Summary

In order to transport IP flows with assured end-to-end quality and reliability in a multi-provider environment, coordinated decisions must be made regarding the admission, policing, and assignment of resources to particular offered flows. To do this, a uniform way of characterizing such IP flows is needed, and some shared decision rules for handling them. Recommendation ITU-T Y.1223 defines a set of IP flow specifications that could offer a basis for such cooperation.