A shift in the mobile network service provisioning paradigm

Abstract

The primary objective of future service provisioning schemes is to allow mobile network operators/service providers to offer ubiquitous service appearances to their globally roaming users. To achieve this service provisioning objective, a shift in service standardization is taking place. Various third-generation (3G) network standardization communities — such as the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the Third-Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) — are actively pursuing standardization of service capabilities as opposed to services. This paper presents a new scheme for provisioning new services that are operator specific, and as such they are not necessarily standardized. It contains an overview of the International Mobile Telecommunications 2000 (IMT-2000) family of systems concept and its global roaming environment. It describes the supporting network entity of the IMT-2000 and introduces the relay service control (RSC) scenario of the virtual home environment (VHE) scheme, as well as the flexible access authorization (FAA) method. These form the three key aspects of 3G networks, which together will globally offer the largest possible portfolio of real-time mobile telephony services. This paper also explores the combined impacts of applying these new concepts to achieve the ambitious goal of offering “any service” (via the supporting network entity), “anywhere” (using the VHE scheme), at “any time” (using the FAA method). Finally, the new service provisioning system is applied to the emerging voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network configuration.