Wirless Intellegent Networking

Wireless Intelligent Networking

ABSTRACT Wireless Intelligent Network (WIN) is a concept being developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Standards Committee TR45.2. The motive of WIN is to drive intelligent network (IN) capabilities, based on interim standard (IS)-41, into wireless networks WIN is defined as an architecture that separates the service logic and feature functionality from the wireless network switch and places that functionality in other platforms of the network. . Not only are subscribers insisting on more functionality, not only are subscriber bases growing at tremendous rate, but as subscribers become increasingly accustomed to using wireless phones, they are becoming more mobile and require more services. Expectations for services have gone beyond the need for emergency assistance; people require the same functionality that they are using on their landline phones. The wireless intelligent network (WIN) paradigm is the key to helping service providers offer new enhanced services at fair rate. Examples of services offered by WIN are incoming call screening, calling name presentation, short message services, voice controlled dialing, speech to text conversion etc. WIN supplies customized management of mobility and enhanced services, provides capabilities for rapid service introduction, service creation and service customization.

Wireless Intelligent Networking

1. INTRODUCTION The intelligent network (IN) is an architectural concept that enables the real time execution of network services and customer applications in a distributed environment consisting of interconnected computers and switching systems. Beginning in the early 1980’s, the IN was applied to the development of new services in wireline telephone networks. Notable successes were achieved in the United States long distance telephone industry and virtual private network (VPN) services contributed strongly to growth in traffic and revenue.

Wireless service providers are challenging equipment vendors to help them meet the rigorous demands placed on them from subscribers insisting on more functionality. Not only are subscribers insisting on more functionality, not only are subscriber bases growing at tremendous rate, but as subscribers become increasingly accustomed to using wireless phones, they are becoming more mobile and requiring more services. Expectations for services have gone beyond the need for emergency assistance; people require the same functionality that they are using on their landline phones. The wireless intelligent network (WIN) paradigm is the key to helping service providers offer new enhanced services, but equipment vendors have not been able to keep up with requests for new triggers and protocols that the market demands in order to provide enhanced services. To address the urgency for quicker time to market and ubiquitous service offerings, alternative means of providing enhanced services must be deployed while waiting for the standards to finalize and for equipment vendors to catch up. As

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the market places pressure on the WIN architecture to improve time to market requirements, many critical decisions will be made.

As we know that the wireless market is becoming increasingly competitive, rapid development of enhanced services become critical to a successful wireless strategy. Rapid creation and deployment of services has become the hallmark of a wireline network based on IN concepts. The WIN will bring those same successful strategies into the wireless networks.

IN based services are expected to give network operators new streams of revenue and to give end users a range of attractive communication options.

Wireless Intelligent Networking

2.DEFINITION Wireless Intelligent Network is a concept being developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Standards Committee TR45.2. The character of the committee is to drive intelligent network (IN) capabilities, based on interim standard (IS)-41, into wireless networks. IS-41 is a standard currently being embraced by wireless providers because it facilitates roaming. Basing WIN standard on this protocol enables a graceful evolution to an IN without making current network infrastructure obsolete.

WIN is defined as an architecture that separates the service logic and feature functionality from the wireless network switch and places that functionality in other platforms of the network.

The WIN is based on an architecture that separates call processing from enhanced feature functionality. The mobile switching center suspends control of call processing when it encounters a trigger, passing control to the WIN network element. This element manages the intelligence to provide the enhanced service.

Wireless

Intelligent

Network

techniques

allow

new

communication services to be quickly developed and introduced across a wireless network without requiring major updates. In addition to creating revenue earning opportunities for wireless network operators,

Wireless Intelligent Networking

the new services give end users a high level of personal control over their communication services.

EVOLUTION The intelligent network standards developed on wireline networks and ultimately migrated to mobile networks. It is important to note that this head start has enabled fixed networks to capture a lead in terms of network intelligence exploitation.

In Fixed network it is easier to apply network control and service logic as the position of the user is static. The Wireline Intelligent Network standards, Advanced Intelligent Network

(AIN) and

Intelligent Network Application Part (INAP), serve fixed networks well but they are inadequate for mobile networks, where service mobility is fundamental requirement.

The two primary means of intersystem communications for mobile networks are ANSI-41 and GSM MAP. These standards serve the industry well in terms of basic mobile operations such as support of roaming operations and seamless support of most basic services. However these standards do not by themselves provide capabilities necessary for many advanced features found on the wireline networks such as calling name delivery free phone (toll free services).

