A framework for abstracting complexities in service delivery platforms
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Date
2010-04-01T10:35:20Z
Authors
Christian, Rolan
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Abstract
The telecommunication (telco) and Information Technology (IT) industries are converging
into a single highly competitive market, where service diversity is the critical success factor.
To provide diverse services, the telco network operator must evolve the traditional voice service
centric network into a generic service centric network. An appropriate, but incomplete,
architecture for this purpose is the Service Delivery Platform (SDP). The SDP represents
an IT-based system that simplifies access to telco capabilities using services. SDP services
offer technology independent interfaces to external entities. The SDP has vendor-specific
interpretations that mix standards-based and proprietary interfaces to satisfy specific requirements.
In addition, SDP architectural representations are technology-specific. To be
widely adopted the SDP must provide standardised interfaces. This work contributes toward
SDP standardisation by defining a technology independent and extendable architecture,
called the SDP Framework. To define the framework we first describe telecom-IT
convergence and a strategy to manage infrastructure integration. Second, we provide background
on the SDP and its current limitations. Third, we treat the SDP as a complex system
and determine a viewpoint methodology to define its framework. Fourth, we apply viewpoints
by extracting concepts and abstractions from various standard-based telecom and
IT technologies: the Intelligent Network (IN), Telecommunication Information Networking
Architecture (TINA), Parlay, enhanced Telecommunications Operations Map (eTOM),
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
Fifth, by extending the concepts and abstractions we define the SDP framework. The framework
is based on a generic business model and reference model. The business model shows
relationships between SDP, telco and external entities using business relationships points.
The reference model extends the business model by formalising relationships as reference
points. Reference points expand into interfaces exposed by services. Applications orchestrate
service functions via their interfaces. Service and application distribution is abstracted
by middleware that operates across business model domains. Services, interfaces, applications
and middleware are managed in Generic Service Oriented Architectures (GSOA).
Multiple layered GSOAs structure the SDP framework. Last, we implement the SDP framework
using standard-based technologies with open service interfaces. The implementation
proves framework concepts, promotes SDP standardisation and identifies research areas.