Intelligent networking in broadband and mobile networks

The new and emerging broadband and mobile communication networks will be capable of offering a rich set of services and features. Currently, broadband and mobile network providers are already providing several features, most being deployed by ad hoc means. With the integration of the public land mobile networks (PLMNs) and broadband ATM-based networks, the feature set can be expected to grow several fold and, in an increasingly heterogenous network, interoperability at various levels is vital for the success of the network. The interoperability problem was first recognized in the early '80s and spearheaded the development of the intelligent network (IN) architecture. IN architectures have since evolved continually and several aspects have been standardized by Bellcore and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The IN concept has proved useful in several network design issues particularly in the areas of vendor-independent service deployment and in location management in mobile networks. This paper gives an introduction to the emerging network technologies and the IN architecture. A possible IN-based network architecture for global broadband and mobile networks is also presented.