Service creation for the intelligent network

The objective of this paper is to describe one of the key ingredients for introducing services on an intelligent network, the service creation environment. nis environment will facilitate all the phases of service ereation: the specification or modification of services, their development, their test and validation and finally their deployment in the network The paperfirst gives an overview of FRANCE TELECOM's intelligent network and then outlines the structure of its service creation environment. Finally, in order to illustrate the approach, it focuses on two elements of this environment. Thejrst element is a tool that allows the designer to define the service data and the second one is a tool to define the service logic. INTRODUCTION One of the aims of the "Intelligent Network" is to allow for rapid and easy service introduction. To this end, the telecommunication network (PSTN, data network, ...) must be organized so as to provide an infrastructure that speeds up the introduction of new servicts. But in addition, it is also nccessBly to facilitate their definition. This can be pcrfonned by means of a service creation environment helping to describe service logic and service data. The final objective is to be able to introduce a complex new service within a few months, a simpler one within a few weeks and to modify any service within a few days. For instance, if the network is the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), a complex servicx. could be PVN (Private Viaual Network) and a simpler senice could be Tclevoting. 1. OVERWEW OF FRANCE TELECOM'S INTELLIGENT NOWORK FRANCE TELECOM's intelligent network is based on two main service-independent functional entities: the "Point de Commande des Services" (PCS) and the "Commutateur d'Acc& aux Services" (CAS, close to the SSP). The PCS performs the "intelligent" part of the service, as it knows both the service logic and the service data. The PCS function may be part of a network node (for instance, an exchange in the PSTN) or outside the network node in an intelligent node. The CAS function is always located in a network node. It allows the node to perform a generic l i t of elementary operations under the control of the PCS function. The intelligent node and the network node hosting the CAS function arc not the only elements of FRANCE TEECOM's intelligent network (see Fig. 1). The other service-independent elements arc: . The INDB (Intelligent Network DataBase). It is an intelligent node that may be accesscd only by PCSs. The interface is based on a Query/Response type of dialogue, . The Charging Center, a machine that collects data about the communications from PCS or CAS and that will be Connected to FRANCE TELECOM's future integrated billing system, =GATE. The IP (Intelligent Peripheral). This is a machine that provides resources that are not located in network nodes. Ips are controlled by CAS and PCS. The signalling network (SS7 network for the PSTN). It allows for the interconnection of intelligent nodes, network nodes, INDB and Ips. *