National Numbering Plan in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

National Numbering Plan in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Eng. Abdallah Daftardar Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) adaftardar@citc. gov. sa

Contents q General Numbering Considerations q International Public Telecommunication Number Structure Overview q National Numbering Plan q Number Portability q Future Trends in Numbering q Lessons Learned

General Numbering Considerations ► Why Numbering? ► Numbering In A Competitive Environment

Why Numbering Identification Countries Regions Networks Subscribers Interfaces Operational Routing Charging and billing Service provision Regulatory Competition Management

Numbering in a Competitive Environment Ø Whoever controls the numbers - controls competition No Numbers No Service No Competition Ø Government / Regulators Provide the Balance Competition Provides the Drivers Dominant Operators often control numbering resources Technology Provides the Capability Regulator should Ø Encourage Competition Ø Be Flexible Alert Fast Adaptive Practical

International Public Telecommunication Number (IPTN) Structure Overview ► Geographical ► Global ► Network

Numbering Control q International The International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunications Standardization Sector (ITU-T) develops international Recommendations o ITU-T Has established E. 164 as the public telecommunications numbering plan o Initially E. 164 only identified geographic countries o E. 164 has evolved to accommodate the introduction of global services and the ability to assign resources to Networks q Domestic Lead by regulators ( Communications and Information Technology-CITC) – focus and input by industry.

IPTN for Geographical Areas CC 1 to 3 digits NDC SN Max (15 -n) digits National (significant) number Max 15 digits International public telecommunication Number for geographic areas CC Country Code for geographic areas NDC National Destination Code (optional) SN Subscriber Number n Number of digits in the country code • NSN = NDC + SN • Max number of digits should 15, excluding the prefixes • Administration are invited to do their utmost to limit the digits to be dialed to the degree possible consistent with the service needs • Country codes (CC) for geographic area vary in length from one to three digits and are used to identify either specific country or specific geographic area

IPTN for Global Services CC GSN 3 digits Max 12 digits Max 15 digits International public telecommunication Number for global services CC Country Code for Global Services GSN Global Subscriber Number • The use of this format is service specific and is dependent on the numbering requirements • Global service code allow subscriber a single worldwide number • CC for global services will be assigned by TSB (Telecommunication Standardization Bureau)

IPTN for Networks CC IC SN 3 digits 1 to 4 digits Max (12 -x) digits Max 12 digits Max 15 digits International public telecommunication Number for networks CC IC SN x Country Code for Networks Identification Code Subscriber Number of digits in Identification Code (IC) • IPTN for Network will consist of 3 digit shared CC followed by IC • The status of country codes for geographic areas, global services and networks is published periodically by the TSB (Telecommunication Standardization Bureau) • All spare country codes will be assigned on a three digit basis • The list of assigned and reserved IC with associated CC is published by TSB

International Mobile Subscriber Identity MCC MNC MSIN 3 digits 2 to 3 digits Max (10) digits Max 15 digits IMSI MCC – Mobile Country Code MNC – Mobile Network Code MSIN – Mobile Subscriber Identification Number IMSI – International Mobile Subscriber Identity

National Numbering Plan ► CITC Roles and Responsibilities ► CITC Approach ► NNP Principles ► Comparison between previous and current plan ► NNP Management ► Fee Structure ► NNP Highlights

CITC Roles and Responsibilities According to The Communications Statutes, the Commission : Ø Shall prepare, Publish, Manage and update the National Numbering Plan (NNP) Ø Shall reserve and allocate Numbers and Number Ranges to Service Providers in a fair, equitable and transparent way Ø Shall Ensure adequate numbers are available for current and future demands and in anticipation of new services and technologies Ø Is Authorized to Introduce necessary changes to the numbering structure in the NNP Ø shall inform the operators and users of the changes with sufficient lead time Ø Shall Coordinate Kingdom’s International obligation with respect to Numbering

CITC Approach Phase I : Data Gathering Coordination with incumbent Operator (STC) International Benchmarking Phase II: Design and development Set Candidate Options Analyze reasonable Numbering /Dialing Alternatives Identify Inadequacies Select the Appropriate Option Prepare Draft Plan Phase III : Invite Comments Public Consultation CITC Board Phase IV : Issue and Publish www. citc. gov. sa

NNP Principles Some of the basic principles of the NNP are: Ø Simple, Easy to use and understand by the Users Ø Continuous Availability of Numbers Ø Effective Allocation and Reservation Ø Minimize Disruption / Inconvenience to users Ø Facilitate introduction of New Services / Features / Technologies Ø Indicative of the level of Charge and Type of Service Ø Support Competition

