Parlay
Encyclopedia
'Parlay/OSA' was an open API for the telephone
network. It was developed by The Parlay Group, which worked closely with ETSI and 3GPP
, which all co-publish it. Within 3GPP, Parlay is part of Open Services Architecture
.
network. These APIs enable the creation of services by organizations both inside and outside of the traditional carrier environment. In fact, it is hoped that services can be created by IT
developers, rather than telephony experts.
Important Parlay APIs include: call control
, conferencing
, user interaction (audio and text messaging, SMS
/MMS
), and billing. The APIs are specified in the CORBA
Interface definition language and WSDL
. The use of CORBA enables remote access between the Parlay gateway and the application code. A set of Java
mappings allow the APIs to be invoked locally as well. A major goal of the APIs is to be independent of the underlying telephony network technology (e.g. CDMA, GSM, landline SS7).
. These are a much simpler set of APIs intended to be used by a larger community of developers. The Parlay X web services include Third Party Call Control (3PCC), location and simple payment. The Parlay X specifications complement the more powerful but more complex Parlay APIs. Parlay X implementations are now (September 2004) in commercial service from BT and Sprint.
Parlay work historically stems from the TINA effort. Parlay is somewhat related to JAIN, and is currently (early 2003) completely unrelated to the Service Creation Community.
. There are then a set of realizations, for specific programming environments:
This is to ensure to a telecom network operator that any applications using the Parlay API cannot affect the security or integrity of the network.
The typical Parlay/OSA implementation adds a new network element - the Parlay/OSA Gateway, which implements the Framework. It may implement the individual service APIs, or may interact with other network elements such as switches to provide individual service capabilities such as call control or location.
Some vendors treat the Parlay/OSA Gateway as a stand-alone network element (e.g., the Ericsson NRG, jNetX OSA/Parlay GW, AePONA Network Gateway (formerly known as Causeway), HERIT Parlay/Parlay X Gateway), others include this function in an IN
Service Control Point
(e.g., the Telcordia OSP).
APIs define a set of simple telecom-related Web service
s. Parlay X
Version 1, published in May 2003, defines web services for:
Parlay X
Version 2.1, published in June 2006, defines web services for:
The current draft specifications for Parlay X
3.0 as of September 2007 defines web services for:
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
network. It was developed by The Parlay Group, which worked closely with ETSI and 3GPP
3GPP
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations, known as the Organizational Partners...
, which all co-publish it. Within 3GPP, Parlay is part of Open Services Architecture
Open Services Architecture
The Open Service Access or OSA is part of the third generation mobile telecommunications network or UMTS. OSA describes how services are designed in a UMTS network....
.
Overview
The Parlay Group was a technical industry consortium (founded 1998, ended around 2007) that specifies APIs for the telephoneTelephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
network. These APIs enable the creation of services by organizations both inside and outside of the traditional carrier environment. In fact, it is hoped that services can be created by IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
developers, rather than telephony experts.
Important Parlay APIs include: call control
Call control
In telephony, call control refers to the software within a telephone switch that supplies its central function. Call control decodes addressing information and routes telephone calls from one end point to another. It also creates the features that can be used to adapt standard switch operation to...
, conferencing
Conferencing
Conferencing may refer to:*Web conferencing*Videoconferencing*Computer conferencing*Synchronous conferencing*Data conferencing*Conference callSee also*Conference...
, user interaction (audio and text messaging, SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
/MMS
Multimedia Messaging Service
Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability that allowed exchange of text messages only up to 160 characters in length.The most popular use is to send photographs from...
), and billing. The APIs are specified in the CORBA
Çorba
Chorba , ciorbă , shurpa , shorpo , or sorpa is one of various kinds of soup or stew found in national cuisines across Middle East...
Interface definition language and WSDL
Web Services Description Language
The Web Services Description Language is an XML-based language that is used for describing the functionality offered by a Web service. A WSDL description of a web service provides a machine-readable description of how the service can be called, what parameters it expects and what data structures...
. The use of CORBA enables remote access between the Parlay gateway and the application code. A set of Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
mappings allow the APIs to be invoked locally as well. A major goal of the APIs is to be independent of the underlying telephony network technology (e.g. CDMA, GSM, landline SS7).
Parlay X
In 2003 the Parlay Group released a new set of web services called Parlay XParlay X
Parlay X was a set of standard Web service APIs for the telephone network .It's defunct and now replaced by OneAPI, which is the current valid standard from the GSM association for Telecom third party API....
. These are a much simpler set of APIs intended to be used by a larger community of developers. The Parlay X web services include Third Party Call Control (3PCC), location and simple payment. The Parlay X specifications complement the more powerful but more complex Parlay APIs. Parlay X implementations are now (September 2004) in commercial service from BT and Sprint.
Parlay work historically stems from the TINA effort. Parlay is somewhat related to JAIN, and is currently (early 2003) completely unrelated to the Service Creation Community.
Parlay Technology
The objective of Parlay/OSA is to provide an API that is independent of the underlying networking technology and of the programming technology used to create new services. As a result the Parlay/OSA APIs are specified in UMLUnified Modeling Language
Unified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
. There are then a set of realizations, for specific programming environments:
- CORBA/IDL
- Java
- Web serviceWeb serviceA Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
s specified by WSDLWeb Services Description LanguageThe Web Services Description Language is an XML-based language that is used for describing the functionality offered by a Web service. A WSDL description of a web service provides a machine-readable description of how the service can be called, what parameters it expects and what data structures...
