China Mobile and US Dept of Homeland to test next-gen networks

Stephen Withers
Saturday, 31 May 2008 07:30

Business IT - Networking

The US Department of Homeland Security and China Telecom will cooperate with other carriers and academic laboratories in a global test of next generation network (NGN) interoperability later this year.

Scheduled for October 20 to 31, GMI (Global MultiService Interoperability) 2008 will see carriers BT, China Mobile and Vodafone along with the National Communications System operated by the Department of Homeland Security provide an intercontinental testbed for NGN interoperability and performance.

The event will allow equipment manufacturers including Huawei and NEC to prove their equipment interoperates successfully in a variety of scenarios, all showcasing the power of the next generation network at work.

Six aspects will be tested during GMI 2008: end-to-end session control, end-to-end quality of service (QoS), IPTV (as an example of a highly demanding application, location-based services (for emergency calling, location based routing, and prioritised call queuing), accessing web based services, and the performance management of the IPTV service with remote management of IPTV devices.

"By joining the MSF and hosting the GMI event, China Mobile can establish a global test network with other operators, providing an unparalleled opportunity to test 'real-life' roaming and nomadic conditions, said Zhang Hao, standards strategist at China Mobile.

"As the largest mobile provider in the world, China Mobile eagerly awaits the GMI event as an important step in its end-to-end QoS and IMS testing."

The event is an activity of the MultiService Forum, which specifies implementation agreements that provide specific interpretations of relevant standards to provide a common ground for carriers, hardware manufacturers and applications vendors.

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