Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 2006-7 (VOL.57, NO.4)

Special Issue: Next Generation Network

• Fujitsu's Activities for Next Generation Network

The Internet has expanded to cover every corner of consumer and enterprise activities, and the user community has devised new applications for and uses of Internet technologies. As the network takes shape as a social infrastructure, it is becoming increasingly important for the network to support these new uses not only by addressing ever-increasing bandwidth requirements but also by improving serviceability and usability through the convergence of new services, addressing such aspects of security and safety as the quality of services and robustness against cyber-threats or disasters, and tailoring service according to the user's location or circumstances. This paper discusses the future direction of network technology and Fujitsu's activities toward enabling greater innovation in the user community.

• Multi-Service Access Nodes (MSAN): Gateways to Next Generation Network (NGN)

While it is possible to envisage a Next Generation Network (NGN) solution with a heterogeneous core, the same cannot be said for the fixed access network. Multiple legacies and new technologies must continue to be supported, delivering the widest range of services and adapting them so they can be carried over the NGN core. This paper considers the range of services and technologies that have to be handled by the access network and how a single solution — the Multi-Service Access Node (MSAN) — can be cost effectively developed and deployed to meet the challenge of providing an access gateway to the NGN core. It then looks at an MSAN solution called GeoStream Access Gateway that was developed by Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Limited and chosen by British Telecom (BT) for their "21^st Century Network" in the UK.

• G-PON System

The Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network, IEEE802.3h (GE-PON) is being rapidly spread in Japan according to NTT's mid-term plan that targets 30 million fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers by 2010. Conversely, in the U.S., such carriers as Verizon are aggressively promoting the introduction of FTTX, but Broadband PON (B-PON) specified by ITU-T is currently dominant. However, regarding the requirements from Triple Play, especially for High Definition TV (HDTV), B-PON capacity is insufficient in terms of bandwidth, and thus Gigabit PON (G-PON) with four times the capacity is now being standardized by ITU and will soon be recognized globally as being mainstream. This paper describes the G-PON system jointly developed by Fujitsu, Fujitsu Access, and Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc.

• Home Gateway Enabling Evolution of Network Services

Broadband access services have spread rapidly and are now widely diffused. New network services offered via broadband access are attracting public attention. We are now conducting R&D on a home gateway that connects various devices and appliances in the home to the network, and provides new network services through them. This paper introduces our newly developed multifunction home gateway called "Multigateway" with an integrated broadband router and service adaptors. It then describes the concept of a platform for providing services for the next generation network, and the architecture of home gateway called "Service gateway" that realizes this concept. Finally, this paper cites a home appliance remote control service as an example of new services provided on the platform and describes our newly developed technology that enables these services, including a prototype system.

• Metro SONET System Supporting Optical Backbone Infrastructure: FLASHWAVE 4500

Driven by rapid increase of broadband subscribers and strong demands for multiple services from broadband subscribers, carrier networks are dramatically migrating to the next-generation network. The metro network, which effectively transports user traffic from a variety of access networks, is evolving from a SONET/SDH-based network to an IP-based network. To keep up with the fast-paced network evolution, Fujitsu has developed the FLASHWAVE 4500 Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP). This paper describes the goal of the FLASHWAVE 4500 development and the features of this platform that enable flexible adaptation to network changes. It also describes the future enhancements that will be made to converge metro-network and layer2 functionality in this platform to make it suitable for the future next-generation optical backbone infrastructure.

• Next Generation WDM System

Fujitsu has developed a new fibre optic transmission platform called FLASHWAVE 7500 Release4.1. This third-generation optical platform overcomes many disadvantages of previous generations. Fujitsu utilized the latest optical technologies including wavelength selectable switch (WSS), advanced amplifier techniques, Full Band Tunable Laser (FBTL), and special coding schemes in creating this system. Now carriers can use this system to build cost-effective networks that can accommodate large amounts of any type of traffic. It will also greatly simplify traffic and span engineering, and enable more efficient network configurations, such as a mesh configuration. The highly flexible system architecture allows new features and technologies to be easily added, thus ensuring longer network service life. The system is equally capable of efficiently handling voice, video, storage, or data traffic. This paper outlines the background and demanding requirements of this market. It also describes the history of each system generation, the architecture of FLASHWAVE 7500 Release4.1 and its future development.