Parlay Framework
The role of the Parlay/OSA Framework was to provide a way for the network to authenticate applications using the Parlay/OSA API. The Framework also allows applications to discover the capabilities of the network, and provides management functions for handling fault and overload situations.This is to ensure to a telecom network operator that any applications using the Parlay API cannot affect the security or integrity of the network.
Implementing Parlay
The Parlay/OSA specifications define an API, they do not say how the API is to be implemented.The typical Parlay/OSA implementation adds a new network element - the Parlay/OSA Gateway, which implements the Framework. It may implement the individual service APIs, or may interact with other network elements such as switches to provide individual service capabilities such as call control or location.
Some vendors treat the Parlay/OSA Gateway as a stand-alone network element (e.g., the Ericsson NRG, jNetX OSA/Parlay GW, AePONA Network Gateway (formerly known as Causeway), HERIT Parlay/Parlay X Gateway), others include this function in an IN
Intelligent network
The Intelligent Network , is the standard network architecture specified in the . It is intended for fixed as well as mobile telecom networks...
Service Control Point
Service Control Point
A service control point is a standard component of the Intelligent Network telephone system which is used to control the service. Standard SCPs in the telecom industry today are deployed using SS7, Sigtran or SIP technologies. The SCP queries the service data point which holds the actual...
(e.g., the Telcordia OSP).
Parlay and Web Services
The Parlay XParlay X
Parlay X was a set of standard Web service APIs for the telephone network .It's defunct and now replaced by OneAPI, which is the current valid standard from the GSM association for Telecom third party API....
APIs define a set of simple telecom-related Web service
Web service
A Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
s. Parlay X
Parlay X
Parlay X was a set of standard Web service APIs for the telephone network .It's defunct and now replaced by OneAPI, which is the current valid standard from the GSM association for Telecom third party API....
Version 1, published in May 2003, defines web services for:
- Third Party Call, Network Initiated Third Party Call, Send SMS, Receive SMS, Send Message, Receive Message, Amount Charging, Volume Charging, User Status and Terminal Location
Parlay X
Parlay X
Parlay X was a set of standard Web service APIs for the telephone network .It's defunct and now replaced by OneAPI, which is the current valid standard from the GSM association for Telecom third party API....
Version 2.1, published in June 2006, defines web services for:
- Third Party Call, Call Notification, Short Messaging, Multimedia Messaging, Payment, Account Management, Terminal Status, Terminal Location, Call Handling, Audio Call, Multimedia Conference, Address List Management, and Presence.
The current draft specifications for Parlay X
Parlay X
Parlay X was a set of standard Web service APIs for the telephone network .It's defunct and now replaced by OneAPI, which is the current valid standard from the GSM association for Telecom third party API....
3.0 as of September 2007 defines web services for:
- Third Party Call, Call Notification, Short messaging, Multimedia Messaging, Payment, Account Management, Terminal Status, Terminal Location, Call Handling, Audio Call, Multimedia Conference, Address List Management, Presence, Message Broadcast, Geocoding, Application Driven QoS, Device Capabilities and Configuration, Multimedia Streaming control, Multimedia Multicast Session Management.
Web
- Telecommunications Information Networking Architecture Consortium: http://www.tinac.com/
Journal Articles
- Moerdijk, A-J; & Klostermann, L. Opening the Networks with Parlay/OSA: Standards and Aspects Behind the APIs. IEEE Network. May/June 2003, 58-64.
Books
- Unmehopa, Musa; Vemuri, Kumar; & Bennett, Andy. Parlay/OSA: From Standards to Reality. John Wiley, 2006. ISBN 0-470-02595-6
- Jain, Ravi; Bakker, John-Luc; & Anjum, Farooq (2004). Programming Converged Networks: Call Control in Java, XML and Parlay/OSA,. Wiley Interscience, 2004. ISBN 0-471-26801-1
- Mueller, Steve. APIs And Protocols For Convergent Network Services. McGraw-Hill, 2002. ISBN 0-07-138880-X
- Zuidweg, Johan. Next Generation Intelligent Networks. Artech House, 2002. ISBN 1-58053-263-2
News
- Let your mouse do the dialling (26 May 2004)., Financial Times, IT Review p. 3.
- BT plc (26 April 2004). BT Wholesale Web Call Connect service: [broken] http://www.btplc.com/News/Pressreleasesandarticles/Corporatenewsreleases/2004/nr0426.htm Press Release.
Related Company
- Aepona Ltd. provides OSA/Parlay Gateway and Parlay X System: http://www.aepona.com
- jNetX provides OSA/Parlay Gateway as Exposure/Integration Layer of N(x) Convergent Service Platform: http://www.jnetx.com
- HERIT Inc. HERIT provides OSA/Parlay Gateway, Parlay AS and Parlay X System : http://www.herit.net
- hSenid Mobile provides OSA/Parlay Gateway : http://www.hsenidmobile.com/ServiceDeliveryPlatform.php