Motivation

A key characteristic of next generation networks (NGN) is the use of a common packet transport for supporting all applications and services. Different types of applications/services (e.g. Web Services, IP telephony and IPTV), however, have varied QoS requirements, all of which must be supported by this common packet transport. Hence appropriate mechanisms are needed to achieve the required levels of QoS, especially for applications that are delay- and loss-sensitive. Such applications may also require a large amount of bandwidth, which makes the support for high QoS challenging.

To support QoS in a consistent, efficient, dynamic and secure fashion, considerations need to be given to the following aspects:

• Application QoS requirements
• Involvement of varied types of transport technology (e.g. Ethernet, IP and MPLS in the core network; DSL, UMTS, WiFi, and WiMAX in the access network) and endpoints (e.g. phone, laptop, and set-top box), and multiple administrative domains (e.g. home network and provider network) in an end-to-end path
• Availability and accuracy of network topology and load information
• Use of multicast
• Granularity of QoS control
• User nomadicity and mobility
• Service level agreement between providers or between provider and user
• Provider policy
• Use of overlay technology (peer-to-peer or otherwise) for routing around network congestion, reliable multicast support, etc.

Recommendations under responsibility of this Question include:

• Y.1291, An architectural framework for support of quality of service in packet networks
• Y.2111, Resource and admission control functions in Next Generation Networks
• Y.2112, A QoS control architecture for Ethernet-based IP access networks
• Y.2121, Requirements for the support of flow-state-aware transport technology in an NGN
• Y.2171, Admission control priority levels in Next Generation Networks
• Y.2172, Service restoration priority levels in Next Generation Networks
• Y.2173, Management of performance measurement for NGN
• Y.2174, Distributed RACF architecture for MPLS core networks

Question

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

• What new Recommendations or enhancements to existing Recommendations are needed to enable QoS support in the NGN, especially for performance-sensitive and bandwidth-demanding applications/services (e.g. IPTV)?
• What new Recommendations or enhancements to existing Recommendations are needed to leverage NGN QoS mechanisms in overlay networks, such as those for content delivery and reliable multicast?
• What new Recommendations or enhancements to existing Recommendations are needed to provide safeguards to QoS mechanisms (e.g. mitigation of denial-of-service and theft-of-service attacks)?
• What new Recommendations are needed to provide the resource control and management for achieving end-to-end QoS in a heterogeneous environment involving different QoS mechanisms and multiple provider domains?
  
  Note: All new study items will examine existing standards from other SDO’s (e.g. IETF and 3GPP) in the development of new Recommendations or enhancements to existing Recommendations.
• What enhancements to existing Recommendations are required to provide energy savings directly or indirectly in information and communication technologies (ICTs) or in other industries? What enhancements to developing or new Recommendations are required to provide such energy savings?

Tasks

Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Enhancement of the Recommendations in force that are under its responsibility
• Completion of draft new Recommendation Y.2113, ”Ethernet QoS control for Next Generation Networks”
• Completion of draft new Recommendations on RACF for MPLS-based core networks
• Completion of draft new Recommendation Y.e2eqos.1, ”Requirements and framework for end-to-end QoS support in NGN”
• Harmonization of RACF and 3GPP policy and charging control (PCC)
• Development of new Recommendations on IPTV QoS support
• Development of new Recommendations on QoS control for flow aggregates
• Development of new Recommendations on QoS support for overlay networks

Relationships

Recommendations: Y-series and Q-series

Questions: All NGN, IPTV and QoS related Questions

Study groups: All NGN, IPTV and QoS related study groups

Standardization bodies, fora and consortia:

• 3GPP
• 3GPP2
• ATIS IIF, PTSC, and PRQC
• DSL Forum
• ETSI TISPAN
• IEEE 802 LAN/MAN
• IETF