Rod Smith NGNuk
Peter Ryde NGNuk
Mark Dalziel (NGNuk)
Andy May (CW)
Steve Best (BT)
Neil McArthur (CPW), (By Phone)
Marcus Webb (Vodafone)
Keith Greenfield (Orange)
Marina Gibbs (Ofcom)
Gareth Davies (Ofcom)
Ed Rushton (Ofcom)
Detlef Spang (Colt),
Phil Male (Thus),
Jim Credland (Thus),
Ashish Kumar (T Mobile)
Huw Saunders (KCOM)
The following individuals participated in the discussion on Minimum Security Standards:
John Renault (BT), (By Phone)
Richard Evans (CPW), (By Phone)
Sean Kennedy (O2), (By Phone)
Peter Ingram (Ofcom)
Ben Willis (Ofcom)
Tony Fisk ( Orange), (By Phone)
Emeric Misztl (Tiscali), (By Phone)
Apologies; Robyn Durie ( T Mobile), Ben Philips (Sky)
The minutes and actions of the April meeting were approved
A BERR/Ofcom hosted industry seminar took place on 12th May 2008 to provide an introduction to industry of the proposed new minimum security arrangements. The attendees of this seminar were largely LLUO.
This session included O2 and Tiscali who are Participating members of NGNUK and who also attended the seminar.
Peter Ingram provided an initial background to the standard, progress to date and the background to the request for support to NGNuk.
The telecoms infrastructure is an increasingly vital part of the critical national infrastructure. There is increasing concern regarding its security as the deployment of NGNs advance. A set of proposals to improve security has been developed by Government, Ofcom and several network operators. Whilst network operators should be free to address the differing security needs of their customers, where different operators make use of shared elements or facilities the action, or inaction , of an operator may undermine this. The draft "minimum standards" seek to ensure that where operators are providing higher levels of security that their costs are not disproportionately high for the want of another operator not adopting some reasonable level of best practice. The aim of the "minimum standards" is to propose a minimum baseline of security procedures and processes for all operators using shared facilities.
At the seminar on 12th May concerns were expressed regarding the importance of striking the right balance between addressing the security risks and imposing additional obligations and associated costs, nor adversely affecting competition. The standards are therefore envisaged as minimal and light touch as possible. The seminar concluded that the development of the standards was best led by industry and that the NICC Security Standards Group was the right vehicle for undertaking this work. The target date for the completion of this work was end June 2008 , however, Jim Credland (Thus) stated this is likely to be mid July. There was also a discussion about how the standards would then be implemented in practice and how they would be used successfully in enforceable commercial contracts. It was agree that NGNuk would be an appropriate body to take the contractual issues forward.
Ofcom are seeking for a wider consultation in September where they can provide a final version of the NICC agreed minimum standards, detail of how operators will manage the contractual implementation and an outline of the implementation programme.
The subsequent Exec discussion relates to (i) how operators might bring the standard into effect via interconnect contracts and (b) the route map and reasonable timescales to move towards compliance.
Ofcom were asked to clarify a number of issues by the Exec:
Members voiced concern regarding how the standard might be enforced in circumstances where a 3rd party refused to contract on the basis of them having to adopt the minimum security standards and assure compliance. If NGNuk who adopt the standard refuse interconnection with this 3rd party , the 3rd party has the right to raise a dispute with Ofcom. Whilst Ofcom must review each case on its merits, it would give due regard to the minimum security standard. The Exec expressed concern that the uncertainty that Ofcom might not support the refusal to interconnect would be problematic. Such situations were Operators might be sued for consequential loss would undermine their willingness to refuse interconnection.
It was suggested that NGNuk could develop an implementation policy covering the application and implementation of the policy across operators. It was however questioned what standing this might have. It was agreed that (i) as the long term position of NGNuk was not assured and (ii) that as NGNuk was not fully representative this would not be an appropriate approach. Given the initial focus on LLUO it was agreed that the OTA2 would be a better forum for advancing this contract work.
