ETSI rolls out first spec for next generation IP
Article By : European Telecommunications Standards Institute
The document defines scenarios to evolve the current IP architecture and addresses the technologies that will be embedded in next generation networks.
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has announced that its Next Generation Protocols Industry Specification Group (NGP ISG) has released its first specifications focusing on the evolution of long-running internet protocol standards.
The document, titled "GS NGP 001: Next Generation Protocols; Scenarios Definitions," defines key scenarios to evolve the current internet protocol (IP) suite architecture and addresses the future technologies that will be embedded in next generation networks. The aim is to provide all stakeholders with harmonised requirements that will be suitable for multi-access communication including wireless, wired and cellular communications, according to ETSI.
IP protocols have been defined in the 1970’s but the group believes that ubiquitous internet requires a different approach today, with new security, addressing and mobility issues to take care of.
"Current and future use cases include 4K videos on various devices, massive IoT, drone control or virtual reality to name but a few: use cases that have nothing to do with those of the 70’s. Modernised network protocols architecture had to be triggered and this is why NGP ISG was created in January this year," said Andy Sutton, Chairman of NGP ISG.
GS NGP 001 scenarios comprise addressing, security, mobility, context-awareness, performance improvement and content enablement as well as multi-access, Internet of Things, virtualisation, mobile edge computing and energy saving.
The ETSI NGP hopes to influence the key communications standards bodies (e.g. 3GPP, ETSI, IEEE, IETF, ITU-T) to shape their protocol evolution for 5G systems and 21st century networking technology so as to address the issues identified and meet the recommendations provided. The document also compares and contrasts existing IP suite protocols with next generation networking and internetworking protocol architecture proposals.
