The MultiService Forum (MSF) is extending the scope of its activity to address broader aspects of “making NGN’s work” in its technical program for 2007. Whereas the MSF’s Release 3 architecture focused on communications via Parlay and Parlay-X services, the new focus will be on next gen web-based and traditional web services and other components, including non-trusted third-party applications.
Key elements in this program will be the extension of MSF architecture to embrace web services and the launching of an interoperability testing framework that includes the industry’s first NGN/IMS Certification Program.
The MSF announced five additional goals of the MSF’s 2007/8 work program:
- 1) Extension of the MSF architecture from its communications network focus to include integration of web services;
- 2) A unified approach to QoS to minimize and contain differences in practical implementation;
- 3) Evaluation of NGN interconnect scenarios and development of fully specified NNI interconnect points;
- 4) Specification of a coherent approach to achieving resilience to overload in highly distributed and dynamic NGN implementations; and
- 5) Initiation of an MSF NGN certification program with a Pilot Program focused on delivering certifiable specifications based on MSF Implementation Agreements
The new MSF NGN certification program will focus on delivering certifiable specifications based on MSF Implementation Agreements. The MSF has set April 2007 as the target launch date, and the first round of certification testing could begin by the third quarter and be completed early in 2008.
The MSF said it is also exploring a permanent interoperability test bed to augment the large-scale test bed created to support GMI test events. This test bed would enable the industry to keep pace with current innovation and provide a less formal test facility that can leverage accelerating development schedules as the market moves toward NGN architectures.