• High-Performance Submarine Line Terminal Equipment for Next-Generation Optical Submarine Cable System: FLASHWAVE S650

Global telecommunications traffic is rapidly growing in response to customer demand for broadband services and more reliable network performance. Thus, the demand for a submarine telecommunications system, which is a backbone infrastructure for international telecommunications, is also steadily increasing. This demand is not only for constructing a new cable system, but also for upgrading capacity by adding extra capacity to existing systems. To meet this demand, we have developed the FLASHWAVE S650, new submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE), by applying cutting-edge DWDM optical technologies. This equipment features excellent transmission performance, improved maintainability, and a flexible configuration suitable for a long-haul system, coupled with upgraded capacity. The FLASHWAVE S650 was successfully deployed in a SEA-ME-WE 4 cable system and certain upgraded systems.

• Next Generation IP Backbone Network

Many studies and investigative activities on the Next Generation Network (NGN) have continued for the past several years. It has thus become urgent to construct a next-generation IP backbone network in which voice and video communication capabilities converge. This paper introduces the Fujitsu and Cisco CRS-1 series as a jointly developed product based on a strategic alliance for codevelopment with Cisco Systems Inc. It is essential to develop new products for carriers and NSPs in order to construct the next-generation IP backbone network that will serve the role of a social infrastructure. This paper not only describes IP technology but also the many advanced technologies incorporated in the Fujitsu and Cisco CRS-1 series to satisfy the needs for high availability, extensive capability, and greater flexibility. Moreover, this paper describes the activities underway for adapting global products to the Japan market.

• Network Management Systems for Overseas Solutions

The deployment and management of large-scale networks entail complex tasks that require careful initial planning and ongoing operations support. Meanwhile, telecommunications carriers are reducing staff as part of their response to increased pressure being applied by intensified competition and more competitive pricing. More than ever before, it is essential that telecommunications equipment suppliers provide complete management solutions for their products. Such solutions should include the Element/Network Management System (EMS), craft Interface, and Network Design & Planning Tools. A flexible strategy is needed to integrate the EMS with upper-layer OSS applications that may already be deployed by the carriers.

• Operation System for Optical Networks of Japanese Domestic Carriers

In the network systems of Japanese domestic carriers, the volume of traffic is rapidly increasing along with wider subscriber line bandwidths and expanded IP services. Larger capacity and greater multimedia (voice, video, and data) support are also being realized in the optical networks (SDH system and WDM system) that form the backbone of these network systems. This paper introduces the Operation System (OPS) that manages and operates these widely deployed optical network systems both efficiently and safely. This paper also describes our activities to manage GMPLS, which is a remarkable technique used to overcome network traffic changes in time and region with expanded broadband service and more ubiquitous services.

• Network Selection and Route Management for Mobile Networks

The mobile communications environment of the future will be truly heterogeneous, so that users can enjoy the use of diversified applications through various access networks, such as cellular networks and WiMax. Since each access network offers different cost and transmission characteristics, user applications will have diverse transmission requirements regarding these networks. Moreover, the spread of mobile terminals and telecommunications of significantly larger capacity is dynamically changing network traffic. Under these circumstances, we propose a framework of application-oriented access network selection and route management in which the optimal access network and path or route are selected for each application. Such selection minimizes cost while considering both application requirements and dynamic network characteristics. This paper introduces our activities pertaining to standardization work for the All IP Network (AIPN) Feasibility Study in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) with regard to network selection and route management technologies.

• Mobile Solution for FMC

Competition in the business environment of cellular carriers is expected to become much more intense when mobile-number portability is introduced, new carriers enter the market, and various other developments unfold. A Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) service has already been launched in South Korea and the United Kingdom. In Japan, an uses the capabilities of 3G cellular phones and wireless LAN IP phone. In this paper, we consider the significance of FMC for carriers from the market point of view. We also introduce the functional architecture of FMC and describe further issues that must be studied to realize FMC.

