Technical Standards Advisory Committee Working Group On Common Connection Standards (CCS)

For discussion only
CCS-WG Paper No. 8/2010
TECHNICAL STANDARDS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

WORKING GROUP ON COMMON CONNECTION STANDARDS (CCS)
NGN Standardization and Interoperability
Introduction
The Next Generation Network (NGN) is a field which enjoys a fast pace of
development globally. NGN standardization work has been going on in parallel in a number
of Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) for years. This paper first gives a brief
introduction to the work of the SDOs and then considers the standardization requirements in
Hong Kong. It goes on to introduce some key standards available from the SDOs which
may be considered for adoption in Hong Kong. Finally, the way forward to progress our
NGN standardization work is considered.
International Development
2.
SDOs which are actively involved in the development of NGN standards include the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), European Telecommunications Standards
Institute (ETSI), Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF).
ITU
3.
ITU coordinates the global efforts (including governments, regional and national
SDOs, industry forums, vendors, operators, etc.) in developing the ITU recommendations.
It started the NGN standardization work in 2003 and has so far published many
recommendations on NGN. ITU takes a three-stage approach as follows to develop the
NGN standards (a)
Stage 1 : identify service requirements;
(b)
Stage 2 : describe network architecture and functions to map service requirements into
network capabilities; and
(c)
Stage 3 : define protocol capabilities to support the services.
All services and capabilities have to be specified to stage 3 to ensure that the standards are
implementable.
4.
The initial recommendations mainly specify the NGN framework, including the key
features, functional architecture, network component capabilities, network evolution, which
form the basis for the development of more specific and implementable recommendations.
Later, recommendations covering implementable protocol specifications which provide the
necessary standards for product development are published. ITUs NGN specifications are
mainly contained in the Y-series and Q-series recommendations. The Y.2xxx series
recommendations specify the overall characteristics of NGN whereas the Y.19xx series
recommendations specify IP Television (IPTV) over NGN.
The Q.3xxx series
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recommendations focus on the signalling requirements and protocols for NGN.

these recommendations are given in Annex 1.
Lists of
ETSI and 3GPP

5.
The TISPAN (Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for
Advanced Networking) Technical Committee was formed by ETSI in 2003 to specify NGN.
In end 2005, ETSI finalized the TISPAN NGN specification Release 1, which focuses on
Voice over IP (VoIP) and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) access. TISPAN NGN
specification Release 2 was finalized in early 2008 which adds key elements to NGN (e.g.
IPTV, home networks and devices), as well as features like enhanced mobility, and content
delivery with improved security. Work on the NGN Release 3 specification covering IPTV
enhancements, IP network interconnection, security enhancements, and QoS control is
underway. The lists of published and draft ETSI TISPAN NGN specifications can be
accessed
from
the
ETSI
website
at
http://www.etsi.org/WebSite/Technologies/NextGenerationNetworks.aspx.
6.
One important component of the TISPAN NGN is the IP Multimedia Subsystem
(IMS), the standardization work of which was mainly carried out by 3GPP in collaboration
with TISPAN. IMS, adopted in TISPAN NGN Release 1, is a framework to support IP
multimedia services in NGN. The 3GPP IMS specifications are mature enough that there
are vendors providing IMS equipment now. The full set of IMS specifications are available
from the 3GPP website at http://www.3gpp.org/specification-numbering. Both ETSI and
3GPP also take the three-stage approach of ITU as described in para. 3 above in standards
development.
IETF
7.
IETF has a historical Internet origin. It develops industry standards on specific areas
like addressing, communications protocols, QoS framework, security frameworks for use in
the Internet and other IP-based networks. These protocols and frameworks are commonly
referenced by the specifications of other SDOs such as ITU, ETSI and 3GPP. The Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP), an IP-based service level signalling protocol developed by IETF,
has been adopted by ITU and ETSI/3GPP for use in NGN. The 3GPP IMS is SIP-based and
the TISPAN NGN uses SIP extensively. The IETF standards (i.e. the Request for Comments
(RFC)) are available from the IETF website at http://www.ietf.org/rfc.html.
Standardization Requirements
8.
OFTA publishes telecommunications standards in the form of HKTA specifications.
At present, the HKTA specifications can be broadly categorized into two types when public
telecommunications services are involved (a)
standards covering User-to-Network Interface (UNI) requirements; and
(b)
standards covering Network-to-Network Interface (NNI) requirements.
A reference model of the telecommunications networks is depicted in Figure 1 below. This

model should be applicable to the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network/ Integrated
Services Digital Network (PSTN/ISDN) as well as NGN.
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Public
Network A
UE
Public
Network B
UE
NNI
UNI
UNI
Note : Network A and Network B are operated by different network operators.
Legend : UE - User Equipment
UNI - User-to-Network Interface
NNI - Network-to-Network Interface
Figure 1 - Reference Model of Telecommunications Networks

