President's Message

I am pleased to present ATIS' Winter 2009 Newsletter, The ATIS Update.

Thus far this year, we've found our industry facing the same challenges as the larger economy. Because of that, it is with renewed importance that ATIS continues to undertake work that is timely and value-generating.

In that spirit, ATIS has embarked on a series of important new initiatives including the creation of our Home Networking (HNET) and Service Oriented Networks (SON) Forums. These bodies – each described in detail below – will be the premier groups in their respective fields and underscore ATIS’ continued commitment to tomorrow’s business-driven intiatives and technologies.

As you know, ATIS strives to continually deliver value and substantive solutions to our membership. In this newsletter you’ll find some highlights of ATIS’ recent noteworthy and wide-ranging accomplishments.

Even during these challenging times, ATIS is committed to success. Indeed, when times are tightest, the need for innovation is greatest. Regardless of the larger economic circumstances, progress and innovation will continue to fuel our industry’s advancement. We must continue to enable those technologies and capabilities that will help revitalize our companies, our industries and our economy.

Sincerely,

President & CEO
Susan M. Miller

Annual Meeting of the Committees (AMOC)
"Focused for the Future"

ATIS has scheduled its Annual Meeting of the Committees (AMOC) for April 20-24, 2009. This year’s meeting will take place at the Renaissance Esmeralda in Indian Wells, California.

As is the case every year, AMOC allows leading standards and technology experts from our member companies to meet face-to-face and collaborate on critical technical standards development work. It also provides a unique opportunity for cross-committee collaboration, partnership and networking. AMOC 2009 will also include the ATIS Annual Meeting Awards Dinner, which recognizes ATIS’ outstanding committee leadership.

For more information on AMOC, and to register, please visit: http://www.atis.org/AnnualMtg/2009/index.asp.

HNET Assessment and Workplan Released and Forum Launched

In early January 2009, ATIS released its Home Networking (HNET) Assessment & Work Plan, available here. Commissioned by the ATIS Board of Directors, the Assessment & Work Plan considered issues impacting the development of a cohesive home networking infrastructure to support VoIP, IPTV and other IP-based services. One of the Assessment and Workplan’s principle recommendations was ATIS’ establishment of a new home networking group.

Correspondingly, ATIS’ Board of Directors approved the creation of the ATIS Home Networking Forum, thereby creating a single, centralized body responsible for comprehensively addressing home networking standards. ATIS’ HNET Forum is unique in that it’s the only body to holistically assess the wide variety of on-going home networking standards development work. The Forum provides a pragmatic solution to the often confusing and decentralized home networking standards development arena.

The Forum held its initial meeting on February 3, 2009, with Cisco System’s Gale Lightfoot, Senior Staff Program Manager serving as Convener. The meeting included a review of the Home Networking Assessment & Work Plan, and began addressing home networking’s identified issues. With more than 70 participants from 60 different companies, the Forum is off to a strong start.

The Home Networking Forum will hold its next virtual meeting on March 12, 2009 at 2:00 PM EST. For more information, please contact Maria Estefania at mestefania@atis.org.

SON Assessment and Workplan Released and Forum to be Launched

In early February, ATIS announced the launch of the Service Oriented Networks (SON) Forum and the release of the corresponding SON Assessment and Workplan, available here. This Forum’s creation was one of the SON Assessment and Workplan’s specific recommendations.

Commissioned by the ATIS Board of Directors, the SON Forum will convene representatives from the telecommunications, IT and Web industries to develop practices and standards necessary to support an open and flexible SON ecosystem. Its work will enable more agile and adaptable telecommunications networks incorporating customization characteristics typically associated with IT applications and Web portals. The SON Forum’s work will also ensure that SONs are reliable, secure and interoperable with future and existing infrastructures.

Ultimately, the Forum’s work will result in telecommunications providers bringing innovative new products and services to the marketplace faster and in a manner that maximizes their commercial appeal.

The SON Forum has scheduled its first meeting for March 10, 2009. British Telecom’s Head of Information Technology Strategy, Paul Muschamp, will serve as the Convener. The first meeting will be open to all interested parties. For more information, please contact Maria Estefania at mestefania@atis.org.