Comparison between previous and current plan Services Number of Digits of National Significant Number of Digits of International Number Capacity (millions) Current Future Public Switched Telecommunication Network (PSTN) 8 9 11 12 42 420 Public Mobile Network (PMN) 8 9 11 12 10 100 National Freephone (NFN) 10 10 NA NA 0. 53 10 International Freephone (IFN) NA NA 12 12 0. 001 0. 1 Premium Rate Services (PRS) 8 9 0. 01 1 Shared Cost Shared Revenue Not Exit 9 NA NA Not Exit 10 Public Radio Paging System 8 Digits for POCSAG and 9 Digits for ERMES and FLEX 9 11 12 11 11 Universal Personal Tele communication Services (UPT) Not Exit 9 Not Exit 12 Not Exit 100 Voice Mail 8 8 11 11 1 1 Data Network 11 11 14 14 60 60 Telex Network 6 6 9 9 1 1 Reserved (9) 8 9 11 12 10 100 135. 54 814. 1 Total Current Future

NNP Management Ø Currently the NNP is Manually handled with Computer based tools Ø A web-based automated Numbering Management System (NMS) with a High Degree of Security is being Established to: § Manage the Numbering Database § Provide Information on Numbering Issues to the Users § Allow Online Transactions for Reservation and Allocation of Numbers § Allow Online Payment of fees § Issue Numbering Reports § Manage internet numbering and domain names scheme for the Kingdom Ø The New NMS will be Fully integrated with the Commission’s IT System

Numbering Fee Structure ü Cost based ü Not Part of the NNP ü Based on International Benchmark Study ü Fee is inversely Proportional to the Number Length ü No additional charge is imposed on golden numbers ü Aimed to enhance efficiency of NNP Utilization of available resources ü Supports Competition principles (Fairness, Transparency, equitability) ü No Charge on Numbers used for Emergency and Security Purposes ü Published on Commission Web site www. citc. gov. sa

NNP Highlights ü Based on E. 164 and other ITU Applicable Numbering Standards ü Includes the details necessary to make it a complete reference document to all numbering interested Parties ü Sets rules, criteria and/or Procedures for § Numbering eligibility § Block size for each service § Number Reservation § Number Allocation § Applications and CITC Response § Renumbering and notice of number changes § Reporting Process § Status Indicators § Number Activation § Confidentiality

NNP Highlights (cont. ) ü Sets Current and future Numbering Structure for § PSTN including special services, short codes, Freephone service (NFN and IFN), Home Country Direct, PRS, UPT, Shared Cost and Shared Revenue Services § Public Mobile Network § Public Radio Paging Service (PRPS) including POCSAG, ERMES and FLEX § Satellite Services including Inmarsat Services and GMPCS § Voice Mail § Data Network Services § Telex Service ü Explains Future development of Numbering Resulting from the integration of conventional Circuit switched network and the IP based networks (ENUM, Vo. IP, …)

Number Portability ► What is Numbering Portability ? ► Current Status in the Kingdom ► Technical Solutions

What is Number Portability ? Number Portability is a Facility Whereby Customers can keep their numbers when changing network service providers, service location, or service type

What is Number Portability ? (Cont. ) q Definitions • Service Portability: The ability of an end user to retain its number when changing from one type of service to another • Network Operator: An entity that operates a network in order to route calls • Routing Number (RN): A number that is derived and used by the network to route the call towards a ported number • Recipient Network/Exchange: The network/exchange where a number is located after being ported

What is Number Portability ? (Cont. ) q Definition (Cont’) • Ported Number: An end user that has been subject to number portability • Donor Service Provider: The service provider from whom the number was initially ported • Donor Network/ Exchange: The initial network/exchange where a number was located before being ported • End User’s Number: The number used by calling party to establish a call to the end user

Current Status in the Kingdom • The Telecommunications Act and the Bylaw of the Kingdom Require All Service Providers to Deploy Number Portability within the Country • The Commission was given the Responsibility and the authority to develop and implement a Number Portability Plan • Number Portability is widely considered an effective tool to enhance competition particularly for mobile services • The Commission Issued a Mobile Number Portability Policy and Guideline Draft Document • The document details available technical options, implementation time frame and cost recovery framework • The Commission Put the Draft Document on its web site and invited comments and views from the affected Service Providers and the general public

Number Portability Technical Solutions Incoming call 1 st step of the routing process, based on dialed digits Serving Network Serving Exchange Transit Network (optional) 2 nd step of the routing process, based on routing number Recipient Network Recipient Exchange Customer with ported number o The caller set up the call by dialing the end user’s number (ported number) (The end user’s number is enough to initiate the routing process) o The routing process is split into two consecutive main steps: • The originating network routes the call up to a serving exchange which perform the analysis of the leading digits of end user’s number • Routing based on routing number obtained by serving exchange o When the recipient network is identified, then it is the responsibility of the recipient network to terminate the call at the recipient exchange

Number Portability Technical solutions The Mobile Number Portability Policy and Guidelines Draft discusses the following technical solutions with detailed advantage/disadvantage analysis : § Onward Routing § Call Drop Back IN Based Solutions § Query on Release § All Call Query § Signaling Relay § ETSI § Number Portability Clearing House

Number Portability Technical solutions Example of Technical solutions: Call rerouting from donor network by use of onward routing principles Transit Networks Donor Network DB Originating Network Called Subscriber Recipient Network Calling Subscriber • The first solution is that the donor network maintains the portability information (Complete address to both recipient network and exchange) • The donor network receive an incoming call • It then detects that the called number has been ported-out to another network and make DB query to retrieve the routing number (RN) • Thereafter the donor network reroute the call onward towards the recipient network using retrieved routing information

