NANC Interoperable Video Calling Working Group

1. NANC Interoperable Video Calling Working Group Preliminary Recommendations June 20, 2019

2. Working Group Membership • Chairs • David Bahar, George Washington University • Matthew Gerst, CTIA (NANC Member) • Members • Martin Dolly, Aaron Bangor (Alt.) and Jackie Flemming (Alt.), AT&T • Lydia Runnels, Bandwidth • Alagu Periyannan, Blue Jeans Network • Gurpreet Kaur, Mark Balsano (Alt.) and Glenn Clepper (Alt.), Charter • Richard Ray, City of Los Angeles • Chris Wendt, Comcast • Jonathan Roberts, Convo • Dr. Christian Vogler, Gallaudet University • Justin Uberti, Google • Sabrina Fields, NASRA • Daniel Henry, NENA • Prof. Henning Schulzrinne (NANC Member) • Mary Retka, Somos • Isaac Roach, Sorenson • Karen Riepenkroger and Shaunna Forshee (Alt.), Sprint • John Martin, ZVRS and Purple Communications • Technical Advisors • Jim Malloy, MITRE • Brian Rosen • Eric Burger, FCC CTO • FCC Liaisons • Robert McConnell, CGB • Michael Scott, CGB • Bill Andrle, WCB

3. Video Communications Today • Attributes of Common Consumer Video Calling Communications • All video calling services and applications are based on IP technologies through mobile wireless handsets or computers. • Most are one-on-one (peer-to-peer), although some offer group communications. • Most video calling applications may utilize telephone numbers for a variety of purposes, including addressing, identity and authentication, but some applications use other forms of identifiers for identity and addressing. • Video calling applications do not use the PSTN for call routing. • What is the Demand for Video Calling Interoperability? • Most video calling services only offer the ability to make video calls within the same service (i.e., non-interoperable). As a result, many consumers maintain accounts with multiple video calling services and platforms to be used to communicate with other individuals across different services and platforms. • The Working Group recognizes that consumers, specifically those representing the deaf and hard of hearing communities, have noted the social and public safety benefits of interoperability.

4. Video Relay Service Use of Telephone Numbers • The VRS ecosystem is the only one that exists today that uses ten-digit telephone numbers to facilitate interoperable video calling. • Video Relay Services (VRS), a form of telecommunications relay services (TRS), provides functionally equivalent access to telecommunications for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. • Since 2007, VRS users have used ten-digit telephone numbers to make video calls, enabled by the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services Database (TRS Database), operated by Neustar under contract with the FCC, which is a database of all telephone numbers associated with VRS endpoints. • VRS video technologies are currently required by the FCC to interoperate, as part of the FCC’s mandatory minimum standards for VRS. This requirement does not apply to non-VRS equipment.

5. Mission The North American Numbering Council’s (NANC) Interoperable Video Calling Working Group explores how to facilitate the provision of interoperable telephone number-based video calling on a voluntary basis, which could allow increased use of video calling for both hearing individuals and people with hearing and speech disabilities using different, otherwise-incompatible equipment and services. The Working Group comprises a variety of stakeholders whose technical, policy, and regulatory backgrounds provide the knowledge necessary to refine and develop recommendations for achieving this goal. The Working Group expects to provide the NANC a final report.

6. Mission (cont.) • Pursuant to the NANC Chair’s request, the Working Group meets weekly in an effort to prepare and ideally submit a final report to the NANC for approval. • Per the FCC’s directives, the Working Group final report will: • Discuss options for, and analyses of, any changes necessary in numbering or numbering administration to allow and encourage the deployment of telephone number-based interoperable video calling, including any changes to Commission rules, and any change, migration, or consolidation of existing numbering directories, including the iTRS Directory; • Describe any recommended developments in technology, standards, or operations required to promote the deployment of telephone number-based interoperable video calling, including the incorporation of interoperable video calling in the implementation of NG9-1-1; and • Recommend next steps the Commission and industry could take to promote interoperable video calling services.

7. Scope The Working Group determined that the report should include recommendations on addressing, signaling/media and NG9-1-1. The Working Group determined that the scope of the Report will include the ability to make point-to-point video calls, using ten-digit telephone numbers, across video service boundaries. The Working Group determined that multi-party video calling with screen sharing across services would be out of scope. The Working Group determined that the scope will focus on the ability of video calling users to • Discover which of their contacts are video-capable, regardless of which service they use; • Initiate and establish calls to users on another service; and • Exchange audio and video and communicate across services. The Working Group also determined that the Report will not discuss whether all devices that make calls should be video capable; whether all devices should be able to use a telephone number; or whether all video conferencing services should use telephone numbers.

