IN THIS ISSUE:

• MSF President's Report, March 2005 - Roger Ward
• A Note from the TC Chair - Avri Doria
• Q205 Technical and Annual Meeting Information
• Contact Us

As we only have a couple of weeks to run to our meeting in Madrid, I thought I would take this opportunity to update you all on MSF progress. For those of you fortunate enough to be with us in San Francisco, you will know that we had a strong start to 2005! The meeting was very well attended & very productive, with a very full programme of discussion around member contributions underpinning our 2005/6 work programme.

Of course it is not just what happens at our meeting that is important, but also what we do together in the intervening 3 months. With this in mind, I'd like to focus on some of the important recent initiatives & achievements.

Completion of 2004 MSF Program

1. GMI 2004 White Paper

We achieved a great deal with GMI2004, and I am pleased to say that the detailed report after the success was published to coincide with the IEC 21st Century Communications Conference held in London ,late February 2005. As well as direct mailings to editors, it is now available on the GMI 2004 web site (http://www.gmi2004.com).

It is strongly recommended reading as the definitive account of the 2 weeks of the globally networked 24 hours per day/7 days per week testing in October 2004. Hosted by BT, Qwest, NTT, Korea Telecom, this event provided the framework for 31 participant companies with more than 100 test engineers to test over 200 networked devices against 6 progressive test scenarios in 4 countries on 3 continents.

2. MSF Release 2 Implementation Guidelines

A Board led task group has been working this topic to assist both Service Providers and Vendors achieve MSF solutions. MSF guidelines will provide a checklist that companies can use to validate their claims. Accountability for claiming support for MSF R2 Architecture is the responsibility of the company making the claim. It is the intention to publish these guidelines as soon as possible so that MSF Members with equipment that meets the requirements and use the MSF R2 Logo on that equipment.

Delivering 2005/6 MSF Programme

1. MSF/3GPP IMS Task Force

The MSF exists to accelerate interoperable solutions for Next Generation Network components, and the MSF R2 architecture completed in 2004 contains the framework for a distributed Value Added Service architecture. 3GPP, 3GPP2, ETSI, ATIS, ITU, however, have also been progressing work against similar objectives in this same time frame. It is imperative that we establish a meaningful detailed relationship between the MSF R2 Architecture & 3GPP IMS Architecture in 2005.

Obviously, this is a major work area, and to make progress, it is important that there is a clear plan as we go forward.. Fortunately, an MSF/3GPP IMS task force has already finished investigating these issues and their output (contained in contribution msf-2005.013) received considerable discussion & support in San Francisco.

2. Partnerships

Partnerships are very important to the MSF as clearly it is impossible for a forum of our size to be pre-eminent in all the technologies associated with Next Generation Networks. As well as our friends in the MFA, two partnerships have been particularly important to us over the last few months.

2.1 VoIP System Interoperability Task Force Japan

Because of the keen interest in GMI2004, the MSF received a request from the VoIP Task Force Japan to use MSF Test Plans in a VoIP interoperability event to be held later this year in Japan. Key players include Japan Network Information Centre (JPNIC) & Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.

2.2 TeleManagement Forum (TMF)

MSF/TMF relationship continues to be active and the TMF have now formulated a view as to the Management Objects necessary to support the MSF Release 2 Architecture. Currently, our priority is to develop consensus around the proposed TMF SID model contained in the TMF NGOSS architecture (IPNM/TMF 601). On current progress, it looks as if the proposed joint MSF/TMF catalyst project will be deferred from May 2005 (TMF Nice Meeting) to Q405.

3. MSF Name Change to MultiService Forum (MSF)

I know this has generated a lot of debate, but for all that has been said the MSF will continue to be primarily known as the MSF. The full name, however, has been changed from "The Multiservice Switching Forum" the "MultiService Forum" to more accurately reflect the organisation's ongoing technical focus and to avoid an undue emphasis on switching which, while a part of what the MSF addresses, is not our primary focus. Having said this, the MSF’s technical work will of course continue to support all aspects of transport convergence, including switching as well as delivery of services.

And Finally...

As we move the 2005/6 programme from inception to reality, it is important for everybody to know how much is going on behind the scenes to ensure that the MSF continues to provide an environment which enables all its members to collaborate in areas of high value.

Do remember that in a forum as diverse as the MSF, good communication is everything. So please forward this and other information about the MSF to anybody in your company who might benefit from getting more involved in our work. As they say, if you like what we do, tell your friends - if there are things we could do better, tell me!

I look forward to seeing you all in Madrid 19 - 21 April 2005!

