Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS)

1. Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions(ATIS) Submission Date:July 1, 2008

2. ATIS Current Highlights • ATIS identifies and addresses industry’s most urgent priorities and develops end-to-end technical and operational standards that drive the business of its members – information, entertainment and communications companies. • Business/technology priorities are identified by ATIS’ executive-level Board Councils (technical/operations and IT) and addressed in focus groups, exploratory groups and task forces; tying business objectives to needed standardized solutions. • Resulting work items and recommendations are implemented within ATIS and in coordination with other industry organizations. • Completed in 2007: (Network/Service) Convergence, Inter-carrier VoIP Call Routing, and Optical Access Networks. • Work initiated in 2008: • Home Networking – Identifying actions needed to develop a cohesive home networking infrastructure. • Service-Oriented Networks - Identifying actions needed to enhance the NG-service creation environment. • NG Carrier Interconnect – Developing standards for the NG-interconnection architecture, network and traffic management, and service specific requirements.

3. ATIS Current Highlights • IPTV • The IPTV Interoperability Forum (IIF) continues its leading work, publishing key standards on architecture, security, QoS and digital rights management. • Developing an IP-based Point of Deployment (POD) for separable security, and efforts for downloadable security. • ATIS is the exclusive Partner of the MultiService Forum (MSF) GMI2008 event regarding IPTV interoperability. • Regulatory Activities • Actively involved in U.S. Department of State position/input in to WTSA. • Established rules for Hearing-Aid Compatibility (CMRS) in conjunction with consumer groups. • “Green” Initiative • Launching initiatives bringing together relevant stakeholders to assess, discuss and agree on actions to improve and/or drive greater Green efficiencies. • ATIS is already working on both energy efficiency and reduction of hazardous substances specifications. • IPR • Evaluating possible changes to ATIS IPR Policy to make the standards development process more effective.

4. Strategic Direction • Soliciting broader involvement of non-traditional operator/vendor sectors; e.g., entertainment (content developers, aggregators, distributors). • Enabling the NG-service oriented network; e.g., programs/ application/ software development and developers. • Marrying the Worlds of the Web and the Traditional Telco • Identifying the characteristics of an ideal service creation and delivery environment where industry utilizes the combined strengths of the traditional telco’s (five 9s) reliability with the Web/Internet’s flexibility and scalability. • Creating venues/processes which more effectively enable ATIS’ committees to take an approach to standards that crosses network/service domains. • Implementing greater Green efficiencies in not only the standards development process but in considering what technology aspects to standardized. • Continuing emphasis on the business implications of technology choices – the intersection of where technology meets business.

5. Challenges • Initiating industry’s paradigm shift away from (network/service) domain specific ideologies, allegiances and thus standards to an unified cross-domain converged approach to communications. • Delivering implementable standards when and where needed, given the increased complexity of the network, the technology and the overall industry landscape. • Industry stakeholders are expanding and evolving • Network is radically changing/transforming, marrying the worlds of telco and web. • Engaging the open source (i.e., web/Internet) community to enable greater accessibility/availability for developers while maintaining the strengths of the traditional telco’s (five 9s) reliability. • Creating standards to enable industry to develop new services which attract users (and applications with their developers) and monetizing on those services. • Involving/retaining experienced standards participants (i.e., resources) with a good understanding of the converged network, the technologies, and overall direction of the industry.

6. Next Steps/Actions • Enlist broader involvement/participation of the non-traditional telco sector in the standardization process; e.g., the entertainment and applications developers communities. • Implement actions resulting from ATIS’ initiatives on the Home Network, Service-Oriented Networks, and Green. • Continue to engage ATIS’ executive-level Board to assess industry’s strategic business direction and subsequent technical/ operations needs. • Continue to assess new models by which standards can best be developed to respond to marketplace opportunities and demands. • Foster continuing collaboration amongst industry’s standards developers.

7. Supplemental Slides

8. Exploratory Group on Convergence (EGC) • The Exploratory Group on Convergence (EGC) released its Report and Recommendations in September 2007, defining the scope and meaning of convergence and identifying high level issues and recommendations for standards, requirements, and architecture to support NGN inter-working. • The EGC concluded: • Realizing the full potential of convergence will require a fundamental shift in the industry’s approach to traditional wireless, wireline, and service silos. • Standardization programs must broaden their efforts from a technology or service specific (vertical) approach to that of a comprehensive holistic end-to-end (horizontal) standpoint. • There is no clear mechanism to ensure that service interaction can be effectively managed across service types or service domains (e.g., a combined Multimedia Sub-system (IMS) + Web Services architecture). • ATIS is well-positioned to demonstrate solid leadership in the area of convergence. • Recommendations outlined in the report are now being implemented within ATIS committees.

