SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003

• Abstract:

  This document covers scenarios and procedures to support the UMTS Virtual Home Environment (VHE). The VHE is a capability for providing operator-specific to end users with a consistent look and feel which is independant of location and serving network. It facilitates service adaptation to different network environments supporting directly connected, cordless and cellular access. The pilosophy of VHE has been proposed by GSM MoU and implementation scenarios have been identified and studied by ITU-T for IMT 2000 work. Reference document: EG NA 061301.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 31-Oct-2003
• ICS: 33.080 - Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
• Technical Committee: SPN - Services and Protocols for Networks
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 01-Nov-2003
• Due Date: 01-Nov-2003
• Completion Date: 01-Nov-2003
• Ref Project: ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11) - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Virtual Home Environment (VHE) in the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN); Envolved UMTS core network

SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003 is the Slovenian adoption of ETSI Guide EG 201 717 on the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Virtual Home Environment (VHE) in the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) context. It explains the VHE concept, the supporting architecture, and the service-control scenarios used to give subscribers operator-specific services with a consistent experience across home and visited networks. The guide is aimed at network operators, service designers, and implementers working on roaming, service portability, and inter-network signaling.

What does SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003 specify?

SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003 specifies scenarios and procedures that support UMTS VHE. The document defines the VHE idea as personalized service portability across network boundaries and between terminals, with service behavior adapted to the capabilities of the USIM, terminal equipment, and network in use.

The guide is organized into clauses on scope, references, definitions and abbreviations, a description of VHE, architecture, VHE service components, and requirements on inter-network interfaces. It also includes a bibliography and document history.

The scope links VHE to directly connected, cordless, and cellular access. In practice, that means the guide is concerned with keeping services recognizable and usable even when the subscriber changes access network or terminal.

What are the key requirements of SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003?

The guide is not a conformance test standard; it is a technical guide to how VHE can be realized. Its key content is the set of capabilities, architectural options, and inter-network procedures that a UMTS or IMT-2000 solution should support.

VHE capabilities and service behavior

Clause 4.1 says VHE should support service transparency across IMT-2000 networks, customized services, a personalized service set, and a similar service level when the user roams. It also highlights limited signaling load, charging exchange, in-band announcements and tones, subscriber control of supplementary services, and interaction with those supplementary services.

In practice, this means a provider has to think about more than call setup. The service must still work when the user roams, while keeping signaling overhead and billing interactions manageable.

Architecture and distribution of functions

Clause 5 introduces a distributed model with Service Programme (PRG), Service Execution Environment (EXE), Service Profile/Data (DAT), Communication Control (CoC), and MMI Control (MMIC). These functions can reside in the Mobile Equipment (ME), the User Service Identity Module (USIM), the Home Network, or the Serving Network.

This matters because VHE services are not assumed to live in one place. A planner has to decide where service code runs, where user data is stored, and how the different nodes coordinate updates, validity, and transfer of programs and data.

Possible realization cases

Clause 5.1 identifies four realization places for service execution: the Home Network, the USIM, the ME, and the Serving Network. The guide then maps those cases to mechanisms such as remote procedure calls, SIM Toolkit, JavaCard, MExE, WAP, and remote programming.

The practical point is that each case has different security and deployment implications. For example, execution in the Home Network can support service tunneling without transferring service code, while execution in the USIM or ME needs a secure execution environment and a standardized API.

Network operator functions and trigger handling

Clause 6.2 identifies support functions such as provisioning VHE-specific service profiles, dynamic arming of triggers, downloading trigger profiles to the visited network, service logic execution in the home or visited network, service addressing, and security/screening between networks.

For operators, these functions describe what must be coordinated between home and visited networks to invoke service logic correctly. They also show why subscriber profiles and trigger profiles are central to VHE operation.

Inter-network procedures

Clause 7 focuses on the Direct Home Command scenario. It describes the information flow for call origination, VHE service logic invocation request and response, and call connect, with assumptions about pre-arrangement and IN capability in the serving network.

In practice, this is the part to read when designing signaling between networks. It shows how the call and the VHE service logic are linked so the home network can control service behavior while the subscriber is elsewhere.

What terms does SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003 define?

