Subject: [Int-area] proposed 3gpp-ietf workshop

From: Jari Arkko <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:37:08 +0200

Some time ago we talked about a possible meeting between the IETF and 
the 3GPP. We now have more information about the goals of this meeting, 
along with proposed logistics. The meeting would take place in San 
Francisco, March 1-2, 2010. I realize that this is an additional travel 
for some of us and within a month of the next IETF meeting, but it is 
conveniently located for at least some of the potential participants, as 
it happens after the 3GPP SA2 meeting which is taking place also in San 
Francisco. Also, co-locating this meeting with the IETF would not be 
easy, given the some other 3GPP meetings happening at the same time, and 
due to lack of time in the IETF week for an in-depth discussion of this 
topic. My recommendation is that we take this opportunity to sit down 
with the 3GPP experts.

Please comment both the content and other aspects by December 21st at 
which time the ADs will make a final decision about this meeting. Are 
these things what we want to achieve in the meeting? Is something 
missing? Should we focus on some specific issues?

Jari

3GPP-IETF WORKSHOP ON IPV6 IN CELLULAR NETWORKS

The pool of remaining unallocated IPv4 address space is expected to be
depleted in the coming years. At the same time new applications and
connectivity options are multiplying the number of Internet users. For
instance, billions of mobile phone users are expected to require IP
connectivity in the coming years, either for traditional Internet
services or the eventual move of circuit switched voice to IP.

The lack of addresses will have many impacts in the short term. In the
long term, the only viable model is to move to IPv6, as IPv6 allows a
significantly larger number of devices to be addressed. Network
operators and equipment vendors have been readying their systems to
prepare for this. The pace of these preparations has picked up in recent
year as the final end of IPv4 resources has become clearer. However,
while IPv6 traffic is growing and there is widespread product support
for IPv6, on a global scale IPv6 connectivity is still available only in
a fraction of networks. Improving the situation requires time, effort,
commercial incentives, and technology.

The goal of this workshop is to allow experts from both 3GPP and IETF to
discuss IPv6 deployment in the context of 3GPP cellular networks.
Technology to provide IPv6 connectivity has existed for these networks
for quite some time. 3GPP specifications dating back to late nineties
provided the necessary standards to support standard dual stack
operation, enabling both IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity. Most of the network
components in the field today support this, and countless trials have
been run. However, very few commercial deployments have turned IPv6 on
to date. Part of the reason for this is that only a subset of terminals
support IPv6, lack of need to do anything other than IPv4, and lack of
content in the IPv6 Internet. However, these factors may now be changing
with the increase in the number of users, the desire to run always-on
and non-client & port hungry applications, and at least some content
being available over IPv6.

Nevertheless, as real-world deployments become closer, we are also
starting to understand better what it takes to deploy IPv6. For
instance, there is now a better understanding of what IPv6 deployment
means in different contexts, be it the internal signaling network for
the operators, user's communication with services offered by the
operators, machine-to-machine networking, or IPv6 as a means to connect
to various Internet services. The 3GPP is studying different scenarios
for IPv6 deployment in the SA2 group. A draft report from this study
will be available early next year. The assumption is that the existing
3GPP standards and dual stack operation are the cornerstones of the
future deployments. However, it is known that at least some additional
tools may be required on top of this. For instance, in some deployments
it would be beneficial to employ prefix delegation, which is not a part
of today's 3GPP standards.

This workshop focuses on these scenarios and identifying possible areas
where further specification work is required. The topics suitable for
the meeting include:

- Review of scenarios
- Operational experience and state of the art
- Gap analysis
- Proposals for a work plan

The workshop is a joint activity for both the IETF and the 3GPP. The
workshop chairs are Fred Baker ([email-masked]) and Balazs Bertenyi
([email-masked]). The workshop chairs will develop a more
detailed agenda. We expect the workshop to receive input from the SA2
report (available January 29th, 2010) and from the community. We ask
that the input on scenarios focuses on business needs that need to be
supported, rather than detailed network designs or ask specific
solutions. Input should be posted as Internet Drafts at
http://www.ietf.org/id-info or 3GPP contributions at
http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/workshop/2010-03-01_IPv4-to-IPv6_with-IETF/Docs
The input should be available as soon as possible so that discussion can
take place in the mailing list at
https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/3gv6 The final input deadline is
February 12th, 2010. The workshop chairs will send a follow-up with
preliminary registration and document submission details.

The workshop is expected validate and provide feedback on scenarios and
produce a gap analysis and possible proposals for new work. In
particular, the workshop should make a recommendation on what scenarios
are common enough to require support from standards, and identify gaps
that the current tool set has in supporting them. Note that the workshop
is not a forum to create new IPv6 transition tools or the further
development of existing ones. Working groups in the IETF are the right
place for that. This workshop is also not the place to agree on specific
changes to cellular network standards. Such changes are a topic for the
3GPP.  New work for either IETF or the 3GPP will be initiated through
the usual processes.

A report of the conclusions from the workshop will be posted as an
Internet Draft. The draft will also be available at
http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/workshop/2010-03-01_IPv4-to-IPv6_with-IETF/Report

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From: Jari Arkko <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:39:26 +0200

> which time the ADs will make a final decision about this meeting.

We will go forward with the meeting as planned.

Jari