Action 1 - 26/06/2008 - NGNuk Secretariat to brief OTA2 Executive members on the background and timeframe
There was limited discussion or agreement at the Executive on how to progress matters beyond referral to the OTA2.The Secretariat circulated a suggested plan of action to the Executive for comment following the meeting.
Action 2 - 26/06/2008 - The NGNuk Executive were asked to provide comment and views on the suggested plan of action to progress the commercial aspects of the minimum security standard
At the March Exec Ofcom had led a discussion on how best to seek industry input towards a proposed NGN consultation. It was agreed that Ofcom would attend the Exec meetings, as appropriate, to provide an update to the Exec on the consultation's progress and where appropriate to provide specific questions where it would seek the views and feedback of the NGNuk Executive.
Gareth Davies and Ed Rushton attended the June Exec on behalf of Ofcom. They advised that Ed has been brought in to support the consultation and also that "one to one" meetings had been arranged with Exec members to discuss their individual views and concerns. Ofcom requested clarification of who had raised the discussion points so that they could be adequately addressed during these bilateral meetings.
Action 3 - 26/04/2008 - Peter Ryde to provide Ofcom with details of which CP raised each discussion points considered by the Exec.
At the April Exec the following areas of discussion had been covered with respect to the consultation:
Minimum Service Capabilities
The question was raised as to whether there a was 'minimum service capability' that NGNs should be required to support i.e. whilst NGNs allow CPs to differentiate their services, are there certain fundamental services that each NGN has to support e.g. caller display, withheld number.
The Exec identified two dimensions to this requirement. The first was a commercial dimension , where agreement would have a "network effect" which would be to the benefit of industry as a whole through value creation. The consensus at the Exec was that further work in this area, and outside of the NICC standards activity, would not be of benefit.
The second dimension related to consumer protection where the market will expect the same level of service during transition to an NGN environment. In this context The Exec considered that it would be appropriate for Ofcom to consider the validation of existing regulatory principles against the proposed standards to examine the potential impact on public policy of the move to NGNs. It was important for industry to understand which principals needed to be carried forward and how these would need to operate in an NGN environment. An example cited was that of anonymity. On current networks there is no anonymity of the user between networks but end users had the choice to remain anonymous to each other. In an internet/NGN world this is currently not the case.
Mobility and Location
The question had been raised as to whether the proposed consultation should seek to gain views on how to enable mobility, location and context aware services across fixed and mobile networks with a view to fostering innovation and competition.
The Exec considered that the questions of how to create value and how to grow the market were NGNuk issues and so outside of the scope of the consultation. The Exec did consider that there was validity in Ofcom consulting around consumer protection issues and how these might evolve as technology changes and the range of competing technologies increase.
The issue of potential SMP obligations around presence and location data plus their market definition was raised, but no conclusion agreed.
Supplementary Services
The concern was raised that there might be certain 'supplementary services' that CPs would remain reliant on from BT Group for in an NGN world and whether these should be considered within the consultation.
The Exec recognised that in an NGN world new data sets might become potential bottlenecks and that access to such data needs to be mandated to create and maintain greater competition. Again the Exec stressed the importance, within the consultation, of reviewing the existing regulatory principles and understanding how these would be affected by differing models of competition and potential new bottlenecks.
Standards and Interoperability
The issue of how best to maximise interoperability by ensuring transparency of standards and interoperability plus compliance with pan-EU and other internationally agreed standards was discussed.
Ofcom stated that the Framework required them to act to ensure such compliance. It was agreed that the current activity of NICC was sufficient and that further focus via the consultation was unnecessary. It was noted however that there was a dislocation within current activity due the divergent priorities between the fixed and mobile operator priorities.
Marcus Webb asked that members and Ofcom take note of the work being undertaken by the IP Inter-working Association (IPIA) and agreed to circulate further details to the Executive.