• Virtual Home Environment (VHE) - A system concept for personalized service portability across network boundaries and between terminals.
• Service Programme (PRG) - The service behavior and service elements described by standardized commands.
• Service Execution Environment (EXE) - The standardized platform that executes a service programme and provides access to communication resources.
• Service Profile/Data (DAT) - User- or network-specific input data used to run a service programme.
• Communication Control (CoC) - The function that handles actual communication, such as bearer allocation and SMS handling.
• MMI Control (MMIC) - The function that provides network- or user-specific control of the Man Machine Interface (MMI).
• User Service Identity Module (USIM) - The module that may hold user-specific and home-network-specific data, programs, and an execution environment.

Who uses SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003?

The guide is used by mobile network operators, service providers, and network architects who need to design personalized services for roaming subscribers. It is also relevant to terminal, USIM, and network platform vendors that implement service execution environments, APIs, and secure download or remote-programming mechanisms.

It is especially useful for people working on roaming services, supplementary services, call control, charging interactions, and inter-network signaling. The document also speaks to teams dealing with CAMEL, SIM Toolkit, MExE, WAP, and distributed processing approaches such as CORBA.

What changed in SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003 from the previous edition?

The document history lists V1.4.1 from September 1999 and V1.4.2 from November 1999 as the publication line for this guide. SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003 is identified as identical to EG 201 717 Version 1.4.2.

Which standards are used with SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003?

• TR 101 695 - Provides the ISDN-UMTS framework referenced for background on the overall environment.
• ITU-T E.164 - Supplies the international public telecommunication numbering plan used in addressing.
• ITU-T E.212 - Provides the international identification plan for mobile terminals and mobile users.
• ITU-T E.191 - Covers B-ISDN numbering and addressing.
• ITU-T Q.1701 - Gives the framework for IMT-2000 networks.
• ITU-T Q.1711 - Gives the network functional model for IMT-2000 and is the main basis for the VHE scenarios described here.
• ITU-T Q.1751 - Appears in the bibliography as background for the IMT-2000 network interconnection model.

What does the SIST-V ETSI/EG 201 717 V1.4.2:2003 document contain?

The document contains architectural models, service-function mappings, scenario descriptions, and inter-network information flows for VHE. Figures 1 and 2 present the network interconnection model and the generic architecture, while Figures 3 to 7 illustrate the different service-execution placements and download options.

It also contains two tables that map proposed VHE mechanisms to service features and network-operator aspects. Those mappings are useful when deciding whether a service should run in the Home Network, USIM, ME, or Serving Network.

The later clauses include the Direct Home Command and Relay Service Control scenarios, plus an information flow diagram for the VHE service invocation path. That material is meant to support design and analysis of roaming service control, not to provide test certification steps.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2003
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RPUHåMH8076
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) - Virtual Home Environment
(VHE) in the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) - Envolved UMTS core network
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EG 201 717 Version 1.4.2
ICS:
33.080 Digitalno omrežje z Integrated Services Digital
integriranimi storitvami Network (ISDN)
(ISDN)
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