The need for improved intelligence leads to WIN. IN solutions have revolutionized wireline networks. Rapid creation and deployment of services has become the hallmark of a wireline network based on IN

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concepts. WIN will bring those successful strategies into the wireless networks.

The evolution to WIN concept of service deployment delivers the following advantages:• multivendor product offerings that foster competition • uniform services to subscribers across service areas • efficient network utilization • rapid service creation and deployment • supports a wide set of service applications • helps get new services to market quickly • simplifies database and service administration • supplies customized management of mobility and enhanced services • presents an efficient test bed for new services and features

CONCEPT

WIN is based on wireline IN Concepts Model (INCM). The INCM represents an architectural frame work and certain capabilities but not services. During call processing, switch can detect events (triggers) at various points where call processing can be interrupted to request IN processing (at origination or termination of dialing). The switch then queries service logic for further instructions. Service logic can be programmed to provide new services. There are certain requirements for WIN based services to be in reality such as flexible distribution of

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service logic functions, new services must co-exist with existing wireless services.

3. INTELLIGENT NETWORK (IN) An

intelligent

network

(IN)

is

a

service-

independent

telecommunications network. That is intelligence is taken out of the switch and placed in computer nodes that are distributed throughout the network. This provides the network operator with the means to develop and control services more efficiently. New capabilities can be rapidly introduced into the network. Once introduced, services are easily customized to meet individual customer’s needs. The main benefit of IN is the ability to improve existing services and to develop new sources of revenue.

IN Architecture

Wireless Intelligent Networking IP

IN signaling

SN

SSP

Service

Subscriber

SCP

Voice Channel

SSP

4. FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF INTELLIGENT NETWORK • Service switching point (SSP) – Its major function is to detect events during call processing, called triggers that indicate an IN call event. After triggering, the SSP suspends call processing and starts a series of transactions with the SCP to determine the handling of the call.

• Service control point (SCP) – It performs subscriber or application specific service logic in response to a query from SSP and then sends back instructions to perform specified functions and how to continue call processing. It also provides mechanism for introducing new services and customizing services and features.

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• Intelligent peripheral (IP) – It performs specialized resource functions such as :• Playing announcements • Collecting digits • Speech recognization • Recording and storing voice messages • Facsimile services

• Service node (SN) – It is a programmable network node that allows the service providers to create new circuit related services. It also combines the capabilities of SCP and IP.

5. UNIQUE SERVICE REQUIREMENTS OF WIRELESS ROAMING

Mobility dictates a need for technology or standards that make it possible for different networks to talk to each other. Subscribers want to be able to use the same voice-activated services that they use in their home city when they travel to Phoenix. They also want the service to work in the same way. Roaming is one of the factors driving the WIN standards now being developed.

Customers can roam out of their local calling area or out of their service provider’s area. Both these situations require messaging of data before the call is even put through to handle the setup,

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authorization, and proper billing for roaming services.

With this

service customers can roam out of their local calling area or out of their service provider area. All of these IN services require signaling system 7 (SS7) messages to be send back and forth between various devices. In non intelligent applications, calls are simply routed, connected and then disconnected. Wireless applications require additional SS7 messages to make the service work. Intelligent networking is required for various validations and billing reciprocation of wireless calls.

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CARRIER SELECT

Carrier select services can benefit both the provider and the subscriber. They allow providers to select, based on codes or automatic handset selection, the network that will be used to complete the call. This way, a carrier can secure calls with its business partners. For example, customers from Chicago roam to Dallas. When those customers travel (if they keep the same frequency band of the Chicago carrier) and make a call, it would normally be routed to the carrier’s competitor- not its partner-in that area. However, with carrier select the mode of a provider’s phone could go out and automatically select the correct carrier. These services also allow subscribers the choice of programming new sophisticated handsets to route calls selectively which could save them money

HANDS-FREE OPERATION

Hands-free wireless services are the most sought-after services for safety-minded customers today. They need features such as voiceactivated dialing and feature activation, which require special technology that converts voice into data.

The network will migrate to using intelligent networking to route the call to the intelligent-peripheral devices that provide the special technology, such as voice recognition, that is necessary for hands-free, voice controlled services. To get the message or voice signals routed to

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the devices that collect that information and translate it to data information requires special routing of intelligent networking. An IN application is a more efficient utilization of IP facilities

FEE STRUCTURE

Calls are being handed off among networks. After the call is handled properly, billing takes place. IN flags can be written right into the call record so that billing reflects the specific call handling. Using an IN flag in the billing record makes processing between carriers much easier.