ATIS' IPTV Interoperability Forum Completes Linear
TV Work

Formed July 2005, the ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum (IIF) has established itself as a leader in IPTV standards and specifications. The IIF completed its Phase 1 work in December 2008, with its release of the consumer metadata standard. The standard acts as the bridge between an abstract, theoretical view of IPTV, and the concrete, physical resources that deliver the service.

The IIF’s recent launch of its Phase 2 work is devoted to standards that enable “low-bandwidth interactivity,” such as video on demand or pay-per-view services. IIF’s Phase 3 will consist of standards that enable more demanding applications, such as streaming multimedia and video conferencing.

The IIF’s Chairman, Verizon’s Dan O’Callaghan recently provided his assessment of the IIF’s leadership role and the valuable deliverables.

ATIS: Why is the IIF different from other IPTV standardization efforts?

“The IIF’s end-to-end view is a key differentiator. While other efforts will be focused on the interface between the house and the service provider, IIF actually takes a broader view of IPTV’s delivery chain,” O’Callaghan explains. “Admittedly, most of our early work has been focused on that customer/service provider interface – that’s because it’s where IIF’s work will have the farthest-reaching effects. For example, you take content from a single provider and push it through the delivery chain, and when it gets to the customer end, it fans out to millions of users. Think of it like a single-point to multi-point system – there are huge impacts by ensuring there’s a standard in place for an interface that gets replicated by the millions. Beyond its end-to-end view, IIF also distinguishes itself with an open, harmonized approach. This strategy allows its standards to be used with both IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and non-IMS networks.”

ATIS: How have other standardization groups approached IPTV?

“Everybody else seems to focus on a transport technology. You’re either IMS or non-IMS. We’ve focused on the application. That application is video, and so we need to define those data structures that control video. How we get them there -- that varies -- whether it’s IMS or non-IMS. So I really think we have the right approach. We looked at it from the top-down and not the bottom-up.” O’Callaghan says.

ATIS: The IIF just completed their Phase 1 work. Materially, what does that mean?

“We’ve divided the IIF’s work into three phases. The first was focused on defining linear TV. It basically defines how IPTV emulates a standard television service,” says O’Callaghan. “We felt that you had to do that first – to establish the groundwork. There are great, futuristic IPTV ideas -- think video conferencing and interactive advertising -- but if the customer can’t tune in ABC News at night, it’s for naught. You’re not going to sell that service unless it can at least do the basic job.”

ATIS: Openness is a buzzword in today’s communications space. What’s the IIF’s take on that?

“We’ve always believed that this should be an open standard – because of that, open device attachment was a very important concept. Third-parties must be able to develop devices that can attach to these networks. That’s important whether you’re an operator who leases all the equipment to end-users, or whether people can go to Wal-Mart and buy that equipment – it gives you more choices and flexibility. Even if you’re the sole buyer of all the equipment, you want an open standard, so that you can choose who to do business with. It’s IIF’s flexible, open approach that makes its work so significant – its standards can be used by both IMS and non-IMS networks.”

ATIS: Any final thoughts about the IIF’s work?

“If I were to make a pitch for why you should choose the IIF, this is it: You’ll have the flexibility of going between either network. You may find that you’ll need both at the same time, and with the IIF approach, you won’t have to keep reinventing the data structure. So, the application will remain consistent regardless of the network you’re using to deliver it. This flexibility was central to our efforts, and I think we’ve achieved it, and we’re unique because we’ve accomplished that.”

For more information on the IIF, please contact Maria Estefania at mestefania@atis.org.

IP-based Downloadable Security Incubator Launch

In mid-March, ATIS will launch the IP-based Downloadable Security Incubator (IDSI). The IDSI will specify an internal, network-delivered downloadable security solution for IPTV. It will enable operators to migrate away from external security devices, while still ensuring the delivery of copy-protected content. The IDSI is unique in that it will simultaneously develop both the downloadable solution’s technical specifications, and the business requirements necessary for its commercial implementation.