ETSI Guide
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS);
Virtual Home Environment (VHE)
in the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN);
Envolved UMTS core network
2 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
Reference
DEG/SPAN-061305 (fwc00jde.PDF)
Keywords
IN, ISDN, UMTS, VHE
ETSI
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The copyright and the foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media.
© European Telecommunications Standards Institute 1999.
All rights reserved.
ETSI
3 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights.5
Foreword.5
1 Scope .6
2 References.6
3 Definitions and abbreviations .6
3.1 Definitions.6
3.2 Abbreviations .7
4 Description of VHE.8
4.1 Virtual Home Environment capabilities .8
4.2 Structure of the issues for mapping functional modularity .8
4.2.1 Applications.9
4.2.2 Application support.9
4.2.3 Transport and signalling capabilities .10
4.2.4 Fabric management and underlying protocols .10
4.2.5 Network access, network and server addressing, user identification and security .10
5 Architecture for VHE.11
5.1 Possible mechanisms to realize VHE .13
5.1.1 Service execution within the home network.13
5.1.2 Service execution within the USIM .14
5.1.3 Service execution within the mobile equipment.14
5.1.4 Service execution within the serving network.15
5.1.4.1 Downloading from the home network to the serving network.15
5.2 Mapping services onto VHE architecture.17
6 VHE service components.17
6.1 Services provided by VHE .17
6.1.1 User aspects .17
6.1.1.1 Networks and their supportable QoS.17
6.1.1.2 Service cost .17
6.1.1.3 Service selection.17
6.1.1.4 Service (profile) modification .17
6.1.1.5 Language preferences.18
6.1.1.6 Location information.18
6.1.1.7 Roaming .18
6.1.1.8 Call management.18
6.1.1.9 Outgoing calls including multimedia and conference calls .18
6.1.1.10 Incoming calls including multimedia and conference calls .18
6.1.1.11 VASP incentives and opportunities.18
6.1.1.12 Location services.18
6.1.1.13 Video-on-demand.18
6.1.1.14 Electronic banking.18
6.1.2 Network operator aspects.19
6.1.2.1 Support of VHE in non-UMTS networks.19
6.1.2.2 Remote programming of USIM applications.19
6.1.2.3 Remote programming of mobile equipment applications.19
6.1.2.4 Remote programming of serving network service applications and service data .19
6.2 Functions related to support VHE .19
6.3 VHE scenarios.20
7 Requirements on inter-network interfaces .21
7.1 VHE service procedure .21
7.2 Assumptions .21
7.3 Common procedure modules used.21
ETSI
4 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
7.4 Information flow diagram.22
7.5 Information flows description.22
Bibliography.23
History .24
ETSI
5 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
Intellectual Property Rights
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in respect
of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web server
(http://www.etsi.org/ipr).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web server)
which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Foreword
This ETSI Guide (EG) has been produced by ETSI Technical Committee Services and Protocols for Advanced
Networks (SPAN).
ETSI
6 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
1 Scope
The present document covers scenarios and procedures to support the UMTS Virtual Home Environment (VHE). The
Virtual Home Environment is a capability for providing operator-specific services to end users with a consistent look
and feel which is independent of location and serving network. It facilitates service adaptation to different network
environments supporting directly connected, cordless and cellular access. The philosophy of VHE has been proposed by
GSM MoU and implementation scenarios have been identified and studied by ITU-T for IMT-2000 work.
2 References
The following documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of the present
document.
• References are either specific (identified by date of publication, edition number, version number, etc.) or
non-specific.
• For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
• For a non-specific reference, the latest version applies.
• A non-specific reference to an ETS shall also be taken to refer to later versions published as an EN with the same
number.
[1] TR 101 695: "Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN); Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System (UMTS); ISDN-UMTS Framework".
[2] ITU-T Recommendation E.164 (1997): "The international public telecommunication numbering
plan".
[3] ITU-T Recommendation E.212 (1998): "The international identification plan for mobile terminals
and mobile users".
[4] ITU-T Recommendation E.191 (1996): "B-ISDN numbering and addressing".
[5] ITU-T Recommendation Q.1701 (1999): "Framework for IMT2000 Networks".
[6] ITU-T Recommendation Q.1711 (1999): "Network Functional Model for IMT-2000".
3 Definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of the present document, the following terms and definition applies:
Virtual Home Environment (VHE): system concept for personalized service portability across network boundaries
and between terminals. The concept of the VHE is such that UMTS users are consistently presented with the same
personalized features, user interface capabilities and services in whatever network and whatever terminal, whereever the
user may be located. The exact configuration available to the user at any instant will be dependent upon the capabilities
of the USIM, Terminal Equipment and Network currently being used or on the subscription restriction (user roaming