Wireless companies con now get paid for calls coming into the wireless network. These changes make billing relationships more complex and will increase the need for IN flags.

DATA-SERVICE CAPABILITIES

Handset displays allow customers to use various massaging services. One, called short message service (SMS), works much like a pager. It allows phones to send and receive messages in addition to making or taking telephone calls. SMS require many SS7 messages just to set up the signaling and the mechanism to get the data through the wireless network. It requires a significant amount of checks and balances, finding the database, pulling up the message, encapsulating it with the right header information to route it to the correct user, and finally sending it out like a phone call.

Wireless Intelligent Networking

6. FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS OF WIN The WIN mirrors the wireline IN mode. In the WIN, more call associated pieces of information are communicated between the MSC and the SCP or HLR. The WIN moves service control away from the MSC and up to a higher element in the network, usually the SCP.

Fig. Components of WIN

• Mobile Switching Center (MSC) as service switching point (SSP) – In the IN, SSP is the switching function portion of the network. The mobile switching center (MSC) provides this function in the WIN.

• Service control Point (SCP) – This provides a centralized element in the network that controls service delivery to subscribers. High-

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level services can be moved away from the MSC and controlled at this higher level in the network. It is cost effective as MSC becomes more efficient, does not waste cycles processing new services, and simplifies new service deployment

• Intelligent peripheral (IP) – The IP gets information directly from the subscriber, be it credit-card information, a PIN, or voiceactivated information. The peripheral gets information, translates it to data, and hands it off another element in the network – like SCP- for analysis and control.

• Signal transfer point (STP) – This is a packet switch in the signaling network that handles distribution of control signals between different elements in the network such as MSC and HLRs or MSCs and SCPs. The advantage of an STP is that is that it concentrates link traffic for the network. It can also provide advanced address capabilities such as global title translation and gateway screening.

• Location registers – These are used to supplement MSCs with information about the subscriber. The number of subscribers that the switch supports changes as roamers move in and subscribers move to other switches. The database of active subscribers changes very dynamically. Each MSC cannot have the database for all potential users of that switch. The location registers helps to get around that problem There are two types of location registers :-

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• Visitor location register (VLR) – Within an MSC there is a VLR that maintains the subscriber information for visitors or roamers to that MSC. Every MSC or group of MSCs will have a VLR

• Home location register (HLR) – Information on roamers is obtained from subscriber’s HLR. Each subscriber is associated with a single HLR, which retains the subscriber’s record. When the subscriber roams to another switch, the VLR queries the subscriber’s home HLR to get information about that subscriber. When a phone call goes to a subscriber’s home MSC, the MSC recognizes that the subscriber is roaming and asks the HLR for subscriber’s location. The HLR will communicate that information to the VLR and relay temporary location number received from the visited system.

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7. WIN SERVICES Enhanced services are increasing in popularity. At this point, various carriers within different serving areas are implementing them using available IN protocols and concepts. As WIN standards are implemented, the same enhanced service will be applicable across serving areas so that wireless users will have a more consistent interface for seamless use while roaming. The WIN standards will make wireless services really successful. The services developed during the first phase by the committee are as follows:-

• Calling name presentation (CNP) • Incoming call screening (ICS) • Short message service (SMS) • Voice control services • Speech to text conversion (short message creation) (STC) • Voice controlled dialing (VCD) • Voice based user identification (VUI) • Voice controlled feature activation and control (VCFC) • Password call acceptance (PCA) • Selective call acceptance (SCA)

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7.1 CALLING NAME PRESENTATION (CNP)

CNP displays the name of the calling party on the called party’s terminal. When a call comes in for a wireless subscriber, the subscriber’s home MSC receives the call. The home MSC queries the HLR to determine where the mobile is located. The HLR sends a route request to the MSC serving the subscriber and receives from the serving MSC a temporary local directory number (TLDN), which is routed back to the home MSC. The home MSC uses the TDLN to route the call over the public switched telephone (PSTN) to the serving MSC. When the call is delivered to the serving MSC, the caller’s number is also delivered. Noting that the subscriber has calling name delivery service,

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the servicing MSC queries a number to name database. The text that is returned to the serving MSC is sent to the mobile for display.

