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Italtel Awarded for FIDELITY, Best Celtic Project of the year 2007: A Single Sign On for Multiple VoIP and Internet Services
Together with ten other qualified international ICT partners, at the annual Celtic Event in Helsinki Italtel was recognised for the role it played in Fidelity, Federated Identity Management based on Liberty, the European digital identity research and development project that forms part of the Celtic European research program in the telecommunications sector.
Helsinki, Celtic Event, March 4, 2008 � Accessing a Telco Operator and Service Provider centralised Contact Book and then, with a Single Sign On, making a VoIP connection with another provider: this is the Italtel application developed for Fidelity, awarded best Celtic project of the year 2007 at the third Celtic Event, the show dedicated to the telecom European research program, this year held in Helsinki on 27 and 28 February.
The Italtel application developed for Fidelity was field tested with a specific use case in a next-generation IMS network (IP Multimedia Subsystem). The Fidelity pilot network is based on the Italtel platform for the control and activation of IP connections, and the Italtel i-UDB (Universal Data Base) database, operating as a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) for IMS network. The Italtel database can manage user profiles and provides support for user authentication and registration to the network.
In other words, by using the UDB database and Contact Book in the Fidelity project as emulators of two different Service Providers, it was demonstrated how, with a single authentication, you can access a telephone number in the Contact Book (first Provider) and, at the same time, launch a VoIP service through a second Service Provider.
The Italtel database and application server with Contact Book service were also equipped with the Liberty Alliance interface, that is a standard developed by Liberty Alliance Consortium to allow Service Providers an effective and safe management of complex digital ID authentication procedures on their databases.
The importance of simplifying authentication procedures has resulted in the development of the Federated Identity Management concept, and therefore of a Liberty Alliance standard used in Fidelity. Indeed the main objective of the Celtic project is the development of a pilot federated network formed by a Circle of Trusts, in which the various Service Providers can sign specific economic and business agreements with Identity Providers, that are the managers of user ID credentials but also the suppliers of enhanced e-business, e-government and e-health services.
In such a way, thanks to the preliminary agreements regarding the federated network, it is possible to develop safe and simplified environments for all network transactions. The Internet user, whose privacy is totally guaranteed, can navigate from one site to another in Single Sign On mode, i.e. using a single authentication password.
.�Identity Management - commented Maurizio Pignolo, manager of European research projects at Italtel � forms a key part of Italtel�s Research and Development into next-generation network Data Layers products. Access and authentication management has become essential for the effective functioning and security of both NGN and IMS networks. Thanks to Fidelity and also to the national digital ID research programs, our Data Layer products now comply with both 3GPP consortium and Liberty Alliance specifications.�
�If network access is both secure and as simplified as possible � underlines Maurizio Pignolo � the entire system benefits both in terms of reliability and operational costs. Furthermore, Fidelity confirms the interest of several Service Providers towards their new role of Identity Provider in the ICT world of the next future. For this reason we plan to get involved in other European projects focusing on digital identity and its management.�
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The Italtel Group
The Italtel Group designs, develops and implements next generation multiservice integrated network systems, using state-of-the-art products and a system integration capacity that guarantees reliable infrastructures, open to networking and flexible in terms of technology development. These solutions are intended for telecommunications operators (fixed and mobile), Internet Service Providers, large enterprises and the public sector. Italtel turnover in FY 2006 was 546.1 million euro, and the company currently has around 2,300 staff. The body of shareholders of Italtel Group S.p.A., parent company of Italtel S.p.A., is composed as follows: CD&R (48.77%), Telecom Italia (News - Alert) (19.37%), Cisco Systems (18.40%), Advent International (8.65%), Brera Capital Partners (2.16%), Cordusio Società Fiduciaria � which holds in trust the shares of employees, managers and directors of the Group as well as the Company�s own shares in the Company (2.65%). Web site: www.italtel.com
Additional Notes
RESEARCH, INNOVATION, AND EUROPEAN PROJECTS AT ITALTEL
The established and acclaimed skills of Italtel�s researchers represent one of the company�s most important assets and are the focal point of Italtel�s development plan for future multimedia and convergent networks. The innovation that will lead to new generation networks will depend on three fundamental elements.
- Development of IP packet technology for more efficient management of internet/data traffic development.
- Evolution of traditional voice networks towards multiservice Next-Generation Networks and so towards the creation of multimedia Next-Generation Services. The NGN/NGS network node is the Italtel Softswitch i-SSW platform-in all its evolutionary stages-for managing IP connections, for providing flexible, low-cost multimedia services and for providing continuity for legacy networks, ensuring their full interoperability with new generation IP networks.
- Integration of IP/NGN networks as part of fixed-mobile convergent architectures based on the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) standard defined by ETSI (News - Alert)/TISPAN and 3GGP for effective integration of wireline and wireless multimedia communications.
Italtel is concentrating its research and development in these pioneering areas: over 1000 ICT specialists (approximately 45% of Italtel�s workforce) are working on packet switching technologies, fibre optic transmission, software design, network system technologies, and field integration and deployment of services. Italtel is also involved in several European research and innovation projects to develop hardware/software platforms for voice, video and data services over IP networks.
On the international research and development front, Italtel is actively involved with three projects in the European Commission�s Sixth Framework Programme in IST (Information Society Technology). As regards the Seventh Framework Programme, already underway, Italtel is about to take part in a specific research project.
At the same time, as part of the Eureka programme, Italtel is actively contributing to industrial research projects and initiatives being developed by European ITEA consortia (Information Technology for European Advancement) and CELTIC (Cooperation for a European Leadership in Telecommunications) consortia.
More specifically, in relation to the Celtic project, Italtel has coordinated the Images project for developing integrated multiservice architectures for Next Generation Services, and has contributed to the Fidelity project headed by France Telecom (News - Alert) R&D, working with 10 other companies and research centres to develop systems for security, authentication and identity management in TLC networks.
Finally, as regards ITEA, Italtel has begun participating in the �-Confidential project. Scheduled to run until the first half of 2009, this project aims to develop and implement a trusted security platform for particularly sensitive applications and transactions such as e-voting and e-banking. Consistent with its know-how and specific business objectives, within �-Confidential Italtel will have the task of designing, developing and realizing several activities: enhanced Identity Management systems, user credentials such as biometric data and ISIM-card, end-to-end access control to the applications.
Internet Protocol (IP) | X | | IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
in packets over the Internet. I...more |
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) | X | | This shows the structure of the IMS architecture where potential Applications Servers optimize content as well bandwidth. In Scenario Y, companies may provide Feature Servers Content Manager or Multi...more |
Next-Generation Network (NGN) | X | | There are many approaches to the future of networks. There is no one net but only a collection of networks....more |
Voice over IP (VoIP) | X | | A real-time communications system that converts voice into digital packets containing media and signaling data that travel over networks using Internet Protocol....more |
Softswitch | X | | A Softswitch server provides call routing and Authorization, Authentication and Accounting functions as well as signaling and switching control interface to and from gateways. Access Data Gateway prov...more |
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