SPICE

Service Platform for Innovative Communication Environment

Fraunhofer FOKUS's Competence Centers SE and NGNI participate in the consortium for the European IST project SPICE coordinated by France Telecom, which brings together vendors (Alcatel, Nokia, Ericsson and Siemens), operators (France Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telenor), SMEs and the academia. The project started in January 2006 and researches, prototypes and evaluates an extendable overlay architecture and framework to support, easy and quick service creation, test and deployment of intelligent mobile communication and information services but also the cooperation of multiple heterogeneous execution environments and the pan-European seamless delivery of services across operator domains, networks and terminals.

Among other tasks, FOKUS helps to develop an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) framework for the upcoming SPICE platform which aims to unite concepts from 3GPP with identity management solutions like the one defined within the Liberty Alliance project or Microsofts CardSpace.

Challenges
SPICE is addressing the still unsolved problem of designing, developing, and putting into operation efficient and innovative mobile service delivery platforms for networks beyond 3G.
This project will research, prototype, and evaluate an extendable overlay architecture and framework to support the creation, testing, and deployment of intelligent mobile services. Building on significant advances in IT technologies, the SPICE platform will support multiple heterogeneous execution platforms allowing for new, innovative services to be spread across different operator domains and over different countries while realising a variety of business models.

The key SPICE project objectives are to:

  • Provide a unified way to seamlessly deliver services over heterogeneous execution platforms, networks and terminals.
  • Enrich the service landscape, through an overlay structure offering a personalised and intelligent user experience anytime, anyplace.
  • Create a trusted and open platform that will simplify the use of services and devices through personalisation and customisation.
  • Open-up to new business models and value chains.
  • Enabling Pan-European service provisioning.
  • Promoting the uptake of innovative IT software technologies in a telecommunications grade service platform environment.

For users, operators and service providers, the SPICE project will turn today’s confusing heterogeneity into a manageable service environment by exploiting the diversity of device capabilities and fostering service adoption. The SPICE approach will broaden business opportunities in the communications and associated business sectors. To achieve this, the SPICE consortium integrates the competence and knowledge of leading European telecom operators/service providers and keys IT and telecommunications suppliers The SPICE project is part of the Wireless World Initiative (WWI).