile access tecnologies, where a mobile phone could be used at home, office and elsewhere. UMTS is an open system which is based on TMN and IN concepts. The system supports ISDN services and could be at some degree compatible with B-ISDN with ATMswitching and possible broadband mobile access. This system is a very advanced telecommunications system that supports global mobility and Intelligent Network
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System ) is intended to be an international standard for global telecommunication system. It is a third generation mobile telecommunications system which integrates several second (Digital generation European mobile Cordless systems like cordless telephones (CT2 (Cordless Telephone 2) and DECT Telecommunications)), mobile telecommunications systems (GSM and PCN) and radio message systems (ERMES (European Radio Message System)) Hara93 (Figure 2-4).
services and is not expected to be introduced before the year 2000. There has also been proposals for still higher speed mobile networks such as MBS (Mobile Broadband System), which could support bit rates up to 34 Mbps. However, the architectures of these proposed networks are still open, and they will depend heavily on how the control of mobility and intelligence will be distributed over the network.
technology is also maturing and will provide a cost effective platform for service provision. When the broadband customer access will be available, interactive business and consumer services based on video and multimedia will become possible. Common to all these developments will be the computer controlled structure of modern telecommunications, where protocols, application technology and resource management are key factors.
2.3.2
MEDIA
With media concept we understand here both radio, television and cinema, and press and publishing industries. All these will be available in electronic digital forms either as stored media or interactively from the distribution network. In modern telecommunications the emerging competitive media services market and the new technological breakthroughs will bring remarkable changes. market changes are due to the integration The of
telecommunications and information technology, which brings interactive real time video and multimedia services available to users. Examples of these services are digital interactive TV, video on demand services for banking, shopping and leasure, electronic press and publishing. The technological requirements for these services are cost effective broadband transmission and access technologies, flexible computer based management and control of services and networks, switching and service applications and the support of mobility. In technology substantial new breakthroughs are going on. The introduction of cellular radio networks and mobility is probably the most influential one in the next few years. The broadband transmission and switching
Reference Model (OSIRM) in 1980. SS7 is fully digital
3. Computer Telecommunications
Controlled
and SS7 protocol stack corresponds to the seven layers of the OSIRM and includes the Application Services and User Parts (UP) (Figure ). The signalling network structure component of SS7 is the Network Service Part
3.1
CCITT Signalling System No. 7
(NSP), and it consists of the Message Transfer Part (MTP) and the Signalling Connection Control Part (SCCP). The OSIRM layers 4 - 6 are provided by
The word signalling ment the transfer of analogous signals in a network, for example in the analogous telephony network the activation of nonintelligent switches, just a few decades ago. In the context of modern telecommunications, signalling can be defined as the system that enables Stored Program Control exchanges, network databases, and other intelligent nodes of the network to exchange messages related to call setup, supervision, teardown (call/connection control information) distributed Modar90, application information processing needed for (inter-process
Intermediate Service Part (ISP) and each User Part. SS7 is quite an advanced protocol stack. It includes capabilities for congestion control and overload control. It also includes features for avoiding congestion by alternative routing or capacity expansion when heavy load is detected. With congestion is ment generally, shortage of resources, which is caused by an excessive amount of load, or a failure that reduces the installed capacity of a network element. SS7 also includes capabilities for sending congestion and overload indications to the adjacent exchanges or traffic sources. M3010
query/response, or user-to-user data) and network management information. Just a few decades ago (and even today), the telecommunications networks used analogous signalling, based on frequency tones, between network nodes. Some key attributes of these signalling methods are that they are inband (i.e. signalling information is conveyed over the same channel that is used for speech) Modar90; call setup times are long (from about 10 to 20 s); limited information can be transferred resulting, among other things, in restrictive network routing capabilities. With the introduction of electronic processors in switching systems came the possibility of providing Common Channel Signalling (CCS). This is an out-ofband signalling method in which a common data channel is used to convey signalling information related to a number of trunks. Modar90 CCITT published this new signalling protocol stack SS7 (Signalling System No. 7) based on CCITT OSI (Open Systems Interconnection)
OSI Reference Model Application
SS7 protocol stack OMAP TCAP ASEs
Presentation Session Transport SCCP Network MTP Level 3 Data link Physical MTP Level 2 MTP Level 1 ISP
UP
Figure -1. SS7 protocol architecture. 3.1.1
Network Services Part
MTP consists of levels 1-3 of the SS7 protocol stack and it provides a connectionless message transfer system that enables signalling information to be transferred across the network to its desired destination. Functions are included
in MTP that allow system failures to occur in the network without adversely affecting the transfer of signalling information. So the overall purpose of MTP is to provide a reliable transfer and delivery of signalling information across the signalling network and to have the ability to react and take necessary actions in response to system and network failures to ensure that reliable transfer is maintained. The first level of MTP presents the signalling data link functions. A signalling data link functon is a bidirectional transmission path for signalling, consisting of two data channel operating together in opposite directions at the same data rate. It fully complies with the OSIs definition of the physical layer. Level 2 of MTP presents the signalling link functions. The signalling link functions correspond to the OSIs data link layer. Together with a signalling data link, the signalling link functions provide a signalling link for the reliable transfer of signalling messages between two directly connected signalling points. The third level of MTP presents the signalling network functions. They correspond to the lower half of the OSIs network layer, and they provide the functions and procedures for the transfer of messages between signalling points, which are the nodes of the signalling network. Modar90 SCCP provides additional functions to MTP for both connectionless and connection-oriented network services. SCCP enhances the services of the MTP to provide the functional equivalent of OSIs network layer. The addressing capability of MTP is limited to delivering a message to a node and using a four-bit service indicator to distribute messages within the node. SCCP supplements this capability by providing an addressing capability that uses DPCs (Destination Point Code) plus Subsystem Numbers (SSN). The SSN is local addressing information used by SCCP to identify each of the SCCP users at a node. Modar90
3.1.2
User Part
The User Part forms the most upper layer of the SS7 protocol stack that use the services provided by the lower layers SCCP and MTP. User Part functions are ISDN-UP, TCAP (Transaction Capabilities Application Part) and OMAP (Operations, Maintenance, and Administration Part). The ISDN-UP is not discussed in this paper. TCAP refers to the set of protocols and functions used by a set of widely distributed applications in a network to communicate with each other. TCAP directly uses the service of SCCP. Essentially, TCAP provides a set of tools in a connectionless environment that can be used by an application at a node to invoke execution of a procedure at another node and exchange the results of such invocation. As such, it includes protocols and services to perform remote operations. It is closely related to the OSI Remote Operations Service Element (ROSE). The OMAP of the SS7 protocol stack provides the applications protocols and procedures to monitor, coordinate, and control all the network resource that make communications based on SS7 possible. Modar90
3.1.3
Signalling network structure
Figure -2. CCITT SS7 network structure. Signalling networks consist of signalling points and signalling links connecting the signalling points together. (Figure ) As alluded to earlier, a signalling point that transfers messages from one signalling link to another at
level 3 is said to be a STP (Signalling Transfer Point). Signalling points that are STPs can also provide functions higher than level 3, such as SCCP and other level 4 functions like ISDN-UP. When signalling point has an STP capability and also provides level 4 functions like ISDN-UP, it is commonly said to have an integrated STP functionality. When the signalling point provides only STP capability, or STP and SCCP capabilities, it is commonly called a stand-alone STP. Signalling links, STPs (stand-alone and integrated), and signalling points with level 4 protocol functionality can be combined in many different ways to form a signalling network. The SS7 Network Services Part protocol is specified independent of the underlying signalling network structure. However, to meet the stringent availability requirements given below (e.g., signalling route set unavailability is not exceeded ten minutes per year), it is clear that any network structure must provide redundancies for the signalling links, which have unavailabilities measured in many hours per year. In most cases the STPs must also have backups. Modar90 The worldwide signalling network is intended to be structured into two functionally independent levels: the national and international levels. This allows numbering plans network management of the international and the different national network to be independent of one another. A signalling point can be a national signalling point, an international signalling point, or both. If it serves both, it is identified by a specific signalling point code in each of the signalling networks. Modar90
purposes: several network and devices, digital and analogic transmission systems, circuit- and packet switched data networks, public exchanges and PABXs (Private Access Branch Exchange). TMN is intended to support different management based areas. These five functional areas are: Performance management fault management configuration management accounting management security management
The functionality of TMN consists of the following subjects: Error! Reference source not found. the ability to exchange management information across the boundary between the telecommunications environment and the TMN environment. the ability to convert management information from one format to another so that management information flowing within the TMN environment has a consistent nature the ability to transfer management information between locations within the TMN environment the ability to analyse and react appropriately to management information the ability to manipulate management information into a form which is useful and/or meaningful to the management information user the ability to deliver management information to the management information user and to present it with the appropriate representation the abilty to ensure secure access to management information by authorized management information users
3.2
Telecommunications Management Network
Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) is a generic, management-oriented architecture, intended to be used for all kinds of management services. Appel93 It has been defined in the CCITT M.3000 series standards. According to the concept it intends to meet several
10
contiguous layers or between the OSF and the NEF; the In TMN architecture there are mainly three architectural points of view each of which can be taken into account when TMN network is designed. These aspects are: fucntional, informational and physical architectures. Each of them studies the network architecture from different apects. 3.2.1 F-type reference point is between the WSF and the OSF; and the X-type reference points are between OSFs belonging to different domains.
Functional architecture
The TMN functional architecture is described with functional blocks such as the Network Element Function (NEF), The Operations Systems Function (OSF) and Work Station Function (WSF). (Figure ) NEFs model all entities that form the network to be managed. NEFs are to be located physically on network elements. OSF provide the TMN functions for processing, storage and retrieval of management information. They form the core part of the TMN. Four different OSFs can be identified according to a hierarchial partitioning into four layers: the network element management layer, responsible for the management of a subset of the network elements in the whole network; the network management layer, responsible for the technical provision of services requested by the upper layer. This layer has an overall view of the network. The service management layer is responsible for all negotiations and resulting agreements between a customer and the service offered to this customer. The business management layer is responsible for the total enterprise. Therefore, it is possible to identify different types of OSFs; the NE-OSF, N-OSF, the S-OSF and the B-OSF. WSF represent the functionalities and information modelling entities related to the TMN manmachine communications between the management system and the human operator. Appel93 Between the function blocks NEFs, OSFs and WSFs there are different kind of reference points: Q-, F- and Xtype. The Q-type reference point is between OSFs of Management of a telecommunications environment is an information processing application. Because the 3.2.2 Figure -3. TMN Operations Systems functional hierarchy. Appel93
Informational architecture
TMN informational architecture is based on ObjectOriented (O-O) point of view. Management systems exchange information modelled in terms of managed objects. Managed objects are conceptual views of the resources that are being managed or may exist to support certain management functions (e.g. event forwarding or event logging). Thus, a managed object is the abstraction of such a resource that represents its properties as seen by (and for the purposes of) management. A managed object may also represent a relationship between resources or a combination of resources (e.g. a network). Error! Reference source not found.
11
environment being manages is distributed, network management is a disributed application. This involves the exchange of management information between management processes for the purpose of monitoring and controlling the various physical and logical networking resources (switching and trasmission resources). Error! Reference source not found. The TMN architecture is based on Manager/Agent architecture. (Figure ) A manager takes care of the distributed applications part that issues management operation directives and receives notifications. The agent role if the part of the application process that manages the associated managed objects. The role of the agent will be to respond to the directives issued by a manager. It will also reflect to the manager a view of these objects and emit notifications reflecting the behaviour of these objects.
and they are specified more entirely with the lower layer attributes.
Figure -5. Management Information Tree. 3.2.3
Physical architecture
NEFs identify all the network elements as physical entities in TMN. Operations Systems (OS) form the core part of every TMN domain. The TMN physical architecture is not discussed more accurately in this paper.
3.3
Intelligent Network
Figure -4. Interaction between Manager, Agent and managed objects. In TMN the manager uses polling method to get the information from the agents. The agents store the statictics information in their databases that are called MIBs (Management Information Base). A MIB is a conceptual database structure. It represents the set of managed objects within a managed system. The structure of the MIB is often showed in the form of a tree. This tree is called a Management Information Tree ( MIT). (Figure 5) The tree is organized in a hierarchical way. At the upper parts of the tree resides the most meaning attributes
3.3.1 In the
The need for IN past few years the development of
telecommunications networks has been rapid. The telecommunications network functions before were controlled mainly by operators. The desire to share data and distribute application processing among network elements, the need for standard interfaces between them Garra93 and user demands for more sophisticated telecommunications services has changed the controlling of network elements notably. The telecommunications network elements today are controlled by the network operator, the service provider or the customer himself.
12
To integrate the control and management of different services inside the operator, or to be able to provide third party control and management services, control and management interfaces with software support are needed. The development of IN architecture was initiated by Bellcore in USA almost ten years ago in order to help the Regional Bell Operating Companies to become more competitive in deregulated telecommunications environment. The original goal was to provide network operators with the ability to introduce, control and manage services more effectively by using a centralized database in a Service Control Point (SCP) for controlling and managing the various network services. Lauta93 The objective of IN is to allow the inclusion of additional capabilities to facilitate provisioning of service, independent of the service or network implementation in a multi-vendor environment. Service implementation independence allows service providers to define their own services independent of service specific developments by equipment vendors [Q1201].
3.3.2
Definition of Intelligent Network
Intelligent Network (IN) is an architectural concept for the operation and provision of new services which is characterized by [Q1201]:
extensive use of information processing techniques;
efficient use of network resources;
modularization and reusability of network functions;
integrated service creations and implementation by means of the modularized reusable network functions;
flexible allocation of network functions to physical entities;
portability of network functions among physical entities;
standardized communication between network functions vie service independent interfaces;
service subscriber 1) control of some subscriber-specific service attributes;
service user 2) control of some user-specific service attributes;
Network implementation independence allows network and service operators to allocate functionality and resources within their networks and to efficiently manage their networks independent of network implementation specific developments by equipment vendors. The network architectures, so far, have developed almost independently of each other. This point of view, of course, causes the network operators and service providers to provide independently implemented service to customers. The basic idea of IN has been that it facilitates the provisioning of services independently from the telecommunications networks and equipment vendors. So, the IN acts as a distributing and centralizing framework of the telecommunications services. With this framework, it is possible to introduce advanced customer oriented services rapidly and cost effectively.
-
standardized management of service logic.
IN is applicable to a wide variety of networks, including but not limited to: public switched telephone network (PSTN) mobile, packet switched public data network (PSPDN) and integrated services digital network (ISDN) - both narrowband-ISDN (N-ISDN) and broadband-ISDN (B-ISDN). IN supports a wide variety of services, including supplementary services, and utilizes existing and future bearer services (e.g. as those defined in N-ISDN and BISDN contexts).
13
3.4
Numbering and Services
USID:
User service identifier. A USID uniquely identifies a service interface.
profile on an access
The user identification has mainly been based on the access points of the telecommunications network. The users access points were separateded from each other with the Network ID (N_ID). This N_ID was at the early telecommunication systems the telephone number that did not support any mobility at all. The introduction of mobile services and third party media services will create new needs for customer and service identification (Figure 3-6). In Figure 3-6 service identifications can contain also other service related data than the service or program identification itself. EID: Endpoint identifier. The endpoint identifier information element
is used for terminal identification. The endpoint identifier parameters contain a USID and TID and additional information used to interpret them.
TID:
Terminal identifier. A TID value is unique within a given USID.
If two terminals on an interface subscribe to the same service profile, then the two terminals will be assigned the same service USID. However, two different TIDs are required to uniquely the two terminals. dentify each of
In OSI environment there are two naming conventions that can be applied to services, the Object Identifier specified in the ASN.1 notation [ISO 8824] and the Distinguished Name specified in the Directory standard [ISO9594]. Figure 3-6. Numbering Types The ISDN supplementary services identifications consist of the following identifiers [Q932]: There can be three main identification types depending on Service profile:
Service profile refers to the information that the
The services can be considered as
Application Entity instances, whose names can be presented using either Object Identifiers or Relative Distinguished Names [ISO 7498-3]
the roles in the network: N_IDs, S_IDs (Service ID) and U_IDs (User ID) (Figure 3-7). S_ID defines the service that is used by the user via the network. U_ID defines the exact user irrespective of the network. The relation between user and network IDs in old telephone networks is hence U_IDN_ID. The service identification is dependent on these three types. In the future there can exist several other relations too. For example, the mobility of users and services. The user can move from N_ID to another and use a service that could be either distributed throughout the telecommunications network or serve the user as a mobile service. Also from different U_IDs can be produced groups where the telecommunications network is used as a private network inside the whole telecommunications
network maintains for a given user to characterize the service offered by the network to that user. As an example, this may contain the association of feature identifiers to specific supplementary services. A service profile may be allocated to an access interface or to a particular user equipment or a group of user equipments.
SPID: The service profile identifier is a parameter
carried in a service
profile identification information element that is sent from the user to network to allow network assignment of a USID and TID. A user's SPID should uniquely identify a specific profile of service characteristics stored within the network. The SPID will allow the network to distinguish between different terminals that would otherwise be indistinguishable (e.g., same N_ID). The SPID value is provided to the user at subscription time.
14
system. As a more advanced telecommunications system, GSM uses for mobility the relation where each user with U_ID is attached to a Base Station channel with invisible N_ID. This relation is updated in roaming and handovers that the GSM network manages. The Intelligent Network differentiates the user, network and service from each other. This description can manage mobility from each of its components and even of different Intelligent Networks when IN uses services from other networks.
Figure 3-7 Different relations between identifications.
15
Create opportunities for non-RBOC service
4.
Intelligent Network Architecture
vendors to offer services that stimulate network usage
4.1
Overview of IN
As with the past telecommunications technology, it was not desirable to introduce short term services, because of the long implementation and development period. Now, with IN technology it is possible to introduce new services rapidly without affecting the available services. IN defines a large set of standards that describe the interfaces between different network control points. With only specifying the interfaces IN makes it possible for vendor systems to provide with different products and ,of course, for operators to use any of these products in their network configuration. IN includes also capabilities for other than operators to introduce new services into the telecommunications network. This will change the structure of the telecommunications business, which is the main concern in the section 5 of this paper. The INs main advantage is the ability to control switching and service execution from a small set of Intelligent Network nodes known as Service Control Points (SCP). SCPs are connected to the network switches (known as Service Switching Points) via a standardized interface; CCITT Signalling System No. 7. The SS7 will facilitate a multi-vendor SCP and SSP marketplace, and the standardization of application interfaces allows a multi-vendor software marketplace for SCP applications (that is, the service control logic and its related data) (Figure -1). The SSPs detect when the SCP should handle a service. The SSP forwards a standardized SS7 (TCAP) message containing relevant service information. Via the TCAP message, the service control logic in the SCP directs the SSPs to perform the individual functions that collectively constitute the service (such as connecting a subscriber number or an announcement machine) Ambro89.
The term Intelligent Networks (IN) is used to describe an architectural concept which is intended to be applicable to all telecommunications networks and aims to ease the introduction and management of new services. The objective of IN is to allow the inclusion of additional capabilities to facilitate provisioning of service, independent of the service or network implementation in a multi-vendor environment. Service implementation independence allows service providers to define their own services independent of service specific developments by equipment vendors [Q1201]. Network implementation independence allows network and service operators to allocate functionality and resources within their networks and to efficiently manage their networks independent of network implementation specific developments by equipment vendors.
4.1.1.
Origins of IN
The Intelligent Networks is a telecommunications network services control and management architecture. In February 1985, Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) submitted a Request For Information (RFI) for a Feature Node concept with the following objectives Ambro89: Support the rapid introduction of new services in the network Help establish equipment and interface standards to give the RBOCs the widest possible choice of vendor products
16
The INs long term goal is the ability to introduce new services, or change existing services quickly, without having to adapt SSP software (only parameters or trigger updates). The adaptation will be confined to the SCP where parameters or stimuli are updated. This goal was first planned by Bellcore to be achieved in two stages: IN/1 and IN/2 Ambro89 IN/1 definitions introduced the term Intelligent Network in 1986 and in 1987 IN/2 definitions were introduced. In 1988 IN/2 was delayed and IN/1+ was introduced instead. In 1989 Bellcore abandoned IN/1+ for several reasons, some being problems in the technology and lack of multivendor involvement. Instead a MultiVendor Initiative (MVI) At the same time CCITT and ETSI was started in 1989 to define Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN). started work on IN. The IN basic concepts for a service dependent architecture were introduced already in IN/1. The AIN concepts were essentially those of IN/2 defining a fully service independent architecture with total separation of service logic from the underlying seitching system. These principles were accepted also by CCITT and ETSI work. The AIN Release 1 and CCITT CS1 were published in 1993. Let us finally summarize early IN/1 and IN/2 outlines.
IN/1 requires updates in the SSP and SCP in order to support a new service. A typical IN/1 service is the Green Number Service (GNS) with which a subscriber can call a number free of charge. The SSPs contain triggers (such as the value of the dialed digits) that tell the SSP to send a message to an SCP in order to get information about the destination to which the call should be routed. Migration from IN/1 to IN/2 implies significant changes in the SSPs to accomodate new services. Stage 1: IN/1 Once IN/2 is in place, no updates need be made to the SSPs software when new services are introduced. The IN/2 triggers advise the SSP whether to complete execution locally. All SSPs and SCPs contain set of basic service elements (for example, connect two lines, disconnect a line). The SCP also contains service relevant data. These basic service elements are knows as Functional Components (FC) from which each service can be contructed. A customer could conceptualize a new service and the network operator, via the SMS/SCP, could construct it quite rapidly. Any successful and widely-used service may be downloaded (via the service logic) to, but transparent to, the SSPs (if this is more economic or provides a desired higher grade of service). This facilitates complete rapid service creation. Rapid service creation and user programmability will take place in the SCP and the SMS. Stage 2: IN/2
17
activities were started in 1989's.
The first available
publications were the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN), and after that CCITT and ETSI provided their first draft recommendations. mainly based on the recommendations. Our presentation here is presently ITU-T, CCITT,
4.1.2.
IN standardization
4.1.2.1 IN standards bodies The IN standards are defined by ETSI and CCITT. Also, in the USA, the work is being done by Bellcore, which is not a standards body but provides the major input to the American National Standards Institute committee TS.1. Roger90
4.1.2.1.1ETSI ETSI was created in 1988 and its members are the European Telcos (Telecommunications Operating Company), manufacturers, user representatives and research bodies. ETSI has two purposes. IN belongs to the latter category. Roger90 to achieve workable versions of international Figure -1. Intelligent Network overview. Homa92 An Intelligent Network is able to separate the specification, creation, and control of telephony services from physical switching networks. The key benefit of this capability is that exchange carriers will be able to rapidly engineer new revenue-producing services, in response to market opportunities, without having to rely on lenghty cycles for implementing them entirely on switching fabric. Ultimately, service creation, or at least service customization, can be extended to subscribers Homa92. The original IN concepts IN/1 and IN/2 were not considered sufficient to support vendor independence and open interfaces, and extensive standardization 4.1.2.1.2CCITT Work on international standards for IN began at CCITT in 1989. Study Group XI.4 is responsible of the standardation. CCITT expects that the specification and deployment of IN will continue over a number of study periods. CCITT name has changed to ITU (International Telecommunications Union) and there the Special Interest Group (SIG) is T (ITU-T). Its approach to the development of IN standards assumes that it is necessary to start with a minimum set of criteria which are standards for the European environment to define European standards in areas where quick response is required for technical development
18
sufficiently open ended that they can evolve to meet the needs of the long-term concept as this becomes a practical reality. Roger90 Both ETSI and ANSI are keen to ensure that CCITT recommendations agree substantially with their own activities, and collaboration between all three bodies is likely to be an important determinant in the rapid development of realistic IN standards.
Figure -2. Phased standardation of IN. 4.1.2.3 Structure of CCITT IN standards The basic standard that defines the framework of other IN standards is Q.1200 - Q-Series Intelligent Network Recommendations Structure. The standards have been numbered so that every new CSx will have a number that begins with 12x and the description of the CSx recommendation part y will be numbered also systematically such as 12xy. (Table -1) So, the principles
4.1.2.2 Phased standardization To meet the goals and objectives, CCITT has embarked on a phased standardation process toward the target IN architecture (INA) [Q1201]. CCITT works on defining a set of capabilities for each phase and simultaneously on evolving the view of the target IN architecture called the long-term capability set (LTCS) (Figure -2) (CS). The IN
introduction for IN CS2 will be recommendation number Q.1221. 00 - General 10 - CS1 20 - CS2 30 - CS3 40 - CS4 50 - CS5 60 - CS6 70 - CS7 80 - CS8 90 Vocabulary 1 - Principles Introduction 2 - Service Plane (not included for CS1) 3 - Global Functional Plane 4 - Distributed Functional Plane 5 - Physical Plane 6 - For future use 7 - For future use 8 - Interface Recommendations 9 - Intelligent Network Users Guide
subjects of standardization are called Capability Sets The Capability Sets involve service creation, and interaction and also and network network and service CSs processing so the management management, to the
internetworking. These CSs are backwards-compatible previous standardation implementation of the services can be progressed through a sequence of phases Garra93.
Table -1. IN recommendations structure. 4.1.2.4 Capability Set 1 It has been an international and european wide aim to define the first step of INA. These recommendations are gathered into a set called IN Capability Set 1 (CS1). There are two standardation organisations working on CS1: CCITT and ETSI. CCITT has gathered these recommendations into the Q.121y -series. (Table -2) CCITTs and ETSIs standards do not substantially differ from each other. CCITT Study Group XI, Working Party XI/4 includes representatives from most of the important
19
telecommunications network operators and equipment vendors in the world. Study Group XVIII also is involved in the initial set of IN standards, and is sharing responsibility for the Introductory Recommendations. At these meetings, there is an obvious willingness to strongly focus on achieving a realistic initial set of IN capability, which is both technically implementable and commercially deployable.Duran92 Recommendation Q.1200 Recommendation Q.1201 Recommendation Q.1202 Recommendation Q.1203 Recommendation Q.1204 Recommendation Q.1205 Recommendation Q.1208 Recommendation Q.1211 Recommendation Q.1213 Recommendation Q.1214 Recommendation Q.1215 Recommendation Q.1218 Recommendations Q.1219 Q-Series Intelligent Network Recommendations Structure Principles of Intelligent Network Architecture Intelligent Network - Service Plane Architecture Intelligent Network - Global Functional Plane Architecture Intelligent Network - Distributed Functional Plane Architecture Intelligent Network - Physical Plane Architecture Intelligent Network - Application Protocol General Aspects Intelligent Network - Introduction to Intelligent Network Capability Set 1 Intelligent Network - Global Functional Plane for CS1 Intelligent Network - Distributed Functional Plane for CS1 Intelligent Network - Physical Plane for CS1 Intelligent Network - Intelligent Network Interface Specifications Intelligent Network Users guide for Capability Set 1
given CCITTs objective of evolving IN from existing networks. The latter approach was service-driven and it focused on identifying a set of IN CS1 services and Service Features. Then driving these down through the INCM in order to identify the set of service-independent capabilities for IN CS1, evolvable to the target set of IN capabilities, and verify that this set could be supported by the functional and physical architectures defined via the bottom-up approach Garra93. IN CS1 defines capabilities of direct use to both manufactures and network operators in support of circuitswitched voice/data services either defined or in the process of being defined by CCITT. The primary characteristic of the target set of IN CS1 services is that they apply during the setup phase of a call or during the release phase of a call. CCITT chose this single-ended service characteristic to limit the operational, implementation, and control complexity for IN CS1. Even with this limitation, it may be expected that equipment suppliers will support interworking of IN CS1 capabilities with existing switch-based services, including more complex services such as those that apply during the active phase of a call. For example, IN CS1 routing, charging, and user interaction capabilities may be used to customize or improve existing switch-based services to better satisfy market needs. Garra93 It is anticipated that CS1 recommendations of CCITT and ETSI will be adopted world-wide. This can help to develop open interfaces between the SSP (Service Switching Point) and SCP (Service Control Point), thus putting into effect one of the important goals of the IN, namely vendor independence. Lauta93
Table -2. IN CS1 recommendations. In defining IN CS1, CCITT applied the INCM (Intelligent Network Conceptual Model) using both bottom-up and top-down approaches. The former approach focused on modelling the capabilities of existing networks in terms of functional and physical architectures that could evolve the target IN architecture,
4.1.2.5 IN CS1 Services Allthough, by nature, the IN is a service independent architecture, it is relevant to describe the general CS-1
20
service capabilities. The services and Service Features that are to be supported by CS-1 are fundamental to the CS-1 Service Building Blocks, call processing model and service control principles. The target set of CS-1 defines several services (Table -3) and service features. A service is a stand-alone commercial offering, characterized by one or more core Service Features, and can be optionally enhanced by other Service Features. A Service Feature is a specific aspect of a service that can also be used in conjunction with other services/Service Features as part of a commercial offering. It is either a core part of a service or an optional part offered as an enhancement to a service. Q1201 The service composition and Service Features will be discussed more precisely later on.
Automatic Alternative Billing (ABB) Abbreviated Dialling (ABD) Account Card Calling (ACC) Credit Card Calling (CCC) Call Distribution (CD) Call Forwarding (CF) * Completion of Call to Busy Subsrciber (CCBS) * Conference Calling (CON) Call Rerouting Distribution (CRD) Destination Call Routing (DCR) Follow-Me-Diversion (FMD) Freephone (FPH)
Mass Calling (MAS) Malicious Call Identification (MCI) Premium Rate (PRM) Security Screening (SEC) Selective Call Forward on Busy/Dont Answer (SCF) Split Charging (SPL) Televoting (VOT) Terminating Call Screening (TCS) User-Defined Routing (UDR) Universal Access Number (UAN) Universal Personal Telecommunications (UPT) Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Note: The service indicated with a * may only be partially supported in CS1, because they require capabilities beyond those of type A services. Table -3. Target set of IN CS1 services.
4.2
IN Functional Requirements
IN functional requirements arise as a result of the need to provide network capabilities for both customer needs (service requirements) and network operator needs (network requirements) [Q1201]. A service user is an entity external to the network that users its services. A service is that which is offered by an administration to its customers in order to satisfy a telecommunications requirement. Part of the service used
21
by customers may be provided/managed by other customers of the network. These are often called as third party services and their providers as 3rd party service providers. Service requirements will assist in identifying specific services that are offered to the customer. These service capabilities are also referred to as (telecommunication) services: Network requirements span the ability to create, deploy, operate and maintain network capabilities to provide services. Service and network requirements can be identified for the following areas of service/network capabilities: service creation, service management, and network network management, interworking. Service creation: An activity whereby service processing
Network interworking: A process through
which several networks (IN to IN or IN to non-IN) cooperate to provide a service.
4.2.1
Service Requirements
The goal of work for IN is to define a new architectural concept that meets the needs of telecommunication service providers to rapidly, cost effectively, and vendorindependently satisfy their existing and potential market needs for services, and to improve the quality and reduce the cost of network service operations and management Garra93. In [Q1201] the following overall service requirements are given when defining the IN architecture:
it should be possible to access services by the usual user network interface (e.g. POTS, ISDN);
it should be possible to access services that span multiple networks;
supplementary services are brought into being through specification phase, development phase and verification phase. Service management: An activity to support the
-
it should be possible to invoke a service on a call-by-call basis or for a period of time, in the latter case the be deactivated at the end of the period;
service
may
proper operation of a service and the administration of information relating to the user/customer and/or the network operator, Service management can support the following monitoring. Network management: An activity to support processes: service service control, development, billing and service service
it should be possible to perform some access control to a service;
it should be easy to define and introduce services;
provisioning,
it should be possible to support services involving calls between two or more parties;
the proper operation of an IN-structured network. Service processing consists of basic call and
it should be possible to record service usage in the network (service supervision, tests, performance information, charging);
supplementary service processing which are the serial and/or parallel executions of network functions in a coordinated way, such that basic and supplementary services are provided to the customers.
it should be possible to provide services that imply the use of functions in several networks;
it should be possible to control the interactions between different invocations of the same service.
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Service requirements for service creation refer to the network capabilities that are used by network operators for the provision of service creation services to customers. Service requirements for service management refer to the network capabilities that are necessary for the provision of service management services to customers. Service requirements for service processing refer to the network capabilities that are necessary for the provision, from a customer's point of view, of basic and supplementary services by an IN-structured network [Q1201]. The IN is primarily a network concept that aims for efficient creation, deploynent and management of supplementary services that enhance basic services. Hence, from a customers point of view the provision of services is transparent, the customer is unaware whether the service is provided in an IN way. Service processing requirements can be identified for service and access capabilities. The service capabilities of IN can be applied to the support of supplementary services for the following basic services [Q1201]: bearer services including speech, audio and data teleservices as telephony, telefax and videotex broadband interactive services broadband distribution services
providers to define their own services, independent of service-specific developments by equipment suppliers. CS1 is intended to address services with high commercial value, focusing at addressing flexible routing, charging, and user interaction services. The list of benchmark services and features will be listed later on. Standardization of these services, however, is not CCITTs role. An important characteristic is that the services will be technologically feasible and understandable, but do not significantly impact existing deployed technology. In this context, services have been categorized by CCITT as follows: Duran92 All type A services are invoked on behalf of and directly affect a single user. Most type A services can be invoked only during call setup of tear down and fall in the category of single-user, singleended (no requirements for representing end-to-end messaging or control), single point-of-control (no requirement fro representing interaction points between multiple service logic programs), and single-bearer capability (one media profile). Type A services may be used in conjunction with other services, switch-based or not, of any type, to form a more complete service package.
Type B services can be invoked at any point during the call. These services may be invoked on behalf of and directly impact one or more users. Feature interaction and arbitration, and topology manipulation are capabilities that need to be addressed to deploy these services. Note that it is possible to use type A capabilities to enhance some existing type B services.
The access capabilities of IN should be applicable to all telecommunications networks, such as Public Switched telecommunications Networks (PSTN), including Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN), both narrowband and broadband, packet-switched public data networks, and mobile networks. Allthough, IN CS1 enables only the use of PSTN, PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) and ISDN, IN should enable service
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The services addressed by CS1 fall under type A services. The type A category lead to a series of advantages in the context of CS1 standardization. First, they represent a wide range of services of proven value. Second, these services depend on well-understood control relationships between network components and this represents an achievable target within required time frame of IN CS1 product deployment in 1993. Finally, complexity in the transition to rapid service delivery process is minimized both for service provider and for the equipment manufacturer Duran92.
Network requirements for service creation refer to the network capabilities that are necessary from a network operator point of view for the creation of new supplementary services. steps. Network requirements for service management refer to the network capabilities that are necessary from a network operator point of view to support the proper operation of services Network requirements for service processing refer to the The service creation process consists of specification, development and verification
4.2.2.
Network Requirements
network capabilities that are necessary for the provision, from a network operator point of view, of basic and supplementary services by an IN-structured network [Q1201]. The main network requirements for service processing stem from the inability of network operators of traditional "non-IN" networks to rapidly create and deploy new supplementary services. To overcome this inability the IN aims for: rapid service implementations by means of reusable network functions; modularization of network functions; standardized communication between network functions via service independent interfaces. To achieve the goal of fast service implementation, the IN Service Processing Model is introduced (Figure 4-3), and will be studied here in some detail.
Overall network requirements of IN are stated in [Q1201] as follows:

it should be possible to move cost-effectively from existing network bases to target network bases in a practical and flexible manner
it should be possible to reduce redundancies among network functions in physical entities
it should be possible to allow for the flexible allocationn of etwork functions to physical entities
there is a need for communication protocols that allow flexibility in the allocation of functions
it should be possible to create new services from network functions in a cost and time efficient manner
it should be possible to quarantee the integrity of the etwork when new service is being introduced
it should be possible to manage network elements and network resources such that quality of service and network performance can be quaranteed
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Figure 4-3. IN Service Processing Model. The three main elements of this model are: the basic call processes, the "hooks" that allow the basic call processes to interact with IN service logic, and IN service logic that can be "programmed" to implement new supplementary services. For these elements the main principles are described below: The basic call process should be available all
Thus, by changing logic at the service control point and modifying network data, a new service that uses existing network capabilities can readily be implemented. In addition In service logic can decide to terminate an interaction session with the basic call process. The basic call process will then resume its execution as specified by the IN service logic. In order to allow fast service implementation, the IN service logic should have a logical view of the network resources that constitute the basic call process and additional (specialised) network functions. For proper service processing, the following principles apply: it should be possible to distribute resources between services in a well balanced way; it should be possible for IN supported services to share resources with non-IN supported services; it should be possible to provide a different method of resource data management from the current embedded method; it should be possible to introduce IN supported services specific resources. To define an IN architecture including the network elements within this architecture, there is a need for a call model that describes the real-time behaviour of call control capabilities for the provision of basic and supplementary services. In order to be consistent with the principles of the above-described IN service processing model, the IN call model should cover the following aspects: it should specify which basic services can be supported by the model;
over the network and is designed to support, with optimal performance, services that do not require special features. In order to achieve flexibility in service processing, the basic call process needs to be modularized into serviceindependent sub-processes such that these can be executed autonomously (without interference from the outside during execution). "Hooks" are to be added to the basic call process
forming the links between the individual basic call subprocesses and the service logic. The "hooks" are able to start an interaction session with the IN service logic. For this it should continuously check the basic call process for the occurrence of conditions on which an interaction session with IN service logic should be started. During an interaction session the basic call process can be temporarily suspended. IN service logic uses a programmable software
environment that needs to be developed to allow fast implementation of new supplementary services. New supplementary services can be created by means of "programs" containing IN service logic. The IN service logic is able, via the "hooks" functionality, to interact with the basic call process. In this way IN service logic can control the sub-processes in the basic call process and the sequencing of these sub-processes.
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it should model the basic call processes (each individual basic service may require its own IN basic call process);
service implementation independence network implementation independence vendor and technology independence
it should describe trigger mechanisms ("hooks") that allow the IN basic call process to interact with service logic;
it should provide a logical view (from the service logic point of view) of call processing functions and network resources, which as a consequence allows fast service implementation;
Each INCM plane represents a different abstract view of the capabilities provided by an IN-structured network. These views address service aspects, global functionality, distributes functionality and physical aspects of an IN ( Figure ).
it should specify the mechanisms according to which an IN-basic call process may interact with the service logic (e.g. single-ended interactions, simultaneous interactions, servicelogic initiated interactions, etc.);
it should be evolvable from the existing technology base.
The CS1 Call Model is presented in detail later in chapter 4.3.2.1.4 of this tutorial. [Q1204]
4.3
IN Conceptual Model
The IN Conceptual Model (INCM) is defined in the CCITT Recommendation Q.1201. The conceptual model is divided into four planes and it forms the basis for the standardation work. The IN conceptual Model was designed to serve as a modelling tool for the Intelligent Network. It is also a tool that can be used to design the IN architecture to meet the following main objectives Q1201:
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view is a global (network-wide) basic call processing (BCP) SIB, the service independent building blocks (SIBs), and point of initiation (POI) and point of return (POR) between the BCP and a chain of SIBs. These are described in detail in chapter 4.3.3.1. The Distributed Functional Plane (DFP) models a distributed view of an IN-structured network. Each functional entity (FE) may perform a variety of functional entire actions (FEAs). Any given FEA may be performed within different functional entities. However, a given FEA may not be distributed across functional entities. Within each functional entity, various FEAs may be performed by one or more elementary functions. The manner in which elementary functions result in FEAs is for further study. Service-independent building blocks (SIBs) are realised in the distributed functional plane (DFP) by a sequence of particular FESs performed in the functional entities. Some of these FEAs result in information flows between functional entities. entities. The information flows consist of messages which exhance information between functional The messages comply with OSI structures and principles (see chapters 4.3.1.2 and 4.4.3). Figure 4-4 IN Conceptual Model Error! Reference source not found. The Service Plane represents an exclusively serviceoriented view. This view contains no information whatsoever regarding the implementation of the services in the network, e.g. an "IN-type" implementation is not visible. All that is perceived is the network's servicerelated behaviour as seen, for example, by a service user. Services are composed of one or more Service Features (SFs), which are the "lowest level" of services. The Global Functional Plane (GFP) models an INstructured network as a single entity. Contained in this The Physical Plane models the physical aspects of INstructured networks. The model identifies the different physical entities and protocols that may exist in real INstructured networks. It also indicates which functional entities are implemented in which physical entities. The entities contained in adjacent planes of the INCM are related to each other. The nature of the relationship is as follows (Q1201): Service plane to GF plane: Service features
within the service plane are realised in the GF plane by a combination of global service logic and SIBs including
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the basic call process SIBs. This mapping is related to the service creation process. GF plane to distributed functional (DF) plane:
vendors must be able to develop Physical Entities based on the mapping of Functional Entities and the standard interfaces. Q1201
Each SIB identified in the GF plane must be present in at least one FE in the DF plane. A SIB may be realised in more than one FE. Thus, cooperation of several FEs may be needed. The service logic in the GF plane maps onto one or more DSLs in the DF plane. This mapping is related to the service creation process. DF plane to physical plane: FEs identified in the
DF plane determine the behaviour of the physical entities (PEs) onto which they are m mapped. Each FE must be mapped onto one physical entity, but, each PE contains one or more FEs. Relationships between FEs, identified in the DF plane, are specified as protocols in the physical plane. DSLs may be dynamically loaded into physical entities and this mapping is related to the service management process. Let us consider the structures of the INCM planes more thoroughly starting from the physical plane.
4.3.1
Physical Plane
The physical plane is the lowest layer in the IN architecture. It takes action of how the network itself is implemented. It describes the physical architecture alternatives for an IN-structured network in terms of potential physical systems, referred to as physical entities (PE), in a network, and interfaces between these Physical Entities (Figure 4-5). One or more Functional Entities from the Distributed Functonal Plane may be realized in a Physical Entity on the physical plane, and one or more relationships from the Distributed Functional Plane may map into an interface on the physical plane. The physical plane architecture describes how functional architecture map into Physical Entities and interfaces Garra93. Also the requirement for physical plane architecture is that 4.3.1.1 Physical Entities The CCITT recommendation Q.1215 defines the Physical Entities (PE) used by IN. It also describes the interfaces between PEs and which IN functionalities are included into them from the Distributed Functional Plane and which of them are just optional entities. Figure 4-5. IN Physical Plane Architecture.
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4.3.1.1.1SSP SSP ( Service Switching Point) is a Physical Entity in the Intelligent Network that provides the switching functionality. To make IN capabilities available to all types of access arrangements, we must develop service management independently of the access arrangements. This separation of service management from network access would allow the same network-wide, IN capabilities to serve a variety of access arrangements, from analog lines to wireless, and, in the future, to broadband and other high-speed optical links. Wyatt91 In addition to providing users with access to the network (if the SSP is a local exchange) and performing any necessary switching functionality, the SSP allows access to the set of IN capabilities. The SSP contains Detection Capability to detect requests for IN services. It also contains capabilities to communicate with other PEs containing SCF, such as SCP, and to respond to instructions from the other PEs. Functionally, an SSP contains a Call Control Function, a Service Switching Function, and, if the SSP is a local exchange, a Call Control Agent Function. It also may optionally contain Service Control Function, and/or a Specialized Resource Function, and/or a Service Data Function. The SSP may provide IN services to users connected to subtending Network Access Points. Q1201 The SSP is usually provided by the traditional switch manufacturers. These switches are programmable and they can be implemented using multipurpose processors. The main difference of SSP from an ordinary switch is in the software where the service control of IN is separated from the basic call control.
ubiquitous deployment of IN services. This NAP cannot communicate with an SCF, but it has the ability to determine when IN processing is required. It must send calls requiring IN processing to an SSP. Q1201
4.3.1.1.3SCP Functionally, an SCP contains Service Control Function (SCF) and optionally also Service Data Function (SDF). The SCF is implemented in Service Logic Programs (SLP). The SCP is connected to SSPs by a signalling network. Multiple SCPs may contain the same SLPs and data to improve service reliability and to facilitate load sharing between SCPs. In case of external Service Data Point (SDP) the SCF can access data through a signalling network. The SDP may be in the same network as the SCP, or in another network. The SCP can be connected to SSPs, and optionally to IPs, through the signalling network. The SCP can also be connected to an IP via an SSP relay function. Q1201 The SCP comprises the SCP node, the SCP platform, and applications. The node performs functions common to applications, or independent of any application; it provides all functions for handling service-related, administrative, and network messages. These functions include message discrimination, distribution, routing, and network management and testing. For example, when the SCP node receives a service-related message, it distributes the incoming message to the proper application. In turn, the application issues a response message to the node, which routes it to the appropriate network elements. Ambro89 The SCP node gathers data on all incoming and outgoing
4.3.1.1.2NAP A NAP ( Network Access Point) is a PE that includes only the CCAF and CCF functional entities. It may also be present in the network. The NAP supports early and
messages to assist in network administration and cost allocation. This data is collected at the node, and transmitted to an administrative system for processing. Ambro89
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The SCP node also measures the frequency of SCP hardware and software failures, resource usage, overload counts, and so on. It provides information needed to perform maintenance procedures, thus minimizing the impact of failures on system performance. The node may take action to prevent and correct the overload at the node or at a particular application. Ambro89
4.3.1.1.6SN The Service Node can control IN services and engage in flexible information interactions with users. The SN communicates directly with one or more SSPs, ech with a point-to-point signalling and transport connection. Functionally, the SN contains an SCF, SDF, SRF, and an SSF/CCF. This SSF/CCF is closely coupled to the SCF within the SN, and is not accessible by external SCFs.
4.3.1.1.4AD The Adjunct (AD) PE is functionally equivalent to an SCP (i.e. it contains the same functional entities) but it is directly connected to and SSP. Communication between and Adjunct and an SSP is supported by a high speed interface. This arrangement may result in differing performance characteristics for an adjunct and an SCP. The application layer messages are identical in content to those carried by the signalling network to an SCP. Q1201 An Adjunct may be connected to more than one SSP and an SSP may be connected to several Adjuncts.
Q1201 In a manner similar to an Adjunct, the SCF in an SN receives messages from the SSP, executes SLPs, and sends messages to the SSP. SLP in an SN may be developed by the same Service Creation Environment used to develop SLPs for SCPs and Adjuncts. The SRF in an SN enables the SN to interact with users in a manner similar to an IP. An SCF can request the SSF to connect a user to a resource located in an SN that is connected to the SSP from which the service request is detected. An SCF can also request the SSP to connect a user to a resource located in an SN that is connected to an another SSP. Q1201
4.3.1.1.5IP The IP provides resources such as customized and concatenated voice announcements, voice recognition, and Dual Tone Multi-Frequencies (DTMF) digit collection, and contains switching matrix to connect users to these resources. The IP supports flexible information interactions between a user and the network. Functionally, the IP contains the Special Resource Function. The IP may directly connect to one or more SSPs, and/or may connect to the signalling network. Q1201 An SCP or Adjunct can request an SSP to connect a user to a resource located in an IP that is connected to the SSP from which the service request is detected. An SCP or Adjunct can also request the SSP to connect a user to a resource located in an IP that is connected to another SSP. Q1201
4.3.1.1.7SSCP The SSCP (Service Switching and Control Point) is a combined SCP and SSP in a single node. Functionally, it contains an SCF, SDF, CCAF, CCF, and SSF. The connection between the SCF/SDF functions and the CCAF/CCF/SSF functions is proprietary and closely coupled, but it provides the same service capability as an SSP and SCP separately. This node may also contain SRF functionality, i.e. SRF as an optional functionality. The interfaces between the SSCP and other PEs are the same as the interfaces between the SSP and other PEs, and therefore will not be explicitly stated. Q1201
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4.3.1.1.8SDP The SDP contains the customer and network data which is accessed during the execution of a service. Functionally, the SDP contains an SDF. Q1201 It contains data used by Service Logic Programs to provide individualized services. Functionally, and SDP contains a Service Data Function. It can be accessed directly by an SCP and/or SMP, or through the signalling network. It can also access other SDPs in its own or other networks. Q1201
subscriber personnel gain interactive messages to the system. Ambro89
4.3.1.1.10
SCEP
The Service Creation Environment Point is used to define, develop, and test an IN service, and to input it into the SMP. Functionally, it contains the Service Creation Environment Function. The SCEP interacts directly with the SMP. Q1201
4.3.1.1.11 4.3.1.1.9SMP The Service Management Point/Service Management System performs service management control, service provision control, and service deployment control. Examples of functions it can perform are database administration, network surveillance and testing, network traffic management, and network data collection. Functionally, the SMP contains the Service Management Function and, optionally, the Service Management Access Function and the Service Creation Environment Function. The SMP can access all other Physical Entities. Q1201 A Service Management System is the operations system through which network operator and service subscriber personnel manage SCPs and related service applications (programs and databases) in an IN. More than one SMS may be associated with the IN; the network operating company may want a separate SMS for each IN service or a single SMS for several IN services. Ambro89 Physically, the SMS resides in a multipurpose computer. Processing power and database size requirements normally govern the choice of a specific computer. The SMS manages a private network consisting of switched and leased line connected to a set of keyboard or display terminals through which network operator and service
SMAP
The Service Management Access Point provides some selected users, such as service managers and customers, with access to the SMP. One possible use of the SMAP is to provide one single point of access for a given user to several SMPs. The SMAP functionally contains a Service Management Access Function. The SMAP directly interacts with the SMP. Q1201
4.3.1.2 Interfaces between PEs In the Physical Plane Architecture several standardized interfaces are stated. These interfaces are: SCP-SSP, ADSSP, IP-SSP, SN-SSP, SCP-IP, AD-IP, and SCP-SDP. Existing lower layer protocols are proposed for these candidate interfaces to carry the application layer messages required by IN services. As such, the focus of the standardization effort for CS-1 is on the applications layer protocols. At the application layer, the message sent that the different interfaces carry should reflect the same semantic content, even though the application layer message may be encoded or formatted differently. For example, the messages between the SSF in an SSP and the SCF in an SCP, Adjunct or SN should contain the same information. The following sections give some proposed protocols for use on these interfaces. Q1201
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4.3.1.2.1SCP-SSP interface The proposed underlying protocols platform for the interface between an SCP and an SSP is Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP) on Signalling Connection Control Part (SCCP)/Message Transfer Part (MTP) of SS7. Q1201 So, the SCP-SSP interface in CS-1 is using CCITT SS7 protocol stack to communicate (signal) with each other. The interface could also be something else at the lowest layer protocols of the SS7 in order to achieve, for example, high-speed signalling between these PEs. That is why, the IN standardization is mainly focused on the application layer protocols.
Q.931. This possibility provides for the flexibility to convey application layer information without affecting the connection state of the call. Q1201
4.3.1.2.4SN-SSP interface The proposed underlying protocol platform for the interface between an SN and an SSP is ISDN BRI, PRI (or both). An SN and an SSP exchange application layer messages over an ISDN D-channel using common element procedures of CCITT Recommendations Q.932. This communication may occur on a separate D-channel from the channel that carries the common element procedure messages. These channels may also be separate. Q1201
4.3.1.2.2AD-SSP interface The proposed underlying protocol platform for the ADSSP interface is TCAP. The physical interface has not been specified, but a number of alternative standard protocols could be used.
4.3.1.2.5SCP-IP interface The proposed underlying protocol platform for an interface between an SCP and an IP is TCAP on SCCP/MTP of the SS7 protocol stack. Q1201
4.3.1.2.3IP-SSP interface This interface is used for communications between an IP and an SSP as well as for communication between an IP and an SCP which is being relayed through an SSP. The proposed underlying protocol platform for the interface between an IP and an SSP is ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI), Primary Rate Interface (PRI) (or both), or SS7. Q1201 4.3.1.2.7SCP-SDP interface If a BRI or PRI is used, the ISDN D-channel connecting an IP to an SSP carries application layer information between an SCF and an SRF, and supports the setup of Bchannel connections to the IP. Information is passed from an SCF to an SRF (e.g. collected information and billing measurements) is embedded in the Facility Information Element (FIE). The FIE can be carried by a number of Q.931 messages, like SETUP and DISCONNECT. The FIE can also be carried by the FACILITY message in The proposed underlying protocol platform for the interface between an SCP and an SDP is TCAP on SCCP/MTP of SS7 protocol stack. In existing systems the SCP - SDP interfaces have been implemented in many proprietary ways, a typical one being a fast remote operations protocol using a Local Area Network (LAN). Q1201 4.3.1.2.6AD-IP interface The proposed underlying protocol platform between an AD and an IP is TCAP. The physical interface has not been specified, but a number of alternative standard protocols could be used. Q1201
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4.3.1.2.8User interfaces A user is an entity external to the IN that uses IN capabilities. IN users may employ the access interfaces described below to invoke various IN service capabilities. For example, users can affect the routing of a call, send and receive information from the network, screen calls, and update service parameters. Users are served by existing network interfaces. Q1201 It is important to ensure that IN should continue to support existing services and capabilities. In addition, the current restrictions imposed by each of the interface technologies described below must be considered when deploying IN services. For example, calling party information may or may not be available at a given interface and, therefore, may or may not be provided to the SCF. Q1201 End users are using analogue interface signalling, or ISDN access signalling arrangements. IN user-network interactions include providing stimuli, such as off-hook or DTMF digit signalling, which determine further IN action. Q1201 Out-of-band (i.e. D_channel) signalling provides ISDN users with additional capabilities for accessing potential IN services. When originating a call, an ISDN user identifies the bearer capability to be associated with the call. IN service logic can use this information to determine how the call should be handled (e.g. how to route the call). Q1201
Functional Entities are referred to as relationships (rN). The functional entities are described independently of how the functionality is physically implemented or deployed in the network. SIBs on the global functional plane are realized on the Distributed Functional Plane by a sequence of Functional Entity Actions (FEA) and resulting information flows. Garra93
Figure 4-6. Distributed functional plane architecture. The DFP architecture provides flexibility to support a large variety of services and facilitates the evolution of IN by organizing the functional capabilities in an open-ended and modular strtucture to achieve service independence. The DFP architecture is vendor/implementation independent, thereby providing the flexibility for multiple physical networking configuration and placing no constraints on national network architecture beyond the network and interface standards which will be developed for IN structured networks. The definition of the DFP architecture initially accomodates service execution capabilities and will accomodate service creation and service and network management capabilities when they become available. Q1201 A Functional Entity is a unique group of functions in a single location and a subset of the total set of functions required to provide a service. One or more Functional
4.3.2
Distributed Functional Plane
The global Distributed Functional Plane (DFP) is of primary interest to network designers and providers. It describes the functional architecture of an IN-structured network in terms of units of network functionality (Figure 4-6). These functionalities are referred to as Functional Entities (FE). The information that flows between
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Entities can be located in the same Physical Entity. Different Functional Entities contain different functions, and may also contain one or more of the same functions. In addition, one Functional Entity cannot be split between two Physical Entities; the Functional Entity is mapped entirely within a single Physical Entity. Finally, duplicate instances of a FE can be mapped to different PEs, though not the same PE. Q1201
4.3.2.1.2CCF The CCF is the Call Control Function in the network that provides call/connection processing and control. It Q1201
a)
establishes, manipulates and releases call/connection instances as requested by the CCAF;
b) 4.3.2.1 Definition of FEs This section gives a description of the Functional Entities at the Distributed Functional Plane related to IN service execution and how they are mapped to the Physical Plane architecture.
provides the capability to associate and relate CCAF functional entities that are involved in a particular call and/or connection instance (that may be on SSF requests);
4.3.2.1.1CCAF The CCAF is the Call Control Agent Function that provides access for users. It is the interface between user and network call control functions. It has the following characteristics: It Q1201 a) provides for user access, interacting with the user to establish, maintain, modify and release, as required, a call or instance of service; b) accesses capabilities the of the service-providing Call Control e) d) c) manages the relationship between CCAF functional entities involved in a call (e.g. supervises the overall perspective of the call and/or connection instance); provides trigger mechanism to access IN functionality (e.g. passes events to the SSF); is managed, updated and/or otherwise administred for its IN-related functions (i.e. trigger mechanisms) by a Service Management Function; 4.3.2.1.3SSF The SSF is the Service Switching Function, which, associated with the CCF, provides the set of functions required for interaction between the CCF and Service Control Function. It Q1201
Function, using service requests (e.g. setup, transfer, hold, etc.) for the establishment, manipulation and release of a call or instance of service; c) receives indications relating to the call or service from the CCF and relays them to the user as required; d) maintains call/service state information as perceived by this functional entity;
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a)
extends the logic of the CCF to include recognition of service control triggers and to interact with the SCF;
provides the SCF with access to SSF/CCF capabilities and resources. It also detects IN call/connection processing events that should be reported to active IN service logic instances, and manages SSF resources required to support IN service logic instances. The IN-SM interacts with the FIM/CM as described below. c) FIM/CM - The entity in the SSF that provides mechanisms to support multiple concurrent instances of IN service logic instances on a single call. In particular, the FIM/CM can prevent multiple instances of IN an non-IN service logic instances from being invoked. The ability of the FIM/CM to arbitrate between multiple instances of IN and non-IN service logic instances is for further study. The FIM/CM integrates these interactions mechanisms with the BCM and IN-FM to provide the
b)
manages signalling between the CCF and the SCF;
c)
modifies
call/connection
processing
functions (in the CCF) as required to process requests for IN provided service usage under the control of the SCF; d) is managed, updated and/or otherwise administred by an SMF;
4.3.2.1.4SSF/CCF Model The SSF/CCF model described below include the Basic Call Manager (BCM), the IN-Switching Manager (INSM), the Feature Interactions Manager (FIM)/Call Manager (CM), the relationship of the BCM to the INSM, the relationship of the BCM and IN-SM to the FIM/CM, and the functional separation provided in the SSF/CCF (Figure 4-7). [Q1214] a) BCM - The entity in the CCF that provides basic call and connection control to establish communication paths for users and interconnects such communication paths, that detects basic call and connection control events that can lead to the invocation of IN service logic instances or should be reported to active IN service logic instances, and that manages CCF resources required to support basic call and connection control. The BCM interacts with the FIM/CM as described in the FIM/CM description below. b) IN-SM - The entity in the SSF that interacts with the SCF in the course of providing IN service features to users. It provides the SCF with an observable view of SSF/CCF call/connection processing activities, and
SSF with a unified view of call/service processing internal to the SSF for a single call. d) BCM Relationship to IN-SM - The relationship that encompasses the interaction between the BCM and the IN-SM, through the FIM/CM. The information flow related to this interaction is not externally visible and is not standardized for CS-1. However, an understanding of this subject is required to identify how basic call and connection processing and IN call/connection processing may interact. e) BCM and IN-SM Relationships to FIM/CM - The relationships that encompass the interaction between the BCM and FIM/CM, and the IN-SM and the FIM/CM. The information flows related to these interactions are not externally visible and are not standardized for CS-1. However, an understanding of this subject is required in order to unify the BCM, IN-SM and FIM/CM. f) Functional Separation in the SSF/CCF. The functional separation of processes and resources in the SSF/CCF that provides a means of handling service logic instance interactions for CS-1. This functional separation services Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland 35
to isolate single-ended service logic instances related to the calling party from single-ended service logic instances related to the called party for the same call. Within the scope of CS-1, there is no functionality in the SSF for handling service feature interactions between the separate SSF calling party processes and SSF called party processes.
representation of CCF activities that can be analysed to determine which aspects of the BCSM will be visible to IN service logic instances, if any, and what level of abstraction and granularity is appropriate for this visibility. The BCSM identifies points in basic call and connection processing when IN service logic instances are permitted to interact with basic call and connection control capabilities. In particular, it provides a framework for
SCF
SLPI A
describing basic call and connection events that can lead to the invocation of IN service logic instances or should be reported to active IN service logic instances, for describing those points in call and connection processing
SSF
IN Local Resource Data Manager IN Local Resource data Non-IN Feature Manager SCF Access Manager IN-SM IN Switching State Model Instance < IN-SSM > > IN-SSM Events > < REsource Control > FIM/CM BCM Basic Call Manager < BCSM > < Basic Call Triggers > < Basic Call Events >
at which these events are detected, and for describing those points in call and connection processing when the transfer of control can occur. Figure 4-8 shows the key components that have been identified to describe a BCSM, to include: Points in Call (PICs), Detection Points (DPs), transitions, and events. PICs identify CCF activities required to complete on or
CCAF
CCF
SRF Basic Call Resource data Manager
CCAF
Basic Call Resource data
Bearer Control
more basic call/connection states of interest to IN service logic instances. DPs indicate points in basic call and connection processing at which transfer of control can occur. Transitions indicate the normal flow of basic call/connection processing from one PIC to another. Events cause transitions into and out of PICs. Information Flows [Q1214] (e.g. between SSF/CCF and SCF) corresponding to Events and PICs are represented by Operations [Q1218] and modelled as Application Service Elements (ASEs), these application protocol related concepts are discussed in more detail in chapter 4.4.3. The BCSM for CS-1 should model existing switch processing of basic two-party calls, and should reflect the functional separation between the originating and terminating portions of calls. In addition, though CCAF
Figure 4-7. SSF/CCF Model
4.3.2.1.4.1
BCSM
The BCSM is a high-level finite state machine description of CCF activities required to establish and maintain communication paths for users. As such, it identifies a set of basic call and connection activities in a CCF and shows how these activities are joined together to process a basic call and connection (i.e., establish and maintain a communication path for a user). [Q1214] Many aspects of the BCSM are not externally visible to IN service logic instances. However, aspects of BCSM will be the subject of standardization. As such, the BCSM is primarily an explanatory tool for providing a
36
functionality is not explicitly modelled in the BCSM, a mapping is required between access signalling events and BCSM events, for each access arrangement supported by CS-1. Since the BSCM is generic, it may describe events that do not apply to certain access arrangements. It is important to understand and describe how each access arrangement applies to the BCSM.
originating half of the BCSM are described below [Q1214]:

1) O_Null&Authorize_Origination_Atempt
Entry Event: Disconnect and clearing of a previous call (DPs 9 0_Disconnect and 10 - O_Abandon), or default handling of exeptions by SSF/CCF completed.
Functions:
- Interface (line/trunk) is idled (no call exists, no call reference exists, etc.) Supervision is being provided.
O_Abandon 10 1. O_Null & Authorize Origination attempt 6. Exception
- Given an indication from an originating party of a desire to place an outgoing call (e.g., offhook, Q.931 Setup message, ISDN-UP IAM
Orig. Attempt_Authorized
message), the authority/ability of the party to place the call with given properties (e.g., bearer capability, line restrictions) is verified. The types
2. Collect Info
Collected_Info
of authorization to be performed may vary for of originating resources (e.g., for lines vs. trunks).
different
types
3. Analyze Info
Analyzed_Info 4
Exit Event:
Route_Select_Failure
5
4. Routing & Alerting
- Indication of desire to place outgoing call (e.g., offhook, Q.931 Setup message, ISDN-UP IAM message) and authority/ability to place outgoing call verified (DP 1 - Origination_Attempt_Authorized)
O_Disconnect
9
7 5. O_Active
O_Called_Party_Busy
6 8 O_Mid_Call O_No_Answer
- Authority/ability to place outgoing call denied (Exception) Corresponding Q.931 Call State: 0. Null
Key:
Transition Detection Point (DP) Point in Call (PIC)
2)
Collect_Information
Entry Event: Indication of desire to place outgoing call (e.g., offhook,
Figure 4-8. Originating BCSM for CS1
Q.931 Setup message, ISDN-UP IAM message) and authority/ability to place outgoing call verified (DP1-Origination_Attempt_ Authorized)
4.3.2.1.4.2
Originating BCSM for CS-1
Functions:
As an axample we describe here the originating half of the BCSM for CS1. It corresponds to that portion of the BCSM associated with the originating party (see Figure 4-8). The description for each of the PICs in the
- Initial information package/dialling string (e.g., service codes, prefixes, dialled address digits) being collected from originating party. Information being examined according to dialling plan to determine end of collection. No further action may be required if an en bloc signalling
37
method is in use (e.g., an ISDN user using en bloc signalling, an incoming SS No. 7 trunk).
- Routing address and call type being interpreted. The next route is being selected. This may involve sequentially searching a route list, translating a directory number into physical port address, etc. The
Exit Events:
individual destination resource out of a resource group (e.g., a multi-line hunt group, a trunk group) is not selected. In some cases (e.g., an analogue line interface), a single resource (not a group) is selected.
- Availability of complete initial information package/dialling string from originating party. (This event may have already occurred in the case of en bloc signalling, in which case the waiting duration in this PIC is zero.) (DP 2- Collected_Info)
- Authority of originating party to place this particular call being verified (e.g., checking business group restrictions, toll restrictions, route restrictions). The types of authorization checks to be performed may depend upon the type of originating resource (e.g., line vs. trunk).
- Originating party abandons call. (10 - O_Abandon)
- Information collection error has occurred (e.g., invalid dial string format, digit collection time-out) (Exception) - Call is being processed by the terminating half BCSM. Continued processing of call setup (e.g., ringing, audible ring indication) is taking 3) Analyze_Information place. Waiting for indication from terminating half BCSM that the call has been answered by terminating party. Entry Event: Availability of complete initial information Exit Events:
package/dialling string from originating party. (DP 2 - Collected_Info)
Function: Information being analysed and/or translated according to dialling plan to determine routing address and call type (e.g., local exchange call, transit exchange call, international exchange call).
- Indication from the terminating half BCSM that the call is accepted and answered by terminating party (e.g., terminating party goes offhook. Q.931 Connect message received. ISDN-UP Answer message received) (DP 7 - O_Answer)
Exit Events: - Unable to select a route (e.g., unable to determine a correct route, no - Availability of routing address and nature of address. (DP 3 Analyzed_Info) more routes on route list) or indication from the terminating half BCSM that call cannot be presented to the terminating party (e.g., network congestion) (DP 4 - Route_Select_Failure)
- Originating party abandons calls. (DP 10 - O_Abandon)
- Unable to analyse and translate dial string in the dialling plan (e.g., invalid dial string) (Exception)
- Indication from the terminating half BSCM that the terminating party is busy (DP 5 - O_Called_Party_Busy)
4)
Routing and Alerting
- Indication from the terminating half BCSM that the terminating party does not answer within a specified time period (DP 6 - O_No_Answer)
(encompasses the following general BCSM PICs: Select_Route, Authorize_Call_Setup, Call_Sent, and O_Alerting) - Originating party abandons call (DP 10 - O_Abandon)
Entry Events:
- Authority of calling party to place thiscall is denied (e.g., business group restriction mismatch, toll restricted calling line) (Exception)
- Availability of routing address and call type. (DP 3 - Analyzed_Info) Corresponding Q.931 Call State: 4. Call Delivered Functions:
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5)
O_Active
- The SSF/CCF should make use of vendor-specific procedures to ensure release of resources within the SSF/CCF so that line, trunk, and
Entry Event: Indication from the terminating half BCSM that the call is accepted and answered by terminating party. (DP 7 - O_Answer)
other resources are made available for new calls.pt PIC).
Exit Event: Default handling of the exception condition by SSF/CCF Function: Connection established between originating and terminating party. Message accounting/charging data may be being collected. Call supervision is being provided. completed (Transition to O_Null & Authorize_Origination_Attempt)
4.3.2.1.5SCF
Exit Events:
The SCF is a function that commands call control functions in the processing of IN provided and/or custom service requests. The SCF may interact with other functional entities to access additional logic or obtain information (service or user data) required to process a call/service logic instance. It. Q1201 a) interfaces and interacts with SSF/CCF, SRF and SDF functional entities; b) contains capability the logic and to processing handle IN
- A service/service feature request is received from the originating party (e.g., TDMF, hook flash, ISDN feature activator, Q.931 HOLD or RETrieve message). (DP 8 - O_Mid_Call)
- A disconnect indication (e.g., onhook, Q.931 Disconnect message, SS7 Release message) is received from the originating party. or received from the terminating party via the terminating half BCSM. (DP O_Disconnect)
- A connection failure occurs (Exception)
required
provided service attempts;

