BPL and Next Generation Network

PLC / BPL and Next Generation Network Miloš Orgoň [email protected] Slovak Technical University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Abstract: The urgency of broadband expansion in the developing countries due to a packet-based technology of the future, and due to the present very low broadband penetration in Middle and Eastern Europe and very high cost is discussed. The viability of utility network for a broadband data transmission is also presented. The PLC, the core of this paper, its benefits to utilities and broadband services and scenarios of its incorporation into NGN are presented too. The important approaches and experiences of the developed countries in deploying broadband over powerline and highlights of the best way forward to minimize the digital divide not only between the developed and developing countries, but also between the urban and the rural communities of the developing countries are recommended.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Urgency for Broadband The volume and quality of broadband services in any country is being understood not only as a major parameter related to the economic growth of that country, but also as a major parameter how much that country is ready for economic growth in the near future. With this understanding the main reasons why expansion of broadband services in the developing countries is an urgent issue are briefly outlined in this paper.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Advantages & Drawbacks of PLC PLC can stimulate competition. Service providers, carriers and the government have discussed different forms of unbundling as alternative to allow access to the last mile in order to increase competition in local service. However, many issues are yet to be addressed in these negotiations, and there are no quick and easy answers. PLC seems to be a last mile alternative to high-speed Internet that would boost competition to this arena, but areas must be worked out before it can really grow. PLC can be a reliable alternative to wireline and wirelessbased offerings. The PLC technology does not require complex implementations, in contrast to wireless options that demand antenna deployment. By utilizing exiting infrastructure, power line communications can serve as a reliable broadband Internet access service enjoying good quality and speeds above traditional DSL and Wi-fi offerings.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Video/TV/Data/Voice

PLC/BPL

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Convergence - Massive media changes The media market is on the verge of massive changes. Several developments are taking place at once, driven by technologies. Convergence infrastructure is a broadband-based infrastructure and this infrastructure is going to make the need for separate telecoms and broadband infrastructure obsolete. The consumer electronics market is pushing for changes driven by plasma screens and DVRs; thus increasing market demand for more and better entertainment services. There will be casualties, especially among traditional broadcasters, and new leaders will emerge on the telco side of the business.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network

The model of a convergence network


The convergence of networks and services


PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Next Generation Network (NGN) The first main reason why broadband is to be given due attention before it becomes late is the current trend of the world telecom Industry. We are at a point in history when the legacy Public Switched Telephone Networks (PTSN) is being, and to be, replaced by what is known as the Next Generation Network (NGN).





PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network A Next Generation Network is defined by the ITU-T:

“Next Generation Network (NGN) is a packetbased network able to provide 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 enables unfettered access for users to networks and to competing service providers and/or services of their choice. It supports generalized mobility which will allow consistent and ubiquitous provision of services to users”. Source: ITU-T Recommendation Y.2001

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Universal Access and NGN technology Simply put, the transmition to NGN involves the replacement of legacy PSTN equipment by packet-based technology in the core of the network. This allows for a more defined separation between the transport portion of the network and services (e.g. voice, data and video) that run on top of that transport.


PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network ETSI is committed to the goals of the eEurope initiative with numerous projects aimed at accelerating e-Commerce, e-Security, Broadening Internet Access, e-Accessibility, the development of broadband technologies, Intelligent Transport Systems, Health on-line, eWorking and Testing & Interoperability. ETSI PLT (Power Line Telecommunications) aims to progress the necessary standards and specifications to cover the provision of voice and data services over the mains power transmission and distribution network and/or in-building electricity wiring. The standards will be developed in sufficient detail to allow interoperability between equipment from different manufacturers and co-existence of multiple power line systems within the same environment. Parlay is an evolving set of specifications for industry-standard application programming interfaces (APIs) for managing network "edge" services: • call control • messaging • content-based charging.


PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network RM

OSS

services and management

IN

MR

application server

softswitch control of network

packet core network

access network Širokopásmový prístup

PSTN SG

IAD

PLMN

UMG

UA

UMG

3G

UMG

OpenEye

PLC/BPL

POTS SIP/H. 323 telephone

2G terminal U- path

PABX

3G terminal

OSS is Operation Support System, RM - Right Management, IN - Intelligent Networks, MR - Medium Resource Server, AMG – Access Media Gateway, IAD – Integrated Access Device, SG – Signalling Gateway, UMG - Universal Media Gateway, Video GW – Video Gateway




PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Parlay specifications are being developed by the Parlay Group, a consortium of member companies that include AT&T, BT, Cisco, IBM, Lucent, Microsoft, Nortel Networks, and others. Use of the Parlay specifications is expected to make it easier to add new crossplatform network applications so that users need not depend solely on the proprietary offerings of carriers. The Parlay Group is not a standards group itself, but sees itself as a facilitator of needed interfaces. Application program interfaces are or will be defined for: • Authentication • Integrity management • Operations, administration, and maintenance (OA&M) • Discovery (of the closest provider of a service) • Network control • Mobility • Performance management • Audit capabilities • Generic charging and billing • Policy management • Mobile M-commerce/E-commerce • Subscriber data/user profile/virtual home environment (VHE) • The Parlay APIs are said to complement and encourage use of the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) protocols.