Interoperability testing was not considered an appropriate subject for the consultation.
The Exec discussed the need for SLA Reporting by Operators and whether this needs to be considered during the consultation. NGNs are currently less resilient than TDM services and, since the services are no longer (ubiquitously) provided over BT infrastructure, service levels and performance will vary more between CPs. The question was raised as to whether statistics, similar to the Topcomm statistics, should be provided but for a wider range of services.
It was felt that the key issue was to give consumers confidence whilst services transitioned to NGNs. There was some discussion as to what might be appropriate measures and agreement that this is an area that could be explored further in the consultation. There was a consensus that any measures must be relevant and meaningful for the end user and should not be overly technical , however it was also recognised that some segments of the market understood the impact of more technical measures such as latency ( e.g. gamers) and their needs would also need to be met.
The BT Undertakings
The Exec discussed whether the consultation needed to consider the impact of wider NGN and 21CN implementation on BT's Undertakings. A number of comments were made regarding BT's performance against the Undertakings. It was agreed that these were outside of both the scope of the Exec discussion and the consultation itself. It was agreed however, that the current undertakings were developed based on a more generic view of 21CN and that as NGN/21CN implementation advances a more granular review will be required. This could therefore be considered for inclusion within the consultation.
Scope
Concern was expressed that Ofcom needs to ensure that requirements of business markets are equally treated to those of consumers and that the language generally used by Ofcom tended to reinforce the view that their focus was largely "mass market". Ofcom reassured the Exec that the focus of the consultation would be across the market and not just on residential consumers.
The Secretariat had been requested by the Executive to document the various work undertaken by NGNuk on Charging ( Actions 2 - 29/11/2007 and 13/03/2008 refer). The Executive approved the documents circulated to the Executive on 11th June 2008 for publication on the NGNuk web site.
The three documents are:
Action 4 - 26/06/2008 - Peter Ryde to publish the three charging documents on the NGNuk website but to ensure there is a clear explanation of what each document represents and the context of the work that was undertaken.
The scope of the Orange release of interconnect standards was circulated to Exec on 21st May and an NICC TSG meeting held on 3rd June to agree resources for work items identified within the scope. Generally there is currently inadequate support from NICC members to develop most items within the Orange scope.
A number of items raised by NGNuk were not supported by sufficient CPs to progress. These were:
The next TSG meeting is planned for the 8th July and Exec members were asked to give consideration for their support of the work items within the Orange release.
Action 5 - 26/06/2008 - Exec members to give further consideration for their support of work items within the Orange release and to inform NICC TSG as appropriate
There was insufficient time was available to discuss the 2008 priorities and focus. This subject will therefore be discussed at the next Executive meeting.
Budget Update
Rod Smith gave a brief update on costs versus budget and the status of member rebates. He also stated his intent to end the financial year with a cash surplus equivalent to one quarters costs. This was agreed by the Exec.
Next Meeting
The next scheduled meeting was 10.00 to 14.00 on 25th September at Riverside House.