9.
The UNI and NNI standards serve to ensure the end-to-end service interoperability.
HKTA specifications covering the UNI requirements ensure the interoperability between the
user equipment and the network. A user may access the intended service via two or more
networks operated by different operators, e.g. a telephone call from a user of Network A to a
user of Network B as shown in Figure 1 above. HKTA specifications covering the NNI
requirements ensure the compatibility of the interfacing equipment between the
interconnecting networks.
10.
There are various types of UNI which have been standardized, mainly including
interfaces provided by the PSTN/ISDN such as direct exchange line (DEL), direct dial-in
(DDI) line, ISDN basic rate access, ISDN primary rate access. Where necessary, new
HKTA specifications may be prepared to cover the newly emerged UNI types. For the NNI,
the present HKTA specifications mainly cover the interconnection requirements of
PSTN/ISDN using Time Division Multiplex / Common Channel Signalling System No. 7
(TDM/C7) technology for the provision of traditional voice telephone service.
11.
The requirements to ensure end-to-end service interoperability are generic. So there
may be a need to develop UNI and NNI standards for NGN as well to ensure that the users
can access the intended NGN services. In addition, comparing with PSTN/ISDN, NGN has
a different architecture and can provide a wide selection of services. Consideration may
also be given to the following aspects when we work on NGN standardization (a)
Types of Services - At present, there are three main types of telecommunications

services being provided to the public, which are voice telephony, IPTV, and Internet
and related services. The standardization need of these services and the priorities
should be considered.
(b)
Interconnection Scenarios - There may be two types of interconnection: NGN-NGN

and NGN-PSTN/ISDN. PSTN/ISDN may remain in operation for some years. In
addition to standards for NGN-NGN interconnection, standards for
NGN-PSTN/ISDN interconnection for basic voice services may also be required.
(c)
Signalling Protocol - C7 is the service level signalling protocol being used in the
PSTN/ISDN. NGN is IP-based and an IP-based signalling protocol such as SIP may
be required.

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(d)
Codec - A variety of codec may be used in NGN for voice, video or multimedia
contents. The requirements for codec support and the transcoding capabilities may
need to be considered to ensure successful decoding of contents by the user
equipment.
(e)
Names and Addresses - In NGN, a user may be located by names (e.g. email address,
SIP address) in addition to numbers (such as telephone numbers used in the
PSTN/ISDN). The requirements for the support of names and addresses in NGN
may need to be considered.
(f)
Quality of Service (QoS) - QoS shall be maintained along the whole communications
path to ensure the end-to-end QoS required for the intended services. Different types
of services have different performance objectives 1, e.g. real-time services will have
more stringent QoS requirements. Standards for resource and admission control may
be required to ensure QoS.
(g)
Security - IP-based networks are liable to various kinds of attack, fraud and spoofing.
Security may be a more important concern for NGN than for PSTN/ISDN. The
requirements on access control (e.g. user/network authentication), information
security (by encryption) may need to be considered.
(h)
IPv4/IPv6 Interworking - IPv4 is now prevailing, but gradual migration to IPv6 is

anticipated. Both IP versions may co-exist for some time and their interworking
requirements may need to be considered.
(i)
Application-to-Network Interface (ANI) - NGN is required to provide an open

environment for the delivery of new services and capabilities. It should allow
third-party service providers to develop new applications accessible via open and
standard interface, i.e. ANI. Depending on the NGN development and the demand
for third-party applications, there may also be a need to develop ANI standards in
addition to the UNI and NNI standards.
Important International or Regional Standards for NGN

12.
The paragraphs below introduce some important international or regional standards
which may meet our standardization requirements as mentioned above. SIP is the popular
service level signalling protocol selected by the SDOs for use in NGN. Introduction is first
given to some key standards based on SIP in paragraphs 13 to 17. IMS is an NGN
component which has been quite maturely standardized and IMS products are available from
some major vendors. Paragraphs 18 to 21 introduces some key standards on IMS. In the
process of migration from PSTN/ISDN to NGN, both types of network will co-exist. There
would be a need for PSTN/ISDN-NGN interworking, and SIP-I is a signalling protocol for
this purpose. Paragraphs 22 to 26 introduces the standards based on SIP-I. At present,
both ITU and ETSI are working hard on IPTV standardization. Some relevant standards
from ITU and ETSI are introduced in paragraphs 27 to 34. The list of international or
regional standards referred to in this paper is also given in Annex 2 for easy reference.
The performance objective contains a set of limits for QoS parameters including packet delay, delay variation,
packet loss, error ratio which are impairments occurred in packet-switched networks.

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Signalling Protocol for NGN : SIP/SDP

IETF SIP/SDP
13.
SIP is the service level signalling protocol for the establishment, modification and
termination of multimedia sessions in NGN. It is developed by the IETF, and is specified in
RFC 3261. SIP is designed to work with both IPv4 and IPv6. The Session Description
Protocol (SDP), also developed by IETF and specified in RFC 4566, is commonly used
together with SIP to convey information on media streams contained in the multimedia
session established by SIP. Besides RFC 3261 and RFC 4566, IETF has also developed a
set of related RFCs to extend the SIP/SDP capabilities, i.e. the RFC extensions for SIP/SDP.
RFC 3261 and RFC 4566 together with the RFC extensions for SIP/SDP is collectively
referred to as the IETF SIP/SDP in this paper. In addition to the ordinary signalling
functions for session management, the SIP/SDP messages can also be used to convey or
exchange the following information, thus addressing some of the standardization
requirements as mentioned in para. 11 above (a)
media information, e.g. codec used or supported, type of media (e.g. audio, video,
data);
(b)
QoS parameters, e.g. media type, bit rates, packet size, packet transport frequency,
bandwidth adaptation; and
(c)
security information, e.g. security keys, authentication information.
Adoption of SIP/SDP by 3GPP and ETSI

