IEEE Communications Magazine

                              Feature Topic on

   Challenges in Enabling Inter-Provider Service Quality on the Internet

   As  carriers and service providers build multi-services networks based
   on  IP/MPLS-enabled  infrastructures  that  are  able to meet evermore
   stringent service level agreements (SLAs) and quality-of-service (QoS)
   requirements,  it becomes a key issue to extend the ability to deliver
   these  services across carrier and service provider domain boundaries,
   while  at the same time preserving the same SLAs and QoS assurances as
   those  provided  within  a given provider's network. The advent of new
   end-user   applications,  as  well  as  new  services  based  on  MPLS
   technology,  such  as  Layer 2 Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) and
   Layer 3 Virtual Private Networks (L3VPNs), also means the emergence of
   added  service  quality  requirements  from  operators  deploying  and
   interoperating  these  networks  and  the  end-users  themselves. As a
   result,  providers  and  vendors  require  efficient  means  to enable
   inter-provider   service  quality,  which  comprises  of  several  key
   elements  including  quality  of  service, class of service, security,
   OAM, and restoration and repair. This will is lead to the emergence of
   improved  or novel tools and techniques to address these aspects, with
   the   goal  of  guaranteeing  service  quality  end-to-end,  improving
   security   and   billing/accounting,  and  reducing  operating  costs.
   Standards  organizations  such  as  the IETF and the ITU are taking on
   significant work in this area, and various aspects of this subject are
   also  being  investigated  by  bodies  such  as  the OIF, the MSF, the
   MPLS/Frame Relay Alliance, the IEEE, and the Metro Ethernet Forum, and
   are the themes for numerous upcoming conferences.

   This  feature  topic  issue  of the IEEE Communications Magazine has a
   multi-pronged focus on the delivery of inter-provider service quality:
     * Highlight operator and end-user concerns and requirements.
     * Feature current and/or planned deployment experiences.
     * Survey modern research and engineering developments.
     * Spotlight contemporary standards activity.

   Thus,  focused  tutorial  and survey contributions as well as research
   papers  are  solicited on (but certainly not limited to) the following
   topics:
     * Carrier requirements for efficient inter-provider service quality:
       Current operational needs, bottlenecks, future demands
     * Deployment  experience  with  inter-provider  service  quality  on
       IP/MPLS-based networks: comparative analysis, case studies
     * QoS  management  in an inter-provider environment: interconnection
       architectures   using   MPLS,   Diffserv,  QoS  performance,  path
       characterization, routing policies
     * Service  assurance  in  inter-provider infrastructures: End-to-end
       SLA management, service billing/reporting, admission control
     * Failure  and restoration requirements/challenges in inter-provider
       contexts
     * Interoperability  and inter-working of diverse equipment types and
       technologies (ATM, FR, Ethernet)
     * Current  engineering  and  research developments: E.g. Passive and
       active  performance  measurement and monitoring, TE, modelling and
       simulation
     * Standards  activities  and  initiatives:  new services and network
       architectures

   Submission
   Articles should be tutorial in nature and should be written in a style
   comprehensible  to  readers  outside  the  specialty  of  the article.
   Articles  may be edited for clarity and grammatical accuracy, and will
   be   copyedited   according  to  the  Magazine's  style.  Mathematical
   equations  should  not  be used (in justified cases up to three simple
   equations  could  be  allowed,  provided there is consent of the Guest
   Editor;   more  than  three  equations  require  permission  from  the
   Editor-in-Chief).  Articles  should  have no more than 4,500 words, no
   more than 6 tables/figures, and no more than 15 references. Guidelines
   for     prospective     authors    can    be    found    on-line    at
   http://www.comsoc.org/pubs/commag/sub_guidelines.html. Submission will
   be  done  via  Manuscript  Central. In the pulldown menu of the submit
   first   draft   page,   select  "June  2005:  Challenges  in  Enabling
   Inter-Provider  Service  Quality  on  the  Internet." Please submit no
   later  than  30 October 2004. Accepted papers will also be included in
   Communications  Interactive (CI), the online version of Communications
   Magazine.<

   Manuscript Due: 30 October 2004
   Acceptance Notification: 15 January 2004
   Final Manuscript Due: 28 February 2005
   Publication Date: June 2005

   Guest Editors
   Monique J. Morrow, Cisco Systems
   Vishal Sharma, Metanoia, Inc.
   Thomas D.Nadeau, Cisco Systems
   Loa Andersson, TLA-Group