The solution will enable operators to reduce costs, and more easily accommodate downloadable security replacements and upgrades. ATIS is undertaking this effort to provide a renewable, acceptable, extensible and compatible security solution in IPTV Terminal Function (ITF) devices. As the solution will be incorporated in a certified and non-removable component housed in the ITF device, it will reduce overall costs and enable the solution’s easy and autonomous upgradeability.

“Ensuring the simple and secure delivery of copy-protected content is critical to IPTV’s future growth,” said Susan Miller, ATIS President and CEO. “By incorporating this internal solution, the IDSI will ensure the realization of a secure, scalable and economically efficient solution that comprehensively addresses the needs of end-users, operators and device manufacturers.”

The IDSI has scheduled its first meeting for March 18, 2009, in Washington, D.C. The first meeting will be open to all interested parties. For more information on IDSI, please contact Jim Turner at: jturner@atis.org.

Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio
Developed by ATIS (TEER)

ATIS' Network Interface, Power and Protection Committee (NIPP) recently published three specifications with respect to methodologies used to formulate a telecommunications energy efficiency ratio, or TEER. They will be presented to the ITU between March 24th and 27th 2009, in Hiroshima, Japan.

The TEER will serve as ATIS' baseline for determining network components' energy efficiency. It will provide a uniform methodology to measure equipment power, and specifies energy efficient ratios for telecommunications equipment. When formulating the ratio, the TEER rating considers the equipment's type, and network location and classification such as core, transport and access. This holistic assessment provides a more precise measurement of equipment's energy efficiency.

The TEER's impact is two-fold. First, as it promotes increased energy efficiency, it works as a cost-containment mechanism. Secondly, it reaffirms industry's commitment to environmental sustainability and green business practices.

For more information on the NIPP and TEER, please contact Maria Estefania at mestefania@atis.org.

The ATIS Exploratory Group on Green (EGG)

ATIS’ Exploratory Group (EGG) on Green was launched on October 9, 2008 to investigate how ATIS and its members could address environmental sustainability, while also utilizing their role in and uniqueness of their industry to advance sustainability on the whole in other adjacent industry’s like transportation, health, and power. Comprised of 27 representatives from the world’s leading communications companies, the Group’s output aims to holistically assess and proposed steps towards addressing issues associated with sustainability as it pertains to the Information Communications and Technology (ICT) sector.

In February 2009, EGG delivered a Report and Recommendations document to ATIS’ Board of Directors. The document includes: the definition of “sustainability;” the business drivers behind industry’s actions; an evaluation of “green” initiatives within the ICT sector; recognition of energy efficiency techniques; carbon footprint reduction opportunities; and a discussion of renewable energy sources and corporate operations.

For more information on EGG, please contact Tim Jeffries at: tjeffries@atis.org.

The ATIS CIO Council

During the latter half of 2008, ATIS’ CIO Council completed work items related to end-user regional movement, Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and identified 2009’s priority initiatives.

The CIO Council successfully developed an infrastructure for a program to assist customers as they move across regional boundaries. This work item – identified as a priority in 2007 – culminated in the launch of the Moveroo website, which facilitates easy transfer of end-users’ communications-related services.

The Council also undertook work-items related to the best use of Free and Open Source software, or FOSS. To that end, a Working Group was formed to address FOSS’ lifecycle management. That working group subsequently published a white paper for the ATIS Board, which included four actions that would optimize FOSS’ utility in the communications space. Those actions are: create a knowledge repository for FOSS evaluations and provide a library of certified FOSS; identify existing FOSS usage to nurture and assist this effort including close collaboration with universities; and continue collaboration in terms of knowledge sharing.

During 2009, the CIO Council will continue to explore FOSS’ application in the communications ecosystem, leverage ATIS’ Green initiative vis-à-vis existing data center practices and examine partnership and collaboration opportunities with the newly-created Service Oriented Networks (SON) Forum.

For more information on the CIO Council, please contact Yvonne Reigle at yreigle@atis.org.