being restricted)
ETSI
7 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following abbreviations apply:
AAL ATM Adaptation Layer
API Application Programme Interface
API Application Programming Interface
ATM Abstract Test Method
CAMEL Customized Application for Mobile Enhanced Logic
CoC Communication Control
CORBA Common Object Request Broker Architecture
DAT Service-Profile/Data
EXE Service Execution Environment
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
HSCSD High Speed Circuit Switched Data
IC Integrated Circuit
INAP IN Application Protocol
IP Information Processing
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ME Mobile Equipment
MExE Mobile application Execution Environment
MMI Man Machine Interface
MMIC MMI Control
PAD Packet Assembly/Disassembly facility
PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
PRG Service Programme
Q.gft Generic Functional Transport
Q.sig Private Network Spelling
RPC Remote Procedure Calls
SCF Selective Call Forwarding
SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
SIM Subscriber Identity Module
SMS Service Management System
SONET Synchronous Optical NETwork
SS7 Signalling System N°7
SSF Service Switching Function
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
UPT Universal Personal Telecommunications
URL User Requirements Language
USIM UMTS Subscriber Identity Module
USIM User Service Identity Module
VASP Value Added Service Providers
VHE Virtual Home Environment
WAP Wireless Application Protocol
ETSI
8 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
4 Description of VHE
4.1 Virtual Home Environment capabilities
The Virtual Home Environment supports:
• service transparency: between different IMT-2000 networks;
• transparent execution: of the "Virtual Home Environment" service features: the VHE service features are used
by mobile operators to provide more functionality to mobile users than basic mobility. The services may be
executed without necessary sharing of service and subscriber information with the visited mobile operator
(except of roaming agreements);
• customized services: the means for network operators, service providers and users to define their own specific
features/service;
• a personalized service set: with user personalization of features/services;
• service level: it is desirable that the roaming mobile end-users will experience the same service level as within
their home networks (the Virtual Home Environment concept). Therefore, it is desirable that services are
provided transparently by the visited networks;
• provisioning of subscriber specific services: mobile users may have custom demands for functionality from
their home service providers. The Virtual Home Environment intends to make management access to customized
services available to mobile users when roaming;
• limited network load: the current mobile networks already manage a considerable signalling load to handle a
mobile call. This signalling is required to maintain the mobility information of the mobile subscriber up to date.
Therefore, the signalling load of new features must be limited as far as possible to ensure that the mobile
network's signalling capacity will not be overloaded;
• activation of mobile related call events;
• perform charging activities: the VHE may be able to exchange charging parameters between the Home Service
Provider and Serving (Visited) Network. This exchange is required to have services such as Advice of Charge;
• perform in-band user interaction: the VHE shall provide the capabilities to order the playing of
announcements and tones towards calling/called subscribers during the call-setup, call disconnection,
unsuccessful call establishment, and incoming call procedures;
• allow for subscriber interaction: the subscriber should have control capabilities to activate/register/invoke
supplementary services. The VHE should be able to add functionality to these supplementary service control
mechanisms;
• interaction with the supplementary services: the mobile network provides a number of supplementary
services; interaction with these services needs to be considered.
4.2 Structure of the issues for mapping functional modularity
The above categories will need to be structured into the following categories.
ETSI
9 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
4.2.1 Applications
Applications by their nature are in the open competitive market and should not be standardized. However, a few widely
used applications may benefit from standardization since significant performance advantages may be gained from
features having a static distribution.
A basic level of standardization may be and has proven useful to made applications accessible to the marketplace and
simpler to use: e.g. the layout of the telephone and typewriter/PC keyboard. Definition of examples is highly useful to
understand the implied requirements on the lower layers.
4.2.2 Application support
A vast number of technologies are being pursued in this category some of which are being standardized: e.g. the ISO
ECMA-script, based on JAVAscript. Other technologies are being pursued in industry fora: e.g. WTML in the WAP
Forum. An initial list of the supporting technologies by which VHE is facilitated is included below:
• CAMEL (Customized Application for Mobile Enhanced Logic), INAP SSF-SCF interaction;
• SIM Toolkit/Smart Card applications;
• WAP (Wireless Application Protocol);
• MExE (Mobile application Execution Environment);
• Internet Protocols Service Negotiation;
• IP Media Controllers and Gateways;
