The main objectives of the research were:
to assess the impact of advanced multimedia and multiparty services on the signalling and call handling of broadband telecommunications networks;
to contribute to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and influence Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique (CCITT), in the areas of services definitions, signalling and call handling requirements and protocols for the broadband integrated services digital network (B-ISDN);
to tie together the various concepts of services that currently exist, and to examine whether they can be applied to networks that will exist before the target B-ISDN;
to produce a prototype of advanced integrated broadband communications (IBC) protocols that can be used to examine the viability, complexity and impact of standards proposals on signalling and call handling protocols;
to produce a flexible software simulation model that can be used to examine various features and problems of signalling and call handling in the evolution to B-ISDN.
Over 75 contributions have been made, and most accepted, to the standards bodies, where multiservice applications governing integrated control (MAGIC) is identified as an important source of information. MAGIC deliverables have formed baseline text for the start of ITU-T and ETSI work on CS2.2 for broadband signalling. Signalling requirements have been identified and a service description framework has been defined. This has been used to define 14 standardized telecommunications services. A 3-level functional model has been defined, and the information flows between signalling entities and the call objects required have been derived. A signalling network architecture has been specified to enable the transfer of the signalling information. A complete set of protocols for broadband ISDN has been specified and implemented on the simulator. Experiments with the prototype protocols have verified the concepts of the MAGIC signalling.
