Context-aware VoIP congestion control service

IP networks can have difficulty coping with delay-sensitive VoIP traffics during emergency situations caused by fires and related disasters. During emergencies there is a huge increase in voice and video traffic, causing a huge strain on the network. The strain on the network is as a result of both essential and non-essential traffic. In such crisis situations, calls originating from or destined for rescue personnel, such as doctors and police, are considered essential. Any other calls from eyewitnesses and the public are considered non-essential, since they degrade the quality of service for the emergency response teams by consuming the scarce network resources. Providing the rescue team with the quality of service that they require necessitates network access restriction for non-essential traffic. In this paper, the authors present a voice and video service that uses Context-Awareness and Semantic Web technologies to restrict network access to privileged users during crisis situations. The service monitors the network for crisis conditions, enables the network to respond appropriately when a crisis occurs, detects the end of the crisis and reverts to its default state

Demonstration of an application-aware resilience mechanism for dynamic heterogeneous networks

Business uptake of IP-centric services has been strong and necessitates reliable, highly-available, high-quality Internet access. Real time services such as mission-critical broadcast video, video conferencing and voice over IP (VoIP) have low tolerance for short-term network outages. However, applications like bulk data transfer maybe much more resistant to such events. Many different network resilience mechanisms can be offered to customers by service providers allowing for slower (or faster) recovery of network access. Yet in current networks, offering different resilience mechanisms for different services is complicated, involving multiple interfaces. In this work, we propose that services be offered differentiated resilience levels within a single physical interface. In order to do so, an application aware resilience mechanism is proposed based on using the supplementary IP header type of service (ToS) field to define arbitrary values in addition to the 6-bit differentiated services code points (DSCP). This mechanism allows different levels of resilience to be assigned to applications such as VoIP for emergency and mission critical services

Integrating Context-Awareness in the IP Multimedia Subsystem for Enhanced Session Control and Service Provisioning Capabilities

The 3GPP-defined IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is becoming the de-facto standard for IP-based multimedia communication services. It consists of an overlay control and service layer that is deployed on top of IP-based mobile and fixed networks. This layer encompasses a set of common functions (e.g. session control functions allowing the initiation/modification/termination of sessions) and service logics that are needed for the seamless provisioning of IP multimedia services to users, via different access technologies. As it continues to evolve, the IMS still faces several challenges including: the enabling of innovative and personalized services that would appeal to users and increase network operators' revenues; its interaction with other types of networks (e.g. wireless sensor networks) as means to enhance its capabilities; and the support of advanced QoS schemes that would manage the network resources in an efficient and adaptive manner. The context-awareness concept, which comes from the pervasive computing field, signifies the ability to use situational information (or context) in support to operations and decision making and for the provision of relevant services to the user. Context-awareness is considered to enhance users' experience and is seen as an enabler to adaptability and service personalization - two capabilities that could play important roles in telecommunication environments. This thesis focuses on the introduction of the context-awareness technology in the IMS, as means to enhance its session control and service provisioning capabilities. It starts by presenting the necessary background information, followed by a derivation of requirements and a review of the related work. To ensure the availability of contextual information within the network, we then propose an architecture for context information acquisition and management in the IMS. This architecture leverages and extends the 3GPP presence framework. Building on the capabilities of this architecture, we demonstrate how the managed information could be integrated in IMS operations, at the control and service levels. Showcasing control level integration, we propose a novel context-aware call differentiation framework as means to offer enhanced QoS support (for sessions/calls) in IMS-based networks. This framework enables the differentiation between different categories of calls at the IMS session control level, via dynamic and adaptive resource allocation, in addition to supporting a specialized charging model. Furthermore, we also propose a framework for enhanced IMS emergency communication services. This framework addresses the limitations of existing IP-based emergency solutions, by offering three main improvements: a QoS-enhanced emergency service; a context-aware personalized emergency service; and a conferencing-enhanced emergency service. We demonstrate the use of context awareness at the IMS service level using two new context-aware IMS applications. Finally, to validate our solutions and evaluate their performance, we build various proof-of-concept prototypes and OPNET simulation model

Demonstration of an Application-Aware Resilience Mechanism for Dynamic Heterogeneous Networks

