NTT Com Testing Applications, Network Services in NGN Field Trial
TOKYO, JAPAN --- NTT Communications (NTT Com) has announced a slate of new applications and network services to be tested under its ongoing next-generation network (NGN) field trial.
NTT Com indicated that it would begin testing five new applications including: Earthquake Early Warning Distribution Service, Safety Information Sharing Service in Disaster Situations, Multifactor Authentication Service, Web-based applications utilizing SIP (*1) Communication Service, and IP-VPN over the NGN. The new trials are in addition to three ongoing trials: High-Definition IPTV Service, Retransmission of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) over IP, and feasibility study for a network-to-network interface (NNI) connection between NGN and OCN backbone networks.
The Earthquake Early Warning Distribution Service trial will transmit Earthquake Early Warning updates from the Meteorological Agency via the NGN. QoS and SIP session control capabilities will be used to ensure reliable transmission of warnings, which will include estimated intensity and arrival time of temblors.
See Attachment 1 for more details about this service.
The Safety Information Sharing Service in Disaster Situations trial will test the ability to conduct secure searches on the Internet for information confirming the safety of relatives during an emergency. A network will be employed to quickly and easily compile and store safety information about evacuees from an affected area. By utilizing the QoS function of the NGN and applying video processing technology, it will be possible to reliably transmit high-resolution video of evacuees, and share information about their status in a timely manner. Details of this service can be found in Attachment 2.
The Multifactor Authentication Service trial will be tested to ensure it meets the high degree of security required authentication services for bank transactions, online stock trading and other similar activities. The service combines authentication using conventional IDs and passwords with other types of data obtained by using the NGN, such as terminal usage status and settings as well as behavior characteristics. This will enable establishment of service settings for specific environments; for example, high-value transactions would be permitted if conducted through the NGN, and prevented if attempted from a less secure environment. The application represents Japan's first multi-factor authentication technology combining NGN channel identification and risk-based authentication (*2) / 2WAY SSL authentication (*3) and is expected to have practical use in an array of fields. See Attachment 3 for more details.
The SIP Communication Service trial will test an interface that would allow the NGN's SIP services to be used safely and easily from a variety of Web applications. This trial will be conducted by NTT Com and Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., using groupware for corporate users to test a solution that enables voice and video communication, including calls and teleconferencing, among phones and PCs connected to the NGN. Attachment 4 provides details of this service.
The final trial tests provision of new IP-VPN services with an NNI connection between NGN's Ethernet transportation function and NTT Com's Arcstar IP-VPN.
The newly added NGN field trials are scheduled to commence during the third phase (*4) of the ongoing field trial.
(*1) SIP (Session Initiation Protocol): Protocol for session control using IP-based transmission
(*2) Risk-based authentication: Capability of calculating risk factor and determining whether to authenticate user (device data, IP address, behavior characteristics)
(*3) 2WAY-SSL authentication: Capability of initiating SSL authentication from both client and server sides
(*4) The third phase of the NGN field trial is scheduled from April to December, 2007
