December 1999

In Migration: Circuit-Switched Intelligence Takes A Ride On A Packet

BY DOUG VARNEY

Service providers with traditional circuit-switched networks are migrating toward IP-based networks because they offer cost-effective transport as well as the potential for a vast array of new services. But they are quickly discovering that it's not the network protocol that really matters; it's the ability to deliver services quickly — regardless of the network technology — will keep them competitive in the long run. That's where the Intelligent Network (IN) comes in.

With the right packet-enabled IN infrastructure, service providers will be able to offer real value to their subscribers by delivering new voice and data applications on top of their existing "bread and butter" services. They already have a services layer. New packet IN solutions now make it accessible to the Internet development community.

SOME BACKGROUND
The IN was originally developed in the late 1980s to help introduce new services more easily. By placing all the service logic in a central point (commonly known as a Service Control Point or SCP) and defining standard capabilities on the switches, services could be created and deployed quickly and efficiently, while presenting little risk to the network.

The IN proved invaluable because it meant service providers no longer had to upgrade every switch to add a new service. The resulting services (caller ID, 800 service, virtual private network, prepaid calling) have enjoyed great success in the marketplace.

While the IN has worked well in the circuit-switched world, it was never designed to handle the multitude of protocols required to interact with networks based on ATM or IP technologies. With voice rapidly becoming a commodity, the IN obviously needed to be modified to include Internet and packet components.

New packet IN platforms are now available to help service providers attract new subscribers and build additional revenue. In addition, many emerging packet IN services are ready for deployment in the near future (see sidebar).

A key component of a packet IN solution is the applications server, which acts as a buffer between the two domains. This architecture allows service providers to deploy a packet IN solution today with the confidence that it will evolve with their network in the future. And developers can produce applications that work in the current circuit-switched network without concern that these applications will become obsolete as networks evolve.

Service providers and CTI developers can look to packet IN solutions to help support:

• New revenue-producing services. Java-enabled APIs give next-gen service providers the flexibility to add a multitude of services developed by independent software vendors.
• Heterogeneous, multi-vendor environments. Packet IN solutions can provide full interoperability across different network interfaces and different vendors’ equipment — even simultaneously across circuit and packet networks.
• Smooth integration. Reuse of existing directory and network databases allows new services to work with legacy databases, minimizing work and speeding service creation efforts.
• Rapid deployment. Features of next-gen services only have to be installed once.
• Service parity. Packet IN platforms enable the reuse of existing circuit-switched services, and then build from there.
• Easy provisioning. By applying technologies like XML to link service creation and provisioning systems, packet IN solutions enable services to be deployed and provisioned quickly.
• Scalability. With a fully scalable, open and distributed architecture, a packet IN solution allows service providers to “grow as they go.”

BRINGING TWO WORLDS TOGETHER
The value of interconnecting the Internet and the PSTN isn’t lost on the communications industry at large either. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has created two teams dedicated to creating standards for this new world of converged communications: the PSTN Internet Interworking working group (PINT) and the Services in the PSTN/IN Requesting Internet Services working group (SPIRITS). PINT and SPIRITS address connection arrangements through which Internet applications can request and enrich PSTN telephony services and, conversely, the PSTN can request services of the Internet.

On another front, the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum is defining an open, global specification that “empowers mobile subscribers with wireless devices to easily access and interact with information and services.”

Internet-based data network products hold the promise of faster speeds, greater access, more bandwidth, and lower costs. Packet IN solutions bring to the table the final and most crucial component by effectively removing the barriers between circuit and data networks. As a result, developers will find an entirely new market for their applications, and service providers will find their ticket to “ride the Internet power curve.”

Doug Varney is manager for Intelligent Network Architectures with Lucent Technologies’ Communications Software Group. Lucent Technologies designs, builds, and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems, and microelectronics components. For more information on Lucent Technologies, please visit their Web site at www.lucent.com.

Whether circuit-switched network service providers plan to continue using their existing infrastructure, blend it with a packet-based infrastructure, or evolve completely to a packet network, they all have the same ultimate goal: to gain access to as many enhanced services as possible. And that means having access to as many application developers as possible.

Packet IN solutions offer the same tool sets developers currently use in the Internet realm. For example, Lucent Technologies’ PacketIN solution opens up the services layer of circuit-switched networks for application developers by using standard Internet tools like extensible mark-up language (XML) and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

So what are some of these next-gen services? Here are a few possibilities:

Internet Call Waiting
Established PSTN services like call waiting can be easily extended to the Internet and offered independent of a subscriber’s Internet service. Internet call waiting allows local telephone subscribers to see a “call waiting” message pop-up on their computer screen while they are online. The subscriber can then choose to accept the call, route it to voice mail, or ignore it.

TelePortal Service
This new IP/IN service will allow service providers to offer personalized IVR services. Lucent’s TelePortal solution retrieves appropriately formatted Web information and uses speech technology to deliver it to subscribers via a fixed or mobile phone. A break-through computer language known as Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VoiceXML) defines voice dialogs using audio files, text-to-speech, speech recognition, or DTMF tones.

NextGen NetPortal
This service gateway lets subscribers access next-gen data and voice services via a single point of contact, regardless of the subscriber’s location and access mechanism (wireline or wireless phone, LAN-connected computer, 3G laptop). NextGen NetPortal performs the fundamental interactions to deliver services to customers, including service management, location services, unified messaging, service subscription, billing information access, and call management services.

Voice/Data VPN
Voice VPNs provide additional features over strictly data VPNs. A common use is to tie together remote users who are geographically dispersed but who need to communicate to complete a project or perform a job function. A VoIP/ATM VPN enables service providers to offer subscribers a service that is equivalent to national or international private networks without requiring dedicated network facilities.

Policy-Based Call Center
This next-gen call center service provides an all-media call center solution by blending telephone calls and live, Web-based multimedia Internet sessions. It manages and distributes both live calls and messages, including voice, fax, and e-mail messages. The policy-based call center supports fully distributed operation with remote agents and multiple site operation transparently via a policy-based network that transports both voice and data.