High Level Architecture Options for the NBN

The Communicators Alliance have released High Level Architecture Options for the NBN (October 2009). This is a draft paper for comment by 6 November 2009, as part of a National Broadband Network Reference Architecture. This is a very clearly and concisely written 26 page document. Unfortunately it has been formatted as 552 kbytes of PDF, making it hard to distribute and read.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE 2
2 BROADBAND NETWORK ARCHITECTURE VISION 3
3 BROADBAND NETWORK REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE – FTTP ACCESS 4
3.1 Key Network Domains and Functions 4
3.2 Wholesale Point of Interconnect and Service Boundary Point Scenarios8
3.3 Roles and Relationships between Different Industry Players 10
3.4 Relationship between CPE and Retail/Wholesale providers 12
4 BROADBAND NETWORK REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE – WIRELESS/ SATELLITE ACCESS 14
4.1 Option 1: Layer 2 Ethernet Access 14
4.2 Option 2: Wireless/Satellite Layer 3 IP Access 18
5 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS 22
5.1 Sustainability 22
5.2 Robustness 22
5.3 Security 22
5.4 IPv6 22
5.5 Future Proofness 22
6 ABBREVIATIONS 23 ...

1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE

This document defines the following:

• The end-to-end broadband network architecture framework, including domains and functions required to deliver a wide range of network services and application/content services to end users.
• A range of potential passive and active NBN wholesale interconnect scenarios. This will be a key input to other Communications Alliance NBN work stream activities, in particular the wholesale services stream. In developing these options there has been some regard to overseas experience where different FTTH wholesale open access models are being adopted by different countries.
• Terminology and definitions for different industry players taking into account a range of possible roles providing Wholesale and Retail services.
• The relationship between the CPE (such as ONT and RG) and Retail and Wholesale Service Providers. ...

2 BROADBAND NETWORK ARCHITECTURE VISION
The next-generation broadband network will enable a wide range of network services and application/content services to be delivered to end users via FTTP, Wireless and Satellite access. Figure 1 shows the end-to-end architecture vision which identifies the different functional and service domains applicable to the provision of Next Generation Broadband Services. The retail network service providers and application/content service providers are those that provide services to end users and have a direct customer relationship with the end users. Wholesale service providers do not have this relationship. ...

3 BROADBAND NETWORK REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE – FTTP ACCESS
The primary form of access to the NBN will be Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). This section describes the end-to-end network architecture for FTTP access.
Figure 2 shows the end-to-end broadband network reference architecture, segregated into a number of functional domains. This architecture is based on the reference architecture defined by the Broadband Forum1 but has been adapted for the specific purposes of this exercise. In particular, the terminology used in this document is not fully aligned with that used by the Broadband Forum. It should be noted that the terminology used in this document will be reviewed and may change in future releases. ...

From: High Level Architecture Options for the NBN, Communicators Alliance, October 2009