The roadmap will provide an insight into how NGN management will differ from the management of traditional telecommunication. And as specifications are added this picture will become clearer, experts said.

The NGN Management Specification Roadmap is an output of the NGN Management Focus Group, a group sponsored by ITU-T SG 4. The document identifies the various existing, or work-in-progress specifications relevant to NGN management. These specifications are not all ITU-T Recommendations, but also come from other standards making bodies with expertise in defining management interfaces. For example, the roadmap tags the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) specs for mobile telephony relevant to the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) management. IMS is expected to be a key building block for NGN specifications.

An additional and important feature of the document is that it provides gap analysis, identifying areas where standards are still needed, and also identifies overlapping specifications requiring harmonization.

The aim is for the roadmap to be a living document at this time, which is part of the reason that it hasn’t been turned into an official ITU document – like a Recommendation. Another reason for not giving the document ‘normative’ status is so that non-members can enjoy free access to it.

What: ITU together with sponsors BT, Cisco, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel and Siemens is holding a one day event to mark a new milestone in ITU's work on next-generation networks (NGN). The event will present an overview of NGN work so far, details on future direction and some of the business drivers for NGN. In addition to announcing this completion of work on the Release 1 standards for NGN by ITU-T's Focus Group on Next-Generation Networks (FGNGN), the event will communicate the next phase of NGN work to be progressed under the banner of the NGN Global Standards Initiative (NGN-GSI).

Morning sessions will focus on technical aspects of the NGN work, while the afternoon will be devoted to market/business drivers. Registration is required.

When: 18 November, 2005

Where: Hilton, Gatwick, London, UK

Why: Operators from around the globe are implementing NGN strategies and plan to invest billions of dollars in the eventual rollout of new packet-based networks. Their involvement in global standards stimulates innovation and superior technology; enables interoperability allowing multi-vendor product offering; and protects current and future investment.

The operators, systems vendors and governments that have driven this standardization work see NGN as delivering substantial cost savings due to the economies of scope inherent in a single converged network. They believe that standards will facilitate an open market for systems, lowering costs and allowing a mix and match approach to implementation, while also allowing interoperability on a global scale. NGN will see consumers benefit from innovative new services, greater control and personalisation, ease of migration between services as well as offering continuity for existing services. 

Who: The event is aimed at those involved in product planning and service creation, whether from systems vendors or service providers. Typically that will mean systems designers or product implementers from systems vendors and those involved in service development from service providers.  Media/analysts wishing to attend please contact toby.johnson@itu.int.

Work on a standard (ITU-T Recommendation) that updates telecommunication management principles for NGN has been completed in Study Group 4.

Standards here are essential according to SG experts in order to ensure that management solutions support NGN, a network based on the separation of service and transport capabilities.

The work focusing on the interfaces between management systems was mostly led by service providers and is important in order for the dynamic provisioning of services in NGN. The document will also allow for easier planning, installation, maintenance, operation and administration experts say.

The Recommendation - M.3060 - was consented with input from other standards bodies including 3GPP, ATIS, ETSI and the Telemanagement Forum (TMF). It presents the telecommunication management principles, including requirements and four architectural views for managing NGN based on service-oriented architectural concepts.

AAP Announcement UPDATE NOTIFICATION

The following files relative to AAP have been updated since 2005-09-30

Group : aap
updated :          2005-09-30 16:36:31      
title :          [022] AAP Announcement No. 22, 1 October 2005 (SG 15, 16, 19)
url :          http://www.itu.int/itudoc/itu-t/aap/announce/05-08/022.html
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For the first time passengers will be able to benefit from being able to use their mobile phones and PDAs’ GSM and GPRS functionality while inflight. The service will be available to all subscribers with roaming contracts.

The ITU-T E.164 number code is required in order to route subscribers’ calls and data to/from the passengers’ home networks. In addition ITU-T has assigned to OnAir a shared mobile country code (MCC), and network code (MNC). The MCC is part of the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number, which uniquely identifies a particular subscriber, and is stored on a user’s SIM card. These numbers are assigned according to ITU-T Recommendation E.212.

bmi and TAP Portugal will trial the service, an initiative by OnAir, a joint venture with Airbus and SITA.

Onboard equipment developed by Airbus, with its partners, for OnAir will use existing technology but will have to gain an airworthiness certificate and telecoms regulatory approval before its launch.

The service will be available on both long- or short-haul fleets and on both Airbus and Boeing aircraft. OnAir sources said that it is mainly business passengers that have led the demand for the service.

The system comprises of pico cells on board, connected via a satellite link to a ground GSM/GPRS roaming platform.