Impacts of NGN
NGN has numerous impacts on the telecom industry, not least
of which is the requirement to conform to NGN standards and
to support NGN-compatible technologies.
Evolution of Networks to NGN
The ITU-T states: “The evolution of networks to NGNs must allow for the
continuation of, and interoperability with, existing networks
while in parallel enabling the implementation of new capabilities.”
As NGN deployment is an evolutionary process, with numerous
networks being launched from various technological positions,
it is necessary to clearly identify stages of NGN compatibility
or lack thereof: In this regard, the NGN Enabled logo makes
a great deal of sense.
QoS (Quality of Service)
There are no standard Quality of Service (QoS) criterion in the industry and
it is best defined as a ‘subjective measure of user
satisfaction’ (e.g. speed, accuracy, reliability, and
security). This involves identification of parameters that
can be directly observed and measured where the service is
accessed by users and network providers. Flexibility within
the global end-to-end NGN architecture is essential in order
to allow for each recognized operating agency’s different
regulatory environment, service offerings, geographic span
and network infrastructure. These factors need to be taken
into account when setting parameters for, and levels of, QoS
in NGN.
Interoperability
NGN includes a wide range of protocols (including various profiles) at both
service and network levels. Thus it is essential to ensure
interoperability between different systems and networks. Interoperability
is, in fact, a corner stone for the OSS industry regarding
NGN.
Security
As confirmed by the ITU-T, security is as crucial to the NGN as it is to current
and legacy network environments. The wide scope of this topic,
readily evidenced, for example, by the vast number of SDOs
(i.e. Standards Development Organizations), underscores the
strategic importance of this subject. Within the NGN, security
issues interrelate to architecture, QoS, network management,
mobility, charging and payment.
Generalized Mobility
NGN enables users and devices to access services irrespective of change of
location or technical environment. The degree of service availability
may depend on several factors, including access network capabilities,
service level agreements between the users’ home networks
and visited networks, etc. It includes the ability to communicate
from various locations using a variety of terminal equipment,
with or without service continuity while in transit or while
changing access means. This acknowledges the need to converge
the previously distinct worlds of fixed and mobile telecommunications
into a coherent whole.
Service Capabilities and Architecture
NGN should provide and maintain a distinction between services
and the networks they run on, and ensure the service architecture
focuses on the interfaces to support different business models
and seamless communication in different environments. Lastly,
NGN must support critical ‘legacy technologies’
(i.e. PSTN) as they evolve to fully compatible NGN technologies.
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