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i3forum work plan 2016-17

September 2016

This document outlines the i3forum’s work plan for 2016-17, with the work group’s objectives and planned deliverables.

With the new organization now in place, and also with the integration with OVCC, the i3forum is very keen to build on the new momentum, reinforce communication among the membership and fully leverage the combined expertise and collective vision of the members.

§ Work Groups : § Fight against Fraud§ Transition to IP/IPX (including IPX Self Certification)§ IMS§ NFV§ APIs§ Internet of Things§ Unified Communications§ WiFi Calling / Roaming§ Strategic Advisory Committee

§ Support Group § Marketing, Communications, Partnership & Membership

i3forum work plan 2016-17

Fight against Fraud § Chair : Katia Gonzalez Gutierrez : katia.gonzalez.gutierrez@bics.com

§ Context : Fraud remains an increasingly hot topic in the Industry with new events and schemes arising constantly.

§ i3forum’s role : a) provide guidelines to the Industry on fraud-related matters from a wholesale carrier perspective; b) provide support to the members on current fraud events

§ Scope & objectives§ Become a reference group in the Industry on wholesale fraud matters§ Coordinate with regulatory authorities and other official bodies working on fraud matters (often

from a retail perspective) § Allow members to coordinate and exchange information on fraud§ Provide best practice to the Wholesale community on fraud-related matters§ Possibly discuss new topic : Security issues when they constitute Fraud enablers (e.g. hacking

through SS7 signaling…)

§ Expertise required : experience on fraud, commercial agreements, routing, …

§ Way of working : 2 physical meetings per year, monthly conference calls and year gathering at ITW

§ Target date for completion : permanent

Transition to IP / IPX (including IPX Self Certification) 1/2

§ Chair : Antonino Caridi : acaridi@bts.io

§ Context : § Several carriers (members and non-members) are still in the transition and probably don’t take

advantages of all the documents and info that i3Forum produced until now. They also may not havea clear picture of the world situation for IPX

§ Furthermore, one of the learnings from the membership survey conducted in 2016 is that there is stillsome confusion in the market regarding the definition of IPX, and that seems to slow down adoption

§ Also, it appears that the collective learning curve is rather slow, and that it has not got significantlyeasier or faster to migrate / set up a IPX interconnections.

§ We have agreed with the GSMA the idea of developing a joint document for both MNOs andCarriers, that would help both parties make sure that they have the same understanding of IPX andwhat it takes to interconnect

§ i3forum’s role : Support the transition in a more efficient way

§ Scope & objectives§ Permanent group providing support to members re: IP/IPX intercos.§ Focus on operational issues : incl revisit/update existing i3forum Ops docs, create practical

guidelines/templates for processes – projects for IP/IPX Intercos based on best practices§ Improve collective learning curve§ Be responsive upon request to study and analyze single or group Carrier requests for support§ Provide information in order to keep members informed about the transition§ Carry out future surveys utilizing the know-how and the strategic alliance with partners

Transition to IP / IPX (including IPX Self Certification) 2/2

§ IPX “self-certification” : § Develop jointly with GSMA, an “IPX self-certification tool kit” that IPX providers and their customers

can use to :§ clarify what their IPX offer (or requirement) is - and isn’t - against an industry accepted

definition§ describe key technical, operational and services features against industry recommendations &

best practices§ benefit from recommended implementation/operational “tools” (interconnection form, test plans,

choice of options, set parameters, project templates……) - “Interco in a box”§ This needs to be a practical, readable document, aiming at helping all parties agree the same

understanding of IPX against a well-defined and industry endorsed referential

§ Expertise required : Knowledge of IP/IPX interconnection , Network & Operations

§ Way of working : Single short Conference Call or group of Carrier Regionals/Nationals meetings.

§ Target date for completion : permanent

IMS-based services & related platforms’ interco. (1/2)§ Chair : Alessandro Forcina : alessandro.forcina@tisparkle.com

§ Scope: After the 2nd deliverable (2016) on technical and commercial analysis on IMS, the group focuseson the interconnection use cases such as IMS hubbing, both for fixed and mobile (VoLTE) traffic, fortransit and roaming services. ViLTE will be considered in a later phase following the development in theService Providers’ networks whereas RCS should consider the existing GSMA/Google cooperation for anuniversal profile and the Google/Jibe offering to Service Providers for hosting and hubbing.

