Recommendations for a multi-service access architecture from the European MUSE project

Multi-Service Access Everywhere (MUSE) is a large European research project that addresses multi-service access networks. The consortium is led by Alcatel-Lucent and consists of major operators, vendors, and research institutes in Europe. A general network architecture and an open business model were defined. Requirements and methods for the authentication of users or devices to such multi-service access networks were elaborated. The concept of Internet Protocol (IP) sessions was reviewed and options for monitoring IP sessions were compared. Pragmatic recommendations for the implementation of resource admission control and policy decisions were formulated. The paper also describes how the requirement to support nomadic services influenced some of the architectural choices for the authentication and policy framework. A dedicated section addresses solutions at the application layer for session continuity.