ATIS Elects New Board Officers

In November 2008, ATIS elected John Donovan, AT&T Chief Technology Officer, Chairman of its Board of Directors. Donovan assumed the Chairmanship in January 2009. Donovan succeeded Christopher Rice, Executive Vice President Shared Services of AT&T, who has served as ATIS Chairman since early 2007.

ATIS also elected Matt Bross, BT Group Chief Technology Officer, as Secretary and re-elected Harold Braun, President of Harris Stratex Networks, as Treasurer.
Other elected officers include: Nick Adamo, Senior Vice President of Cisco Systems, as First Vice Chairman and Mark Wegleitner, Senior Vice President of Verizon, as Second Vice Chairman.

These positions were effective January 1, 2009.

ATIS Technology Conference at SUPERCOMM

The ATIS Technology Conference at SUPERCOMM will convene leading communication executives to explore the industry’s most transformational technologies.

During the two-day Conference, senior industry executives will examine how IPTV, LTE and Service Oriented Networks impact the communications’ ecosystem status-quo. ATIS’ programming will explore IPTV’s potentially disruptive and complementary components, feature an in-depth examination of LTE’s business case and technical considerations and demonstrate how Service Oriented Networks will reshape today’s communications systems.

Geared towards both business and technically-minded attendees, ATIS’ Technology Conference will provide strategic insight into the industry’s foremost challenges and opportunities.

Please visit www.atis.org regularly for updates. For speaking or sponsorship opportunities, contact Lauren Layman at llayman@atis.org.

ATIS-3GPP LTE: Towards Mobile Broadband Conference

On January 26th and 27th ATIS convened more than 225 senior thought-leaders from the diverse, global communications ecosystem in Dallas, TX. During two days – and 30 educational sessions – the group dove into LTE’s compelling technical details and business case.

The conference was opened by ATIS’ President and CEO Susan Miller. AT&T’s Senior Vice President of Architecture & Planning, Kris Rinne then provided the keynote, offering insights into LTE’s capabilities and potential. Later, during 3GPP’s Standards Track, LTE’s technical details were examined, while the Business Track discussed the technology’s obvious commercial promise.

3G Americas’ President Chris Pearson keynoted on Day Two. 3G Americas’ then began an “Executive Briefing,” which saw some of the wireless space’s premier networking experts discuss LTE’s deployment requirements. During the afternoon’s Business Track, groups examined LTE’s likely impact on the embedded devices market, intellectual property rights and future software and service offerings.

This is the first in a series of LTE-related educational events. As 3GPP’s North American Organizational Partner, ATIS will continue to promote this groundbreaking technology.

NRSC’s Outage Reporting Efforts Highlighted at FCBA Event

In early February, ATIS General Counsel Tom Goode reported on the work of ATIS’ Network Reliability Steering Committee (NRSC) at a Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) sponsored event.

Tom informed the room of FCC personnel, state public service commissioner staff and industry representatives of the NRSC’s ongoing work to address network reliability improvement opportunities. The NRSC has been advising the communications industry through standards, technical requirements, technical reports, bulletins, best practices, and annual reports. He also reported on the NRSC’s State Outage Reporting’s preliminary recommendations, namely that:

• NRSC members are committed to working with state regulatory agencies regarding outages.
• Multiple jurisdictions have various requirements for some aspects of network outage reporting. Many of these states use different criteria, thresholds, report types, formats, updates, and timeframes for outage reporting, making it challenging for carriers to manage the multitude of varying requirements.
• While the industry understands the need for State PSCs to have direct knowledge of communications network conditions that impair citizens’ ability to communicate and/or conduct business, state-level regulations must also consider carriers’ primary responsibilities to maintain and restore networks quickly and remember that employee safety is of paramount concern.
• Differences between federal and state outage reporting requirements can impose unnecessary burdens on service providers. Carriers are eager to work with state authorities to minimize or eliminate these burdens.
• Timelines for reporting service disruptions should be no more stringent than the existing Federal rules.
• Service Providers should be able to electronically submit reports.
• It is very important that States secure all data received and treat Service Provider-specific data as confidential.