7.2 INCOMING CALL SCREENING (ICS)

ICS is an enhanced service which provides the capability of routing or selective blocking of incoming calls to a subscriber. The ICS service logic resides on the SCP which screens the call based on screening factors and selects one of the many possible terminating actions.

When a call arrives at the home MSC, the home MSC queries the HLR for the location of the mobile, as described earlier. The query to the HLR contains the calling party’s number. The HLR noting that this subscriber has the ICS feature, queries the SCP database containing

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the approved list. The SCP replies back to the HLR if the number is on the approved list. The HLR then continues processing the call by sending a route request to the serving MSC as above or halting the process of the call.

7.3 SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE

SMS allows phones to send and receive messages in addition to making or taking telephone calls. It provides the ability to deliver short message as a packet of data between two service users.

When SMSC has a message to send to a mobile, it queries the HLR to determine the serving MSC. If the mobile’s location is not known, the HLR replies to the SMSC with a message that the mobile’s location is unknown. The SMSC stores the message until it receives notification of

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mobile’s location. The HLR retains the information that there is a short message for the subscriber. When the mobile powers on, the serving MSC sends a registration notification to the HLR and the HLR provides the serving MSC with a registration notification return result and the subscriber’s profile. The HLR recalls that the subscriber has a short message waiting and sends a message to the SMSC with the mobiles location. The SMSC acknowledges the information from the HLR and continues with the delivery of the short message to the subscriber.

7.4 VOICE CONTROLLED SERVICES

Hand free services are the most sought after services today. They need features like voice activated dialing and feature activation which requires special technology that converts voice into data. The network will migrate to using intelligent networking to route call to the intelligent peripheral devices that provide the special technology, such as voice recognition, that is necessary for hands free voice controlled services.

• Speech to Text Conversion (STC)

STC permits a calling party to create a short alphanumeric message by speaking to an ASR device that will perform speech to text conversion. The short message may then be distributed by any means available such as short message delivery.

• Voice Controlled Dialing (VCD)

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VCD allows a subscriber to originate calls by dialing digits using spoken commands instead of the keypad. VCD may be used during call origination or during the call itself

• Voice Based User Authentication (VUI)

VUI permits a subscriber to place restrictions on access to service by using VUI to validate the identity of the speaker. VUI employs s form of ASR technology to validate the identity of the speaker rather than determine what was said by the speaker. VUI requires that the subscriber register the service by training the ASR system by recording a word or phase. When a user attempts to access a service, the ASR system prompts the user to say the special phrase.

• Voice Controlled Feature Control (VCFC)

VCFC permits a calling party to call a special VCFC directory number, identify the calling party as an authorized subscriber with a mobile directory number and personal identification number (PIN), and specify feature operations via one or more feature control strings. This service is similar to remote feature control (RFC) except that the subscriber s allowed to dial feature control digits or commands using spoken words and phrases instead of keypad digits.

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PASSWORD CALL ACCEPTANCE (PCA)

PCA is a call screening feature that allows the subscriber to limit incoming calls to only those calling parties who are able to provide a valid password. Calls from parties who cannot provide a valid password will be given call refusal while PCA is active.

SELECTIVE CALL ACCEPTANCE

SCA is a call screening service that allows the subscriber to receive incoming calls only from parties whose calling party numbers (CPNs) are in a SCA screening list. Calls without a CPN will be given call refusal treatment while SCA is active.

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8. CONCLUSION The movement to develop a WIN strategy was originally triggered by wireless network operators under the auspices of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA). They developed a set of requirements calling for industry standards that defined new network architecture incorporating the service flexibility of INs with the mobility aspects of wireless networks.

New services can be developed on either the switch or the WIN elements. Many factors, including technical and financial, need to be considered for making the correct choice. These factors are those that provide a solution that best meets the service providers requirements for economy, efficiency and quality. The architecture plays an important role in meeting and exceeding their expectations for new services.

The development of WIN has resulted in an elegant solution, which, while solving the problem of delivering supplementary services in wireless networks, will maintain their integrity. Wireless IN techniques enable a broad scope of service possibilities that are attracting the attention of network operators. WIN technology creates opportunities for market share and reducing churn by marketing innovative services tailored to fit the individual needs of different types of people and groups in business and residential applications.

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9. REFERENCES

• www.iec.org

• www.lucent.com

• www.mobilein.com

• www.ericsson.com

• www.telcordia.com

• www.onforum.com

• www.tiaonline.org

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