14.
The use of SIP/SDP receives substantial attention as a component of the TISPAN
NGN, particularly because it is selected for use in the 3GPP IMS. The 3GPP has published
the following specification, endorsing the use of SIP/SDP in the 3GPP IMS
3GPP - TS 24.229 IP multimedia call control protocol based on Session Initiation

Protocol (SIP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP); Stage 3.
In the main body of TS 24.229, the procedures of using SIP/SDP within the IMS for
signalling communications are specified. Annex A of TS 24.229 contains detailed
specification of the 3GPP SIP/SDP profile2. The conformity to the IETF SIP/SDP functions
and capabilities is specified by the 3GPP profile status codes, which stipulate the types of
support, e.g. mandatory, optional, conditional, not support, under the 3GPP IMS
environment. TS 24.229 has been endorsed by ETSI under the following standard with
some modifications to make it in line with the requirements of the TISPAN NGN
ETSI - ES 283 003 IP multimedia call control protocol based on Session Initiation
Protocol (SIP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP); Stage 3
ITU-T NGN NNI and UNI Signalling Profiles

15.
The use of SIP/SDP as the service level signalling protocol has also been endorsed by
ITU. ITU has published the following recommendations which specifies the ITU-T
SIP/SDP profile for use at the ITU-T NGN NNI and UNI for the provision of multimedia
2
In this context, a profile is an implementation conformance statement (ICS) which specifies the conformance
to the requirements as stipulated in a reference standard.

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(voice, video and data) services
ITU-T Rec. Q.3401 NGN NNI signalling profile (protocol set 1)
ITU-T Rec. Q.3402 NGN UNI signalling profile (protocol set 1)
16.
The SIP/SDP profile specified in Q.3401 and Q.3402 are the first protocol sets
defined by ITU for NGN NNI and UNI signalling. Figure 2 below illustrates the interfaces
covered by Q.3401 and Q.3402. The NNI covered in Q.3401 is the logical interface
between the Service Control Functions (SCF) of the interconnecting NGN. The UNI
covered in Q.3402 includes the logical interfaces between the End User Function (EUF) and
the service stratum (for service level signalling), and between the EUF and the transport
stratum (for control of media transport).
UNI covered
in Q.3402
Applications
NNI covered
in Q.3401
ANI
Application support functions and service support functions

Service control
functions
Service Stratum
Network attachment
control functions
Resource and
admission
control functions
Transport user
profile
Other networks
End-user functions
Management functions
Service user
profile
Transport control functions

Transport functions
Transport Stratum
UNI
Control
NNI
Media
Management
Figure 2 - Interfaces covered by Q.3401 and Q.3402 within the NGN architecture
17.
Q.3401 and Q.3402 specify the ITU-T SIP/SDP profile based on the IETF SIP/SDP,
which basically covers (a)
IETF RFCs to be supported (i.e. RFC 3261 for SIP, RFC 4566 for SDP, and the
relevant SIP/SDP extension RFCs); and
(b)
the conformance to the requirements of the IETF SIP/SDP, including whether the
support or compliance to the SIP/SDP functions or requirements is mandatory,
optional or conditional.
In
addition
to
the

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SIP/SDP
profile,
Page 6
Q.3401
and
Q.3402
also
contain
For discussion only
requirements/recommendations on codec, packetization size, routing and addressing,

signalling and media transport, IPv4/IPv6 support, security, which may address some of the
standardization requirements as mentioned in para. 11 above.
3GPP IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)

18.
IMS is an architectural framework for delivering IP multimedia services. It is a
major service layer component of the TISPAN NGN, and has also been adopted by ITU under
ITU-T Rec. Y.2021 IMS for Next Generation Networks for use in the ITU-T NGN. IMS
was initially developed by both 3GPP and ETSI, with 3GPP focusing on mobile access and
ETSI focusing on fixed access. The fixed IMS standardization work was later migrated
from ETSI to 3GPP so that one unique SDO is responsible for producing a common IMS
standard. The IMS standardization has been mature enough to allow implementation. The
following specifications provide basic concepts for the IMS while the full set of IMS
standards can be found from the link given in para. 6 above
3GPP - TS 22.228 Service requirements for the Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia
core network subsystem; Stage 1, which specifies the service requirements from the
users and operators perspective for the support of IP multimedia applications through
IMS.
3GPP - TS 23.228 IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Stage 2, which specifies the

functional capabilities of and the information flows in IMS to support IP multimedia
services.
3GPP - TS 23.517 IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Functional architecture, which

describes the functional entities comprising the IMS, and its interfaces with other
NGN components and the PSTN/ISDN.
19.
The major characteristics of the IMS as specified in the 3GPP standards are
summarized below (a)
Fixed-mobile convergence - IMS is access-independent so that IMS services can be

provided over any IP connectivity networks, whether fixed or mobile. IMS has
mobility management capabilities which allow the user equipment to register its
location with the IMS. Services can still be maintained seamlessly when the user
moves between different access networks.
(b)
Signalling - IMS uses SIP/SDP as specified in the 3GPP specification