9. Optical Access Networks (OAN) • The Optical Access Networks Focus Group (OAN-FG) released its Assessment and Work Plan in September 2007 focusing on issues associated with the development and implementation of access networks for FTTx and related optical networking technologies in North America. • Steps needed to resolve specified gaps in the report include: • identification of which standards need to be clarified, expanded, or limited in order to move the industry towards viable options for G-PON deployment • identification of where resources should be centered to develop interoperability testing which is beneficial to ATIS members • areas in which implementation agreements should be developed and supported. • ATIS Network Interface Power and Protection (NIPP) committee is addressing items identified in the work plan, with focus on optical access interfaces and systems.

10. Inter-Carrier VoIP Call Routing (IVCR) • The Inter-Carrier VoIP Call Routing Focus Group (IVCR-FG) completed its assessment and work plan in January 2008. • ATIS Inter-Carrier VoIP Call Routing (IVCR) Assessment and Work Plan published in 1Q08 focused on: • Reference models and identification of IP-interconnect scenarios, and • Areas that affect interconnection such as Signaling & Media Transport, Security, Emergency Services. Public Safety, Performance and Provisioning. • Work launched in ATIS’ committees to address issues outlined in the work plan. • Workshop held in June 2008 with the 3GPP, ENUM LLC, GSMA, GSMNA, and IETF to initiate discussion on the feasibility of a common routing solution and NG-carrier interconnections.

11. Home Networking (HNET) • ATIS established a Home Networking Focus Group to develop a cohesive home networking infrastructure. • Areas under review include plug-and-play, transport medium within the home, managing the home network, QoS, security, content and “green” aspects. • Currently assessing these areas along with developing a functional architecture, and assessing industry certification programs. • Work commenced in February 2008 and is expected to conclude in 4Q08.

12. Service Oriented Networks (SON) • ATIS established a Service Oriented Networks Focus Group to investigate an enhanced service creation environment. • Areas under review include: • an enhanced service creation environment and programming model accessible to a large developer community, • methods for blending capabilities from a variety of sources (e.g., Web 2.0/SOA/IMS); and • the ability for ATIS member companies to selectively tap the capabilities of and provide capabilities to the larger community of external application developers. • Currently developing a high-level framework for SON to illustrate the connections, synergies, and areas of competition in the NGN, IMS, SOA, and Web 2.0 architectures as well as aspects of service quality management, service creation environments, service development, service delivery, service orchestration, common data modeling and BSS/OSS issues. • Work commenced April 2008 and expected to conclude in 4Q08.

13. Next Generation Carrier Interconnect (NG-CI) • ATIS committee leaders and industry stakeholders working collaboratively to define a roadmap to address short term issues and longer term issues related to IP interconnection. • Priority work for TDM-to-IP and IP-to-IP interconnection standardization activities actively ongoing in ATIS committees. • Key areas identified include: services and adaptation, next generation interconnection architecture, network and traffic management, and service specific requirements. • ATIS technical committees actively addressing 32 related NG-CI issues within their standards activities. • ATIS currently assessing longer-term interconnect items and developing use cases for Fixed-Fixed and Fixed-Mobile Convergence, Managed Peer-to-Peer service and Bandwidth on Demand.

14. IPv6 Task Force (IPv6-TF) • ATIS IPv6 Task Force formed in late 2005 to create a consensus view/position on IPv6. • Initial report released in May 2006 examined the drivers for the transition to IPv6 and identified the issues and complexities arising with the transition. • Second report released in July 2007 addressed “transition challenges” with the identification of standards and initiatives to enable the transition to take place in a secure, logical manner fitting with the needs of vendors and network operators to provide solutions and best practices. • Third report released June 2008, ATIS Readiness Plan for IPv6 Transition, provides: • A tool for organizations to make an assessment of current capabilities and to identify steps towards IPv6 readiness, and • Means for organizations to illustrate IPv6 readiness utilizing defined Levels of Readiness.