ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)

ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
Technical Report


Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and
Protocols for Advanced Networking (TISPAN);
Types of numbers used in an NGN environment

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2 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)



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3 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights.4
Foreword.4
Introduction .4
1 Scope.5
2 References.5
2.1 Informative references.5
3 Definitions and abbreviations.6
3.1 Definitions.6
3.2 Abbreviations.9
4 Introduction .9
5 Description of the different types of numbers.10
5.1 International E.164 numbers .10
5.2 E.164 numbers in the national formats.11
5.3 Non-E.164 numbers.12
6 Requirements for numbering, naming and addressing.12
6.1 Numbering.12
7 Treatment of numbers in the User Agent in UEs .13
7.1 Simple UA not capable of using a dialling plan.13
7.2 Treatment of emergency numbers and other service numbers .13
7.3 Treatment of dialling plans in the UA.14
7.4 Direct input of E.164 numbers .14
8 Treatment of E.164 numbers in ETSI NGNs .14
8.1 General treatment.14
8.2 Treatment of International E.164 numbers.14
8.3 Treatment of dialled digits.15
8.4 Treatment of E.164 numbers in the national formats .15
8.5 Treatment of E.164 numbers in private/corporate formats.15
Annex A: Discussion of non-E.164 numbers in ETSI NGNs.17
A.1 Short codes and special purpose numbers.18
A.2 Location dependent numbers.18
A.3 Other non-E.164 numbers from the ITU-T Recommendation E.164 [1] .19
A.3.1 International special purpose numbers used nationally .19
A.3.2 Network-specific numbers.19
A.3.3 National (significant) numbers with excessive length.19
A.3.4 Prefixes used for Carrier Selection.19
A.3.5 Private/corporate numbers in a private numbering plan.19
History .20