Future Trends in Numbering ► Emerging Technologies and Service Evolution ► ENUM

Emerging Technologies and Service Evolution q Effects of NGN and VOIP o What may give rise to changes? • • IP networks Telephony & Multi-media services Unified messaging Charging schemes o Charging Schemes • • Flat rate use Per service type usage o Flat rate charge • o Per service Usage • • o o Typically for traditional telephony IN necessary for billing Least cost routing becomes more complex Destination number is not sufficient to calculate charge also need - service type. Likely also to be adopters of ENUM

Future Trends in Numbering (Cont’) TElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) q What is it? o ENUM allows a telephone number to be associated with an IP address o VOIP has problems to overcome before it gains widespread adoption One problem is addressing. Every soft switch translates the telephone to an IP end point. Most solutions for this translation are proprietary o For VOIP to gain widespread usage, soft switches must work together o ENUM protocol was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as mechanism for maping the telephone number (E. 164) onto Uniform Resource Locator (URL) o URL (an internet term) is standardized way of representing different documents, media and network services on the world wide web (WWW)

Future Trends in Numbering (Cont’) TElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) (Cont’) q ENUM Technology o ENUM has two ports: • A protocol for soft switches and • An architecture utilizing a series of databases which are part of the Domain Name System (DNS) o A significant aspect of ENUM is its ability to link multiple services (voice mail, fax, web hosting and messages) to a telephone number o Soft switch issue ENUM command accessing the global DNS databases, ultimately returning the IP address of the person called. The databases are divided into 3 tiers; 0, 1 and 2. When a call is placed, the soft switch queries the tiers in numerical order. Each query contains the dialed telephone number

Future Trends in Numbering (Cont’) TElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) q (Cont’) ENUM Technology Root International Tier 0 National Registrars 1…n users arpa, com, edu, org, net e 164. arpa Tier 1 Registry 1. e 164. arpa (country code) Tier 2 Registry 5. 0. 3. 4. 9. 2. 8. 3. 7. 9. 1. e 164. arpa NAPTR Record sip: grichenaker@sipes. se mailto: grichenai@telcordia. com

Future Trends in Numbering (Cont’) TElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) q (Cont’) ENUM Technology õTier 0: • • It is the highest database and hold the IP address for each country’s Tier 1 database • When the query is sent to Tier 0, the country code is analyzed • The CC determine where the second query will be sent õTier 1: • It is the master country database and hold a record for each user • When the query is sent to Tier 1, the telephone number is analyzed and return the IP address õTier 2: • It is the database containing a record details for individual subscriber

Future Trends in Numbering (Cont’) TElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) õExample: (Cont’) To set up ENUM service session, the caller dials the telephone number (+966 -1 -452 -1234). This phone number is translated by ENUM protocol into fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for DNS usage as follows: • The number is expressed as +966 -1 -452 -1234 • Non digits are removed, resulting in 96614521234 • The order of digits is reversed, resulting in 43212541669 • Dots are placed 4. 3. 2. 1. 2. 5. 4. 1. 6. 6. 9 • The domain “e 164. TLD” is appended, resulting in • 4. 3. 2. 1. 2. 5. 4. 1. 6. 6. 9. e 164. TLD • e. 164. TLD routes the DNS query tree starting by Tier 0 TLD: Top Level Domain

Future Trends in Numbering (Cont’) TElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) (Cont’) q Call flow From IP based Network to Switched Circuit Network (SCN) Telephone (+1 908 555 1234) Enters telephone number Workstation (+44 113 496 0000) +1 908 555 1234 Terminal queries the DNS using domain name 4. 3. 2. 1. 5. 5. 5. 8. 0. 9. 1 e 164. TLD Client connects to its gatekeeper Gatekeeper routes SCN the call to the responsible gateway Gateway routes the call to telephone number +1 908 555 1234 Gateway IP Network DNS returns URI (Tel: +19085551234) DNS Cloud (Public Internet)

Future Trends in Numbering (Cont’) TElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) (Cont’) q Call flow From IP based Network to Switched Circuit Network (SCN) (Cont’) • In the above figure, the call set up is from an IP based terminal to SCN • The IP based terminal format the called user into an ENUM domain name 4. 3. 2. 1. 5. 5. 5. 8. 0. 9. 1 e 164. TLD and forwards this to the DNS • This return the URL (Tel: +1 908 555 1234) which initiates the call set up to the gatekeeper • The gatekeeper then routes the call to the responsible gateway • The gateway delivered to the called user via SCN

Lessons Learned ü Use Dialogue – Do not Assume Full knowledge ü Disputes are healthy – No one is Perfect ü Benchmarking is very useful – But must be done Properly ü Consider all available options – some options may not look great at initially but may lead to major breakthrough solutions ü Consultation Process is extremely Helpful ü Always Allow a sufficient Turn around space in the numbering Plan – Do not exhaust all the available resources

Questions ? adaftardar@citc. gov. sa