6) O_Exception
c)
interfaces and interacts with other SCFs, if necessary;
Entry Event: An exception condition is encountered (as described above for each PIC)
d)
is managed, updated and/or otherwise administered by an SMF;
Function: Default handling of the exception condition is being provided. This includes general actions necessary to ensure no resources remain inappropriately allocated, such as
4.3.2.1.6SDF The SDF contains customer and network data for real time access by the SCF in the execution of an IN provided service. It Q1201
- If any relationships exist between the SSF and SCF(s), send an Error information flow to the SCF(s) closing the relationships and indicating that any outstanding call handling instructions will not run to completion (e.g., see Annex B).3
- If an SCF previously requested that call parameters be provided at the end of the call (see the Call Information Request information flow in section 6), these should be included in the Error information flow.
39
a)
interfaces and interacts with SCF as required;
4.3.2.1.10
SMF
This function allows deployment and provision of IN provided services and allows the support of ongoing operation. Particularly, for a given service, it allows the coordination of different SCF and SDF instances Q1201. a) billing and statistic information are received from the SCFs, and made available to authorized service managers through the SMAF; b) modifications in service data are
b)
interfaces and interacts with other SDFs, if necessary;
c)
is managed, updated and/or otherwise administered by an SMF;
4.3.2.1.7SRF The SRF provides the specialized resources required for the execution of IN provided services (e.g. digit receivers, announcements, conference bridges, etc.). It Q1201
distributed in SDFs, and it keeps track of the reference service data values; a) interfaces and interacts with SCF and SSF (and with the CCF); b) is managed, updated and/or otherwise administered by an SMF; 4.3.2.1.11 c) may contain the logic and processing capability to receive/send and convert information received from users; d) may contain functionality similar to the CCF to manage bearer connections to the specialized resources; 4.3.2.1.8SCEF This function allows services provided in Intelligent Network to be defined, developed, tested an input to SMF. Output of this function would include service logic, service management logic, service data template and service trigger information. Q1201 The SCF platform provides a Service Logic Execution Environment (SLEE) on which the SLPs run to provide service processing. An SLP is a service application program invoked by the SLEE and is used to realize service processing under the control of of thr SLEE. The 4.3.2.1.9SMAF This function provides an interface between service managers and the SMF. It allows service managers to manage their services (through access to the SMF). Q1201 Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland 40 Service Logic Execution Manager (SLEM) is the functionality of SLEE that handles and controls the service logic execution action. It contains the SLP SCF Model and its relations The SMF manages, updates and/or administers service related information in SRF, SSF and CCF Q1201.
The model of the Service Conrol Function and its relation to other functional entities is shown in Figure 4-9. The prime function of SCF is the execution of Service Logic provided in the form ofService Logic Processing programs (SLPs), and it includes also the SLP execution supporting functions, such as Service functional Logic entity selection/interaction [Q1214] management,
access management and SLP provisioning managemant.
Instances (SLPIs), Service Logic Selection/Interaction Manager and Resource Manager. SLPI is a service application program instance invoked by the SLEE and is used to realize service processing. SLPI is a dynamic entity that actively controls the flow of service execution and invokes other SCF functional routines. Functional routines are the functionality of SCF to cause a sequence of Functional Entity Actions. This sequence of Functional Entity Actions provides the functionality defined for a Service Independent Building Block (SIB) on the Global Functional Plane. The SIB concept will be discussed in more detail in chapter 4.3.3.1.
SCF
SLP Library
PE:s SCP SN AD SSP IP SDP SSCP NAP C: Core O: Optional : Not allowed
SCF C C C O
SSF/CCF
SDF C
SRF
C C
O C
C C C C (CCF only) C O
Table -4. Typical scenarios of FE to PE mapping. 4.3.3
Global Functional Plane
The Global Functional Plane (GFP) is of primary interest