TS 24.229 for service level signalling, both within the IMS core and for interfacing
with the user equipment at the UNI.
(c)
QoS - IMS provides QoS support. Using SIP/SDP, a user equipment can negotiate
its capabilities and indicate its end-to-end QoS requirements during multimedia
session setup or modification. IMS will interact with the access and transport
networks to assess the current traffic level, and control the allocation of the require IP
bearer resources or deny the QoS request depending on the network traffic conditions.
(d)
Security - IMS has its own authentication and authorization mechanisms between the
user equipment and the IMS network. In addition, the integrity and the optional
confidentiality of the SIP/SDP messages is provided between the user equipment and
the IMS, and between the IMS network entities.

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(e)
Interworking between IPv4 and IPv6 - IMS is originally specified as supporting IPv6
only. However, early IMS implementations may still use IPv4. 3GPP has
published the technical report TR 23.981 Interworking aspects and migration
scenarios for IPv4-based IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) implementations which
studies the IPv4-IPv6 interworking and migration scenarios.
(f)
Open Application-to-Network Interface (ANI) - IMS provides a common platform for

the provision of IP multimedia services. This enables third-party service providers
to roll out new services in a simpler, more timely and more cost-effective manner.
The ANI, referred to as the IMS Service Control (ISC) reference point, has been
standardized. This may facilitate open service creation and deployment of
third-party applications.
Inter-IMS Network-to-Network Interface (NNI)

20.
3GPP has published the following specification specifying the NNI between two IMS
in order to support end-to-end service interoperability
3GPP - TS 29.165 Inter-IMS Network-to-Network Interface (NNI), which has been

endorsed by ETSI under the specification TS 129 165.
For control plane interconnection, TS 29.165 specifies the use of the 3GPP SIP/SDP profile
as defined in TS 24.229, with some modifications, for service level signalling at the
inter-IMS NNI. For user plane interconnection, the codec and transport protocol
requirements are specified. In addition, TS 29.165 also covers requirements on names and
addresses, IP version support, security and charging at the inter-IMS NNI.
Interworking of IMS with External IP Networks
21.
In addition to interconnection between two IMS, IMS may also interconnect with an
external IP network for IP multimedia service support. 3GPP has published the following
specification to address such interworking requirements
3GPP - TS 29.162 Interworking between the IM CN subsystem and IP networks,

which has been endorsed by ETSI under the specification TS 129 162.
TS 29.162 specifies the interconnection requirements between an IMS and a non-IMS but
SIP/SDP-based IP network. Service level signalling is primarily based on the 3GPP
SIP/SDP profile specified in TS 24.229. In addition, TS 29.162 also contains requirements
on IP header interworking, QoS, security, and codec support.
Signalling Protocol for NGN-PSTN/ISDN Interworking : SIP-I

22.
While the development and implementation of NGN is going on at a good pace, the
PSTN/ISDN may remain in operation for some years. During the transition period, NGN
and PSTN/ISDN may co-exist and there would be a need to ensure the interoperability
between these networks for the support of basic voice calls. SIP/SDP is the prevailing
signalling protocol for use in NGN whereas PSTN/ISDN uses ISUP 3 (ISDN User Part)
signalling. To address the interworking between SIP/SDP and ISUP, ITU has developed the
3
ISUP is part of the C7 signalling system which is used to set up telephone calls in PSTN/ISDN.

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SIP-I (SIP with encapsulated ISUP) standard. SIP-I specifies two approaches for
SIP/SDP-ISUP interworking: translation and encapsulation. Translation refers to the direct
mapping between SIP/SDP and ISUP messages. The problem of the translation approach is
that ISUP provides a richer set of services than SIP/SDP, and not every single parameter in
ISUP has a SIP/SDP counterpart. Some ISUP information may be lost during translation.
For the encapsulation approach, the ISUP-to-SIP/SDP translation is done first to construct the
appropriate SIP/SDP message, and then the ISUP message is encapsulated in the SIP/SDP
message. This ensures the conveyance of the full ISUP information.
23.
SIP-I is developed by ITU and has a telecommunications origin. It is generally
accepted by the telecommunications industry and other SDOs. SIP-I is specified in the
following two ITU-T documents
ITU-T Recommendation Q.1912.5 Interworking between Session Initiation Protocol

(SIP) and Bearer Independent Call Control (BICC) protocol or ISDN User Part
ITU-T Technical Report TRQ.2815 Requirements for interworking BICC/ISUP

network with originating/destination networks based on Session Initiation Protocol
and Session Description Protocol
24.
TRQ.2815 identifies three profiles for the interworking between SIP/SDP and ISUP:
Profiles A, B and C. Q.1912.5 specifies the rules for the mapping/interworking between
ISUP and SIP/SDP messages (for Profiles A and B), and the encapsulation rules (for Profile
C). Additional information on Profiles A, B and C is given below (a)
Profile A addresses mapping/interworking between ITU-T ISUP and 3GPP SIP/SDP

as specified in 3GPP TS 24.229. ISUP encapsulation is not used. It is designed
primarily to facilitate interworking between 3GPP IMS and ITU-T ISUP-based
circuit-switched networks.
(b)
Profile B is similar to Profile A in that no ISUP encapsulation is used, but Profile B

addresses the mapping/interworking between ITU-T ISUP and IETF SIP/SDP.
(c)
Profile C is also known as SIP-I.