§ Objectives: the primary objective is the release of a set of deliverables aiming to promote and facilitatethe in-field implementation by Service providers and Int. Carriers of IMS (fixed and mobile) services. In thecommon interest of the industry, it is desirable to achieve these goals jointly with GSMA (and i3f WG”IMS”has already set-up an operational link with GSMA Net2020 on these issues). Specifically, splitting theexisting IMS document Rel. 2 in 3 deliverables :

1)IMS Business Models and related applications (Comm. oriented document): focusing onbusiness models and the commercial/business part of VoLTE hubbing; VoLTE roaming, impact onbilling of multiple IMS services (based on IMS Rel.2 doc. Sec. 6 plus others subsections to be extented)

2)IMS interface (Tech oriented document): focusing on the specification of the interlace and protocolsacross an IMS interface between SP and IPX Provider and between two IPX Providers. (based on IMSdoc Rel.2 Sec. 5 Arch. + Sec. 7 Signalling + Sec. 8 Codecs + Sec. 10 Security including the Service Configurationmaterial already discussed in past year)

3)IMS Use Cases (Tech/Operational oriented document): focusing on the discussion of differentinterconnection scenarios between IMS networks and between IMS and legacy network, discussingaddressing/routing issues, QoS Monitoring, VoWifi, VolTE Hubbing and Roaming. Relationship of IMSservices and related platforms of OTT providers should also be addressed. In this respect the

interconnection with WebRTC-based platforms should be considered.

§ Related fora : GSMA WG WAS and Network; 3GPP

§ Participants’ affiliation: IPX Providers, Vendors, i3f Partners, GSMA Members depending on the levelof cooperation

§ Expertise required : mainly senior members of Network Technology/Architecture and ProductDevelopment Depts. with a deep knowledge of the IMS related business and/or technical impacts

§ Way of working : 4-5 physical meeting and 6-7 conference call.

§ Target date : release of deliverables every 9 / 12 months. Provisional target date: APRIL 2017. The timeschedule could change depending on possible joint GSMA/i3f objectives

IMS-based services & related platforms’ interco. (2/2)

Internet of Things (IoT) 1/2

§ Chair : Enrique Wong : enrique.wong@telefonica.com

§ Context : The GSMA is working to establish common capabilities among mobile operators to enable a network that supports value creation for all stakeholders. These capabilities include security, billing and charging and device management, all of which can enhance the Internet of Things by enabling the development of new services. Through the provision of these value added services, operators can move beyond connectivity and act as a trusted partner for their customers. Operator capabilities need to be tailored for the emergent M2M business model, building a trusted infrastructure that all stakeholders can rely on – and profit from. To be noted : IoT is part of GSMA focus in networks 2020

§ i3forum’s role : Explosion of connected objects might have impacts on Carriers interconnect and roaming both on technical side and business one. i3forum as Carrier’s forum should work on this topic in liaison with GSMA in order to prepare future interconnect networks specifications and avoid having to close the gap once everything is decided on retail side.

§ Scope & Objectivesü Analyze the IoT ecosystem and players: Customers (end-users and enterprises), Devices, Service

Providers, Connectivity Providers and International Carriers.ü Indicate the different issues raised in the communication market due the explosion of IoT, and the

impact on the players.ü Analyze the impact of IoT to International Carriers for the existing services used as Data Roaming,

Messasing, Signalling, etc, and new services that Carriers can develop in the Transport, Applicationand Security Layer.

ü Analyze the impact of IoT in the Enterprise marketü Analyze business models impacts driven by moving from connected users to connected things.

Internet of Things (IoT) 2/2

§ Topicsü Business Models for interconnect and roamingü Networks to interconnect (LoRa, wifi, mobile, bluetooth, Lte-U,…)ü Technical specificationsü Best practices and experience sharing

§ Expertise required :Mainly senior members of Product Development and innovation. with a deep knowledge of the IoTrelated business and/or technical impacts.

§ Way of working : ü Deliver a Whitepaper of IoT that cover the scope and objectives, based on the knowledge of the

members, presentation of Vendors, papers from the IoT industry including the GSMA.ü Physical meeting (2) and conference call (4)

§ Target date for completion : April-2017

NVF impact in the Carrier ecosystem (1/2)

§ Chair : Micaela Giuhat : Micaela.Giuhat@metaswitch.com and Alessandro Forcina : alessandro.forcina@tisparkle.com

§ Context :§ Initial Forum working group was supposed to focus on SDN and NFV. Based on the complexity

of both subjects, the working group has decided to focus first on NFV and deliver the following:§ NFV Primer – completed§ Understanding the NFV ecosystem§ Architectural Recommendations

§ focus on the impact of NFV on interconnects

§ i3forum’s role :To provide a common forum where the members can share their knowledge and experience, facilitatingthe best practices for implementation and new ways of interworking for those services where SDN/NFVwere implemented.

