Advanced services management via intelligent access peripherals

The new reality of worldwide telecommunications deregulation is forcing service providers to quickly adapt networks for delivery of new value added services. This paper proposes a new paradigm of network technology deployment for value added services delivery. The proposal demonstrates that an intelligent access peripheral (IAP), based on the advanced intelligent network (AIN) standards, is the catalyst for service providers (SPs) to efficiently and effectively provide value added services. Although researchers focus on “residential broadband” and other futuristic technologies, most SPs are asking the following question. What services can be installed today that will increase the network´s efficiency and profitability? One can always increase the “utility” value of a network by supplying more bandwidth, since faster speeds generally mean lower delays and fewer packet losses. However, one can also increase the network value by keeping the bandwidth fixed and delivering a wider variety of services than just a single class of best effort service. We show, by way of example, that IAPs are an ideal vehicle for delivering a wider variety of services