SLP Manager Service Logic Execution Environment (SLEE) Functional Routine Mgr Functional Routine Lib.
to service designers. Wyatt91 The Global Functional Plane plane models network functionality from a global, or network-wide, point of view. As such, the IN structured network is said to be viewed as a single entity in the GFP. In this plane, services and Service Features are redefined in terms of the broad network functions required to support them. These functions are neither service nor Service Feature specific and are referred to as SIBs (Service-Independent building Block). Q1201
Service Logic Execution Manager Serv. Logic Selection/ Interaction Manager SLP Instances Resource Manager
SCF Data Access Manager + SD Obj.Lib + Ntw Res.Data
Functional Entity Access Manager
SMF
SSF
SRF
SDF
Figure 4-9. SCF Model Services identified in the service plane are decomposed 4.3.2.2 Mapping FEs to PEs The mapping of Distributed Functional Plane FEs to Physical Plane Architecture PEs is described here. Also a typical scenario of such mapping is shown here. (Table 4) Q1201 into their service features then mapped onto one or more SIBs in the GFP. Each SIB is similarly mapped onto one or more FEs in the Distributed Functional Plane Q1201 (Figure 4-10).
41
SIBs are defined completely independent from any physical architecture considerations Each SIB has a unified and stable interface, with one or more inputs an one or more outputs SIBs are reusable, monolithic, building blocks, describing a single complete activity, and used by the service designer to create services A SIB can exist independently, or it can coexist with other SIBs in the same network element. IN-based services can be distinguished from one another by the sequence of SIB functions and by the specific parameters within each SIB. IN CS1 describes 13 SIBs plus a specialized SIB called Basic Call Process (Table -5). Algorithm Charge Compare Distribution Limit Log Call Information Queue Figure 4-10. Service decomposition. 4.3.3.1 SIB IN CS1 contains 14 SIBs that include algorithm, charge, compare, translate, basic call process, among others. In principle many other services described in CCITT Recommendations Q.1211 could be specified. Raat93 SIBs are standard reusable networkwide capabilities residing in the Global Functional Plane, used to create services. As such they are global in nature and their locations need not to be considered as the entire network is regarded as a single entity. A Service Feature is provided by a combination of one or more SIBs. SIBs have the following characteristics: Table -5 The CS1 SIBs. Basic Call Process (BCP) identifies the normal call process from which IN services are launched, including Points Of Initiation (POI) and Points Of Return (POR) which provide the interface from the BCP to Global Service Logic (GSL). The GSL describes how SIBs are chained together to describe Service Features. The GSL also describes interaction between the BCP and the SIB chains. Q1201 (Figure 4-11) By definition, SIBs, including the BCP, are service independent and cannot contain knowledge of subsequent SIBs. Therefore, GSL is the only element in the GFP which is specifically service dependent. Screen Service Data Management Status Notification Translate User Interaction Verify
42
to specify subscriber specific details like calling or called line information. This data can be: made available from the Basic Call Process SIB (e.g. Calling Line Identification), generated by a SIB (e.g. translated number), or entered by the subscriber (e.g. dialled number or a PIN code). Q1201 Figure 4-11. Modelling of Global Functional Plane. In order to chain SIBs together, knowledge of the connection pattern, decision options, and data required by SIBs must be available. Therefore, the pattern of how SIB are chained together must be maintained within the GFP, and described in the GSL. The GSL described subsequential SIB chaining, potential branching, and where branches rejoin.When an IN supported service is to be invoked, its GSL is laucnhed at the POI by a triggering mechanism from the BCP. At the end of chain of SIBs, the GSL also describes returning point to the BCP by indicating the specific POR. For a given service or Service Feature at least one POI is required. However, depending upon the logic required to support the service or Service Feature, multiple PORs may be defined. Q1201 4.3.3.1.2Service Support Data In order to describe Service Features with these generic SIBs, some elements of service dependency is needed. Service dependency can be described using data parameters which enable a SIB to be tailored to perform the desired functionality. Data parameters are specified independently for each SIB and are made available to the SIB through GSL. Two types of data parameters are required for each SIB, dynamic parameters called Call Instance Data (CID) and static parameters called Service Support Data (SSD). Q1201 Service Support Data defines data parameters required by a SIB which are specific to the Service Feature description. When a SIB is included in the GSL of a service description, the GSL will specify the SSD values for the SIB. SSD consists of the following parts: Q1201 Associated with each CID value is a logical name which is referred to as the CID Field Pointer (CIDFP). If a SIB requires CID to perform its function, there will be an associated CIDFP assigned through SSD. For instance, the Translate SIBs CID which defines what is to be translated is called Information. Q1201 Since the CID value can vary with each call instance, Service Features can be written with data flexibility. In the above Translate SIB example, one Service Feature may require translation of a calling number, while another Service Feature will require translation of the called number. In both cases, the data required by the SIB is specified by the information Calling Line Identity (CLI), but the CIDFP-info changes. Q1201
4.3.3.1.1Call Instance Data Call Instance Data defines dynamic parameters whose value will change with each call instance. They are used
43
Fixed Parameters
These
are
data
parameters
one or more logical end points and CID which defines data parameters specific to that call instance which results from the execution of that SIB and are required by other SIBs or the BCP to complete the call service instance.
whose values are fixed for all call instances. For instance, the File Indicator SSD for the Translate SIB need to be specified uniquely for each occurrence of that SIB in a given Service Feature. The File Indicator SSD value is then said to be fixed, as its value is determined by the service/Service instance. Field Pointers Field Pointers identify which CID is required by the SIB, and in doing so provide a logical location for that data. They are signified required. by CIDFP-xxxx For instance, where xxxx names the data CIDFP-info for the Translate SIB will specify which CID element is to be translated. If more than one CID is required by a SIB to perform its function, then the SSD data parameters will contain multiple Field Pointers. Feature description, not by the call
Figure 4-12. Graphic representation of a SIB. Q1201 4.3.3.1.3.1
Queue SIB
As an example of SIB representation the Queue SIB is described (Figure 4-12). Q1201 The Queue SIB example has been described, because it is a multipurpose SIB which can be used in several Service Features at the Service Plane. The task of the Queue SIB is to provide sequencing of IN calls to be completed to a called party. The Queue SIB provides all the processing needed to provide queueing for a call, and will specifically: pass the call if resources are available, queue the call, play announcements to a caller on queue, and when resources become available, dequeue the call.
4.3.3.1.3The SIB structure A SIB contructs of both input and output parts (Figure 411). The input part consists of three distinct elements: one logical starting point, Service Support Data which defines parameters which are specified by the service description, and Call Instance Data which are specific to that call instance. The output part consist of two distinct elements: Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland 44
Figure 4-13. The Queue SIB graphic representation. The input parameters for the Queue SIB has been described in the Table -6. The Queue SIB can be used everywhere the queueing of calls is needed. The Logical Start indicates the execution for the SIB. The output parameters are also specified in the Q1201. The Logical End indicates the result of the execution. The parameters for Queue SIB are: Resource available, Call party abandon, Queue timer expiry, Queue full, and an error. Q1201 The Call Instance Data has the following parameters and the meanings of output data: Time Spent in Queue (identifies the total time that a particular call was queued), Error Cause (identifies the specific condition which caused an error during the operation of the SIB). In Error Cause the following errors have been identified: Invalid Max Active, Invalid Max Number, Invalid Max Time, Invalid Announcement Parameters, and Invalid Call Reference.
SSD
- Max Active Specifies the maximum number of active calls allowed for the resource. - Max Number Specifies the maximum number of calls allowed on queue at a given time. - Max Time - Specifies the maximum time the call may remain on the queue. - Announcement Parameters Specify the control values for announcements. The control values which can be specified are: Announcement ID (specifies which announcement is to be sent), Repetition Requested (specifies if the announcement is to be repeated), Repetition Interval (specifies the delay period in seconds between repetitions) and Maxium Repetitions (specifies the maximum number of times the announcement will be repeated). - CIDFP-Resource This CID Field Pointer specifies which Call Instance Data identifies the resource. - CIDFP-Error This CID Field Pointer specifies where in output Call Instance Data the error cause will be written.
CID
- Call Reference Identifies the specific call which is a candidate for queueing. - Resource Specifies the data associated with the CIDFP-Resource which identifies the resource for which the call will be queued. Table -6 Queue SIB input resources.
45
4.3.3.2 Basic Call Process The Basic Call Process is responsible for providing basic call connectivity between parties in the network. The BCP can be viewed as a specialized SIB which then provides basic call capabilities including connecting call with appropriate disposition; disconnecting calls, with appropriate disposition; and retaining CID for further processing of that call instance. Q1201 The need for specific POI/POR functionality is that the same chain of SIBs may represent a different service if launched from a different point in the BCP. Similarly, the same chain of SIBs launched from the same point may represent a different service if returned to the BCP at a different point. Q1201 SIB Algorithm Charge Compare Distribution Limit Log Call
Functional Entities SSF/SCF SCF SRF SDF
Information Queue Screen Service Data
Management Status notification
4.3.3.3 Global Service Logic The Global Service Logic can be defined as the glue that defines the order in which SIBs will be chained together to accomplish services. Each instance of global service logic is (potentially) unique to each individual call, but uses common elements, comprising specifically: BCP interaction point (POI and POR); SIBs; logical connections between SIBs, and between SIBs and BCP interaction points; input and output data parameters, service support data and call instance data defined for each SIB. Q1201 The GSL will then chain together these elements (SIBs) to provide a specific service.
Translate User Interaction Verify Basic Process Table -7. Relating the GFP to the DFP. 4.3.4 Call
Service Plane
The Service Plane (SP) is of primary interest to service users and providers. It describes services and Service Features from a user perspective, independent of how the service is implemented or provisioned in the network.
4.3.3.4 Relating the GFP to the DFP This section describes the mapping of the elements of the Global Functional Plane to the Distributed Functional Plane. Functions in the GFP are distributed to Functional Entities in the DFP. These FEs are related by information flows, which are use to send information between FEs. Table -7 shows the CS1 SIBs and indicates the FEs involved for each SIB. Q1201
Garra93 The Service Plane illustrates that IN supported services can be described to the end user or subscriber by means of a set of generic blocks called Service Features. A service is a stand-alone commercial offering, characterized by one or more core Service Features, and can be optionally enhanced by other Service Features. Q1201
46
The Service Plane represents an exclusively serviceoriented view. This view contains no information whatsoever regarding the implementation of the services in the network (for instance, an IN type of implementation is invisible). All that is perceived is the networks service-related behaviour as seen, for example, by a service user. Q1201 In other words, the Service Plane provides users and service providers a implementation-independent architecture.
* Automatic Call Back (ACB) * Call Hold with Announcement (CHA) * Call Transfer (TRA) * Call Waiting (CW) * Consultation Calling (COC) * Meet-Me Conference (MMC) * Multi-Way Calling (MWC) ABbreviated Dialing (ABD) Attendant (ATT) Authentication (AUTC) Authorization Code (AUTZ) Call Distribution (CD) Call Hold with Announcement (CHA) Call Forwarding (CF) Call Forwarding in BY/DA (CFC) Call Gapping (GAP) Call Limiter (LIM) Call Logging (LOG) Call Queueing (QUE)
Closed User Group (CUG) Customer Profile Management (CPM) Customized Recorded Announcement (CRA) Customized Ringing (CRG) Follow-Me Diversion (FMD) Mass Calling (MAS) Originating Call Screening (OCS) Off-Net Access (OFA) Off-Net Calling (ONC) One Number (ONE) Origin Dependent Routing (ODR) Originating User Prompter (OUP) Personal Numbering (PN) Premium Charging (PRMC) Private Numbering Plan (PNP) Reverse Charging (REVC) Split Charging (SPLC) Terminating Call Screening (TCS) Time Dependent Routing (TDR)
4.3.4.1 Service Features The services are constructed of Services Features. A Service Feature is a specific aspect of a service that can also be used in conjuntion with other services/Service Features as a part of commercial offering. It is either a core part of a service or an optional part offered as an enhancement to a service Q1201 (Table -8).
Note: The service indicated with a * may only be partially supported in CS1, because they require capabilities beyond those of type A services. Table -8. Set of Benchmark IN CS1 Service Features.
So, the services are comprised of one or more Service Features. A Service Feature is the smallest part of a
47
service that can be perceived by the service user. These SFs can also be used as building blocks in the specification and design of new, more complex services. SFs are are comprised of one or more SIBs which are described in the Global Functional Plane. All individual telecommunication services identified in the Service Plane should be described as seen from the users viewpoint without reference how the services are implemented in the network (for example, how the Physical Plane looks like) Q1201. The Service Features are described in detail in the next chapter.
Attendant (ATT)
This service feature allows VPN users to access an attendant position within the VPN for providing VPN service information (e.g., VPN numbers). The attendant(s) can be accessed by dialling a special access code.
Authentication (AUTC)
This service feature allows for the verification that a user is allowed to exercise certain options in a telephone network. In other words, the request made by the user is authentic and should be granted.
4.3.4.2 Description of CS1 Service Features The CS1 Service Features are described in [Q1211] as follows:
Abbreviated Dialling (ABD)
Authorization Code (AUTZ)
This service feature allows a VPN user to override calling restrictions of the VPN station from which the call is made. Different sets of calling privileges can be assigned to different authorization codes and a given authorization code can be shared
Description No.1 by multiple users. This feature allows the definition of abbreviated dialling Automatic Call Back (ACB) numbers with a VPN. For the users of the VPN, the abbreviated dialling numbers are not subjected to call restrictions, e.g., a VPN user may not be allowed to access the Off-net Calling service feature but can reach an off-net number via this feature. This service feature allows the called party to automatically call back the calling party of the last call directed to the called party.
Description No. 2
Call Distribution (CD)
This feature allows the definition of abbreviated dialling digit sequences to represent the actual dialling digit sequence, i.e., a two digit sequence may represent a complete dialling sequence for a private or public numbering plan.
This service feature allows the served user to specify the percentage of calls to be distributed among two or more destinations. Other criteria may also apply to the distribution of calls to each destination.
Description No. 3
Call Forwarding (CF)
This service feature is an originating line feature that allows business subscribers to dial others in their company using a short numbering, even if the calling user's line and the called user's line are served by different switches.
This service feature allows the user to have his incoming calls addressed to another number, no matter what the called party line status may be.
Call Forwarding on Busy/Don't answer (CFC)
48
This service feature allows the called user to forward particular calls if the called user is busy or does not answer within a specified number of rings.
Call Logging (LOG)
This service feature allows for a record to be prepared each time that a call is received to a specified telephone number.
Call Gapping (GAP) Call Queueing (QUE) Description No. 1 Description No. 1 This service feature allows the service provider to automatically restrict the number of calls to be routed to the subscriber. This service feature allows a served user to have calls meeting busy at the scheduled destination to be placed in a queue and connected as soon as free condition is detected. Upon entering Description No. 2 the queue, the caller hears an initial announcement informing the caller that the call will be answered when a line is available. This service feature allows to restrict the number of calls to a served user to prevent congestion of the network. Description No. 2
Call Hold with Announcement (CHA)
This service feature enables the subscriber, when a call encounters a terminating trigger such as a busy condition or a
The Call Hold with Announcement service feature allows a subscriber to place a call on hold with options to play music or customized announcements to the held party.
specified number of rings to queue that call, a specific announcement being sent to the calling party.
Call Transfer (TRA) Call Limiter (LIM) The Call Transfer service feature allows a subscriber to place Description No. 1 a call a hold and transfer the call to another location.
This service feature allows a served user to specify the maximum number of simultaneous calls to a served user's destination. If the destination is busy, the call may be routed to an alternative destination.
Call Waiting (CW)
This service feature allows the called party to receive a notification that another party is trying to reach his number while he is busy talking to another calling party.
Description No. 2 Closed User Group (CUG) This service feature enables to count the sunning calls to the subscriber and to reject all the new calls when a threshold of simultaneous calls is reached. As an option, this threshold may be real-time managed by the subscriber. This service feature allows the user to be a member of a set of VPN users who are normally authorized to make and/or receive calls only within the group. A user can belong to more than one CUG. In this way a CUG can be defined so that certain users are Associated with Call Volume Distribution or Call allowed wither to make calls outside the CUG, or to receive calls from outside the CUG, or both.
Distribution, it allows the rerouting of the new calls.
Consultation Calling (COC)
49
The Consultation Calling service feature allows a subscriber to place a call on hold, in order to initiate a new call for consultation.
the user will be presented to this terminal access. A registration for incoming calls will cancel any previous registration. Several users may register for incoming calls to the same terminal access simultaneously. The user may also explicitly de register for
Customer Profile Management (CPM)
incoming calls.
This service feature allows the subscriber to real-time manage his service profile, i.e., terminating destinations,
Mass Calling (MAS)
announcements to be played, call distribution, an so on.
This service feature allows processing of huge numbers of incoming calls. generated by broadcasted advertisings or games.
Customized Recorded Announcement (CRA) Meet-Me Conference (MMC) This service feature allows a call to be completed to a a subscriber This service feature allows the user to reserve a conference resource for making a multi-party call. indicating the date, time, and conference duration. At the specified date and time, each participant in the conference has to dial a designated number which has been assigned to the reserved conference resource, in order to have Customized ringing (CRG) access to that resource, and therefore, the conference.
(customized) terminating announcement instead of
line. The served user may define different announcements for unsuccessful call completions due to different reasons (e.g., caller outside business hours, all lines are busy).
This service feature allows the subscriber to allocate a distinctive ringing to a list of calling parties.
Multiway Calling (MWC)
This service feature allows the user to establish multiple, Destinating User Prompter (DUP) simultaneous telephone calls with other parties.
This service feature enables to prompt the called party with a specific announcement. Such an announcement may ask the called party to enter an extra numbering, e.g., through Dual-Tone MultiFrequency (DTMF), or a voice instruction that can be used by the service logic to continue to process the call.
Off-Net Access (OFA)
This service feature allows a VPN user to access his or her VPN from any non-VPN station in the PSTN by using a Personal Identification Number (PIN). Different sets of calling privileges can be assigned to different PINs, and a given PIN can be shared by
Follow-Me Diversion (FMD)
multiple users.
Description No. 1
Off-Net Calling (ONC)
This service feature allows a VPN user to change the routing number of his/her VPN code via a DTMF phone. The updated number can be another VPN code or a PSTN number.
This service feature allows the user to call outside the VPN network. Calls from one VPN to another are also considered offnet.
Description No. 2
One Number (ONE)
With this service feature, a user may register for incoming calls to any terminal access. When registered, all incoming calls to
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This feature allows a subscriber with two or more terminating lines in any number of locations to have a single telephone number. This allows businesses to advertise just one telephone number throughout their market area and to maintain their operations in different locations to maximize efficiency. The subscriber can specify which calls are to be terminated on which terminating lines based on the area the calls originate.
This service feature supports a UPT number that uniquely identifies each UPT user and is used by the caller to reach that UPT user. A UPT user may have more than one UPT number for
different applications (e.g., a business UPT number for business calls and a private UPT number for private calls), however, a UPT user will have only one UPT number per charging account.
Premium Charging (PRMC) Origin Dependent Routing (ODR) This service feature allows for the pay back of the part of the This service feature enables the subscriber to accept or reject a call, and in case of acceptance, to route this call, according to the calling party geographical location. This service feature allows the served user to specify the destination installation(s) according to the geographical area from which the call was originated. Private Numbering Plan (PNP) cost of a call to the called party, when he is considered as a value added service provider.
This service feature allows the subscriber to maintain a numbering plan within his private network, which is separate from the public numbering plan.
Originating Call screening (OCS)
This service feature allows the served user to bar calls from certain areas based on the District Code of the area from which the call is originated. Reverse Charging (REVC)
This service feature allows the service subscriber <(e.g., freephone) to accept to receive calls at its expense and be charged for the entire cost of the call.
Originating User Prompter (OUP)
Description No. 1 Split Charging (SPLC) This service feature allows a served user to provide an announcement which will request the caller to enter a digit or series of digits via a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) phone or generator. The collected digits will provide additional information that can be used for direct routing or as a security check during call processing. This service feature enables the subscriber to accept or reject Description No. 2 a call, and in case of acceptance, to route this call, according to the time, This service feature allows for the separation of charges for a specific call, the calling and called party each being charged for one part of the call.
Description No. 1
This service feature enables to prompt the calling party with a specific announcement. Such an announcement may ask the calling party to enter an extra numbering (e.g., through DTMF) or a voice instruction that can be used by the service logic to continue to process the call.
Description No. 2
This service feature allows the-served user to apply different call treatments based on time of day, day of week, day of year, holiday, etc.
Personal Numbering (PN)
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4.3.4.3 IN service modelling The idea of IN architecture, especially the Service Plane architecture, is to allow customers to make services for his own communications needs with Service Features or may combine a number of services together. Perhaps the user want to make services with additional capabilities, use the combination as a means to providing communications to other parties. In recommendation Q.1211 a the following services have been described for the use of IN Capability Set 1 Intelligent Network (Table 4-9): Abbreviated Dialling Account Card Calling Automatic Alternative Billing Call Distribution Call Forwarding Call Rerouting Distribution * Completion of Call to Busy Subscriber * Conference Calling Credit Card Calling Destination Call Routing Follow-Me Diversion Freephone Malicious Call Identification Mass Calling Originating Call Screening Premium Rate Security Screening Split Charging Televoting Terminating Call Screening Universal Access Number Universal Personal Telecommunications User-Defined Routing Virtual Private Network ABD ACC AAB CD CF CRD CCBS CON CCC DCR FMD FPH MCI MAS OCS PRM SEC SPL VOT TCS UAN UPT UDR VPN
Note: The service indicated with a * may only be partially supported in CS1, because they require capabilities beyond those of type A services. Table 4-9. IN CS1 Services Let us consider the following basic servces in detail: Credit Card Calling (CCC), Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Universal Personal Telecommunications (UPT). These services are mapped to service features according to Table 4-10 [Q1211].
CCC ABD ATTC AUTZ AUT CD LOG QUE TRA CUG COC CPM CRA CRG DUP FMD OFA ONC OUP PN PNP SPLC TDR o C o
VPN o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o C o
UPT
C o
o o o C o C C o
Selective Call Forward on Busy/Don't Answer SCF C= Core Service Feature o = Optional Service Feature Table 4-10. Service Mappings
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4.3.4.4 Credit Card Calling The recommendation Q.1211 describes CCC as follows Q1201:
1) This service permits to build a private network by using the public network resources. The subscribers lines, connected on different network switches, constitute a virtual PABX, including a number of PABX capabilities, such as Private Numbering Plan, call transfer, call hold, and so on. As an option, to each private user, either a class of service or specific rights and privileges may be attributed. As another option, a private user may access his private network from any point in the network keeping, after authentication, his class of service or his specific rights and privileges. 2) This service permits the use of public network resources to provide private network capabilities without necessarily using dedicated network resources. The subscribers lines, connected to different network switches, constitues a virtual private network that may include private network capabilities, such as dialling restrictions, Private Numbering Plan (PNP), holl, call transfer, and so on. A PNP may provide a group of users the capability to place call by using digit sequences having different structures and meaning than provided by the public numbering plan, or PNP may utilize the public numbering plans digit sequences, structures and meaning. 3) VPN allows a subscriber to define and use a PNNP for communication across one or more networks between nominated user access interfaces. A PNP provides a group of users the capability to place calls by using digit sequences having different structures and meanings than provided by the public numbering plan.
1) The CCC service allows subscribers to place calls from any normal access interface to any destination number and have the cost of those calls charged to the account specified by the CCC number. 2) The service allows the caller to be automatically charged on a bank card account, for any type of outgoing call. The caller has to dial his card number and a PIN (Personal Identification Number), then the called number. As an option forward calls may be allowed, without dialling again card number and PIN
4.3.4.5 Virtual Private Network The private networks allow users to access remote applications that are run by other users or, more frequently, by the network operator itself. The VPN service is based on the public telecommunications networks that it uses to contruct the service. CCITT describes VPN service as follows:
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4.3.4.6 Universal Personal Telecommunications In fixed telecommunications networks, subscribers are associated with the Network Access Point of the terminal, the point of attachement (network access or line identification). In mobile telecommunication networks, subscribers can move with their terminal and they are associated with the terminal in use (terminal identification). Vande92 The subscriber is then charged with the use of a personal identification number. CCITT describes UPT service as follows: 1) UPT is a mobility service which enables subscribers to make use of telecommunications services on the basis of a unique Personal Telecommunications Number (PTN) across multiple networks at any network access. The PTN will be translated to an appropriate destination number for routing based on the capabilities subscribed to by each Service Subscriber (SS). 2) This service provides personal mobility by enabling a user to initiate any type of service and receive any type of call on the basis of a unique and personal (fixed, network-independent movable or mobile), number, across of multiple networks, at any user-network access irrespective geographic location, limited only by terminal and network capabilities.
without affectting traditional network operations or capabilities. Wyatt91 The Intelligent Network consists of integrated hardware and software distributed throughout the service providers network. Thanks to the new technologies, service providers will be able to create their own services. Nerys91 Compared to the convenient telecommunications network architecture, IN forms an excellent and fast way of introducing services. IN promises to change the way vendors, telephone companies, and customers run their businesses and work with one another. Nerys91 Today, vendors develop a product that delivers a certain service, then sell it to telecommunications operators. With IN, vendors will develop software building blocks Nerys91, then deliver these to telephone companies who assemble them to create new services.
4.4.1
SCE
The Service Creation Environment capability of IN enables effective service creation. Service Creation Environments enable network and service providers to create new revenue-generating of equipment services that are independent vendors deployment
schedules. Many administrations are asking vendors of IN equipment to provide them with Service Creation Environment capabilities. This is also true of large service subscribers, who prefer to control the operation of their IN-based services. In the current Service Creation
4.4
The IN-structured network
Environment, service subscribers can control services using existing capabilities or modifying parameters within these capabilities. Current Service Creation Environments are user friendly and support updates of service control points and service circuit nodes. The next generation of Service Creation Environment will also support updates of intelligent peripherals and Adjuncts.
The IN concept is an extension of, rather than a replacement for, traditional service control. Since an IN primarily affects only the internal service processing of switching systems, it should have little influence on the signalling procedures of a traditional network. Therefore, we can place intelligent nodes in existing networks
54
Because SIBs are being defined for the IN, it is now possible to develop a Service Creation Environment platform to support new services and direct them to appropriate Physical Entities. In addition, new SCEs must provide extensive validations for new IN-based services so they do not have an adverse effect on the overall operation of the network or the subscribers services. Wyatt91 The service designers are staff members of the providers company. They have to create new services by definite and unambiguous descriptions. Such descriptions are called Service Logic Programs (SLP). After deployment of a new service in the network, one can buy or subscribe to such a service. Abram92 The services are determined by single Service Features. Following the ETSI framework this should be reflected in the service representation: each SLP should be composed from SIBs. Abram92 The interface for composition of new services may differ. The interface might be an advanced specification language for the construction of SIBs and their interfaces/(inputs and outputs). However, it is possible to build a Graphical User Interface (GUI) on the top of the specification language and by so ease and speed up the introduction of new IN services.
service circuit node, or the service switching point Wyatt91 In the middle, the signalling network performs the signalling transfer function.
Figure 4-14. Physical mapping of IN functions.Wyatt91 With the above capabilities a description of how IN really functions is made. An example of the Green Number Service (GNS or freephone) is shown here. A service user dials the number, such as 800-beginning. While translating the number the local exchange detects a trigger in the SSP database telling it that this 800 number (in this example 800-NXX-7800) is a pseudo-number which must be translated Ambro89 by an SCP. The 800based numbers are usually known as IN numbers. The local exchange (SSP) sends a TCAP message (containing the number dialled and other information) over the SS7 network to an SCP. The SCP uses the 800 number to access a database containing the 800 numbers
4.4.2
The function of IN
The SSP and SCP communicate via CCITT No.7 signalling links using the services of the TCAP, SCCP and MTP. M3010 However, at the top of this protocol stack is the IN Application Protocol (INAP). Figure 4-14 shows how network functions can be grouped in a physical entity. For example, we can package the Service Resource Function in a Service Switching Point, Service Circuit Node, or Intelligent Peripheral, based on traffic or customer demands. Similarly the Service Control Function can reside in the service control point,
55
corresponding directory number (Figure 4-15). (This number does not have to be static, but it could depend on factors like day, time of day, origination, and so on). After accessing the database, the SCP sends the directory number (in this example 305-NXX-8800) to the local exchange in another TCAP message. The local exchange uses the directory number to execute translation and routing to the subscriber called. .
been charged and provided with a charging report from the SMS.
4.4.3
IN Application Protocol
The IN Application Protocol (INAP) is intended to be used between the following four functions: SSF, SCF, SDF and SRF. The INAP in CS1 is ment to be using the SS7 protocol stack, but it does not imply that only this signalling protocol should be used. Q1201
Figure 4-15. IN-based Green Number Service. This principles of trigger detection and database dialog are the basis of all proposed IN services. Ambro89 The above example showed also the flexibility of Intelligent Network architecture. If new 800 numbers are added, updating need only be done in the SCP database. Also the possibility of mobility shows that IN-like architecture is quite developed and can handle also the future needs. The task of a Service Management Station is to manage the IN-services. In the above example the SMS could have keeped track of the charging of the service usage. The service user would not have been charged because of the freephone capability. Instead, the service would have
Figure 4-16. INAP Protocol Architecture. The INAP protocol architecture is based on the OSI Application Layer Structure (Figure 4-16). A physical entity has either single interactions or multiple coordinated (not discussed here) interactions with other physical entities. The Single Asociation Control Function provides a co-ordination function using Application Service Elements (ASEs), which includes the ordering of operations supported by ASEs (based on the order of received primitives) [Q1218]. The SAO represent the SACF plus a set of ASEs to be used over a single interaction between a pair of Physical Entities. If there were need for multiple interactions, the use of MACF (Multiple Association Control Function) would be acceptable. In this case, MACF would provide a co-
56
ordinating function among several SAOs, each of which interacts with an SAO in a remote PE. Q1201
Description of each operation is tied with the action of corresponding FE modelling. Each operation is specified using the operation macro described in Figure 4-17. The use of Application Context (AC) negotiation mechanism allows the two communicating entities to identify exactly what their capabilities are and also what the capabilities required on the interface should be. This should be used to allow evolution through Capability Sets. If the indication of a specific application context is not supported by a pair of communicating FEs, some mechanism to pre-arrange the context must be supported. Q1201 In the CCITT New Recommendation Q.1218 the INAP and TCAP messages are specified using the Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1). The encoding rules which are applicable to the defined abstract syntax are the Basic Encoding Rules (BER). Also an another IN Application layer protocol is available
Figure 4-17. Operation description. Each ASE supports one or more operations. Information flows of [Q1214] are in principle mapped one to one with operations. For example, the operations corresponding to the information flows of the Originating BCSM for CS1 (Figure 4-8) are the following: Origination Attempt Authorized Collect Information Collected Information Analyze Information Analyzed Information Route Select Failure OCalled party Busy O_No Answer ODisconnect OAnswer O_Mid Call
there. This application layer protocol handles and manages the mobility of users and is called the Mobile Application Part (MAP). The MAP is not discussed further in this paper.
4.5
Personal Communications Services
PCS (Personal Communications Services) is an important area of Intelligent Networks. The Service Control Points maintains the Home Location Register (HLR), which is the home database for mobile services user, while the local exchange, serving as a Service Switching Point, maintains the Mobile Switching Center and visitor Location Register. Using wireless or wire-line terminals, subscribers have access to the IN and Personal Communications Services. Mobile services has been defined, for example, by ETSIs GSM group. The GSM architecture consists of a Home
57
Location Register, the Equipment Identification Register (EIR), and the Authentication Center (AUC), all of which can be maintained at a central node in the network. The central nodes master file contains the wireless customers records. Local records for wireless customers are maintained at the Visitor Location Register (VLR). The VLR information can be located in the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) or in the adjunct. Mobility services have strong synergies with evolving IN architecture. An IN control structure offers a robust platform to support PCS applications. Many of the conceptual model requirements for the IN apply to PCS. Integrating PCS services on an IN platform potentiallly reduces an administrations operations, maintenance, and training costs. In addition, we can provide many new services for PCS using IN service features. Wyatt91 From an IN architectural perspective, we can view wireless access as a technology (such as ISDN or Broadband ISDN) that service subscribers can use to access the network. This network can be fully integrated with the local exchanges or provided as an overlay architecture. The IN can flexibly separate call and connection control from the underlying access IN is a generic, service-oriented architecture, intended to be used for all kinds of services (real-time or management) on top of call-control type services. TMN is a generic, management-oriented architecture, intended to be used for all kinds of management services. Obviously, the IN and TMN architectures overlap. For instance, one TMN application such as billing and one IN application such as Freephone must be tightly related because Freephone billing should be handled in a consistent way with TMN billing. This shows that, unless both IN and TMN architectures are made more consistent, the interconnection of IN and TMN applications would be difficult. It is not possible to support two independent architectures while applications on both architectures must interoperate. Also, IN is just one part of the whole infrastructure. As such, an IN platform also can support PCS applications. From a network entity viewpoint, the network access function is conceptually similar to a base sation system in the mobile communications world. The service switching functionality could be implemented in a Mobile Switching Center, allowing that center to interact with service control residing in other network elements (e.g. HLR that resides in the SCP and VLR that resides in adjuncts) Wyatt91 (Figure 4-18). 4.6 Integration of TMN and IN Figure 4-18. PCS applications supported by an IN. Wyatt91
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network, and as such should be managed with TMN. The integration of TMN and IN can be considered as an evolution path to TINA Appel93.
encryption, and network reource assignments. At present, TMN controls telecommunications support for basic telecommunications network and IN functions. In the future, TMN will include functions such as service creation, service provisioning, service deployment, and service management. Wyatt91 Both in TMN and IN, the challenge is to ensure a global consistency of all interconnected applications, while allowing for evolution of some applications. This shows that while IN and TMN architecture are to be integrated, they both must evolve towards a unified target architecture to be more flexible. Appel93
4.6.1
Comparison of IN planes to TMN planes
The IN Conceptual Model represents different points of view to the users, customers and operators. The TMN planes describe, however, different management-related aspects. The correspondence of these architectures is shown in this section. The Service Plane represents the service from the users point of view. The TMN architecture does not directly Figure 4-19. The TMN and IN concept. Wyatt91 Figure 4-19 shows network-related functions required for IN architecture: the Basic telecommunications network, Intelligent Network, and the Telecommunications Management Network. Wyatt91 The Basic telecommunications network is commonly known as the Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), this network controls basic telecommunications services (for example, local and transit/toll switching, voice and data calls) offered to a user. It detects whether control of a call should be transferred to the IN. The Intelligent specialized customized Network manages functions, voice intelligent such as telecommunications services offered to a user. It includes telecommunications announcements, regognition, 59 provide with this kind of aspects. The Global Functional Plane represents with the service designers point of view of the services. The TMN architecture does not directly provide with aspects of Global Functional Plane. Distributed Functional Plane represents the fucntional parts of the IN architecture and the relations between them. This is quite the same as the TMN architectures Functional Architecture. The relations between DFP parts corresponds to the TMN Informational Architecture. The lowest layer of IN architecture corresponds straight to the Physical Plane architecture of INCM (Figure 4-20).
IN has thus far been developed to provide various enhanced services with proprietary technologies in many networks. Consequently, many different implementations of IN are now available in the world. To provide the same level of service capabilities in different networks and in the multivendor environment, however, standardation activities for IN are taking place in the CCITT and regional organizations. Fujio93
4.8
Future IN Capability Sets
The main CS1 capabilities support flexible routing, flexible charging and flexible user interaction [Q1211]. Only limited mid-call interruption facilities are supported. It is not expected that significant capability will be provided within CS1 for services occurring during the Figure 4-20. Correspondence of IN planes and TMN architecture planes. In order to avoid multiple definitions of management it is possible that IN will be managed through TMN concept. This is very well stated, because TMN has been widely accepted as a telecommunications management concept. active phase of call, for multiparty or multimedia services, for services requiring the direct manipulation of call topology such as mobility or conference calling or non call associated signalling as needed in mobility. Such capabilities, as well as standards for SMF and SCEF capabilities, are expected to be provided in CSs beyond CS1, starting with CS2, on which work began in 1992. 4.7 Globalizing the IN Refinements of CS1 will continue during 1994. The CS2 with non-call associated signalling, SDF and management interfaces will be available in 1995. CS3 providing terminal mobility is to be completed in 1997. Thus, the work beyond CS1 will provide support of mobility, multimedia calling; support of services affecting a call in the active phases where several subscribers may be affected (Type B Services); standards for feature interaction support for mechanisms; complex standards call topology for creation, deployment, and management of service logic; and management. However, it seems to be so that CS2 will continue to address only Type A services.
The standards and research activities for Intelligent Networks so far have focused mostly on its provision in one closed network, emphasizing the interaction of exchange and service control functions Fujio93. Take the UPT service, for example. A UPT user would move from one location to another inside a network and also over multiple networks, possibly with different capabilities. In such a case, coordinated provision of the service over a wide area is essential to guarantee UPT users with personal mobility. Also the VPN service plays an important role in the importance of globalization Fujio93.
60
Besides multimedia calls, other service examples are advanced, networked conferencing capabilities and possibly network resource usage reconfiguration during a call. In order for such capabilities to be realized, the issues identified earlier, and others, will need to be addressed and solved. Duran92
Telecommunications Operating Companies are making software for IN components, such as SCP. Also the TMN architecture and its implementation, and the use of TMN in managing the Intelligent Network architecture and the services are under development. In Finland, the state owned Telecommunications
Beyond the need to support additional capabilities for types of services more complex than a single-ended, single point of control category, there will be need to specify further interfaces than was possible for CS1. Standardization of a SLEE, in parallel with a SCE, and standard representation for service logic and service data, which is needed for multivendor implementability, also will be required. Duran92 Future directions of IN include a distributed architecture using the service-independent platform capabilities of the IN. This platform should allow us to introduce emerging technologies and applications transparently into the network. Wyatt91
Operating Company (Telecom Finland Ltd) is doing much work in the above areas. The Telecom Finland Intelligent Network architecture has been using Bellcore components, and the CS1 upgrade is coming shortly. The SS7 network is ready for use and the Open SCP architecture will become available soon. The problems are still in the management and the service creation areas. The independent service creation by customers that require advanced IN capabilities will require quite a lot time. When the integration of TMN and IN will be more entirely accepted and TMN applications management implemented, the problems concerning remotely creatable and configurable services by the customer will be solvable. be needed. For this purpose R&D co-operation with operators and hardware and software manufacturers will
4.9
Current activities of IN
The Intelligent Network concept and innovation is accepted worldwide. The early innovativions came from the United States of America which was the first country to introduce this kind of telecommunications network architecture. The IN architecture and services provided by Telcos in USA have been most advanced. The other countries in the world are still trying to gather the gap. The hardware manufacturers operating have provided with the IN
telecommunications
companies
components. These components are as the base for current and future IN architecture. A typical scenario of this is the digitalization of switches in the telephone network. The use of Common Channel Signalling System No.7 becoming common. The software providers or
61
was obvious that the life cycles of the services were quite
5.
Changes in business
large and not much customer orientation was possible. An example of hardware changes in telecommunications is the cable technology. The average bandwidth of the
5.1
Technology and services
transmission systems seem to multiply by factor 10 in a decade. The copper cables that were used by past telecommmunications systems needed a lot of replacement when runned out of capacity. The situation is however different when optical fiber is used. Optical fiber is a flexible transmission media that can be several times reconfigured, because the bandwidth can be increased only by changing the active devices that use the fiber. The physical raw bandwidth provided by optical cables will be far beyond reach in the near future. Optical fiber also provides expences that are almost independent of the bandwidth.
The most important trends in the area of business are the increased use of computers in business and globalization of the markets. The telecommunications industry can be divided into telecommunications hardware suppliers and the providers of telecommunications services (operators, software houses, etc.). The development of telecommunications business depends on changes in the industry, changes in the telecommunications technology and the development of telecommunications services Martik93. There has been several major changes in the development of telecommunications technology. The development of mobility and higher interconnection bandwidth between network nodes play an essential role in the changes of networks and their services. was In the the eaely telecommunications, the most important need for the telecommunications networks analogical telephony service. Later on, at the end of 1980's, with the use of optical fiber in the transmission systems, the available bandwidth increased and the customer expences decreased. Telecommunications networks are becoming multiservice networks, as already has been specified with ISDN, and will provide advanced services based on mobility and broadband in addition to the digital telephony service. The past telecommunications technology was mainly based on dedicated devices with nonflexible architecture. At the time of reconfiguration of these devices several changes had to be made to the architecture (programs and possibly also hardware). As these changes were costly, it
Figure -1. Technology transform. Martik93 Faster changes of markets have decreased the life cycle of products. The corporations have to spend more money on product development than before and to seek for partners to share the expences in the product development. [Martik93] The need for more versatile services is obvious. The Intelligent Network telecommunications structure will change the market areas. As the computer prices go down relative to the performance of the unit, the IN nodes
62
and components will be mainly based on computer architectures than dedicated electronic devices, which was a great market area in the 'past' telecommunications business. The selling of hardware will not be the most important area of business in telecommunications rather the selling of intelligent nodes, which consist of cost effective standard hardware technology, but running a high-technology service oriented software. So software will propably become the largest area of business within telecommunications. The service management area of the IN will become an important area of business to the service providers and operators. These things will change the market views in computers and software.
services that are provided by the telecommunications networks are called internationally Advanced Services. The voice and data traffic will integrate together with the broadband services and Intelligent Networks. However, the Advanced Services need broadband networks while the mobile communications networks today do not provide enough bandwidth for these services. That is why these services will be first introduced at the wireless telecommunications systems and in radio technology after the demanded bandwidth resources are available. The main benefits of the IN architecture are the possibilities to improve the quantity, and to develop new sources, of revenue. This is particularly desirable in an environment with a high penetration of available services per capita. For most environments, the IN will be a stimulation or basis for revenue generation, both the short and long term. Ambro89
advanced services
data speech
mobile personal communication
5.2
2000 2010
Liberalization, alliances and competition
1980
1990
The most important trends in the area of business are the increased use of computers in business and globalization of the markets. Martik93 This means that the use of telecommunications networks will be growing a lot in the future within domestic markets and also a great deal within international markets. The organizations need more and more the services eg. of provided in order by to telecommunications another. The networks
Figure -2. The development of the telecommunications service business. Today about 80% of the telecommunications services are telephony traffic and other services, such as data transmission and value added services, about 20% of the turnover. It has been expected that 50% of the telecommunications services value are telephony traffic and the rest advanced services in the year 2010. Martik93 The main part of the future data traffic will be produced by the LANs (Local Area Network) where multimedia (e.g. video, voice and data integration) data is transmitted. Some of the voice traffic today will move to multimedia data traffic between workstations. The multimedia
communicate with computers from one subsidiary to liberalization telecommunications business in several countires will increase the life cycle of services and decrease the price that is taken from the so called 'hardware' level services, such as telephony service or simple data transfer service. The formation of continental and intercontinental alliances, for example, in Europe has driven down the prices of services in several countries.
63
The competition with telecommunications services will certainly increase. Service providers in the past introduced quite similar services, because the rigid technology enabled just non-value added services and there was hardly any tools for differentiation. Broadband switched transmission and access by ATM leave quite much differentiation space for the services, and the value is transferred from the pure interconnection to the mobile, value added and media services (Figure 5-3).
going to pay more and more for the contents or data inside the service than for the technology itself and the expences that has accumulated in the technological Research & Development period.
5.3
IN services
5.3.1
Benefits of IN
The concept of Intelligent Networks has been developed to achieve some major goals. These are: Rapid service introduction, which for the operator means an ability to meet a market window, niche market or to adapt to specific customer requirements. This goal is targeted for revenue growth. Figur e 5-3. Value addition of services. The prices of raw interconection service in the past were dominant. They have decreased very rapidly in the past couple years. Such kind of a decrease, according to my opinion, will happen to every non-value adding telecommunications service. They can be said to become a 'every man's' tool. IN adds quite much value to the telephony service and the services of it will be quite highly-priced at the beginnning. ATM itself does not add any value to conventional data transfer except speed, but broadband IN itself makes possible to create fast and effectively broadband services. (Figure 5-3). In future it seems to be that the non-value added services become very cheap. It could also happen that the prices would be the same as we have for using roads, where the fees are taken as taxes in each country. The use of telecommunications networks fees would be perhaps per year basis fixed costs, not per minute as variable costs as we are used to now. Instead, the value-added services will fill the place of former interconnection services. We are In business terms the above things are expected to happen after introducing IN: Increase in revenues, through a capability to offer new services to the customers; lower level of investments, when standard products are available from several sources; and decrease of operational cost, due to the integrated management of services and networks impacting on the number of human resources required to operate the network. Standard interfaces, which for the operator means multi-vendor capability. This goal is more related to cost efficiency and high profit rather than revenue. Flexible network architecture , which could allow operators to configure and develop their networks more freely to meet market requirements, bypassing dominant vendors. Integrated management integrating the needs of the service management into a single logical network management.
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In reality these goals are very hard to achieve. IN is not the answer for the management problems, nor will it automatically generate new revenue. It can be part of the solution, but there is much to do before these goals can be met. Too often required enhancements in other information systems, and redesigning of the operations and organizational structure are neglected or at least are not taken into account, when IN investment/introduction is planned.
IN element (60 - 70 % of total investment) This includes necessary basic hardware and software components which are required for IN, and is around 50-60 % of total purchasing expences. Most of this is needed for software, concentional hardware is minor part of investment. The cost structure of IN element consists of hardware and basic software (20%; basic SSP including hardware and software (typically a switch), IN application in SSP, SCP and SMS including basic hardware and software, and other equipment and software required for operating IN), and IN specific software (40%; SCP and SMS applications). Project expences (30 - 40 % of total investment) Project expences are higher than usual. This is due to the complicated nature of IN concept implementation commonly taking more resources for integration than traditional network development projects. The project expences can include: project management, system specification, system integration, system testing, and system deployment. Integration expences (? % of total investment) This part of expences depends on the size of IN system, its planned level of integration with other systems and so forth. The level of these expences in the initial introductory phase of IN is generally difficult to estimate. Often, integration issues such as: integration of IN with current network management systems and integration of IN with current customer service systems are handled only after the first IN application is taken into use.
5.3.2
Cost structure
5.3.2.1 Initial cost of IN The level of investment required for introducing IN network concepts into the network is a relative issue. For large international operators IN investment can normally be justified based of a cost/benefit calculations made for one service only. For a smaller operator IN is usually a major investment, which may be critical to do. If IN is introduced as a major network concept through the network, IN will have a significant impact on the operators on the level of the investment, which is required for network development. Initial IN investments/expences can be broken down as follows:
It is difficult to give a formula on how to define exact portions of these expences for IN projects. IN expences tend to always be a specific case which is dependent on the operators market, techical, economical and other environmental issues. The most significant point is that
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with currently available IN products, portion of investment which consist of standard hardware and software components is relatively low and the major part of the investment consists of special/tailored software and project running expences.
based services automatically generate new traffic and revenue.
5.3.3.1 Operators capability of offering services That in IN has made it possible to offer new services to the customers cannot be denied. But one has to remember that the possibility of utilizing switches as service platforms still exists. An operators capability to introduce new services, which are based on IN technology is largely dependent on the operators capability to manage the complex composition of IN software and how an IN implementation supports the flexible management of data in the system. It can be questioned, if operators have made a good choice in coming dependent of software houses, as has typically happened, rather than switch vendors what concerns their service development capabilities. How capable the operators are in the services arena is heavily dependent on the software strategy which is adopted when decision of building IN facilities has been made. Again in this respect operators vary largely.
5.3.2.2 Operational costs of IN When examining operational costs, attention shall be paid to those operational costs which are directly related to operations and management of IN platform components, comprising of hardware and software maintenance charges and other operational costs. Associated operational costs are significant portion of the total costs. The main parts of these costs are marketing, sales, R&D for the customer end of the product and the costs for supporting systems.
5.3.2.3 Basic call production costs IN services need local loop, trunk transmission and the switching machinery in operation before IN based revenue generation can be put into operation. The operator/services provider have to include these expences until it is possible to calculate the total IN call production costs, which then have to be covered by incoming cash flow to be able to run financially successful operation.
5.3.3.2 Sales of service portfolio Cannibalism still exists and this is especially common within telecom service sector. Voice services offered by Telcos have not developed significantly since the 1960s. It can be assumed that basic demand for the utilization of telephones has always existed. IN has facilitated in packaging service features in new combinations. These combinations have been developed to standard IN services such as Premium Rate, Freephone, Calling Card, UPT, VPN and so forth. But have these IN services generated new revenues ? Definitely to some extent, but all the credit can be given to the IN concept, and when evaluating the economical impact of IN, this matter has to be considered.
5.3.3
Service portfolio
IN seems to be the only vehicle, which offers operators new tools to provide extended call handling capabilities. The capabilities may be regarded as a basic element of the modern products concept. IN makes it possible to add value to basic call handling. These more flexible network services may be packaged to suit for different market segments relatively easily. In this respect IN has proven to be a useful concept. However, it is not evident that IN
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5.3.3.3 Service development time frames Inmaterial nature of the telecommunications service allows better interaction with the consumers when developing the service products compared with, for example, manufactuing industry. In this respect, IN has great potential. Utilization of this potential requires a comprehensive SCE environment. Useful SCE environments have been on the market only a short while and unfortunately these products typically support a restricted range of products from a single source. Service development life cycles have shortened and there are products available in the market, which make it possible to take an experimential approach to service development.
provide more sophisticated management and a greater capacity for IN services. At the beginning of 1990s Telecom Finland made a contract to purchase a real IN solution, which consisted of dedicated SSP, SCP and SMS elements. At this time all the business indicators justified investments of this size. Altogether the IN project lasted for three years and it was a risky project financially.
5.4.3
Special services
The start of open competition put pressure on Telecom Finland to speed up the development of IN services. This challenge was met with purchasing more IN capabilities and developing competance inside Telecom Finland to rapidly develop new services. For the special services an additional node with SCE capabilities was purchased.
5.4 Finland
Evolution of IN capabilities at Telecom
With this investment, Telecom Finland was able to reduce time for services development down to acceptable level. Limited new services can now be developed in days, more sophisticated ones in months.
5.4.1
Pre-IN
Telecom Finland was one of the first operators in Europe to offer IN-type services to its customers. The first services (Freephone, Premium Rate) were developed on switch based solutions in mid of the 1980s. Successful implementation of these services was based on the expertise Telecom Finland has in digital switching. Through the early implementations Telecom Finland has been able to gain a dominent position in the enhanced services market in Finland. In this first phase services were developed in close co-operation with the customers of Telecom Finland. Switches were used as service platforms to avoid unnecessary investments of IN. Some of these early implementations are still deployed. There has been a major change in accomodities' distribution. Here we however, refer to services. Telecommunications organizations today and in the past used to distribute the so called raw services via telecommunications networks. They created their revenue according to the amount of telephony calls were dialled in their network, where they served as operators. What is important to notice is that the service provider actually was located in the different place than the paying customer. Telecommunications can such gain quite effective and cheap distribution channel, if the prices of 5.4.2 Centralized IN raw data transfer goes noticeably down. The same approach as above can also be brought to the broadband services eg. high-speed image transfer. Think 5.5 Distribution channels
Soon after the first IN implementations Telecom Finland started to investigate potential IN concepts, which could
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about the following medical situation: a nurse is taking photos of a patient. The nurse itself does not have the skills or knowledge to appraise the condition of the patient. She could use a doctor who is residing 100 kilometres away from the medical centre to give some advice. The only thing is that the doctor would have to take a flight to that centre (expensive) or the nurse would have to send it by post (too slow). One solution for this problem, in the future, would be the use of high-speed data transfer to transfer the digitized images to the organization, where the doctor actually works. The broadband networks would also enable some videotelephony calls or videoconferencing with the experts that are more aware of the problem. The above was just an example to describe the changes in distribution channels. The facts that telecommunications networks provide to telecommunications service organizations are that: their services are better available for customer (any time of day and in the future anywhere globally), they are fast reachable (customers don't have to wait eg. for the slow post service) and they are quite cheap reachable or at least the variable expences that are included in the service usage (the same can not be said of the fixed part eg. the equipment to have broadband data transfer and the service platforms). This kind of distribution channel stimulates the professionals on the market to market new types of services and this way to have an effect to the price that the customer needs to pay. The problems today are that the technology is not yet quite advanced in order to make these kinds of services possible in massive or wanted scale. Some pilot research projects have been made or are being made on these areas, but any broadband services are actually implemented yet.
5.6
Changes in enterprises
The major changes of organizational structures in this century will also be reflected in network and service operator structures (Figure 5-4). At the beginning of the 20th century there was emphasis in the production of raw materials and agriculture. Then the society became more industrialized and the industrial organizations grew up to vertically integrated firms. The large scale mass production and product differentiation were the main paradigms since the 1930's. The growth was sought from diversification to new synergic areas.
special
basic 1900-1950 Vertical Integration 1970: Diversification
Basic 1990: Networks of Enterprises
Figure 5-4. Changes in enterprise structure. The present and future organizations are more like networks of enterprises, where the main organization itself is broken up into smaller units and they utilize external firms as subcontractors and distribution channels. This kind of business structure is typically found in many design and high-technology industries. The organizations have to focus into their strongest areas to be able to be competitive. Since there must be both cost advantage of mass production and market based differentiation present, the areas outside the company focus must be obtained from partners, who provide their part of the final concept. So, the value obtained by the end user is combined from the different value attributes provided by a network of several companies.
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The telecommunications industry is based on hightechnology development and also much subcontracting are used nowadays. The number of subcontractors used will increase in the future. An telecommunications service organization could actually be like the following: It uses networks operators to provide digital access to the customers and large service and media providers as contractors to produce the services. It rents the needed physical computer and network equipments itself and uses own computer programmer's to program the wanted logic for customer and service management. The organization itself would just co-ordinate and design the service provision and distribution and keep the functions alive. The structure would be a network of enterprises, each enterprise specialising on its most qualified areas.
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stage. More innotation on the standardization work has
6. Broadband media
intelligence
and
been shown from the ATM Forum. The ATM Forum consists of members of several existing enterprises in the area of telecommunications and regional telephony operators.
6.1
Broadband networks
The emergence of optical transmission technique has provided more higher transfer rates and reliable transfer for the networks. The bit error propability has moved approximately from 10 6 in the copper based signalling technique to 10 9 and even better in the optical transmission technique. This has started projects on defining new applications based on optical transmission media. Just a few years ago the telecommunications systems used mainly PDH technique in the transmission systems. This technique did not enable high-speed data transfer and would have caused several problems when used in high-speed data transmission. With CCITT's new SDH technique these problems can be bypassed. SDH technique provides a synchronous digital data transfer based on optical transmission media, where one bit can be exactly pointed at the destination station from the media stream and also in the switches between the link. The switches can then process the frames in SDH at real-time (In practice with only a few bits delay) and forward them. This is one reason why SDH technique is used in many broadband networks at the physical layer of their protocol stacks. 6.1.1.1 Physical layer The physical layer involves the packetization of the user data into the physical medium slots. In Europe, CCITTs SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) technique is used, while ANSIs (American National Standards Institute) SONET (Synchronous Optical NETwork) is used in the USA. However, SDH and SONET do not differentiate by their contents. The transmission technique is based on synchronous data transfer in optical cable and several transmission speeds are specified. SONET describes the 6.1.1 B-ISDN B-ISDN (Broadband Integrated Services Digital different speed levels as OC-xs (Optical Carrier level at x) while STM-xs (Synchronous Transport Module) are specified in SDH. These levels are multipliants of the basic level OC-1 (51.840 Mbit/s) and STM-1 (155.520 Mbit/s). Figure -1. B-ISDN reference model. B-ISDN concept is based on the integration of different kind of services. The reference model describes several layers: physical, ATM, AAL (ATM Adaption Layer) layers and the upper layer protocols. B-ISDN uses out-ofband signalling to separate the user and signalling data.
Network) is a concept specified by CCITT. The lower parts of the B-ISDN reference model layers are standardized, but the user and network management parts of the B-ISDN appear to be on the whole at the draft
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Today the level OC-3 is used and ATM equipments for the speed of approximately 622 Mbit/s (OC-12) will be introduced in the very near future (some switches already available in 1994). The gigabit transmission speeds, such as 2.488 Gbit/s (OC-48), will first be used in backbone networks and SONET standards are scalable up to almost 10 Gbit/s transmission rates, which are expected to be in use in the future. 6.1.1.3 ATM Adaption Layer AAL provides with more advanced functionalities than ATM layer to the user. For instance, a checksum is provided for the whole ATM packet. 6.1.1.2 ATM layer ATM is defined in the standard I.121 and is based on the fast packet switching technique. It mixes the good effects of the conventional circuit switching and the packet switching tehcnique used in data packet networks. This new technique is called cell transmission. Cell transmission uses short, fixed length packets and in ATM the cell structure of 5 bytes of header and 48 bytes of data is used. While ATM relies on the optical transmission technique, only a cheksum that notices one sequentially appearing error is provided for the header part. The use of such short cells enable shorter delays in the network switching nodes than the use of variable length long packets. And, so can the applications of the ATM networks get smaller changes in the arrival times between the packets at the destination (known as jitter). This is quite obvious in the use of isochronous data streams produced by applications, such as video conferencing (realtime digitized uncompressed images + voice). So the task of ATM layer is to split the upper layer data in to such 48 byte cells and add the needed 5 bytes in the header, which include the destination address and some other functionalities not described in this paper. There are very widely spread protocol architectures, such as TCP/IP, in use today. The existing UDP (User Datagram Protocol), TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and the newest RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) (under research in the Internet organization) will not be thrown away until a very advanced solution is readily available. One candidate solution would be the HSTP (High-Speed Transfer Protocol) that is provided by CCITT, but it has just received the draft stage. Some major conclusions can be drawn from the charasteristics Inserting payload data into the 48-byte information field of the ATM cell is accomplished by the ATM Adaption Layer. The AAL is what gives ATM the flexibility to carry entirely different types of services within the same frame format. It is important to understand that the AAL is not a network process but instead is performed by the network terminating equipment. Thus, the networks task is only to route the cell from one point to another, depending on its header information. It should be noted that up to four bytes may be used by the adaptation process itself with some AAL types, leaving 44 bytes for payload information. Forum93 Several AAL layers have been standardized: CBR (Constant Bit Rate) services, connection-oriented and connectionless VBR (Variable Data Transfer) data transfer, and Simple and Efficient Adaptation Layer (SEAL). Forum93 Figure -2. ATM cell structure.
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of HSTP. It uses flexible flow control methods eg. different type of flow control method to different situation, it supports quite efficiently parallel implementation of the protocol itself and it is in several ways optimized to high-speed data transfer. So, it is likely that AAL will not be used at the beginning of ATM era. AAL will be used when there are sophisticated user interfaces available for AAL data transfer.
signalling necessary to set up, supervise and release calls and connections. I321 In other words, ATM uses signalling protcol to make up the virtual path from the source to the destination. It is the same way the conventional telecommunications network, such as telephony network, handles the connection opening. Every component (ATM switches) along the virtual path is indicated of the connection opening so no enhanced routing has to be done at the network nodes.
6.1.1.3.1CBR CBR is a service is type 1. (AAL1) service of AAL. It handles traffic where there is strong timing relation between the source and the destination. Examples include PCM-encoded voice traffic, contant bit rate video, and the emulation of public network ciruits (e.g. the transport for E1 links). The management plane provides two types of functions, namely Layer Management and Plane Management functions. The Plane Management performs management 6.1.1.3.2VBR VBR defines the AAL3/4 service. It is fairly complex layer that can handle VBR (i.e. bursty) data both with and without pre-establishing an ATM link. Examples for the connection-oriented type include large file transfers like CAD files or data backup. The connectionless type is intended for short, highly bursty transfers as might be generated by LANs. functions related to a system as a whole and provides coordination between all the planes. Plane Management has no layered structure. Layer Management performs management functions (e.g. meta-signalling) relating to resources and parameters residing in its protocol entities. Layer Management handles the Operation And Maintenance (OAM) information flows specific layer concerned. I321 6.1.1.5 Management of the B-ISDN architecture This part of B-ISDN are has not yet been standardized. CCITT has made some approaches to B-ISDN management point of view.
6.1.1.3.3SEAL SEAL defines the AAL5 service. It may be looked at as a simplified version of AAL3/4 that is designed to meet the requirements of local, high-speed LAN implementations. AAL5 is intended for connectionless or connectionoriented VBR services.
6.1.2
ATM networks
The ATM networks will be based on a hierarchial basis, such as the conventional telecommunications networks. The layout of the architecture seems to be like the normal telephony network, but the technology is able to provide with some very enhanced services not applicable in the conventional telephony network.
6.1.1.4 Control plane This plane has a layered structure and perform the call control and connection control functions. It deals with the
A very much simplified example for the structure of an ATM network is shown here. (Figure ) It is important to understand that the various UNI (User-to-Network
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Interface)
and
NNI
(Network-to-Node
Interface)
A VCC is a connection between two communicating ATM end entities. It may consist of a concatenation of several ATM VC links. All communication proceeds along this same VCC which preserves cell sequence and provides a certain Quality Of Service (QOS). Note that the Virtual Channel Identifier in the ATM cell header is assigned per network entity-to-entity link, i.e. it may change across the network within the same Forum93 VCC.
connections could be carried via different physical media, such as the existing Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) layers or the new SDH. Several standards have been defined on how to interface the physical layers, and work is continuing to specify additional physical layers to be used to transport ATM cells. Forum93 (Figure 6-3)
ATM switch
ATM switch
VP1 VC1 VC2 VC1 VC2 VC3 VC4 VC5 VC6 VC7 VC1 VC2 VC3 VC4 VC5 VC6 VC7 VC1 VC2 VC3 VC4 VC5 VC6 VC7 VP1 VC1 VC2 VC3 VC4 VC5 VC6 VC7 VC1 VC2 VC3 VC4 VC5 VC6 VC7
ATM switch
VC3 VC4 VC5 VC6 VC7
VP2
Figure -3. ATM network architecture. 6.1.2.1 Virtual Channels and Virtual Paths The concepts Virtual Channel ( VC) and Virtual Path (VP) are affected when ATM cells are transported through the entire network. (Figure 6-4) A VC is mostly known as VCC (Virtual Channel Connection). A VCC is set up between any source and any destination in the ATM network, regardless of the way it is being routed across the network. Fundamentally, ATM is a connection-oriented technology. The way the network sets up the connection is therefore by means of signalling, i.e. by transmitting a set-up request, which passes across the network to the destination. If the destination agrees to form a connection, the VCC is set up between the two end-systems. A mapping is defined between the Virtual Channel Identifiers (VCI)/ Virtual Path Identifiers (VPI) of both UNIs, and between the appropriate input link and the corresponding output link of all intermediate switches. Forum93
Figure -4. Virtual Channels and Virtual Paths. A Virtual Path groups VCs carried between two ATM entities and may also involve many ATM VP links. The VCs associated with a VP are globally switched without unbundling or processing the individual VC in any way or changing their VCI numbers. Thus, the cell sequence of each VC is still preserved, and the QOS of the VP depends on that of its most demanding VC. As the cell address mechanism uses both the VCI and the VPI, different VPs may also use the same VCI without conflict. A cell may also not be associated with any VP. In this case, it would have a null VPI and only a unique VCI. Forum93 By means of VCs and VPs, virtual circuits can be set up either permanently (by using so-called Permanent Virtual Channel (PVC)) or on demand (Switched Virtual Channel (SVC)). It is likely that VPs will be used mostly between switches (i.e. across NNIs) to carry across large numbers of virtual circuits. In any case, all
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the ATM switch has to do is to identify, on the basis of the cells VPI, VCI or both, which output a received cell needs to be routed to, and what the new VPI/VCI on this output link is. The operation of an ATM network is therefore very simple and inherently can scale to very high speeds. Forum93 ATM network technique may look quite simple at the first look. Actually what makes the ATM netowork more complex is the network management. ATM is connection-oriented virtual circuit network, which uses signalling links to establish a ATM connection between source and destinations stations. The signalling schemes in the UNI and NNI become quite complex. What is more complex is the management of the high-speed data stream. The ATM network supports QoS-concept for the users. These mechanisms come quite complex if they are fully implemented.
It is also expectable that TV companies will not just broadcast TV programs in the future. With high-capacity broadband networks TV corporations can then multicast digital (such as HDTV (High Definition TeleVision)) programs to the customers. This will provide the customers to independently of each other to subscribe TV programs from the TV companies. The greatest advantage for the customers will be that the charging can be done according to watched programs eg. 'on demand basis'. Movies on demand that is often called Video On Demand (VOD). The solution for people not knowing how to program their VCRs is that they dont have to anymore; the telecable companies - the result of the telephone and cable company mergers - download whatever program people want to watch. People buy or rent movies from the infotainment service providers LAN94. The difference between the TV multicasting is that VOD provides a service that can unicast movies to the customers. Both of these services belong to the category of Pay-per-View. So, the videorent corporations no further have to keep video cassettes in the store, but a large store capacity of data, such as CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), etc. Some additional services might be provided to the customers, such as video shopping, interactive games, education, and information publishing. In videoshopping people interact directly with the video catalogs, checking availability and pricing with the stores databases. LAN94 The networks high-speed nature makes it practical and close to realistic to play interactive VR (Virtual Reality) games, which are particularly popular and need a lot of computer capacity. In education the high-speed networks bring classes and research materials to people everywhere. With interactive information publishing, you can find as little or as much information as you want just by asking your navigation software for help.
6.2
Applications for the broadband networks
The explosive growth of available link bandwidth for applications has changed and will change even more the nature of the computer applications. The applications will be even more parallelized, and concerning the multimedia applications, several multimedia servers will be located in the highly distributed network architecture. Just a few broadband applications to mention, it is quite sure that hundreds of them will exist in the future. (Figure 6-5) First applications could perhaps be high-quality visual telephones that use just a slight compression technique to pack the moving high-quality images. Because of the large available bandwidth it is possible to send images with no compression at all. Of course, the normal telephony service can be provided in broadband networks.
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Telephony
This service is just the normal telephony service via the ATM network. It uses an audiograbber to encode the voice at both of the stations.
Video telephony
This service is an advanced telephony service mixed with video. It uses the videocameras and a videograbber to grab the moving videoimage.
Audio On Demand
This service (AOD) would act like as listening to a conventional CD player. The customer requests the server for a CD audio sample and then the server begins sending the digitized audio samples to client. include The service and would STOP PLAY
Figure -5. Some broadband network applications. Video On Demand
functions. VOD is similar to AOD, but in addition to voice also moving picture is transferred. In future, it might be competing with the video rent business. The service would include PLAY and STOP functions. Video Conferencing This service is almost the same as the video telephony service, but this needs multicasting capabilities, telephony unicasting. Table -1. Some possible broadband services. where needed video only
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to use BIN services he connects to a specified BIN
7.
Broadband IN
service number eg. ATM address via the ATM interface and waits for the control unit to make the service ready for use. If the service reach model would be as in conventional IN, then the switching point would notice a BIN call and forward with a message to the control unit. However, a different vie to this is brought in the Telecom Finland BIN project.
7.1
Introduction
The Intelligent Network concept now involves with narrowband ISDN and other slow speed networks. Broadband IN (BIN) is a concept for the use of highspeed transmission technique in the Intelligent Network structure. This is possible in IN because of its flexible architecture. IN provides computer controlled
7.2
Telecom Finland BIN Project
Telecom Finland and Lappeenranta University of Technology ( LUT) has started on a project to research broadband, ATM-based, Intelligent Network oriented architecture Broadband Intelligent Network. The research considers the future broadband multimedia services and their designed implementation according to this architecture. BIN has not been standardized or even
telecommunications and in B-IN, IN controls, for example, the function of ATM switches. The standards for the IN&B-ISDN access has not yet been introduced, so BIN focuses just on controlling the high-speed switches theoretically.
DB
implemented yet but being now in the pilot design phase. BIN is a name for the project, which started in march 1994 at Telecom Finland.
DB
DB
DB ATM Signalling protocol Q.2391
Service provider
The objects of the project refer quite much to the conventional narrowband IN ie. fast service introduction and decrease the resources needed to implement broadband services. The main objects concerning the architecture have been centralized customer charging techniques and multiservice offerings at single service points. The goal of BIN of user point of view is that the
ATM network access User station ATM network access
ATM switch
ATM switch
user does not have to be aware of the technical implementation of the service used.
Figure 7-1. The Broadband IN concept. The Broadband IN is a concept where the Intelligent Network structure is used to manage and control highspeed network technologies, such as ATM switches. (Figure 7-1) The user is accessed via a high-speed interface, such as an ATM interface. When the user wants
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7.3
BIN Architecture
Intelligent
Networks
have
centralized
service
management architecture, whereby components can be 7.3.1 BIN Components components are BSSs (Broadband Service distributed from each other. The objective of this project is to have a centralized model, where the users (BSS) could use services provided by BSPs and have a centralized service management system. The BSS station itself would be a sophisticated computer or programmable device with appropriate resources to use the broadband multimedia data. BSMP contains customer identification and charging information, a list of BSPs known to it and possibly a customer service palette. In BSCP are the general Service Logics (SL) also existing in conventional IN,
UPT Generic Service Logics CC DB Service palettes DB Directory structure Multimediadata
Subscriber), BSPs (Broadband Service Provider), BSCPs (Broadband Service Control Point), BSMPs (Broadband Service Management Point) and BSSPs (Broadband Service Switching Point) (Figure 7-2). BSSs, BSPs and BSCPs are connected to BSSPs, which form the ATMnetwork. BSMP is connected to BSCP and is not tied to any physical implementation technique.
BSMP
BSP identification Charging
User identification
MIB
List of BSP:s
MIB
which can be used in several services, such as broadband equivalents of CC (Credit Calling), NTS (Number Translation Service ), and UPT (Universal Personal Telecommunications). In addition, broadband services have SLs for controlling icons and QoS (Quality of Service) -parameters, and SL for a connection initializer. BSS has possibly an own customer service palette, icon
MIB
Icon manager Broadband specific Service Logics
NTS
BSCP
Icon manager Icons
Connect QoS manager BSSP management
User service palette
BSP MIB Homeshop
MIB
UPTparameters
Provider Workstation BSP
manager, SL for BSCP, and a screen handler for showing the multimedia data. In BSP lie the actual multimedia databases (DB) and icon databases. Also the SLPs for
AOD
User Workstation BSS