ISUP encapsulation.
It is the same as Profile B with the addition of
Adoption of ITU-T Standard on ISUP-SIP/SDP Interworking by ETSI

25.
ETSI has provided endorsement to ITU-T Rec. Q.1912.5, with some modifications, in
the following standard, which represents ETSIs general acceptance of the ITU approach in
respect of ISUP-SIP/SDP interworking
ETSI - EN 383 001 Interworking between Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and
Bearer Independent Call Control (BICC) Protocol or ISDN User Part (ISUP)
Interworking of 3GPP IMS with Circuit-Switched Network

26.
For interworking between IMS and ISUP-based circuit-switched network, 3GPP has
published the following specification
3GPP - TS 29.163 Interworking between the IP Multimedia (IM) Core Network (CN)
subsystem and Circuit Switched (CS) networks

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TS 29.163 specifies the principles of control plane and user plane interworking between the
3GPP IMS and ISUP-based circuit-switched networks, in order to support IMS basic voice
calls. For control plane signalling, the SIP/SDP profile specified in TS 29.163 is based on
TS 24.229 and the SIP/SDP-ISUP interworking is based on Profile A of ITU-T Rec. Q.1912.5
with some modifications. TS 29.163 also addresses the transport protocol and signalling
issues for negotiation and mapping of bearer capabilities and QoS information. ETSI has
given endorsement to TS 29.163 with some modifications in the following specifications
ETSI - TS 129 527 Endorsement of the SIP-ISUP Interworking between the IP

Multimedia (IM) Core Network (CN) subsystem and Circuit Switched (CS) networks
[3GPP TS 29.163, modified]
ETSI - ES 283 027 Endorsement of the SIP-ISUP Interworking between the IP

IP Television (IPTV)
ITU IPTV Standards
27.
The IPTV standardization work within ITU is on-going under the umbrella of a
Global Standards Initiative, i.e. the IPTV-GSI. To date ITU has published two major
standards for IPTV
ITU-T Rec. Y.1901 Requirements for the support of IPTV services
ITU-T Rec. Y.1910 IPTV functional architecture
28.
Y.1901 specifies the high level requirements to support IPTV services, including the
following major areas (a)
general requirements on service offering, accounting and charging;
(b)
QoS and performance, e.g. quality of experience (QoE), traffic management;
(c)
security, including service and content protection, service security, network security,
IPTV terminal security, subscriber security;
(d)
network related aspects, including multicast distribution, mobility;
(e)
end-system capabilities and interoperability aspects; and
(f)
middleware and content aspects.
29.
Y.1910 describes the IPTV functional architecture to support IPTV services. The
IPTV functional architecture is based on the use of existing network components as well as
the NGN architecture, leading to three possible architectures (a)
IPTV functional architecture for non-NGN network components;
(b)
IPTV functional architecture based on NGN functional architecture, but not based on
IMS;
(c)
IPTV functional architecture based on NGN and its the IMS component.
Y.1910 identifies the functional entities for each of the architectures mentioned above and the
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reference points (i.e. the interfaces) between these functional entities. It then describes the
functional capabilities of these entities and reference points, including functional entities for
interworking between different IPTV functional architectures, and with third-party
applications. As envisaged by ITU, the next generation IPTV may see a change that
requires interoperation between service providers and/or network providers. A potential
outcome of this will be that a customer can go into a shop, buy an IPTV box, call their
network operator and sign-up, and then access services from a range of third party service
providers.
30.
In additional to Y.1901 and Y.1910, there are other IPTV standards published by
ITU-T, including the following
ITU-T Rec. H.720 Overview of IPTV terminal devices and end systems, which
provides a high level description of the functionality of terminal devices for IPTV
services;
ITU-T Rec. H.721 IPTV Terminal devices: Basic model, which specifies the
functionalities of IPTV terminal devices for IPTV basic services over a dedicated
content delivery network, taking into account conditions on content delivery such as
QoS; and
ITU-T Rec. X.1191 Functional requirements and architecture for IPTV security
aspects, which describes the functional requirements, architecture and mechanisms
dealing with the security and protection of IPTV content, service, network, terminal
devices and subscribers.
ETSI IPTV Standards

