Consumer-oriented incoming call connection service for a ubiquitous consumer wireless world

This paper proposes an architecture and protocol infrastructure for a novel consumer-oriented incoming call connection (ICC) service. In the ubiquitous consumer wireless world (UCWW) this service is one of the core services requiring new infrastructural solutions for its realisation. The solution proposed here, besides realising the service, will offer mobile users greater flexibility and management control over incoming calls, enable users to receive incoming calls via multiple access networks/providers through a single identity, enable user-driven, seamless, network-transparent hot access network change (HAC), largely end roaming charges and create a new wireless networking business opportunity among other benefits. The main components and interfaces of the ICC service architecture and infrastructure are described, and protocol candidates are suggested. A generic consumer-oriented ICC service scenario is elaborated theoretically, implemented and experimentally verified for voice over IP (VoIP) connections in a testbed environment which includes network-transparent HAC. Two distinct ICC operational modes are identified and compared in respect of relative signaling latency and processing resources for a number of key functions such as session setup and release, and HAC.