ITU
ENUM Workshop
Administrative Issues for Regulators,
Policy Makers and Numbering Authorities
17
January 2001
International
Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland
On
17 January 2001, the ITU will host a one-day workshop to discuss
administrative issues related to operational deployment of the ENUM
protocol. The workshop will focus on the implications of the ENUM
protocol, developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which
involves mapping and synchronization of ITU‑T Recommendation E.164
international telephone numbers with the Internet Domain Name System
(DNS). The ITU-T Recommendation E.164 refers to the international public
telecommunication numbering plan, which is extensively used for the
provision of the international telephone service. During the last year,
ITU-T Study Group 2, responsible for E.164, and the IETF have held
discussions and collaborative activities related to the deployment of
ENUM services.
Although
the workshop is principally intended for national regulators, policy
makers and numbering authorities, attendance is open to any interested
participant The workshop will not only contain topical tutorials, but
will provide adequate time for participant discussion and the
identification of specific issues. The workshop draft Agenda and
Registration materials are available on the ITU web site at http://www.itu.int/infocom/enum/.
The
ENUM protocol has important implications for national Administrations
responsible for numbering policies. The
view of ITU-T Study Group 2 is that
administrative entities, including DNS administrators, should adhere to
the applicable tenets of existing pertinent ITU-T Recommendations
with regard to the inclusion of E.164 resource information in the DNS.
Specifically, in a recent
liaison statement
to the IETF, Study Group 2 noted that since most E.164 resources are
utilized nationally, ENUM service and administrative decisions are
primarily national issues under the purview of ITU Member States.
In
the same liaison statement, Study Group 2 stated that the ITU is
responsible for providing country code assignment information to related
DNS administrators, but only after ensuring that each Member State has
authorized the inclusion of their E.164 country code information for
input into the DNS. Therefore, there is a need to discuss mechanisms
whereby ITU Member States would or would not provide this authorization.
ITU-T Study Group 2 also noted that the national component of an E.164
resource mapped into the DNS, for geographic resources, is a national
matter and is, therefore, administered by the ITU Member State(s) to
which the country code is assigned.
In
order to discuss the regulatory and policy implications of the ENUM
protocol with participating experts from the ITU and IETF, and to assist
Administrations in their consideration of national ENUM operational and
administrative issues, the ITU is hosting this one-day workshop. This
workshop will be chaired by Roy Blane, Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 2.
A summary of the workshop discussions will form the basis of a letter to
all Member States from the ITU Secretary-General concerning ENUM, its
relation to circuit-switched networks, and the likely impact for
Administrations if they decide to coordinate DNS space that parallels
their current administrative responsibilities for E.164 country codes.
It is intended to use this event as a gauge to decide whether further
workshops will be required to assist ITU Member States in their
deliberations on this topic. Specific issues identified during the
workshop may be referred to an appropriate forum for consideration and
resolution.
