The Intelligent Network: A Joint Study by Bell Atlantic, IBM and Siemens

This book presents a comprehensive discussion of the Intelligent Network concept and the capabilities the Intelligent Network would provide the network operator in the deployment of telecommunication services. It shows the findings of a study carried out by Bell Atlantic International, Siemens and IBM which dealt with the implications of introducing new services into the telephone network through the use of centralized logic. The centralized logic would reside in a network node called a Service Control Point which would communicate with other network elements via a standardized protocol (CCITT No. 7). This new architecture, known as the Intelligent Network, complements the existing telephone network, which is becoming increasingly digital. The purpose of this report is to contribute to the understanding of the Intelligent Network and the realization of its benefits to service users and network operators. The reader will first be presented with an overview of the Intelligent Network concept, its main components and features, and Intelligent Network introduction and evolution scenarios. Next, common functional characteristics of Intelligent Network services are considered. Following these, network and service management requirements are described together with examples of possible hardware and software configurations necessary to implement the Intelligent Network. A major portion of the book is dedicated to five selected Intelligent Network services: Green Number Service, Alternate Billing Service, Emergency Response Service, Private Virtual Network, and Area Wide Centrex. For each service, the book provides a service description and a corresponding application description. Professional dealing with the planning and engineering of the telecommunication networks and services will gain valuable information out of these descriptions of selected Intelligent Network services. The reader will find this book a valuable resource (technical and marketing forces) in understanding the Intelligent Network concept, and its potential for the worldwide implementation of advanced telecommunication services.

Contents: Overview of the Intelligent Network.- Green Number Service.- Alternate Billing Service.- Emergency Response Service.- Private Virtual Network.- Area Wide Centrex.- Appendices.- Glossary.- Bibliography.