BSSP BSCP SL
BSSP
Hypermedia lib. BSSP D-HDTV
broadband services are located there.
VOD
7.4
BSP Service Logics
BIN and IN
Screen
Icon manager
BSSP
In conventional narrowband IN the user has a simple F interface to the network ie. either from the SSP (Service Switching Point) or the NAP (Network Access Point ). The highly simplified function of CS1 (Capability Set 1) IN is that the user is connected via SSP or NAP to the SS7 (Signalling System No. 7) network, which forms the signalling network of the IN. The user dials a phone number, which is then generated to a message and transferred to the nearest SSP. If the number begins with a 0700 or 0800, SSP knows that the user chose an IN number. In this case, SSP triggers an IN call, otherwise 77
igure 7-2. BIN Architecture. Several service providers, which would use different protocols and managing architectures, could be designed. If done this way, every service provider should implement their own mechanisms of charging and managing services. One advantage of this architecture would be quite simple interface to the end user and one disadvantage quite complex service introduction.
the call setup procedure is just as for a normal call. SSP forms the intelligent part of conventional IN. SSP triggers the IN call and forwards an INAP (Intelligent Network Application Protocol) message to the SCP (Service Control Point) via the SS7 network using the services of TCAP (Transaction Capabilities Application Part). SCP then have control on the next step eg. sends a control message to SSP. In BIN the function of BSCP is different from SSP and SCP. The BSSP (Broadband Service Switching Point) (here ATM switch) does not notice the BIN service request and send it to the B-SCP (Broadband Service Control Point) as it would, if the BIN would operate as a conventional IN. BSSP is in point of fact a simple high-speed switch architecture eg. ATM-switch. The functions of such a switch is to route the 53-byte cell from input end to output end according to the Virtual Circuit Identifiers (VCI) and Virtual Path Identifiers (VPI) and the information that has been configured in its routing tables. The switch is not intelligent like conventional IN switch, because it does not trigger an IN call. It handles any data in the cells transparently. Compared to the SS7 network's 64 Kbit/s capacity ATM-network forwards cells at a much higher rate ie. 155 Mbit/s. SSP solutions are mainly based on hardware solutions. They can not be programmed as easily as computers. In BIN however, BSSP performs all the functions needed to create broadband services. While BSSP being simple, the BSCP has to be quite complex. The end nodes, BSS and BSP, are thus also quite complicated. This means that application layer protocol BINAP is tranferred between all the end nodes unlike in conventional IN, where INAP is mainly used between SSP and SCP.
7.5
Broadband services categorizing
In fact the few services shown in table 7-1 are in a way quite similar to each other. They could be grouped into three different categories: controlled file transfer based AOD and
3 1
VOD,
hypermedia
database
based
hypermedia library and homeshopping, and single- or multi-party calls. By doing this controlling of the services can be done in a similar way. There does not have to be different controlling mechanisms for every service provided. The controlling mechanism (BINAP) of BIN services will be discussed later on. AOD VOD Hypermedia library Homeshopping Videotelephony Videoconferencing Table 7-1. Some broadband services. 7.6
Functioning of BIN architecture
The main idea of BIN architecture is that the user does not directly communicate with the service provider with BINAP messages. BSCP, which forms the controlling part of the BIN, processes the BINAP message sent to it, makes statistics, and controls other points by sending BINAP messages to them. The advantage of this kind of architecture is that the end systems (BSS and BSP) do not have to be as complex as the controlling systems. The main intelligence of a service lies in BSCP and BSP, where are the BSLs (Broadband Service Logic). BSS has
78
mainly the intelligence of requesting a service and interpretating BINAP messages sent to it.
7.7
Course of BIN events
Let us consider the event flow of BIN events. BIN consists of two data streams: the management data stream and multimedia data stream. BSS communicates only with BSCP, but BSCP is responsible for
Icon creation Directory browsing Service activation
communicating with all the other components. Below the transport layer BSS does communicate with the BSP, but it gives upwards only data indications. (Figure 7-3)
User
User identification
Service palette process
Icon browsing
Icon activation
Conn. synchron.
Service logic
Charging
BSCP
DB
BIN Service Logic
Figure 7-4. Course of BIN events.