ETSI

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4 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
Intellectual Property Rights
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (http://webapp.etsi.org/IPR/home.asp).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web
server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Foreword
This Technical Report (TR) has been produced by ETSI Technical Committee Telecommunications and Internet
converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TISPAN).
Introduction
The present document covers aspects how international E.164 numbers and E.164 numbers in the national formats
should be treated in ETSI TISPAN NGNs. The present document also identifies further work how non-E.164 numbers
should be treated.
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5 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
1 Scope
The present document describes the public identifiers, in the numeric format, used in NGNs: international E.164
numbers, E.164 numbers in the national formats and different types of non-E.164 numbers.
It describes the processing of dialled digits to achieve these numbers and the usage of all these kinds of numbers. For
E.164 numbers also the processing to a target name in an NGN environment for further name/number to address
translation is explained. The processing (treatment) of non-E.164 numbers is FFS but some initial discussion could be
found in annex A.
2 References
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific.
• For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
• Non-specific reference may be made only to a complete document or a part thereof and only in the following
cases:
- if it is accepted that it will be possible to use all future changes of the referenced document for the
purposes of the referring document;
- for informative references.
Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found at
http://docbox.etsi.org/Reference.
For online referenced documents, information sufficient to identify and locate the source shall be provided. Preferably,
the primary source of the referenced document should be cited, in order to ensure traceability. Furthermore, the
reference should, as far as possible, remain valid for the expected life of the document. The reference shall include the
method of access to the referenced document and the full network address, with the same punctuation and use of upper
case and lower case letters.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication ETSI cannot guarantee
their long term validity.
2.1 Informative references
[1] ITU-T Recommendation E.164 (2005): "The international public telecommunication numbering
plan".
[2] ETSI TS 184 002: "Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for
Advanced Networking (TISPAN); Identifiers (IDs) for NGN".
[3] IETF RFC 3966: "The tel URI for Telephone Numbers".
[4] ETSI TS 123 228: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS); IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Stage 2
(3GPP TS 23.228)".
[5] IETF Internet-Draft: "A Uniform Resource Name (URN) for Emergency and Other Well-Known
Services", draft-ietf-ecrit-service-urn-07, work in progress (http://www.ietf.org/internet-
drafts/draft-ietf-ecrit-service-urn-07.txt).
[6] IETF Internet-Draft: "LoST: A Location-to-Service Translation Protocol", draft-ietf-ecrit-lost-
06.txt, work in progress (http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-ecrit-lost-06.txt).
[7] ITU-T Recommendation Y.2201 (2007): "NGN release 1 requirements".
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6 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
[8] IETF RFC 4967: "Dial String Parameter for the Session Initiation Protocol Uniform Resource
Identifier".
[9] ITU-T Recommendation E.191 (2000): "B-ISDN addressing".
[10] ETSI TS 124 229: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS); Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia call control protocol
based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP); Stage 3
(3GPP TS 24.229 version 7.9.0 Release 7)".
[11] ETSI TS 123 003: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM); Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Numbering, Addressing and Identification
(3GPP TS 23.003)".
[12] IETF RFC 3406: "Uniform Resource Names (URN) Namespace Definition Mechanisms".
[13] IETF RFC 3261: "SIP: Session Initiation Protocol".
3 Definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of the present document, the following terms and definitions apply:
area code: combination of the national (trunk) prefix and the trunk code (TC) that identifies a specific geographic
part/numbering area of the national E.164 numbering plan
closed dialling plan: dialling plan where the national (significant) numbers [N(S)N] are used when dialling geographic
numbers
dialling plan [1]: string or combination of decimal digits, symbols, and additional information that defines the method
by which the numbering plan is used. A dialling plan includes the use of prefixes, suffixes, and additional information,
supplemental to the numbering plan, required to complete the call.
global number: number defined in RFC 3966 [3] in the format of an international E.164 number
emergency services: legally recognized service, reached via a national emergency number (e.g. 112), that provides
immediate and rapid assistance in situations where there is a direct risk to life or limb, individual or public health or
safety, to private or public property, or the environment but not necessarily limited to these situations
international E.164 number [1]: string of decimal digits that, for a geographic country code, uniquely identifies a
subscriber or a point where a service is provided. For the case of a global service code, it identifies the subscriber of the
service. For Networks, it identifies a subscriber of the Network.
An international E.164 number can act in the "role" of both a name and an address. Portability is reducing a number's
role as an address. Numbers are increasingly acting in the role of a name only.
The number, which includes the country code and subsequent digits, but not the international prefix, contains the
information necessary to route the call to this termination point on a public network (it may also contain the
supplementary information necessary to forward it on a private network).
NOTE: It is sometimes referred to as an "international number", "international public telecommunication
number" or "E.164 number".
international prefix [1]: digit or combination of digits used to indicate that the number following is an international
E.164-number
local number: number defined in RFC 3966 [3] which is anything that is not a global number and with the context
defined. It can be E.164 numbers in the national formats or non-E.164 numbers.
location dependent number: number that is routed through networks on the basis of calling party location
MSISDN: mobile E.164 number used by the calling party to establish a call to the end user
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7 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
national destination code (NDC [1]: nationally optional code field, within the international public telecommunication
numbering plan (hereafter referred to as the "international E.164-numbering plan"),
which - combined with the Subscriber's Number (SN) - will constitute the national (significant) number of the
international E.164-number for geographic areas. The NDC will have a network and/or trunk code selection function.
The NDC can be a decimal digit or a combination of decimal digits (not including any prefix) identifying a numbering
area within a country (or group of countries included in one integrated numbering plan or a specific geographic area)
and/or network/services.
national (significant) number [1]: that portion of the international E.164 number that follows the country code for
geographic areas. The national (significant) number consists of the National Destination Code (NDC) followed by the
Subscriber Number (SN). The function and format of the N(S)N is nationally determined.
national (trunk) prefix [1]: digit or combination of digits used by a calling subscriber, making a call to a subscriber in
his own country but outside his own numbering area. It provides access to the automatic outgoing trunk equipment.
non-E.164 number: any number, defined inside national E.164 numbering plan, which does not conform to the
structure of international E.164 numbers as defined in ITU-T Recommendation E.164 [1] and is only used and
meaningful in the national dialling plan and is not reachable from abroad
NOTE: An explanation of non-E.164 numbers is in ITU-T Recommendation E.164 [1] in annex A.8.
number [9]: number is a string of decimal digits
numbering plan: plan that specifies the format and structure of the numbers used within telecommunication networks.
The numbers in the plan can either have uniform length or variable length or include both numbers of uniform and
variable length.
E.164 numbering plan: E.164 numbering plan specifies the format and structure of the numbers. It typically consists
of decimal (and hexadecimal) digits segmented into groups in order to identify specific elements used for identification,
