Race Begun, Baton Handed on for the Network Hooks and Common Capabilities Working Group

“Like all the others, this Group was created with the best of intentions and objectives. At the outset the Consult21 team saw the need for a Group to focus on what we summed up as ‘Network Hooks’: that is how a service-enabling capability accesses network elements and resources that lie in the control plane. And also on ‘common capabilities’ – what we defined as where multiple capabilities associated with the BT network are put together to form a product: ‘billing’ or ‘authentication’ would be good examples. So we formed the Group under the leadership of Antony Millington of Cable & Wireless and Andy Fielden as Co-Chairs and myself as the Group ‘buddy’. But as the Consult21 programme progressed we quickly realised that on the ‘Network Hooks’ side we were attempting to find technical solutions to commercial questions that had yet to be asked! While on the ‘Common Capabilities’ side, with its ‘product development’ drive, it began to make much more sense to us for this to be owned and driven by product development experts.”

The launch of a new independent organisation under the Ofcom umbrella – NGNuk (Next Generation Networks) – also helped the Group in its decision to step aside. Created in 1 April 2006, NGNuk’s aim is provide Communications and Service Providers with the opportunity to shape the future of Next Generation Network interoperation and together guide the UK industry’s evolution to NGN platforms and capabilities.

Tim continued: “NGNuk’s purpose and aims were so closely aligned with those of our Working Group that we were immediately presented with the ‘safe hands’ we wanted for the hand-over of our Network Hooks task and responsibilities and this formally took place on 27 July 2006.”

‘Common Capabilities’ are also in safe hands with the BT Wholesale product community. The same determination that lies behind the Consult21 programme – to encourage open and honest dialogue between all interested parties – will continue here. As clear evidence of this, 22 September 2006 sees the first of a series of Product & Capability events at the BT Centre in central London where new 21CN products and services will be show-cased and demonstrated, giving customers who attend a detailed understanding of the thinking behind the products, their market potential and their development and launch schedules – plus a great forum for comment and feedback. The plan will be to hold these events every 4 to 6 months. Targetted invites for this event will be released shortly.

Tim concluded: “In the Working Group meetings we found that no-one really wanted to talk publicly about new products or their ideas and needs. There were too many commercial confidences involved. But with this new presentation approach, people will be able to see the new products and ask all the questions they want to about them in public – and then continue the dialogue in private later if they want to. That has to be a winning formula for all concerned.”

You can find out more about NGNuk and how to join at: www.ngnuk.org.uk

This is the latest in a series of articles that will be taking a closer look at the task of each of the Consult21 Working Groups, plus an update on their progress.

For a diary of forthcoming Working Group meetings, please visit the Consult21 website regularly: www.btwholesale.com/consult21