Network Monetization: BSS is a Critical Component

By Michael Khalilian

Michael Khalilian

The NGN and IMS Forum recent Technical and Business Working Group have focused on monetization of NGN and IMS services. The following article from one of our executive members, Gabriel Matsliach, VP & General Manager, Comverse Billing & Active Customer Management (www.Comverse.com), is featured below.

We are pleased to announce that our eighth NGN and IMS Plugfest will be held October 5-9, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH. The NGN and IMS Forums’ Plugfests are the industry’s only interoperability events covering NGN services over wireless 3G, 4G, LTE, WiMAX, wireline xDSL, cable, fiber optics broadband and IMS architectures. Plugfest 8 will focus on Interoperability for voice and multimedia applications, IP BSS/OSS and Security inter- and intra-networks including the following:

• End-to-end interoperability testing for IMS and NGN applications and services
• Interoperability of the Control Plane and the Diameter Protocol
• Charging functions impacts on BSS
• Examples of test topics for Plugfest 8 include:

• Application and Feature Testing across the Control Plane
• Online & offline charging (Billing) scenarios for IMS events and sessions
• Interface Compliance testing; The 3GPP standard interfaces that use Diameter
• Topology hiding scenarios; IMS/NGN Control Plane interoperability
including border controllers, legacy network gateways, service location function, and policy control elements
• Multi-domain scenarios covering user-to-network and network-to-network IMS interoperability
• Further study of IPsec on the Gm interface
• Inclusion of IPv6 within the core network
• Reliability and Availability Network Security
Plugfest 8 participants will include such companies as: Comverse, HP, Mu Dynamics, Radvision, Tech Mahindra, Tekelec and NTT.

Sponsors of Plugfest 8 include T-Mobile, Intel and Radvision.

IMS/NGN Plugfest 8 is a cooperative effort between a number of our most important working groups, including the Diameter and Control Plane, InterOperability and Test, and BSS/OSS and Security Working Groups. It will showcase the great progress that these groups have made in advancing NGN and IMS architectures. The Plugfest 7 Diameter and Control Plane test plan will be incorporated into the first part of Plugfest 8.

We are excited about the recent creation of the IMS BSS/OSS & Security Technical Working Group. This working group will help guide industry momentum for an integrated IP BSS/OSS framework to enable cost-effective transition to IMS/NGN environments.

It will focus on the billing and charging, policy control and security functions required by service providers to capture the value promised by NGN networks.

Participation in NGN IMS Plugfests and Technical working Groups is open to all companies. We look forward to your participation in our Working Groups and in Plugfests. For more information please contact [email protected] or visit www.NGNForum.org, www.IMSForum.org. Michael Khalilian Chairman and President NGN Forum and IMS Forum
and services.

Michael Khalilian is Chairman and President, NGN Forum™ & IMS Forum (News - Alert)® (www.NGNForum.org / www.IMSForum.org).