• Network Solution for Achieving Large-Scale, High-Availability VoIP Services

VoIP technologies that allow Internet voice communication are spreading, and many telecommunication carriers already provide VoIP services based on these technologies. The market size of this area is expected to become large because the number of subscribers will continue to increase. However, VoIP technologies need to be enhanced before VoIP services can support all the voice services of the existing switching system, including lifeline services such as emergency calls. In this paper, we introduce our server platform technologies for controlling not only highly scalable but also highly reliable VoIP services. Next, we introduce our lineup of products in this field and future development plans. Lastly, we introduce our session control technology, which is one of the key technologies used for VoIP services in the development of various advanced services.

• Proactnes Series for Efficient IP Network Operation Management

The carriers of the world are now developing the Next Generation Network (NGN) to provide IP phone service, IP broadcasting, bidirectional interactive communications, broadband Internet access service, and other diversified services. Proactnes is a system that supports network service operation management in an environment of such diversified services. The operation systems require integrated network operation management, scalability to manage a large quantity of network equipment in the access networks, a resource management function to realize end-to-end QoS, and performance monitoring and quality management functions to guarantee voice and video services. Proactnes is an operation management system designed to provide solutions for these needs. This paper introduces the operation systems for the NGN, the Proactnes technology used to realize the NGN, and Fujitsu's road map for future network operation management.

• Fujitsu's Comprehensive Network Security Using IPCOM: Prevention Against Threats to IT Systems

Most companies have regarded network security for IT systems as a guard against external threats such as illegal accesses from the Internet. These days, however, it is becoming increasingly urgent for companies to also guard against internal threats that may cause serious trouble, for example, leakages of personal information. Implementation of guard mechanisms on servers and/or clients is not enough; rather, implementation of such mechanisms on networks is required. This paper discusses the current network-security technology and Fujitsu's approach to network security against internal threats. It also introduces the IPCOM L series of products, which are used to implement Fujitsu's TRIOLE network security solutions.

• Approach to Next-Generation Corporate Networks

The proliferation of the Internet has created a network society where high-speed networks can easily be used in a cost-effective manner. However, the advantages of low price and easy use have also resulted in negative consequences such as increased criminal activity on the Internet and lower reliability. Measures to guarantee secure network use in mission-critical areas will become essential. Fujitsu's FENICS network service for enterprises uses advanced network security technologies such as Dynamic VPN and NetSpanner to ensure that products and services can be used in a secure network environment. This paper describes the current status of network use and security-related problems and introduces Fujitsu's technical approach to these issues.

• Development of Real-Time Enterprise Communication Service for Ubiquitous Age

Smart terminals such as cellular phones and PCs and sophisticated network technologies such as cellular and Internet Protocol (IP) can be used to build network service platforms that can change the style of everyday work and create new value for customers. One of the new services to come from such a platform is a high-mobility service that enables people to continue working over a network while in transit. Another is a collaboration service that exchanges voice, video, and other information between different locations. In addition, a ubiquitous service that enhances connections over a network will be provided in the future. This paper introduces three new network services that enable business to be done more efficiently: a service that connects cellular phones to an enterprise network, a Web-based multimedia videotelephony system, and an experimental ubiquitous service that associates QR codes with cellular phones.

• IP Telephony and Network Service for Achieving Ubiquitous Offices

Recently, the spread of the IP network has stimulated a shift toward VoIP telephony, and advances in radio technology have stimulated a shift toward mobile telephony. More and more enterprises want to reduce the cost of their calls and other telephony costs and reform their work styles by integrating their voice and business applications and increasing their office productivity. In response, Fujitsu is developing IP telephony for the Office Innovation Model, which makes it possible to construct a ubiquitous office on a network. This paper introduces Fujitsu's IP telephony concept for achieving ubiquitous offices. It also describes the products, platform technology, and network service functions of this concept and how they are applied.

• UB300/NGN Platform System