Delivering seamless services in open networks using intelligent service mediation

In this era of converged networks, service providers are seeking ways to seamlessly provide a wide spectrum of services and applications that will differentiate them from their competitors and add to their revenue streams. At the same time, new industry initiatives are pushing toward open networks, in which third-party application providers can use application programming interfaces (APls) such as Parlay, Open Services Architecture (OSA) and Java{*} APls for Integrated Networks (JAIN{*}) to access network services. One challenge for network operators is to attract and engage third-party application providers while protecting the network from harm. We propose using intelligent service mediation to enable operators to open their networks safely through policy management techniques and to reduce the complexity involved in delivering applications developed by third parties over public switched and mobile networks. We also describe an implementation of intelligent service mediation.