routing and charging capabilities, e.g. to identify countries, national destinations, and subscribers. An E.164 numbering
plan does not include prefixes, suffixes and additional information required to complete the call. The national E.164
numbering plan is the national implementation of the international E.164 numbering plan (sometimes called the
international public telecommunication numbering plan).
open dialling plan: dialling plan where both numbers on the local level (subscriber numbers (SN) without area code)
and numbers on the national level are used when dialling geographic numbers
prefix [1]: prefix is an indicator consisting of one or more digits, that allows the selection of different types of number
formats, networks and/or services
private numbering plan (PNP): numbering plan that specifies the format and structure of the numbers used within an
organizations private/corporate/enterprise telecommunication network. PNPs may be wholly separate from the E.164
numbering plan or may overlap with it e.g. in the case of DDI.
Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP): physical location where emergency calls are received under the responsibility
of a public authority
NOTE: Within the present document, it is assumed, unless stated otherwise, that PSAPs support the receipt of
emergency calls over IP, using appropriate application layer protocols such as SIP for call signalling and
RTP for media.
PSAP URI: SIP AoR pointing to a PSAP
public identifier: a series of digits, characters and symbols used in public networks to identify uniquely subscriber(s),
user(s), network element(s), function(s) or network entity(ies) providing services/applications.
(emergency) service identifier: (emergency) service identifier describes the (emergency) service, independent of the
user interface mechanism, the signalling protocol that is used to reach the service, or the caller's geographic location
NOTE: It is a protocol constant and used within the mapping and signalling protocols. An example is the service
URN [5].
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8 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
service URN: implementation of a service identifier, which can be applied to both emergency and non-emergency
contexts, e.g. urn:service:sos or urn:service:counseling
short code [2]: string of digits in the national E.164 numbering plan as defined by the national Numbering Plan
administrator which can be used as a complete dialling sequence on public networks to access a specific type of
service/network
NOTE: The short code is a non-E.164 number and its length does not exceed five digits, in exceptional cases six
digits. An example is the emergency number 112 used in the EU.
SIP Address-of-Record: Address-Of-Record (AOR) is a SIP or SIPS URI that points to a domain with a location
service that can map the URI to another URI where the user might be available. Typically, the location service is
populated through registrations. An AOR is frequently thought of as the "public address" of the user.
SIP[S] URI: type of Uniform Resource Identifier that identifies a communication resource in SIP. A SIP URI usually
contains a user name and a host name and is similar in format to an email address. A SIP URI contains sufficient
information to initiate and maintain a communication session with the communication resource. A communications
resource could be e.g. user of an online service, a mailbox on a messaging system or PSTN number at a gateway
service. Any resource described by a SIP URI can be "upgraded" to a SIPS URI by just changing the scheme, if it is
desired to communicate with that resource securely.
subscriber number (SN) [1]: portion of the international E.164-number that identifies a subscriber in a network or
numbering area
tel URI [2]: representation of an international E.164 number or another number with the context defined (e.g. private
number, short code)
NOTE: RFC 3966 [3], which defines the use of the tel URI, also uses the term "local number", but uses it in a
totally different way from E.164.
RFC 3966 [3] recognizes:
"Global number" - which always start with +CC.
"Local number" - which is anything that is not a "global number".
Thus what E.164 refers to as national numbers, "local numbers" and short codes (as well as other types
such as private numbers) would all be treated by RFC 3966 [3] as "local numbers". In the case of "local
numbers", RFC 3966 [3] uses a context qualifier to distinguish the type of number.
In the context of the present document, the term "local number" will be used in the E.164 sense and
international/national format issues has to be defined in the SIP context.
Trunk Code (TC) [1]: digit or combination of digits, not including the national (trunk) prefix, identifying the
numbering area within a country (or group of countries included in one integrated numbering plan or a specific
geographic area)
The trunk code has to be used before the called subscriber's number when the calling and called subscribers are in
different numbering areas. The trunk code is a particular application of NDC.
User Agent (UA): user agent is the client application used with a particular network protocol. In SIP, IMS and TISPAN
NGN it is defined as a logical entity that can act as both a user agent client and user agent server.
NOTE: UA may be implemented both in UE and in proxies/servers (e.g. a Back-to-Back User Agents (B2BUA)
or Application Servers). In the present document only UAs implemented in UEs are discussed.
User Agent Client (UAC): user agent client is a logical entity that creates a new request, and then uses the client
transaction state machinery to send it
NOTE: The role of UAC lasts only for the duration of that transaction. In other words, if a piece of software
initiates a request, it acts as a UAC for the duration of that transaction. If it receives a request later, it
assumes the role of a user agent server for the processing of that transaction.
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9 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
User Agent Server (UAS): user agent server is a logical entity that generates a response to a SIP request
NOTE: The response accepts, rejects, or redirects the request. This role lasts only for the duration of that
transaction. In other words, if a piece of software responds to a request, it acts as a UAS for the duration
of that transaction. If it generates a request later, it assumes the role of a user agent client for the
processing of that transaction.
User Equipment (UE): the UE in UMTS (3G) mobile systems is the name given to the User Equipment
NOTE: This roughly corresponds to the Mobile Station (MS) in GSM systems. The UE can be, for example, a
handheld phone. Alternatively it can be another device such as a card in a laptop computer.
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following abbreviations apply:
AOR Address-Of-Record
AS Application Server
CAC Carrier Access Code
CC Country Code
CIC Carrier Identification Code
DB Data base
DDI Direct-Dial-In
ECRIT Emergency Context Resolution with Internet Technologies
ENUM Telephone Number Mapping
GEOPRIV GEOgraphic location/PRIvacy
GPS Global Positioning System
I-ENUM Infrastructure ENUM
IP-CAN IP-Connectivity Access Network
LoST Location to Service Translation Protocol
N(S)N National (Significant) Number
NANP North American Numbering Plan
NAR Naming and Addressing Resolution
NDC Destination Code
NGCN Next Generation Corporate Networks
NGN Next Generation Networks
NP Number Portability
PNP Private Numbering Plan
PSAP Public Safety Answering Point
PSI Public Service Identity
PUI Personal User Identity
SCP Service Control Point
S-CSCF Serving-Call Session Control Function
SIP-AOR SIP Address-of-Record
SN Subscriber Number
TC Trunk Code
UA User Agent
UAC User Agent Client
UAS User Agent Server
UE User Equipment
URI Universal Resource Identifier
URN Uniform Resource Names
4 Introduction
Naming/numbering Address resolution within NGN networks needs to take account of different types of numbers. The
requirements concerning naming/numbering/addressing are further explained along with specific treatments of numbers
within ETSI NGNs.
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10 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
Processing of numbers to obtain connection to the terminating point consists of three sub-functions as mainly shown in
figure 1:
1) The processing of dialled digits - The input of this sub-function are the dialled digits, the output is a target
name, which may either be a tel URI or a service URN. The present document is dealing mainly with these
issues.
2) The target name/number to address translation to find a SIP URI. This can be done with I-ENUM, LoST, or
other translation function.
3) Route determination to find the target hostname. This can be done by routing tables or DNS.
If the route is determined and the target is in another service provider an interconnection to the other provider is
required.
Types of Numbers
Dial String
Functions
E.164 Non E.164 Process Dialed Digits
tel URI URN tel URI other
Target Name
( tel URI, URN)
URN other
tel URI
Infrastructure ENUM LoST other
Name/Number to Address
Translation
Gograph Emergency… Freephone
Numbers… Number…
National
Freephone
number