• INAP CS3 SCF-SCF secure interaction;
• Software Agent technologies;
• Technologies for software download;
• Distributed Processing/CORBA.
It is clear that for these technologies to be transparently supported across networks whilst being recognized at the
endpoints (terminals and servers) and in the network access points and gateways some standardization is required. It
must be noted that that some of the above technologies aim at network independence but all of them are based on a
network specific evolution. Some cases imply that the serving network supports knowledge on the service; e.g. CAMEL
uses IN triggering.
The major challenge for the computing distributed processing based technologies is the efficiency and speed; it is
unlikely that in a competitive world that distributed processing technologies like CORBA will be deployed to interwork
throughout global networks. However the software architecture may be deployed on several endpoints (terminals and
servers) with high speed links between these endpoints, thus divorcing the software platform from the underlying
physical network.
Resource Control in such a scenario is a complex issue of the software requesting resources for handling multiple media
streams without having direct control of knowledge of the configuration of where the resources may be sited. Service
Mediation is required in an end-to-end sense when setting up the requested service, however negotiation and fall back
procedures require definition where one endpoint fails to maintain the service or an intermediate transport network
cannot support the required resource.
ETSI
10 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
4.2.3 Transport and signalling capabilities
Transport and signalling capabilities are required and must be standardized to carry the VHE capabilities; some options
exist, including:
• encapsulated signalling across SS7: Q.gft protocol; Q.sig;
• INAP CS3 SCF-SCF Service to Service encapsulation;
• INAP CS3 Terminal to SCF user to Service encapsulation;
• INAP CS3 SCF to Terminal Service to user encapsulation;
• session related Internet Protocols (including mobile IP);
• SS7 over IP;
• AAL2 or AAL5 Frame Relay;
• GSM GPRS;
• GSM HSCSD;
• dial-up modem capabilities.
NOTE: VHE may potentially be supported by a variety of transport systems so if these capabilities are to be
successful either interworking is required, or ubiquitous deployment becomes necessary. Otherwise one
network cannot interwork with another network for VHE.
4.2.4 Fabric management and underlying protocols
Generally, modern digital networks that exist support protocols that may be used and interconnected to support the
above capabilities. Given that the world of data communication is using very high bandwidth transport mechanisms
(SONET/SDH) and deploying IP switching or ATM multiplexing to support end-to-end connectivity across these
networks. For relatively low speed services circuit switched technology may be used as a method of access, interworking
or in some cases end-to-end transportation.
Interworking of analogue inband signalling, encapsulated signalling and frame based packet services is well developed
and the options understood. A variety of modems, PADs and PCMCIA devices exists for this purpose.
Special bridging, replicating a merging resource will be required, which are requested by the higher layers. In initial
implementations these resources may be deployed in servers and terminals. However as more complex services justify
the need, resources may need to be deployed within the network switches and multiplexers.
4.2.5 Network access, network and server addressing, user identification
and security
The basic process used in GSM and UPT (Network Access, User Identification and Authentication) requires studying
further, as new concepts are required for user security and deregulation.
Network access will be enhanced to support network selection and remote endpoint addressing, as deregulation and
competition requires that users may select networks and address distinct servers (possibly incorporating new forms of
addressing: i.e. ITU-T Recommendations E.164 [2], E.212 [3] and E.191 [4] (IP addresses and URLs)).
User identification and authentication will be enhanced to support mutual authentication allowing the user to
authenticate the serving network and its connection to the remote endpoint. Service usage (non-repudiation) and remote
server authentication may also be required by sharing secure signed tokens used for later verification during accounting
and billing.
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11 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
5 Architecture for VHE
Figure 1 provides an architecture derived from draft ITU-T Recommendation Q.1751 (Bibliography) presenting the
different functional elements and all the system parts (home, visited…) involved in the provision of VHE capabilities.
The Functional Entities and networks shown are meant primarily for the purpose of NNI definition. The provision of
VHE capabilities does not necessarily involve all of them.
Supporting
Home
Interrogating
Network
Network
Network NNI
NNI
h
AMF
SCFi
SCF
SCF
CCF’/SSF LMFh
LMF
PSGCF
CnCF
PSCF
SRF
NNI NNI
SACF
UIMF
LMFv
AMFv
LMFv
SRF
AMFv
CnCF
SCF
CnCF
PSCF PSGCFpv
CCF’/SSF
CCF’/SSF
Previously
PSGCFpv Visited
Serving
NNI
Network
Network
Destination
NNI
Network
Figure 1: IMT-2000 Network Interconnection Model
This following presents a model to form the basis for development of VHE technical implementation options.
ETSI
12 ETSI EG 201 717 V1.4.2 (1999-11)
DATterm MMIC DATserv DAThome
PRGserv PRGh
...