PDF of this tutorialThe Target
Recently, a new approach for creating IRBs was developed. The concept, making buildings internet ready, presents a new high-speed Internet access model, focused on urban areas consisting of commercial and residential MDUs. The concept addresses an untapped business opportunity for service providers and carriers (ILECs, CLECs, IXCs, ISPs, and PTTs).
In order to implement IRBs, a new concept defined as service switching has been introduced. The service-switching concept includes a low-level hardware implementation and a higher-level software, which, when combined, create a service-switching system. The access service switch implements a secured, switched, symmetrical, and full 10–Mbps Ethernet DSL per tenant, over the existing twisted copper pair, while carrying the legacy voice, in a splitterless fashion. Thus, it emulates a local-area network (LAN) environment over the existing legacy wiring in a building.
Installed in a building and complemented by a wireline or wireless uplink, the service-switching concept converts the building into a revenue opportunity for the service provider. Together with a service-layer software, it offers a flexible business model and control over IP services (ISP selection, bandwidth, portal, etc.) and billing.
The Marketing and Business Implications
Installing a service switch in a building enables the service provider to offer a flexible service model. This model is defined by the provider's marketing requirements and enables advanced services, which maximize profits and decrease costs. All service providers have the freedom to create their own business and marketing surveys with their customers and configure the service switch to address specific customer needs.
In order to save expenses and cut costs on the service provider’s customer-support staff, the customer configures the service switch. This is accomplished as a result of the fact that the service switch has internal hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) capabilities, which enable self-configuration by the customer. A customer initializes the service with any standard browser. An initial portal initiates the service options, which have been defined by the service provider. This includes such things as ISP selection, bandwidth requirements, and billing. After an authentication procedure, the user is connected according to the selected service. This model creates a new, flexible business model for service providers—both new and traditional.
User Self-Configuration
User self-configuration for high-speed Internet access presents a new approach and added value for service providers. User self-configuration cuts service fees and tariffs associated with traditional high-speed, Internet access solutions, which require customer-support staff. This decreases the cost of ownership and improves customer service from a provider point of view. The ability to control the customer through a browser-based menu/portal enables the service provider to initiate the service according to its own business interests. This will allow the service provider to increase and maximize profits from the existing infrastructure.
Smooth Migration to the ISP Billing Environment
Moving a service provider from a dial-up model to an always-on model requires support for a smooth billing mechanism migration.
The service-layer software records the user activity and reports it to the billing infrastructure and database through the remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS) server that provides the authentication, authorization, accounting (AAA) functionality. This is the existing billing and accounting database, which the ISP maintains for the dial-up world.
As a result, the ISP need not add anything to its existing service-provisioning model.
Once a user usage information record is recorded within the RADIUS database, different billing models can be applied. The usage information record may be recorded within the appropriate provider: CLEC, ISP, or the ILEC, which may help in creating a consolidated bill.
Other Required Functions from the Service-Layer Software
As mentioned, servicing the residential community with always-on connections requires the development of a new and flexible service model that will address the service provider’s business and regulation requirements as well as operational and customer needs. To implement these requirements, a functional service layer software should be developed. This service-layer software enables such functions as the following:
- dynamic service selection—This is the user ability to choose between different ISPs during a session initialization. This feature enables a CLEC to wholesale the Internet service to the tenants, creating competition over the building’s access.
- automatic user self-configuration—This is the user ability to change service profile, which may include billing schemes, ISP, uplink/downlink rate, etc. This is done without the intervention of the service provider’s support staff.
- flexible bandwidth allocation—This is the user ability to choose the profile of his/her connection rate with parameters such as fixed rate, minimum rate, and maximum burst rate. A round-robin mechanism between tenants might be applicable for such a requirement.
- security accounting and billing mechanism—This is accomplished through the existing AAA–RADIUS server, which exists within the ISP infrastructure.
- standard addressing and configuration model—This uses the standard IP addressing and configuration protocols such as dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), NAT, etc.
- portal applications—This initializes sessions through preferred portals.
- standard operation model—This uses the standard OAM&Ps such as signaling network management protocol (SNMP), HTTP, Telnet, and RADIUS.
- user statistics—This involves gathering information regarding user activity (such as Web surfing information) for traffic optimization as well as business-oriented applications.
- addressing regulation issues—Such issues include the building point of demarcation, CLEC/ISP relationship, tariffing, etc.
- other services—These may include services such as voice over IP (VoIP), virtual private networking (VPN), caching applications, piracy usage prevention, intelligent fault management, and much more.
