IBIS: a test bed for the evolution of Intelligent Broadband Networks towards TINA

This article analyzes a possible path for the evolution of telecommunication networks toward open distributed architectures like the TINA-C architecture. The results of a research project called IBIS carried out within the CoRiTeL laboratory are presented. The IBIS project starts from the activities of the ACTS project INSIGNIA, which has proposed and demonstrated an architecture for the integration of the intelligent network concept over B-ISDN platforms (the so-called intelligent broadband network). In the IBIS approach, TINA service components replace the traditional IN service logic, providing the intelligence needed to control broadband services in a very flexible and open environment. The handling of the transport connections is performed in a more traditional way, exploiting the capability offered by the IBN. This article focuses on how the TINA and IBN paradigms can profitably interact, providing the intelligence to support advanced multimedia services.