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2022 ITU Kaleidoscope Academic Conference




           generate telecommands that can be directly executed by the   e.  Promoting network control automation
           NOC and SOC, without requiring any transcoding.        Network control and management automation is
                                                                  essential to deal with the complexity of TN and NTN
           4.3   Features                                         convergence. This architecture framework supports
                                                                  the development of data-oriented, closed-loop control
           The architecture presented in this  section  possesses the   mechanisms, leading to the automation of individual
           following features, which play crucial  roles in addressing   and integrated network control functions.
           several  challenges of TN and NTN convergence,  mainly
           promoting the existence of  multiple NTN operators and   5.  CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK
           empowering richer end-to-end service provisioning than an
           individual network operator can offer by using only its own   This paper  presented  the scenarios and architectures of
           resources.                                         integrated and individual network  control systems for TN
            a.  End-to-end network control and monitoring     and NTN convergence. The integrated control system
               In order to  offer  highly reliable and dependable  architecture can accommodate various control functions for
               ubiquitous communication services, while optimally  the design and orchestration of end-to-end network services,
               utilizing available computational and communication  their performance monitoring, and resource control of both
               resources,  end-to-end  network  service  control and  TNs  and NTNs.  The  content of this paper is  related with
               management is essential. This architecture integrates  ITU-T Study Group 13, which is standardizing technologies
               different network  segments in the control plane and  for the fixed, mobile and satellite convergence.  It is also
               enables their smooth convergence in the data plane for  related with  activities  of  other SDOs such as 3GPP and
               offering high-quality communication services.  ETSI.
            b.  End-to-end network resource sharing
               Network resource sharing  has been essential for  In future work, we will extend this work  with the  detail
                                                              design  of  each  functional  component  of  the  integrated
               providing cost-effective communication services.
               Thanks to NFV and SDN technologies and         network control system architecture by making it compliant
               standardized common interfaces, communication and  with ETSI Zero-touch network and Service Management
               computational  resource  sharing  in  virtualized  data  (ZSM)  [18]  and  Open Source NFV Management and
                                                              Orchestration (MANO)  [20].  We  will  develop an
               networks  and  cloud  computing  infrastructures  has
               become  a  common  practice  recently.  In  the  near  experimental system  for its validation and performance
               future, NTN will also have to provide similar types of  evaluation. We will also bring this research outcome to ITU
               resource sharing capabilities so that satellite operators  for standardization.
               can share their NTN resources (e.g.  ground stations  Acknowledgement
               and satellite interfaces) with many TN operators and
               application service providers through standard control  The authors  are  grateful to  their colleagues  Yuma Abe,
               interfaces. This architecture  is aimed  at the  Kentaro Ishizu, Amane Miura, and Morio Toyoshima for
               development  and  standardization  of  such  resource  actively supporting this work.
               sharing interfaces and functions.
            c.  Unified representation of resources                            REFERENCES
               Different network segments or domains have different
               kinds  of  resources  in  their  focus  for  control  and  [1] V. P. Kafle, P. Martinez-Julia, and T. Miyazawa,
               management. TN  virtualized  data networks  are in  “Automation of 5G network slice control functions
               focus  of  the efficient management of computational  with machine learning,” IEEE Communications
               and storage resources while NTN are in focus of the  Standards Magazine, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 54-62, 2019.
               efficient management of RF link and GST resources.
               These resources  and their  capabilities should  be  [2] K. Liolis et al., “Use cases and scenarios of 5G
               represented by unified and  standard expressions so  integrated satellite‐terrestrial networks for enhanced
               that they can be unambiguously  identified and     mobile broadband: The SaT5G approach,”
               interpreted by the integrated network control system.  International Journal of Satellite Communications
            d.  Technology-agnostic control operation             and Networking, vol. 21, Issue 4, pp. 1-22, Nov. 2017.
               For TN and NTN seamless convergence, technology-
               agnostic control  operations are essential. This  [3] “Transcending connectivity,” SES White Paper, Sep.
               architecture  provides a framework in which various  2017.
               TN and NTN  domains can  be plugged  in through
               standard interfaces.  The availability of technology-  [4] 5G ALL-STAR – “5G AgiLe and fLexible integration
               agnostic  control  systems  and  open  interfaces  will  of SaTellite And cellular,” EC Horizon 2020 Project,
               promote  free competitions  among equipment        https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/815323, visited on
                                                                    th
               manufacturers and vendors and attract new startups to  15  June 2022.
               participate in  innovative  services creation and
               marketing.





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