Harmonised Internet and PSTN service provisioning

The current situation of telecommunications is characterised by the presenc e of multiple networks, each providing its own services. The original idea of a fully integrated network, which was originally introduced with ISDN an d further propelled by the B-ISDN concept, seems unlikely to be realised at a complete extent. However, unification needs between different networks a re present, an example being voice/data integration. Bringing together the characteristics of different networks creates a huge potential for new serv ices, which can take advantage of strong points of individual networks in o rder to optimise specific service parameters; However, although network int egration at transport technologies may be an idealistic assumption, the man agement of services traversing different networks cannot be done without co nsidering the accurate definition of a unified service framework, taking ca re of harmonising, from a service designer's viewpoint, differences existin g at network transport layers. In other words, if transport integration can not be achieved, integration at service design and service management level must be pursued in order to cope with emerging and future services. Mobile Agent Technology (MAT) based on Distributed Object Technology (DOT) repres ents a key issue in defining methodologies and framework for a unified serv ice environment encompassing different networks. These technologies, being largely independent from the underlying network, provide the means to build and manage services in a heterogeneous environment. Furthermore, they allo w an easy deployment of new components on network systems, which is a key r equirement in facing the problem of providing services in a fast and effici ent way in a rapidly changing environment. This paper discusses a DOT/MAT b ased approach to the problem of creating and managing services in a heterog eneous network environment. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reser ved.