Roger Ward - MSF President, BT
London, UK

Back to In This Issue

I wanted to take the opportunity to attach a note to this Report. The San Francisco meeting was a technically rich meeting that pushed us a few steps further along the path to our 2005/2006 goals. The participation with the MFA and the discussion on the use of the MPLS QoS Proxy made progress and a joint working list has been created for MSF members and MFA members who wish to work together on reaching this goal. The work is to continue on the list with plans for another joint meeting in Ottawa. We also had a substantive discussion on the TMF management model and were able to feed significant comments back to the TMF. These comments have been well received and are being considered in a revision of their model. The TC also produced a liaison during the SF meeting to ETSI Tispan WG02 on Overload Control.

In terms of the 2005/2006 technical program, the meeting discussed the several white papers and most are now ready or almost ready for approval and release. In terms of the MSF’s technical direction, the membership spoke fairly loudly and clearly on the need for the MSF to work closely with other fora, such as 3GPP and ETSI TISPAN to bring our architectures into closer alignment; taking ideas from them when we can to improve our product and offering them ideas from the MSF architecture to improve their work. The goal of this exercise is to arrive at an architectural view that is compatible and that can help our members along the way of fixed and mobile convergence.

As part of this effort, the TC leadership has created a small team to help us coordinate our efforts in bringing the IMS architecture and the MSF architecture into greater harmony. This small focused team will be bringing all the work they initiate into the other working groups for discussion and the normal MSF process. Stuart Walker will be leading this team, and I will be asking him to report to the plenary in Madrid on their plans.

Speaking of Madrid, the time for the meeting is rapidly approaching and the deadline for contributions, 4 April, is upon us. I am expecting the MSF to have a interesting meeting in Madrid. Based on the work being done in the BoD we will be having planning discussions for a GMI2006 at this meeting. One of the important topics we will be discussing is the requirements for the next event. Remember, the type of event we have is up to the members, so be sure to be there for these important discussions. Additional plans for the meeting call for continuing the work on the technical goals in architecture, protocols, management and interoperability. And of course, as the MSF is contribution driven we need for you to get your contributions in on time. And in the case that you cannot make the deadline, please talk to the appropriate WG chair and get a place holder in place so that we can schedule the meeting. Thanks.

Hope to see you in Madrid.

Avri Doria - MSF Technical Committee Chair, ETRI

Back to In This Issue

The next MSF Technical Committee Meeting will be held on April 19-21 in, Madrid, Spain

Meeting Registration

To register for the meeting, please complete the on-line registration process on the MSF web site under Meetings and Events http://www.msforum.org/events/upcoming.shtml.

• Pre-registration (Through Tuesday, April 5, 2005): $395 USD
• Late registration (Wednesday, April 6, 2005-Tuesday, April 19, 2005): $545 USD

NOTE: You MUST submit payment information when registering for the meeting in order to secure your registration. To submit payment, click on the "Pay" button after saving your registration record. By submitting credit card information, you will secure your reservation. The actual payment will be charged to your card on Tuesday, April 12, 2005, and your receipt will be delivered to you when you check in on site. Meeting registrations cancelled before Tuesday, April 12, 2005 will receive a full refund. After April 12, no refunds will be provided.

Important Deadlines

• Hotel Reservation Deadline: Friday, March 25, 2005
• Contribution Deadline: Tuesday, April 5, 2005
• Meeting Registration Deadline: Tuesday, April 5, 2005

Hotel Accommodations

To make your room reservations, please contact:

Crowne Plaza Madrid City Centre
Plaza de España
Madrid, 28013 SPAIN
Reservations Phone: +34-91-4548500
Reservations Fax: +34-91-5482389

MSF Room Rate: €145 Euro single/€165 Euro double per night plus 7% VAT (includes buffet breakfast). Please mention "MultiService Forum (MSF)" to secure the MSF Room Rate, or make your reservation by sending this fax form to the hotel.

Bring A Friend!

Don't forget to invite your friends or colleagues -- anyone who is interested in MSF -- to the upcoming MSF Technical Committee Meeting. If you do bring a guest, we will ask a board member and/or a member of the TC leadership to roll out the welcome wagon and spend some personal time with them to help them understand the benefits of participation. Guests of MSF members can register easily by contacting Cindy Morgan at cmorgan@msforum.org or +1.510-608-5925.

Membership participation is the driving force behind MSF's success. Please
join us in Madrid and continue to support MSF's mission.

Back to In This Issue

Want to include something in the next issue? We want to hear from you! Send your comments and contributions for the next issue to Julianne Fitzpatrick at jfitzpatrick@msforum.org.

Back to In This Issue