31.
The ETSI TISPAN Technical Committee has published a set of specifications for
IPTV in its NGN Specification Release 2. To address the needs of network service
providers and equipment vendors, TISPAN defines two solutions for the integration of IPTV
in the TISPAN NGN architecture (a)
Dedicated IPTV subsystem - which focuses on the integration of existing market

solutions in an NGN environment, allowing the network service providers to enjoy
the cost advantages of an NGN network without major modification of their current
IPTV service.
(b)
IMS-based IPTV - which allows blending of TV services with other

telecommunications services such as voice, data. Network service providers can
take full benefit of the IMS architecture while providing key end-user services.
32.
TISPANs IPTV specification development is a typical example of the 3-stage
(service, architecture and functions, protocol) approach as described in para. 3 above. For
IPTV service, there are two major specifications as follows
ETSI - TS 181 014 Requirements for network transport capabilities to support IPTV
services
ETSI - TS 181 016 Service Layer Requirements to integrate NGN Services and
IPTV
TS 181 014 specifies the generic network transport capability requirements to support IPTV
service, including admission control, multicast and unicast support, security, user profiles,
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accounting, etc. TS 181 016 complements TS 181 014 by specifying the service
requirements for IPTV within NGN. Coverage of TS 181 016 include types of services to
be supported, security, charging, service discovery and delivery, user profiles, terminal
provisioning, QoS and QoE, etc.
33.
As regards IPTV architecture and functions, there are three major specifications as
follows
ETSI - TS 182 028 NGN integrated IPTV subsystem Architecture
ETSI - TS 182 027 IPTV Architecture; IPTV functions supported by the IMS
subsystem
ETSI - TS 185 009 Architecture and reference points of a customer network device
for IMS based IPTV services
TS 182 028 specifies the architecture and functions of an NGN integrated IPTV system by
integrating the IPTV functions into the NGN architecture. TS 182 027 specifies the
architecture and functions of an IPTV system that makes use of the NGN IMS architecture.
Both TS 182 028 and TS 182 027 describe the functional entities in their respective IPTV
systems, the reference points and information flow between these entities, and other related
capabilities for implementing the service requirements as specified in TS 181 014 and TS 181
016. For TS 185 009, it defines the customer network devices (i.e. physical devices
enabling service usage) for access to the IPTV system based on NGN IMS. It covers the
architecture of the device, including the transport and service layer related functionalities.
34.
For the IPTV protocol aspect, there are three major specifications as given below
ETSI - TS 183 064 Dedicated IPTV subsystem stage 3 specification
ETSI - TS 183 063 IMS-based IPTV stage 3 specification
ETSI - TS 184 009 Rules covering the use of TV URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers)
for the Identification of Television Channels
TS 183 064 and TS 183 063 specify the protocols and procedures to be applied at the
reference points between the functional entities of the dedicated IPTV system (as specified in
TS 182 028) and the IMS-based IPTV system (as specified in TS 182 027) respectively. For
TS 184 009, it describes the rules for identification (i.e. naming) of the television channels
using the TV Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
Consideration
35.
The telecommunications network operators is in the process of migrating from
traditional PSTN/ISDN to NGN in order to launch a wide selection of voice, video,
multimedia, and data services to the end users. Such migration is necessary for the
operators to attract more and retain existing customers, keep ahead of competition and
generate new revenues. To aid the smooth migration to NGN, SDOs like ITU, ETSI and
3GPP have started the NGN standardization work since 2003. Today some international or
regional standards such as those described above are available to guide the NGN
implementations.

