18.3 Study on Network Composition uid_31089

Resources: S1

References

Document	Title/Contents
WID(s)
SP-060478	WID on Network Composition
Impacted Specifications
-	-
New Dedicated Specifications/Reports
TR 22.980	Network composition feasibility study

Supporting Individual Members: Siemens, Ericsson, Nokia, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo, NEC, KDDI, BenQ Mobile.

Over the past years, an increasing number of heterogeneous network types have come to the focus of attention, e.g. heterogeneous access systems (otherwise known as multi-access) Personal Area Networks (PANs), Personal Networks (PNs), Moving Networks etc. This trend is expected to continue. Different scenarios have been studied in TR 22.978 All-IP network (AIPN) feasibility study, which lists "network extensibility/composition" as a key aspect of AIPN. The integration of PANs and PNs was completed earlier (see Personal Network Management (PNM) UID_31081). Related Stage 1 was produced in TS 22.278 Service requirements for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) and TS 22.259 Service requirements for Personal Network Management (PNM); Stage 1. 3GPP networks had to integrate many of these heterogeneous network types, or to interwork with them, in an efficient manner that for operators is easy to manage and control.

This study builds on the AIPN work and studied in more detail the concept of heterogeneous network/system integration and interworking. This "Network Composition" includes integration of networks with different administrative domains, and the dynamic and flexible integration of ad-hoc networks, PANs, sensor networks etc. It studied a uniform composition procedure independent of what kind of network is "composed" with the 3GPP system. Complementing the AIPN work a concrete dynamic "plug&play" and flexible composition procedure was studied.

The composition concept was also studied in the 6^th FP IST Project of the EU "Ambient Networks" which was introduced in the joint SA2/RAN2/RAN3 meeting in Athens, May 2005 (S2-051145).

This study explores the feasibility of a uniform procedure for the integration of, and the interworking with, a large variety of heterogeneous network types. It focuses on ad-hoc networks, PANs, moving networks etc., but also includes access systems. The intention was to avoid the need for defining a new procedure for integration / interworking with each newly emerging network type and to explore the feasibility of making the composition procedure dynamic and to minimize human intervention ("plug&play"). This uniform procedure is called Network Composition. It is conceivable that roaming within a pre-set commercial and technological environment could be established dynamically using the same procedure.

The study covered the following aspects:

• Purpose and benefits of composition;

• Composition use cases highlighting uniformity, dynamicity, security, manageability, scalability, flexibility, as well as business aspects;

• Potential composition requirements;

• Traits and/or implications of introducing this functionality into the 3GPP system, covering subjects such as management, multi-link radio access, mobility, context & policy awareness, security, and media transcoding & adaptation capabilities;

• Composition process;

• Relations to other functionalities of the evolving 3GPP architecture (e.g. AIPN, PNM).

Service aspects include:

• Uniform handling for network composition (Identical handling of e.g. PANs, Moving Networks, heterogeneous access systems, etc.);

• Flexible control delegation (i.e. flexibility regarding what functionality is assumed in the composing network, such that e.g. a particular control feature can be executed in the 3GPP system or in the other network;

• Support of "plug&play" composition, including aspects such as service continuity in the composed networks.

TR 22.980 conclusions

• Defines principles, characteristics and requirements of Network Composition. Key terms and concepts are introduced and used when formulating use cases and requirements, as well as the Composition Process which is the core functionality of the novel idea of enabling so called composition-capable networks to connect and e.g. establish roaming agreements dynamically.

• Network Composition provides new ways of networking and interworking, and opens up both for new business opportunities, as well as providing a baseline for solutions on problems that have been identified already today. The use cases aid in giving insights into areas of interest for Network Composition, and describes how values and benefits can be provided to users and network operators as well as service providers, which are coming at different levels of cost and deployment increments.

• Recommends 3GPP to include Network Composition in future work on evolved systems.