Next/New Generation Networks Services and Management Imen Grida Ben Yahia 1,2 , Emmanuel Bertin 1 imen.benyahia@francetelecom.com , emmanuel.bertin@francetelecom.com 1 France Telecom R&D BIZZ/PMX/SLA 42rue des coutures, BP6243-14066 Caen Cedex4 Noel Crespi 2 noel.crespi@int-evry.fr 2 Institut Nationale des Télécommunications (GET-INT)Mobile Networks and Multimedia Services Department 9 Rue Charles Fourier, 91011, Evry Cedex, France Abstract New/Next Generation Networks aim to provide mutual trusted IP Based Networks for a multi access network and innovative services tailored to users needs. NGN architecture has been the purpose of several studies within organism of standardization like ITU-T and ETSI. We present here a literature about NGN architecture (NGN) and Next/New Generation service (NGS) requirements: details about functionalities of NGN layers and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) Architecture are in the scope of the paper. We also describe the service management aspects and its challenges while evolution towards NGS. Key words NGN, NGS, IMS, Service management. 1 Introduction NGN (Next Generation Network) is a concept that has been introduced to take account of the new situation and changes in telecommunications fields. It is characterised by a lot of aspects: Deregulation of markets, new demand from user for innovative services tied to his needs and to his location and explosion of digital traffic (increase of using Internet). NGN as defined by the ITU-T is a packet-based network able to provide services including Telecommunication Services and able to make use of multiple broadband, QoS-enabled transport technologies and in which service-related functions are independent from underlying transport-related technologies. It offers unrestricted access by users to different service providers. It supports generalized mobility which will allow consistent and ubiquitous provision of services to users [1]. It is to notice that the cornerstone of NGN architecture is the separation of services from transport allowing them to be offered separately and to evolve independently. [2] The conception of these services is a key challenge for the telecom market. Their usage is evolving toward integrated services, relying seamlessly on multiple access networks and bundling multiple service elements (e.g. voice/video connectivity, community tools, presence, conferencing, gaming, TV broadcasting…). Control Transport Services Backbone IP Open and standardized Interface Open and standardized Interface Internet Access network Figure 1 NGN decomposition Layer The figure below illustrates: ◊ The multi access networks: xDSL, WiFi, UMTS, Cable. This also means diverse fixed and mobile terminals. ◊ Mutual transport layer for all access type and for numerous multimedia services ◊ The relation between NGN and Internet architecture: continuity between the two concepts NGN introduce economical and technical aspects: economically it allows increasing productivity by creating new usage relating voice and data services (voice over IP, Instant messaging, Presence, Streaming and Advanced push to talk). In fact, NGN enable service provider to offer real time and non real time communication services, and allows them to provide nomadicity and mobility of both users and devices. NGN promises that communications services are always reachable every where using a terminal. It also permits reducing costs for infrastructure maintenance, hence one type of transport network instead of specific one to each access network. Technically NGN make very flexible the network architecture in order to define and introduce easily new services. Numerous research activities and studies are dealing with Next Generation Networks and Services to realize the predefined economic and technical aspects: the architecture of NGN and the new protocols and API, the service architecture in order to set up a clear and flexible way to define innovative services, the service interaction, the service management and network management to handle and integrate the new concept of NGN within new vision of OSS/BSS. To ensure these studies several efforts are continually in practice within organisms like: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), International telecom Union (ITU) and (ETSI TISPAN) 0-7695-2622-5/06/$20.00 (c) 2006 IEEE