BSS Transport layer BSP
7.7.1
Service request phase
User identification:
Transport layer ATM Management Data stream Transport layer
The user sends a BINAP message to BSCP and gives sufficient identification information of him/herself. The user has to know the ATM-address (CCITT NSAP (Network Service Access Point), 20 bytes) of BSCP. BSCP then fetches more accurate information about the user, whereby the location of the customer service palette is also found. If the user information is not found in the BSMP in case, the user must give the address of his/her Home BSCP (HBSCP). This enables usage of broadband services from mobile stations. Directory browsing: In case of a new user, requesting of a service is proceeded via directory browsing. BSCP knows one or more BSPs. BSCP sends a BINAP message to BSS, which contains a hypermedia document with links to BSPs. (Figure 7-5) The first level of the hypermedia document contains the BSPs (located at BSCP) and next levels contain all the information the BSP has to offer, which are fetched by BSCP from the BSP in case. BSCP does not have to know all the services every BSP has to offer, but knowing the addresses of the BSPs is sufficient. By using the
Figure 7-3. Management and data stream separated.
7.6.1
Requirements of ATM network
The signalling protocol itself is not quite developed yet as it should be in order to establish BIN architecture using ATM. The BSS uses the ATM signalling protocol (Q.2391) to set up the path to the destination, which is BSCP or it could use the PVCs that are available to BSCP. However, the BIN architecture suggests to use BSCP to establish the path between BSP and BSS. Q.2931 signalling protocol does not define these kind of functions. Q.2931 UNI version 3.0 does not define a third parties connection setup as it should be. UNI 4.0, which should be introduced in late 1994, should contain the third party connection setup function defined.
79
identification information of the user, the BSCP may filter the information given to the user. The hypermedia documents residing in BSPs contain structured information about the type of service. The types are controlled file transfer, hypermedia database or single- and multiparty calls.
BSCP-ROOT_id
the user has too little network capacity, the BSP might reject the service usage. The QoS-parameters could be the limit values with what BSS could possibly function.
7.7.3
Service usage phase
This phase is highly dependent of the type of service requested. For example, controlled file transfer type of service could have the functions of PLAY and STOP. During the service execution phase the QoS-manager is responsible for the quality parameters of the service. The parties inform BSCP of the changes in service quality, which then tries to restore the values.
Xmosaic
Nokia
HPY
Telecom Finland
Sony
BIN Services Inc.
Media VOD AOD
DB
Action
Comedy
Jazz
Rock
7.7.4
Michael Jackson
Service after-usage phase
Stallone
Schwarznegger
Real services
Elvis
After the service has been used, the user should inform BSCP of the connection closing. BSCP then starts the F controlled connection close phase. BSCP has stored the necessary information about the service usage eg. actual usage time and ability to perform with the requested QoSparameters. The actual time here means eg. in controlled file transfer the time between PLAY and STOP functions summed through the whole session. The charging information is then added to the MIB (Management Information Base) in the BSMP of the user.
Cobra
Rocky 1
Terminator
igure 7-5. The structure of directory tree. Service palette process : When the user has chozen the 'real' service, an icon can be created to the customer service palette either to BSMP or BSS. When such a service palette exists containing icons and an accurate description of the parameters of the service, may the service be executed via icon browsing and activation. This enables much simpler and faster usage of broadband services, because of icons' graphical presentation and short-way execution process.
7.8
BINAP
7.8.1
BINAP-messages
7.7.2
Service activation phase
BIN uses BINAP application protocol to communicate with the external parties of BSCP. BINAP-messages have been categorized into the following subclasses:
After activation of the icon or 'real' service BSS informs BSCP of it, which sends BSP a BINAP message containing sufficient information about the icon or 'real' service. In BSP the BSL for the service is executed. In BSCP the QoS-manager is initialized for this connection, which has received the QoS-parameters from the BSS. The QoS-parameters are also negotiated with BSP and if
80
INITIALIZATION: User identification
ServiceSubscribe
::=
PRIVATE
SEQUENCE { serviceUser
Customer service palette Directory handling SERVICE USAGE: Service type dependent control messages during the service usage QoS-messages
USERTYPE } USERTYPE ::= SEQUENCE { name hbscp HBSCPLOCATION, account 2 0 1 NAME,
SERVICE CLOSE: Controlled closing messages Customer charging
ACCOUNTNUMBER OPTIONAL } NAME ::= SEQUENCE { forname STRING( SIZE(30)), 0 OCTET
7.8.2
User identification
surname
An example of an ASN.1 coded BINAP-message is given here of the user identification, which BSS sends to BSCP as the first message:
OCTET
STRING( SIZE(30)) } . . .
7.9 CUSTOMER SERVICE PALETTE
7.9.1
BIN conceptual model
The BIN conceptual model does not correspond with the conventional IN conceptual model and it is divided into to three planes: user, network and service planes. (Figure 7-6) The user plane contains the information about the
81
user. The network plane defines all the possible networks that the user system can interface with. The service plane indicates all the possible services that the user can make use of. The BIN conceptual model shows the correllations of the three planes. The correlation between user and network planes is such that the user has allowed networks which can be accessed. The user and service plane correllation defines the services that the user have subscribed or installed. The network and service plane correllation defines the services that can be provided in the networks that the user is allowed to access.
USER PLANE
USER
is better known as a MIB. This MIB would contain all his BIN service parameters and they could be configured with the use of TMN at any time. Such parameters, in for instance the videoconferencing service, would be the names of the members of the conferencing group and their corresponding network addresses in the lower layer of MIB tree hierarchy. So, the customer BIN service parameters could be described in the structure of a MIB tree.
Customer ID
NETWORK PLANE
ATM
ISDN
POTS
PLMN
VOD
Videoconferencing Mike 546546
SERVICE PLANE
VOD
Videotel.
AOD
CC
UPT
James Bond Cliffhanger Cape Fear HDTV
Jack 8797896 Sue 12325432
H.261
Figure 7-6. BIN conceptual model.
7.10
BIN MIB Figure 7-7. Visio of BIN MIB.
BIN MIB is the customer personal service palette and it should be structured according to BIN conceptual model. (Figure 7-7) The location of such a database can be either in BSS itself or in HBSCP's BSMP. This section just provides with a visio of the Broadband IN Management Information Base (MIB) structure. The idea is such that the customer will be provided with the capability of remotely to configure his own service palette that in telecommunications management language Actually the icons form the basis of this BIN MIB framework. They contain all the information of the service that has to be known by BSCP in order to be able to execute the service. They include for example in VOD, the BSP and its address, used picture formats and used network. On the other hand, the allowed networks are also listed with necessary parameters eg. transmission speed. (Figure 7-8)
82
BIN MIB is designed to be managed with TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) architecture.
USER USERPLANE
Figure 7-9. The use of TMN in BIN. 7.12
The hardware configuration
SERVICE PLANE
ICONS
NETWORKS
NETWORK PLANE
The hardware configuration will consist of three Intel 386/486 (Linux) workstations (at first only one; without the ATM network). Two of the workstations have a videocamera with a videograbber and a Gravis UltraSound (GUS) audiograbber. In the near future these workstation will also have an adapter to ATM network (i.e. an ATM card). A special videosoftware will be driven in the two workstations, for instance IVS (INRIA Videoconferencing System). The third workstation will be kept as a Broadband Intelligent Network component BSCP, where the control software in driven. (Figure 7-10) One of the workstations would contain the ATM network simulator, which would forward cells with the aid of VCIs. The network simulator would be static eg. use PVCs and no signalling configurations could be 'on the flight'.
Homeshop ICONS Anttila Stockmann
AOD
VOD
ATM
PSTN
ISDN
IP
GSM
BSP-x ADPCM ISDN MPEG H.261 ATM
BSP-x 8 Mbit/s 9.6 kbit/s 64 kbit/s 2 Mbit/s 9.6 kbit/s
BSP-x ATM IP
BSP-x
ISDN Address
NSAP Address
NSAP Address
IP Address
Figure 7-8. A framework of BIN MIB.
7.11
TMN and BIN
In the previous sections were discussed about the Broadband IN services. The services were static services which could not be configured by the customer. The meaning of this stage was just to have a view of BIN and its possibilities. The next step is to have a remotely configurable service database where the customer could
B-SCP
G av Ultr a o u n r is s d
A Madapter T
A M pt er T ada
and get the true VOD service capabilities. The aim of this stage is to have a TMN configurable BIN service parameters. The customers configure would affect the BSCP database (MIB) and naturally also the BSMS, because of the charging. (Figure 7-9)
Camera
M ph n icro o e
V d g a er i eo r bb
Linux workstation
Camera Q.2391
M o ho n icr p e
ATM
ATM switch Linux workstation
Linux workstation
B-SSP DB
- Video On Demand .
B-IN MIB
Figure 7-10. The BIN hardware configuration. 7.13
Proposed services
TMN Customer ATM switch VOD Home shopping
The aim of this project is to provide (server part) an ordinary customer (client part) with BIN services. The services in table 7.1 will at least be able to be provided. The easisest one is the ordinary telephony service, and the 83
Service providers
Videogr abber
configure, for instance his VOD service table, remotely
Client
Server
G a Ultr a u n r vis so d
difficultest is the videoconferencing which would need multicasting capabilities from the Linux kernel and some changes in the IVS videosoftware. The user interface would such be implemented with the aid of 'old' software. The BINAP messages would be implemented with CASN ASN.1 compiler and the programming itself with the CVOPS (C-language based Virtual OPerating System) and later with the object-oriented telecommunications software tool OVOPS (Object Virtual Operations System). Here are some designed implementation methods of certain services. Videotelepho ny The IVS software is used to encode and decode the audio and video stream according to the H.261 standard. The Graphical User Interface is used to show the moving images on to the screen. VOD It would be using the IVS videosoftware where the client would request the B-SCP with a service (a video) and the server would then send it along the ATM network to the client either encoded with H.261 or MPEG (Moving Group). Pictures Experts
84
Hara93
Hara, Veikko, 1651 Siirtyv tietoliikenne (Mobile Communications), A course held at Lappeenranta University of Technology, 1993
8.
References
Abramowski, St., et al., A Service Creation Environment for Intelligent Networks, Philips Research Laboratiories Aachen, 1992 Homa92
Abram92
Homa, Jonathan, Intelligent Network Requirements Communications 1992 for Services, Personal IEEE
Communications Magazine, Vol 1., 2, Ambro89 Ambrosch, W., The Intelligent Network , A joint study by Bell Atlantic, IBM and Siemens, Germany, 1989 Appel93 Appeldorn, Menso, Kung, Roberto, et al., TMN + IN = TINA, IEEE ISO 7498 Information Processing Systems, Open Systems Interconnection, Basic Reference Benne93 Bennett, Ronnie Lee, Switching Systems in 1993 Duran92 Duran, Jose, International Standards for International Communications 1992 LAN94 Forum93 ATM Forum, Introduction to ATM, The ATM Forum, 1993 Lauta93 Fujio93 Fujioka, Masanobu, Kikuta, Hiroyuki, et al., Globalizing IN for the New Age, IEEE Communications Magazine, April, 1993 Garra93 Garrahan, James, Russo, Peter, et al., Intelligent Network Overview, IEEE Communications Magazine, March, 1993 Lautanala, Kari, Veijalainen, Kari, Intelligent Network Architecture and Services with the DX200 Switching System, Workshop 1993 Workshop on Intelligent proceedings: Networks, LAN Magazine Editors, 2010: The Future Networks, LAN Magazine, 1994 Networks, Magazine, IEEE February, ISO 9594 Information Processing Systems, Open Systems Interconnection, The Directory the 21st Century, IEEE ISO 8824 Information Processing Systems, Open Systems Interconnection, Specification of Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) Communications Magazine, Vol. 31, 3, Model, Part 3: Naming and Addressing Communications Magazine, April, 1993 I321 CCITT Study Group XVIII, B-ISDN Protocol Reference Model and its Application, Geneva, 1991
Lappeenranta University of Technology,
85
Lehti93
Lehtinen,
Pekka,
Performance
and
Q932
CCITT
Recommendation Q.932,
Overload Modelling of SCP and SSPS of an IN, on Workshop Intelligent proceedings: Networks, Q1201 Study Group IV, Workshop 1993 M3010 CCITT M.3010: Q1202
Generic Procedures for the Control of ISDN Supplementary Services, CCITT 1992 CCITT Recommendation I.312/Q.1201, Principles of Intelligent Network Architecture, CCITT, 1992 CCITT Intelligent Recommendation Network Service Q.1202: Plane
Principles for a Telecommunications Management Network, 1993 Martik93 Martikainen, Olli, Telecommunications 93 (In Finnish), Telecom Finland, 1993 Q1203 Modar90 Modaressi, Abdi, Skoog, Ronald, CCITT Recommendation Q.1203: Intelligent Network Global Functional Plane architecture, October, 1992 Q1204 CCITT Intelligent [Molin] Molin, K., Martikainen, O., Intelligent Network Finland, Tutorial, Proceedings on of Lappeenranta the Second Q1205 University of Technology & Telecom CCITT ITU-T Recommendation Winterschool March, 1994 Nerys91 Nerys, C., Intelligent Operations Systems For Networks, AT&T Q1211 Telecommunications, Q.1205: Intelligent Network Physical Plane architecture, March, 1993 CCITT Recommendation Q.1211: Recommendation Network Q.1204: Distributed
architecture, October, 1992
Signalling System No: 7: A Tutorial, IEEE Communications Magazine, July, 1990
Functional Plane architecture, COM XI-R 208-E, April, 1992
Introduction to Intelligent Network Capability Set 1, COM XI-R 210-E, April, 1992
Technology, vol. 6, no. 2, 1991 [Pfyff94] Pfyffer, H.K., Standardizations activities relevant to advanced communications and services, RMC-meeting 8th March, 1994 Q931 CCITT Recommendation Q.931, ISDN USer-Network Interface layer 3 Q1214 Q1213
CCITT
Recommendation
Q.1213:
Global Functional Plane for Intelligent Network CS1, COM XI-R 211-E, April, 1992 CCITT Recommendation Q.1214 &5: Distributed Functional Plane for Intelligent Network CS1, COM XI-R 213-E, April, 1992
Specification for Basic Call Control, CCITT 1992
86
Q1215
CCITT
Recommendation
Q.1215:
Physical plane for Intelligent Network CS-1, COM XI-R 216-E, April, 1992 Q1218 CCITT Interface Recommendation Recommendation Q.1218: for
Intelligent Network CS1, COM XI-R 217-E, April, 1992 Q2931 ITU-T Draft Recommendation Q.2931: Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN), Digital Subscriber Signalling No. 2 (DSS 2), User Network Interface Layer 3 Specification for Basic Call/Connection Control, 1993. Raat93 Raatikainen, Kimmo, A Framework for Evaluating the Performance of IN Services, Workshop 1993 Roger90 Rogerson, Ltd., 1990 Vande92 Vandenameele, UPT, a new dimension in telecommunications provided by IN, 1992 Wyatt91 Wyatt, George, Barshefsky, Alvin, et al., The Evolution of Global Intelligent Network Architecture, AT&T Techical journal, Summer 1991 David, The Intelligent Workshop on Intelligent proceedings: Networks,
Network: Market Strategies, Ovum
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IFIP IN '95 CONFERENCE Copenhagen 28.-31.8.