Rod Smith requested input from the Executive on items they felt should be considered at the September executive
Action 6 - 26/04/2008 - Executive on inform (and brief) the Secretariat on any items they wish to be considered at the September Executive meeting
Peter Ryde
NGNuk Office
07771 555 048
020 7783 4688
Action 6 - 27/09/2007 - The secretariat to request feedback from the Exec members on their thoughts regarding the key aims and attributes of the service principles. These to be collated by the secretariat and represented for discussion at the October Executive meeting. Held pending Exec discussion on 2008 priorities and focus. Scheduled for discussion on 25th September | Secretariat Ongoing |
Action 8 - 27/09/2007 - The secretariat to request feedback from the Exec members on their thoughts regarding the key aims and attributes of the principles that need to be considered for Numbering and Addressing. These to be collated by the secretariat and represented for discussion at the October Executive meeting. Request sent to Exec, 2 responses. Held pending Exec discussion on 2008 priorities and focus. Scheduled for discussion on 25th September but not discussed. | Secretariat Ongoing |
Action 2 - 29/11/2007 - Prepare documentation covering the background and approach to the charging work, the summarised responses of the members and recommendation for publication on the NGNuk web site. Exec sign off will be required prior to release. Approved by Exec on 26th June | Peter Ryde Completed |
Action 1 - 13/12/2007 - Secretariat to provide their views (for discussion) at the January Exec on how the aims for 2008 outlined by the Exec will be achieved. Awaiting Exec output regarding 2008 priorities | Secretariat Ongoing |
Action 2 - 13/12/2007 - Exec members should table those initial policy areas they wish NGNuk to consider during 2008 at the January Exec . Scheduled for discussion on 25th September | Exec By 24th Jan |
Action 1 - 13/03/2008: Peter Ryde to liaise with Ofcom to schedule attendance, as appropriate, to provide feedback on the progress of the NGN consultation to the Exec. Gareth Davies has attended the April and June NGNuk Executives and scheduled to attend the September meeting | Peter Ryde Ongoing |
Action 3 - 13/03/2008 - Peter Ryde to document the output of the Charging Framework discussions and circulate this to the Executive for sign off prior to submission to Ofcom. Approved by Exec on 26th June | Peter Ryde Complete |
Action 4 - 13/03/2008 - NGNuk Secretariat to invite the appropriate Ofcom representative to attend the Exec to discuss the opportunity for the NGNuk Exec to provide pre-consultation input to the NBMR. Marina Gibbs had advised that as yet there was no owner for the wholesale element of the NBMR and that this was unlikely to commence until October. | Secretariat Ongoing |
Action 5 - 13/03/2008 - Secretariat to meet with Participating members to outline the changes in approach and budget for 2008/9 and to provide reassurance , on behalf of the Exec , of their value to the NGNuk Exec. All Participating members were briefed | Secretariat Complete |
Action 1 - 24/04/2008 - Secretariat to develop a "terms of reference" briefing for the work to develop scenarios covering various products and services operating across varied networks and distribute to the Exec for comment. Incorporated with item T of NICC Orange release | Peter Ryde Closed |
Action 2 - 24/04/2008 - Secretariat to schedule a "one -off" work shop for members nominated delegates to develop the scenarios as detailed in the brief. . Incorporated with item T of NICC Orange release | Peter Ryde Closed |
Action 3 - 24/04/2008 - Peter Ryde to discuss with NICC TSG how the definition of the 4 standard bearer classes might be agreed ( including 3GPP mapping) This is now included within the scope of the NICC Orange release. | Peter Ryde Completed |
Action 4 - 24/04/2008 - Secretariat to schedule an additional Executive meeting during May, if feasible. Insufficient Exec members were available on the proposed dates | Rod Smith Completed |
Action 1 - 26/06/2008 - NGNuk Secretariat to brief OTA2 Executive members on the background and timeframe for the Minimum Security Standards. OTA Exec briefed at the July meeting | Secretariat Completed |
Action 2 - 26/06/2008 - The NGNuk Executive were asked to provide comment and views on the suggested plan of action to progress the commercial aspects of the minimum security standard | Executive |
Action 3 - 26/04/2008 - Peter Ryde to provide Ofcom with details of which CP raised each discussion points considered by the Exec. | Peter Ryde |
Action 4 - 26/06/2008 - Peter Ryde to publish the three charging documents on the NGNuk website but to ensure there is a clear explanation of what each document represents and the context of the work that was undertaken. Documents published in early July | Peter Ryde Completed |
Action 5 - 26/06/2008 - Exec members to give further consideration for their support of work items within the Orange release and to inform NICC TSG as appropriate | Executive Closed |
Action 6 - 26/04/2008 - Executive on inform (and brief) the Secretariat on any items they wish to be considered at the September Executive meeting | Executive Closed |