New services


PLC Modem

In-house broadband over power line (In-house BPL)


PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network The technological innovations associated with the transition to NGN have already started to transform the way universal access is being extended to rural and remote areas in both developed and developing countries. To a large extent, this transformation is fuelled by the introduction of new wireless technologies such a WiFi and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) that have dramatically reduced the price of infrastructure deployment. Affordability and availability have been designed to run over these networks. Power Line Communications (PLC) or Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is a term describing several different systems for using electrical power distribution wires for the simultaneous distribution of data. Plugging in a PLC modem into any power outlet in an equipped building will allow high-speed Internet access. While not a wireless technology, PLC offers a number of benefits relative to regural fixed line connections such as cable or DSL. In many countries, electrical infrastructure is usually more extensive than fixed line telecommunications infrastructure, making it suitable for expanding coverage. Moreover, PLC offers higher speeds over its networks than what is now commonly available through cable or DSL.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network As a communications network, PLC is understandably more useful in countries with high electricity penetration rates. With rural and remote communities in many parts of the world still relying on independent generators to provide electricity, the use of PLC may by limited in the context of universal access. One possible alternative is to use PLC as backhaul for wireless communications. By hanging Wi-Fi access points, Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) points or mobile phone base stations on utility poles or towers, for example, end-users within a wider range could connect to PLC networks.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Several migration approaches Migration towards the NGN appears to be an inevitable evolution due to the dual convergence of voice/data/image and fixed/mobile. It has already been initiated due to a number of players in Slovakia, Europe and on other continents, and its impacts will therefore have to be analysed. Still, it will likely be long (a timetable of 10 to 20 years seems reasonable), incomplete (inevitable coexistence with so-called traditional architectures) and difficult in the short term because of the existence of competing solutions with different features and maturity, and end-to-end interoperability issues.









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Obr. Submodel of Services and Applications

AS

RM

PS IN

ISP/Hosting applications

Management of services

OSS

Hub of Parlay client

PARLAY X API

Application Sublayer

Memory of DB System

Framework

Capabilities of webservices (Gateway) Parlay Webservices

Call Control

Present Interface of Framework

OAM&P

Mobility

Parlay interface

CAP/MAP INAP SDP

SIP

SCTP

MGCP RTCP

Interface

... Call Server

SMPP

STMP/IMAP

CAMEL

MSRP

XCAP

MEGACO

Interface

Interface

Interface

Core packet network

Security

Parlay Gateway

Core packet network

Control Layer

Call Server Interface

PSTN xDSL

CATV

GSM

UMTS

Interface

PLC

BPL

WiFi

WiMax

Transport Layer

...

Access Layer

Billing and OSS Operation Support System

PARLAY API Sublayer of Control Services

Adaptation Sublayer


Obr. Previazanosť schopností služieb a aplikácií (Capability Server-a) s komponentmi koncepčného modelu siete NGN


Obr. Previazanosť aplikačného servera s komponentami koncepčného modelu siete NGN


Obr. 2.14 Rozvrstvenie bezpečnosti do ôsmych dimenzií




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PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network The pertinence of NGN solutions varies according to the players: •

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Operators and service providers for which the NGN solutions seem the most pertinent are future new players (not yet established), data players wanting to diversify their activities (in particular ISPs), operators anticipating strong growth and/or a rapid diversification of their activities (e.g.: WLL or xDSL operators), operators expecting a strong decrease in their voice traffic because of data traffic, and mobile operators. The players who seem the furthest behind with respect to NGN solutions are those having recently invested heavily in traditional TDM voice switching infrastructures, and operators already having low-speed local loop access and access switches. It is also interesting to note that the move to NGN is not mandatory, despite the opinion to the contrary expressed by some players.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Even though players see new form of uses and value creation (introduction of new services and markets) as major incentives to move to NGN, immediate arguments put forward in the framework of the migration of operators and service providers to NGN are strongly influenced by the current economic situation: •

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Technical (convergence of voice and data networks, optimisation of networks) and economic arguments (improved acquisition and operating costs, with a quick return on investment) take precedence over the marketing argument of moving to new multimedia services, which is emphasized by manufacturers, but which is secondary for operators. The weight of existing infrastructures and return on investment concerns are at the heart of their upgrading decisions. The dilemma players face is how to develop their services offering when customers have a relatively constant global expenditure budget. This means that they have to save on network technical costs in order to maximise services revenues. These financial constraints are in theory less important for companies than for the general public, and companies’ needs for services change more quickly. Major account users could push operator networks towards the NGN. Finally, it is important to note that some services layer players (in particular ISPs diversifying to “voice” activities and pure content/services suppliers) consider that their current networks are already NGN.

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network The expected financial savings of NGN offers must also be balanced in the short term: •

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While in the medium/long term, everyone expects a major decline in the purchase costs of NGN solutions, in the short term these amounts will depend strongly on operators’ existing infrastructures and on their commercial relations with manufacturers. Investment savings induced by NGN are only effective for initial deployment with no pre-existing network. As for recurring costs related to NGN solutions, although manufac-turers almost unanimously say that NGN solutions would produce major immediate savings, operators and service providers are less enthusiastic and more divided, in particular because of the possible indirect surcharges linked to migration. The migration towards the NGN of well-established operators having a large network will be even longer and more progressive. Most of those interviewed agree that already established operators favour a slow migration based on ATM transport, although new operators are more “all NGN” oriented and favour native IP infrastructures.


The Implementation Possibilities of PLC/BPL

PLC/ BPL and Next Generation Network Conclusion • It is widely accepted that the promotion of “Power Line Services” can act as a catalyzer for the improvement of quality of live for people in the rural and remote areas. • E-healthcare e-education, e-agriculture, and eadministration among others are most demanded services by the rural communities. • Preparation for the telecommunication development projects for rural and remote areas by the government of developing countries will facilitate the mobilization of funds for the development from the international aid agencies and instituties, etc. • NGN working offers a geographically independent approach to services enabling new strategies to flow, business continuity to be a natural capability and mobility to be a inherent way of working.



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