TUTORIAL ON INTELLIGENT NETWORKS

Olli Martikainen*, Juha Lipiinen**, Kim Molin***

3. COMPUTER CONTROLLED TELECOMMUNICATIONS

3.4 Numbering and Services

INTELLIGENT NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

4.1 Overview of IN 4.1.1. 4.1.2. Origins of IN IN standardization IN standards bodies ETSI

4.1.2.1.2 4.1.2.2 4.1.2.3 4.1.2.4 4.1.2.5

4.2 IN Functional Requirements 4.2.1 4.2.2. Service Requirements Network Requirements

Interfaces between PEs

Distributed Functional Plane

BCSM Originating BCSM for CS-1

SCEF SMAF SMF SCF Model and its relations

Global Functional Plane

4.7 Globalizing the IN 4.8 Future IN Capability Sets

4.9 Current activities of IN

5.3.2.1 5.3.2.2 5.3.2.3 5.3.3 5.3.3.1 5.3.3.2 5.3.3.3

5.5 Distribution channels 5.6 Changes in enterprises

6. BROADBAND INTELLIGENCE AND MEDIA

Virtual Channelss and Virtual Paths

6.2 Applications for the broadband networks

GFP GNS GSL GSM

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

changes in the switching systems and some turning-points

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

instrumentation devices. Later on, the process industry

Early computers and telecommunications

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Switching systems development

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

UMTS MBS Broadband IN

Batch 'Real' processors computers 1950 1960 1970

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Reference Model (OSIRM) in 1980. SS7 is fully digital

CCITT Signalling System No. 7

OSI Reference Model Application

SS7 protocol stack OMAP TCAP ASEs

Figure -1. SS7 protocol architecture. 3.1.1

Network Services Part

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Signalling network structure

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Telecommunications Management Network

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Figure -5. Management Information Tree. 3.2.3

The need for IN past few years the development of

Lappeenranta University of Technology and Telecom Finland

Tutorial on Intelligent Networks

Definition of Intelligent Network

efficient use of network resources;

Olli Martikainen, Juha Lipiinen, Kim Molin