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36.
In Hong Kong, many network operators have implemented their IP-based networks
which may over time evolve to NGN. To ensure the end-to-end service interoperability
across networks of different operators in the NGN era, standards for NGN may be required.
Before we work out our HKTA specifications for NGN, some basic questions need to be
considered. These include the types of service to be standardized, the timeframe when
standards are required, and which international or regional standards to be adopted.
Consideration is given to these questions in the paragraphs below. Also we would like to
point out that to answer these questions, inputs from the industry will be indispensable.
Services to be Standardized
37.
VoIP, IPTV and Internet access are the major services now provided over the local IP
networks. For Internet access, there is already interconnection at the IP level, either by
direct interconnection between the operators IP networks, or via the Hong Kong Internet
Exchanges (HKIXs). There is no major interoperability problem for the Internet service
now. For IPTV, the operators are currently taking a walled-garden approach. That is, the
IPTV service is practically provided within the network of the operator who provides the
service, or over dedicated networks selected by the IPTV service provider which does not
operate its own network. In addition, individual networks are QoS-managed to ensure the
IPTV service quality. Also the IPTV set-top boxes are now provided by the operators who
will ensure interoperability with the networks. ITU and ETSI are working on IPTV
standards with the objective of providing unfettered access to IPTV service, but at this
moment there does not seem to be a pressing demand from the public for IPTV
interconnection. Thus, Internet access and IPTV may not be the high priority services for
which standardization is required.
38.
Voice telephony is an essential telecommunications service now and will be so in the
NGN era. Its end-to-end service interoperability must be ensured. Voice telephone service
is primarily provided by the PSTN/ISDN now, and VoIP only accounts for a small portion of
the total traffic volume. Yet with the gradual migration of PSTN/ISDN to NGN, VoIP traffic
volume may increase steadily while TDM traffic volume drops. TDM/C7 interconnection
will phase out one day and interconnection at the IP level will be required sooner or later.
As such, VoIP may be the prime candidate for which standardization is required. In addition
to NGN-NGN interconnection, during the transition period PSTN/ISDN and NGN will
co-exist and PSTN/ISDN-NGN interconnection will also be required. Consideration may be
given to the adoption of the relevant standards on SIP for NGN-NGN interconnection and
SIP-I for PSTN/ISDN-NGN interconnection.
Migration Schedule
39.
As considered in para. 38 above, PSTN/ISDN may be the prime candidate for
migration to NGN and standards may first be required for VoIP. To answer the question
when such standards are required, we need to know the time schedule the operators will
migrate their PSTN/ISDN to NGN. Such migration should be operator specific depending
on the market requirements and individual operators business strategy. Factors like
agreement between operators on accounting principles for IP interconnection, protection of
operators PSTN/ISDN investment, public demand for VoIP service would influence the
decision of the operators. Further liaison between OFTA and the operators may be required
to harmonize the views and take care of the concerns of the operators, and to work out a time
schedule when PSTN/ISDN-NGN interconnection and NGN-NGN interconnection should be
July 2010
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For discussion only
effected.
Standards Conformity of NGN Equipment
40.
With the maturity of some NGN standards (e.g. those for IMS), some major
equipment vendors may be producing NGN equipment and providing turn-key solutions to
the operators. Today commercially viable equipment or systems should be designed to
comply with international or widely accepted regional standards such as those from ITU and
ETSI/3GPP. The operators may have procured or been sourcing equipment for their NGN
implementations. To consider which reference standards to be adopted for NGN, we may
need to know which standards the equipment or systems procured or to be procured by the
operators conform to.
41.
From the development work of the SDOs, it can be seen that IMS has been quite well
standardized. Also ETSI has organized several test events to evaluate the interoperability
between IMS equipment from different vendors. We may keep in view whether IMS can
emulate the success of well-standardized systems such as GSM 4 , UTRA FDD 5 where
interoperability is ensured satisfactorily due to strict conformity of the equipment to the
standards.
42.
As regards signalling which is a key element to ensure end-to-end service
interoperability, from the development work of ITU and ETSI/3GPP it appears that SIP and
SIP-I are the prevailing service level signalling protocols to be used in NGN. However, as
described above there are variations between the standards from ITU and ETSI/3GPP. For
example, the following SIP/SDP profiles from the SDOs differ in some details although they
are all based on IETF SIP/SDP (a)
ITU-T SIP/SDP profiles, as specified in ITU-T Rec. Q.3401 and Q.3402;
(b)
3GPP SIP/SDP profile, as specified in 3GPP TS 24.229; and
(c)
ETSI SIP/SDP profile, as specified in ETSI ES 283 003 which endorses 3GPP TS
24.229 with some modifications.
For SIP/SDP-ISUP interworking, the ITU SIP-I (as specified in ITU-T Rec. Q.1912.5) and
the ETSI SIP-I (as specified in ETSI EN 383 001) also differ in some details. Moreover, the
current ISUP requirements as specified in HKTA 2202, though based on ITU-T ISUP, deviate
in some areas from the ITU-T ISUP requirements to suit the local environment. This may
create further complications when we consider SIP/SDP-ISUP interworking. When
considering which reference standards to be adopted, inputs from the operators may be
required on the standards conformity of their equipment. Where necessary, we may also
approach the major vendors to get more information about the available NGN equipment.
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is the second generation public mobile
telecommunications standard.
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Terrestrial Radio Access Frequency Division Duplex
(UTRA FDD), commonly referred to as Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), is the third generation public
mobile telecommunications standard.

July 2010
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Consultation in the NGN WG of RAAC

43.
This matter was discussed at the meeting of the NGN Working Group (NGN WG) of
the Regulatory Affairs Advisory Committee (RAAC) in June 2010. The NGN WG
members generally agree that in connection with the NGN standardization work priority may
be accorded to the VoIP service. As for the timeframe for transition from PSTN/ISDN to
NGN, some operators expressed that the vendors might still provide technical support to the
TDM equipment for some time. They anticipated that the TDM equipment could still be
used for some years and there did not appear to have an urgency for replacing TDM by IP.
44.
The use of the SIP or SIP-I protocol for interconnection of voice service was also
discussed at the NGN WG meeting. Some operators expressed that they had given
consideration to the feasibility of using SIP at the UNI. As for the NNI, the situation would
be more complicated as it involves the other operators. The operators generally consider
that the signalling standards are still under evolution and it may be premature to identify any
of the standards for adoption at this moment. Yet, the operators generally have no objection
to the proposal of conducting interconnection trials for voice service. To facilitate the
consideration and arrangement for the trials, the operators were requested to provide
information on their NGN equipment (e.g. brand, model, hardware/software/firmware version,
standards conformity) to OFTA.
Views Sought
45.
Members are invited to comment on this paper and provide additional information or
suggestions which may help progress the NGN standardization in Hong Kong.
Office of the Telecommunications Authority

July 2010

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Annex 1
A.
List of ITU-T Y-series recommendations related to NGN