§ Scope & Objectivesü To explore the implementation of NFV in the Service Providers and Carriers and which services are

involved.ü To analyze how NFV is changing the current services in terms of configuration, implementation,

information exchanged, operational process, expertise of the personnel, etc.ü To identify how the efficiency in the Service Providers and Carriers’ networks based on NFV can

provide more efficiency in the interconnections between SP-Carrier and Carrier-Carrierü To identify potential issues of NFV implementation which impact interconnections between Service

Providers and Carriers.

NVF impact in the Carrier ecosystem (2/2)

§ Topics:§ How to use NFV elastic scaling and auto-healing for deployment of telco grade systems (local

and geo redundancy) and create a better CAPEX model – proposed subject by iBasis§ NFV TCO model – proposed subjects by iBasis and Tata§ Provide TCO comparison between cloud, hybrid, COTS (bare-metal) and specialized HW

§ Include interconnect model transcoding § Use of different clouds (public or private)

§ Benefits of using NFV platforms for enterprise and wholesale at the same time – proposed subject by Telstra

§ Impact on OSS/BSS – open Round Table discussion§ System integration§ Service templates§ Orchestrators

§ Expertise required :Senior Members Product Development, Network and IT Departments. with a deep knowledge of theSDN and NFV related business and/or technical impacts

§ Way of working : Physical meeting and conference call

§ Target date for completion : Release of deliverables every 9 / 12 months

API for Communications Service Providers§ Chair : Avanish Pande : apande@kandy.io and Carlos Dasilva cdasilva@pccwglobal.com

§ Definition : API (Application Programming Interface) are means for applications to talk to each other over internet. They are used internally by enterprises & exposed to partners and customers for facilitating efficiencies like trouble tickets, provisioning, ordering, services etc… But, the biggest advantage of APIs for CSP & enterprises are in creation of new products & services for new revenues

§ i3forum’s role : Being a forum for service providers & enterprises, I3 forum can play a pivotal role in facilitating adoption amongst members for new API economy & related rapid acceleration of benefits.

§ Scope & Objectives : ü Evangelize the utility of API in progressing Carriers & enterprisesü Industry Group reference point for API related plans and information exchange via support groupü Survey membership in order to understand where they are in the adoption of APIs, evaluate which

actions can be proposed to encourage/facilitae adoption by the industry (similar to IP/PIX surveylast year)

§ Expertise required : Mainly members of Product Development and/or IT Depts. with a deep knowledge of the API related business and/or technical impacts

§ Deliverables: 1) questionnaire for the survey 2) survey results & analysis 3) articulate how the i3forum work can play a pivotal role in facilitating adoption amongst members for APIs

§ + focus on one specific use case(s)

§ Target date for completion : 9 / 12 months

The Future of Unified Communication§ Chair : Clive Sawkins : csawkins@pinnaca.com

§ Context : Unified Communications has evolved over the last few years to today being a rich solution of many technologies focused on business needs that integrate to many networks and business applications.• Today Software defined networks are already redefining the world of how business applications are delivered and

supported. This is going to have a great impact on how the core network interacts and brings together the worlds of both public and private clouds.

• Also there is a rapid adoption of SIP trunking based communication solutions by MNCs and even SMBs. That enabled the fast growth of UC replacing the traditional silo services (voice, messaging, etc.). For carriers it means that we need to evolve our MPLS interconnection (NNI) model to support a better interoperability between these integrated service islands. We need to evaluate the impact of UC on IPX, MPLS, private, public and hybrid network interconnection in order to enable this move of residential and business communications. A new world of charging model, ubiquity, reliability, privacy, security, and fraud prevention will be key challenges and opportunities for Carriers.

• These changes will be part of a wave of changes that will favor many operators who focus on over the top service delivery, who can leverage new business models and have a wealth of skills in business application integration, workflow and operational analytics. As users stared to take a different role in using applications in their private life, this moved over to the slow business environment.

• With the UC landscape changing with Video from Skype for business, and many other nontraditional vendors it is time to focus on the delivery of the experience for the user, as this will drive discussions at many layers in both the network and application stocks.

• Unified Communications is a classic as a reversed solution where users will often take matters into their own hands and use social media to communicate in the business world IT is often in catch up mode trying to protect the data, manage the network while keeping data secure. All issues that never enter the users mind.