8. Timeline

9. Working Group Preliminary Recommendations • The working group identified two potential approaches but was unable to reach consensus on a particular approach; each approach has some advantages and disadvantages. Specifically, the Working Group identified the following approaches: • Database Approach to use an existing, or develop a new, telephone number database to translate telephone numbers to URIs among video service providers; or • Platform Approach relying on existing network capabilities of IMS networks to signal video calling. • The database approach allows both Over the Top (OTT) and carrier providers to directly route to each other. • The platform approach builds on the existing Video over LTE (ViLTE) standard, which provides a path for network operator interoperability, but does not support routing to, signaling or media exchanges with OTT providers. • The Working Group recommends further study by numbering and technical subject matter experts (SMEs) of the two primary approaches to addressing that may facilitate whether video calling can be supported and interoperable of the two listed approaches to determine which option is more viable for achieving broad interoperability of video communications.

10. Working Group Preliminary Recommendations (ctd.) • Recommendations for Further Study of Numbering Databases • The Working Group requires additional input from experts before recommending changes to numbering or numbering administration, including the iTRS Numbering Directory, to allow and encourage the deployment of telephone number-based interoperable video calling. • The Working Group recommends that the NANC identify the appropriate numberingexperts to develop and provide advice to the Working Group on the use of existing numbering databases and commercially available interoperability databases for the purposes facilitating a database approach to interoperable video calling. • The designated entities should provide recommendations on the technical and operational feasibility of using existing or commercially available databasesto support the database approach totelephone number-based interoperable video calling.

11. Working Group Preliminary Recommendations (ctd.) • Recommendations for Further Study of Technical Issues • New or modified technical standards will be necessary to encourage the development and utilization of telephone number-based interoperable video calling for either a database or platform based approach. • The Working Group recommends that the NANC request that Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions Internet Protocol Network-to-Network Interface Task Force (ATIS IP NNI), Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions Emergency Services Interconnection Forum (ATIS ESIF), and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a appropriate, to evaluate the technical and architectural details of each approach, including call-flows, interoperability and use cases, and recommend an approach for Working Group consideration. • In an IVC environment, implementation of the ability to invoke VRS mid-call carries several important benefits, including being able to use the same TN for texting, phone calls, and IVC calls, in addition to improved 9-1-1 routing over the current VRS configuration. • The Working Group recommends further study of the technical and operational feasibility of interoperating with Video Relay Service (VRS) to ensure that people with disabilities can communicate with public-safety answering point (PSAP) telecommunicators using video, voice, text, and data during IVC-enabled NG9-1-1 calls. While the existing NG9-1-1 standards would allow IVC services to call 9-1-1, the specifics would be required to be included in any final IVC technical standards. The Working Group recommends further study into the implementation of Media Communication Line Services (MCLS), as set forth in the recommendations of the Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC), established by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. • Limiting users registration of telephone numbers under VRS providers is, likewise, not functionally equivalent and does not fulfill the desires of the community for having one phone number for voice/video/data/text services with seamless N11 call handling and routing.

12. Working Group Preliminary Recommendations (ctd.) • The Working Group recommends further evaluation is necessary of whether existing numbering databases can and should be utilized to facilitate IVC, including evaluating issues such as performance, security and legal and operational issues, including cost, in accordance with FCC rules. • In sum, the Working Group requests an extension of its Charter to further evaluate the recommendations of numbering and technical subject matter experts (SMEs) in order to provide a more specific recommendations to the NANC.

13. Database Approach 3rd party database service API update & query Carrier Authoritative Numbering Database Q: 212 555 1234? A: sip:user@ott.example.net 3rd party database service 212 555 1234 Q: 212 555 1234? A: sip:user@text.example.net

14. Platform Based Approach Carrier B Caller A initiates video call to 212 555 7777 Carrier Agreement to exchange IR.94 video traffic Carrier A 212 555 1234 Video Capable Device Supports GSMA IR.94 Called Party 212 555 7777 Device 1 Registered for video Supports GSMA IR.94