Motivation

During the 2005-2008 Study Period, ITU-T has conducted studies on signalling requirements for network attachment, and service¹ interworking of both ‘dial-up Internet access’ and ‘voice, data and multimedia communications over IP-based networks’. Next Generation Networks will involve a wider range of access techniques to IP-based networks, each having specific procedures to support usage of network services. Such procedures, often referred to as “network attachment”, will involve user identification and authentication, per-session allocation of IP addresses and terminal configuration, network access authorization checking and other functions. These procedures will have to be designed to take into account mobility management requirements of NGNs. Protocols such as PPP, DHCP, RADIUS and DIAMETER are already being deployed in pre-NGN networks for supporting parts of the network attachment signalling and control requirements. In the past study period, substantial work was accomplished on access security. However, work on identification, number portability, and mobility aspects remains to be dealt with in the next Study Period, following from work on system and functional definitions which has matured in the other SGs.

Recommendation in force for which the Question is responsible: Q.3201

Question

Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:

• What new Recommendations are required to specify signalling and control requirements and protocols for supporting attachment and mobility procedures to both service and transport stratum?
• What associated mechanisms are required with attachment signalling and control to assure security for fixed and mobility cases?
• What functional architecture and entities are required to support services and/or applications of public interest such as emergency call handling, lawful interception, number portability, etc.?
• What enhancements to existing Recommendations are required to provide energy savings directly or indirectly in information and communication technologies or in other industries? What enhancements to developing or new Recommendations are required to provide such energy savings?

Tasks

An up-to-date status of work under this Question is contained in the SG 11 Work Program (http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/workprog/wp_search.aspx?isn_sp=1&isn_sg=86).

Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Development of control and signalling requirements and protocols to support attachment and mobility procedures to both service and transport stratum.
• Development of control and signalling requirements and protocols to support user identification and number portability procedures in a network.

Relationships

Recommendations:

Y.NACF.

Questions:

Questions responsible for:

• signalling and control architecture (1/11).
• application control and signalling (2/11).
• session control and signalling (3/11).
• resource control and signalling (5/11).
• NGN mobility and fixed-mobile convergence (6/13).

Study Groups:

ITU-T Study Group(s) responsible for:

• NGN architecture.
• multimedia services & applications.
• security aspects and identity management.
• mobility aspects.
• numbering.
• identification management and its security aspect.

Standardization bodies:

Organizations such as: IETF (AAA, DHC, PPPEXT, PANA…), Regional SDOs dealing with NGN.

¹The word “service” in this context is not meant necessarily to represent an ITU-T-defined Service.