Figure 1
The processing (treatment) of non-E.164 numbers is out of scope for the present document but some initial discussion
could be found in annex A.
5 Description of the different types of numbers
5.1 International E.164 numbers
International E.164 numbers are numbers based on ITU-T recommendation E.164 [1] and are used in different network
environments like PSTN, ISDN, and PLMNs based on GSM and UMTS, and are also used in NGNs as public
identifiers. The international E.164 number uniquely identifies a subscriber or a point where a service is provided and
satisfies the three characteristics of structure, number length and uniqueness as specified in E.164 [1]. The maximum
number of digits for the E.164 number is 15 excluding the international prefix. International E.164 numbers are
presently used in four different structures and these are described in detail in E.164 [1]:
• International E.164-number for geographic areas.
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11 ETSI TR 184 005 V1.1.1 (2007-11)
• International E.164-number for global services.
• International E.164-number for Networks.
• International E.164-number for Groups of Countries.
The structure of the international E.164 number for geographic areas, as an example, is shown below taken from ITU-T
Recommendation E.164 [1]:

Figure 2
E.164 numbers in the international format can never be accessed directly on PSTN/ISDN systems. A user is always
required to first enter the international prefix defined by the national E.164 numbering plan. According to ITU-T
Recommendation E.164 [1] it is recommended to use "00" as international prefix, but some countries use a different
international prefix (e.g. in the NANP "011" is used).
A user on PLMN devices may also use "+" as international prefix, but this "+" is converted to the international prefix
used in the visited network.
VoIP users may also use the "+", which is signalled to the system directly either in a tel URI or a SIP URI with the
parameter; user=phone.
5.2 E.164 numbers in the national formats
Each country (except countries covered by integrated numbering plans, e.g. CC 1 and CC 7) defines its own national
E.164 numbering and the national dialling plan. These plans are based on ITU-T Recommendation E.164 [1] and
defines the prefixes, non-E.164 numbers and how the national formats (i.e. the local and nation
...