Business uptake of IP-centric services has been strong and necessitates reliable, highly-available, high-quality Internet access. Real time services such as mission-critical broadcast video, video conferencing and voice over IP (VoIP) have low tolerance for short-term network outages. However, applications like bulk data transfer maybe much more resistant to such events. Many different network resilience mechanisms can be offered to customers by service providers allowing for slower (or faster) recovery of network access. Yet in current networks, offering different resilience mechanisms for different services is complicated, involving multiple interfaces. In this work, we propose that services be offered differentiated resilience levels within a single physical interface. In order to do so, an application aware resilience mechanism is proposed based on using the supplementary IP header type of service (ToS) field to define arbitrary values in addition to the 6-bit differentiated services code points (DSCP). This mechanism allows different levels of resilience to be assigned to applications such as VoIP for emergency and mission critical services

Preventing Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks on the IMS Emergency Services Support through Adaptive Firewall Pinholing

Emergency services are vital services that Next Generation Networks (NGNs) have to provide. As the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is in the heart of NGNs, 3GPP has carried the burden of specifying a standardized IMS-based emergency services framework. Unfortunately, like any other IP-based standards, the IMS-based emergency service framework is prone to Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. We propose in this work, a simple but efficient solution that can prevent certain types of such attacks by creating firewall pinholes that regular clients will surely be able to pass in contrast to the attackers clients. Our solution was implemented, tested in an appropriate testbed, and its efficiency was proven.Comment: 17 Pages, IJNGN Journa

Cross-Layer Design to Maintain Earthquake Sensor Network Connectivity After Loss of Infrastructure

We present the design of a cross-layer protocol to maintain connectivity in an earthquake monitoring and early warning sensor network in the absence of communications infrastructure. Such systems, by design, warn of events that severely damage or destroy communications infrastructure. However, the data they provide is of critical importance to emergency and rescue decision making in the immediate aftermath of such events, as is continued early warning of aftershocks, tsunamis, or other subsequent dangers. Utilizing a beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) HF physical layer, we propose an adaptable cross-layer network design that meets these specialized requirements. We are able to provide ultra high connectivity (UHC) early warning on strict time deadlines under worst-case channel conditions along with providing sufficient capacity for continued seismic data collection from a 1000 sensor network.Comment: To be published in MILCOM 2012 - Track 2: Networking Protocols and Performanc

What’s the Hang Up? The Future of VoIP Regulation and Taxation in New Hampshire

Alice in Austria wishes to call her friend Bob in Boston, using a Boston area code to avoid charges for an international call. Using VoIP, Alice may initiate her call from any location in Austria where she may find Internet access. Once Alice connects to the Internet, she can transmit her call with the aid of a VoIP service provider, such as Skype. In order to hear and communicate with Bob, Alice can rely on a microphone and a headset that she can plug into her computer. Through VoIP, not only may Alice carry on a telephone conversation, but most service providers also allow her to record conversations and manage other information, such as voice mail. The rise of Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) services “means nothing less than the death of the traditional telephone business,” as the ability to make free calls over a high-speed Internet connection in the future “undermines the existing pricing model for telephony.” This disruptive, convergent technology is blurring the boundary between Internet services and telephone services because VoIP functions like the traditional telephone system, but travels as ones and zeros through a broadband Internet connection. As a result, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has questioned whether to classify VoIP as an information service, generally free from FCC regulation under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, or as a telecommunication service, subject to a comprehensive regulatory regime and common carrier obligations. This note discusses why most VoIP services, with the exception of phone-to-phone Internet Protocol (“IP”) telephony, should be classified as information services and, as such, should remain free from state taxation – focusing specifically on the taxation in New Hampshire. Part II focuses on the technology of VoIP and how it differs from traditional telephony. Part III discusses the distinction between information and telecommunication services in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, whether VoIP may qualify as Internet access in light of the Internet Tax Freedom Act (“ITFA”) of 1998, and the federal regulation of VoIP. Finally, Part IV addresses the debate over taxation of VoIP in New Hampshire and discusses why VoIP services should not yet be taxed by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration in light of federal law and the best interests of local businesses and consumers