• The UC topic is wide and we would need to ensure we focus on specific areas around both the network and application and also focus on both public and private cloud delivery.

§ Group Objectives • To publish a "White Paper" on the changing requirements of the network when dealing with Unified Communications. • To define the requirements for public, private and hybrid cloud deployments - outline the various elements of the UC

stack - give both network operators and service providers clear guidelines on security, fraud and support strategies around UC deployments.

• The audience for this work group covers many areas and is of interest to many cross functional teams who are looking to address the full customer experience.

Strategic Advisory Committee (1/2)

§ Chair : Alessandro Forcina : alessandro.forcina@tisparkle.com

§ Scope: definition, analysis and positioning of session based services including mobile servicescovering the existing voice and signaling services and new multimedia services (e.g. VoLTE/ViLTE andRCS). In this scenario the evolution of FNOs/MNOs services and platforms is a primary area of analysisas well as the OTT Provider policies in the described areas. Vendors’ products/solutions to implement thementioned network/services are also subject of study .

§ Objectives: describe the possible roadmap an International Carrier could follow for interconnectand roaming up to year 2020 considering:

§ Services evolution and the relationship with OTT Providers;§ Business models evolution considering both the existing ones and possible new raising ones

[Capacity/Volume based?]§ Technical evolutions in both terms of network and BSS/OSS platforms§ Potential consequences on Fraud/Spam.

while guaranteeing a smooth transition between legacy and full IP worlds.

The release of guidance on business models together with a macro network architecture and relatedimplementation roadmap is an output of this activity.

§ Caveat: it is NOT an objective of the document to sponsor/describe a unique path forservice/network evolution. Each Int. Carrier is free to select and implement its own strategy, the specificobjective of the document is describe pros & cons the various alternatives.

§ Related fora to be considered: GSMA Net2020 and others GSMA WG as well as any other relevantorganizations.

§ Expertise required : knowledge at senior level of the wholesale commercial and technical issues

§ Additional participants: i3forum members interested in participating in this initiative are welcome toapply and will be confirmed by the Board.

§ Way of working: as per decision of the Committee (e.g. meeting before/after with i3f Board meetingsplus conf. calls)

§ Target date: before ITW 2017.

Strategic Advisory Committee (2/2)

WiFi Calling / WiFi Roaming

§ Context :§ joint work with the Wireless Broadband Association (WBA) - and possibly the GSMA§ explore the Carriers’ roles in WiFi Calling and WiFi Roaming scenarios – both trusted and untrusted

(e.g. Hubbing, Clearinghouse etc…)§ to kick-off with a “brain storming” session with WBA members working on WiFi Calling§ Some topics might be handed over to the IMS Work Group

i3forum Support Group : Marketing and Communications & Partnership and Membership Programs (1/2)

§ Marketing & Communications objectives : In order to advance its mission and help shape the future of the Industry, the i3forum’s Marketing Plan will focus on the following objectives :§ Increase i3foum awareness and impact in the industry§ Promote i3forum’s views, documents and initiatives§ Promote i3forum as the “voice of the industry”§ Support the Partnership & Membership program§ Further develop i3forum brand

§ Support Group’s activities : Propose, maintain and execute the i3forum’s Marketing Plan as approved by the Board§ Segmentation§ Positioning statement(s)§ Guidelines, objectives and plans for various marketing components such as :

ü Webü Public Relationsü Education, workshops etc…ü Analysts & Pressü Events – i3forum events, other eventsü Social Media managementü Document managementü …

§ Proposed budget, proposed vendors/partners§ Execution on marketing plan components

i3forum Support Group : Marketing and Communications & Partnership and Membership Programs (2/2)

§ Partnership & Membership programs objectives : In order to maximize its impact and ensure its relevance and credibility, the i3forum needs to : § develop strong and efficient partnerships with other Industry or Governmental organizations, as well

as other stakeholders such as analysts§ grow its membership§ foster active participation and engagement (including through improved “on boarding” process). .

§ Support Group’s activities : Propose, maintain and execute the i3forum’s Partnership and Membership Program as approved by the Board.

§ Partnership Programü Identify, explore and propose new partnerships with other Industry organizationsü specific focus on GSMA, WBA, PPM …

§ Membership programü targeting & recruitment of new members (incl regional criteria…)ü new members on-boarding programü members engagement program (encourage active participation)ü help members promote & represent the i3forum and its work

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