User Identification Solutions in Converging Networks

Mike PlukeCastle Consulting Ltd.

ETSI User GroupETSI Human Factors

Representing:

The Issue

• The number of communications systems is increasing

• Each system has its own identification system

• Telephone Numbers mean very little

• Contacting people isn’t necessarily getting easier

• Identification-system developments are uncoordinated

A Typical Case

• A fixed telephone on their office desk

• A mobile telephone

• A fixed (shared) telephone at home

• An email address used for work purposes

• A personal email address used at home

A person can have:

Solution Attempts

• Supplementary services can match people to locations

e.g. Call Diversion

• Mobility solutions can map people to roles

e.g. UPT solutions can locate the called party on one of

a group of terminals

• BUT frequently these systems give the wrong results

Class A‘closed’ user groups

Class B‘public’ numbers

Class C‘random’ calls

EasyDial

Easy

‘Mem’EasyFind

Customisation

Registered names

User search services

Current User Identification

People Not Terminals

“People are outsiders in the current communications revolution. Computer hosts, pager terminals and telephones are addressable entities throughout the Internet and telephony systems.”

Extract from “The Mobile People Architecture” from Stanford University

Human Communication Needs

Modern communications systems can create new communication needs

BUT

Basic communication needs have changed very little since the dawn of man

Early SocietiesPeople needed to contact:

An Individual

“Grey Cloud”

A Role

Apache Chief

A Place

Teepee Number 3

The Middle AgesPeople needed to contact:

An Individual

“Edward de’Howard”

A Role

The Queen of England

A Place

Avery Castle

TodayPeople need to contact:

An Individual

“Mary Jones”

A Role

A local locksmith

A Place

“23 Dearing Lane”

Tomorrow

Individuals, roles, groups and places

People will still need to contact:

What Needs to Be Done?

• Discover real user requirements for user identification

• Develop an implementation-free expression of these

requirements

• Identify potential solution options

• Create an implementation “Roadmap” for solutions

• Solutions must work in a competitive environment

Timetable

• STF HL Start-up meeting (Dec 1999)

• Formation of Steering Group (Dec 99)

• Questionnaires on ETSI server (Dec 99)

• Presentation of User Group results (Feb/Mar 2000)

• STF HL work (January - July 2000)

• Publication of ETSI Report (Oct 2000)