The access layer provides the infrastructure, for example an access network between the end user and the transport network.
The transport layer ensures the transport between the individual nodes (points) of the network.
The control layer includes the control of services and network elements. This layer is responsible for set-up/establishing, control and canceling of the multimedia session.
The service layer offers the basic service functions, which can be used to create more complex and sophisticated services and applications.
In the NGN it is required that the network control is not determined only by the terminal equipment applications, but that the network intelligence may carry out control over the network at all levels of the reference model. The network management reference model implies the following tasks for the network intelligence it has to ensure:
The NGN concept and architectures are in more details described in [3], [4].
There are several concepts and evolution trends leading to new network architectures which are able to provide the wide spectrum/portfolio of new multimedia services/multimedia content.
New network architectures based on “Software Defined Networking” and “Network Functions Virtualization” are introduced and described in chapter 3 and 4, respectively and "Future Internet" concept in chapter 5 of this "Learning Module".