Y.1000-Y.1999 : Internet Protocol Aspects
Y.1900-Y.1999 : IPTV over NGN
Y.2000-Y.2999 : Next Generation Networks
Y.2000-Y.2099 : Frameworks and functional architecture models
Y.2100-Y.2199 : Quality of Service and performance
Y.2200-Y.2249 : Service aspects: Service capabilities and service architecture
Y.2250-Y.2299 : Service aspects: Interoperability of services and networks in
NGN
Y.2300-Y.2399 : Numbering, naming and addressing
Y.2400-Y.2499 : Network management
Y.2500-Y.2599 : Network control architectures and protocols
Y.2600-Y.2699 : Future networks
Y.2700-Y.2799 : Security
Y.2800-Y.2899 : Generalized mobility
Y.2900-Y.2999 : Carrier grade open environment
(The full list of ITU-T Y-series recommendations is available at
http://www.itu.int/itu-t/recommendations/index.aspx?ser=Y)
B.
List of ITU-T Q-series recommendations related to NGN

Q.3000-Q.3999 : Signalling requirements and protocols for the NGN
Q.3000-Q.3029 : General
Q.3030-Q.3099 : Network signalling and control functional architecture
Q.3100-Q.3129 : Network data organization within the NGN
Q.3130-Q.3179 : Bearer control signalling
Q.3200-Q.3249 : Signalling and control requirements and protocols to support
attachment in NGN environments
Q.3300-Q.3369 : Resource control protocols
Q.3400-Q.3499 : Service and session control protocols
Q.3600-Q.3649 : Service and session control protocols - supplementary services
Q.3700-Q.3849 : NGN applications
Q.3900-Q.3999 : Testing for NGN networks
(The full list of ITU-T Y-series recommendations is available at
http://www.itu.int/itu-t/recommendations/index.aspx?ser=Q)

July 2010
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Annex 2
List of key international or regional standards under reference
Signalling Protocol for NGN : SIP/SDP

IETF - RFC 3261 SIP: Session Initiation Protocol

IETF - RFC 4566 SDP: Session Description Protocol
3GPP - TS 24.229 IP multimedia call control protocol based on Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP); Stage 3
ETSI - ES 283 003 IP multimedia call control protocol based on Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP); Stage 3
ITU-T Rec. Q.3401 NGN NNI signalling profile (protocol set 1)
ITU-T Rec. Q.3402 NGN UNI signalling profile (protocol set 1)
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)

3GPP - TS 22.228 Service requirements for the Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia core
network subsystem; Stage 1
3GPP - TS 23.228 IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Stage 2
3GPP - TS 23.517 IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Functional architecture
3GPP - TS 29.165 Inter-IMS Network-to-Network Interface (NNI)
ETSI - TS 129.165 Inter-IMS Network-to-Network Interface (NNI)
3GPP - TS 29.162 Interworking between the IM CN subsystem and IP networks
ETSI - TS 129.162 Interworking between the IM CN subsystem and IP networks
ITU-T Rec. Y.2021 IMS for Next Generation Networks
Signalling Protocol for NGN-PSTN/ISDN Interworking : SIP-I

ITU-T Rec. Q.1912.5 Interworking between Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Bearer
Independent Call Control (BICC) protocol or ISDN User Part
ITU-T Technical Report TRQ.2815 Requirements for interworking BICC/ISUP network
with originating/destination networks based on Session Initiation Protocol and Session
Description Protocol
ETSI - EN 383 001 Interworking between Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Bearer
Independent Call Control (BICC) Protocol or ISDN User Part (ISUP)
3GPP - TS 29.163 Interworking between the IP Multimedia (IM) Core Network (CN)
subsystem and Circuit Switched (CS) networks
ETSI - ES 283 027 Endorsement of the SIP-ISUP Interworking between the IP
ETSI - TS 129 527 Endorsement of the SIP-ISUP Interworking between the IP

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IP Television (IPTV)

ITU-T Rec. Y.1901 Requirements for the support of IPTV services

ITU-T Rec. Y.1910 IPTV functional architecture
ITU-T Rec. H.720 Overview of IPTV terminal devices and end systems
ITU-T Rec. H.721 IPTV Terminal devices: Basic model
ITU-T Rec. X.1191 Functional requirements and architecture for IPTV security aspects
ETSI - TS 181 014 Requirements for network transport capabilities to support IPTV
services
ETSI - TS 181 016 Service Layer Requirements to integrate NGN Services and IPTV
ETSI - TS 182 028 NGN integrated IPTV subsystem Architecture
ETSI - TS 182 027 IPTV Architecture; IPTV functions supported by the IMS subsystem
ETSI - TS 185 009 Architecture and reference points of a customer network device for
IMS based IPTV services
ETSI - TS 183 064 Dedicated IPTV subsystem stage 3 specification
ETSI - TS 183 063 IMS-based IPTV stage 3 specification
ETSI - TS 184 009 Rules covering the use of TV URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) for
the Identification of Television Channels

July 2010
Page 18

Technical Standards Advisory Committee Working Group On Common Connection Standards (CCS)

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CCS-WG Paper No. 8/2010