deployment, operation and management that the business case becomes attractive. Among targeted services are MMS, news, video calls, interactive messaging, games, music, entertainment and positioning services. It is a new area and the environment is in many aspects more complex and heterogeneous than the control and connectivity layer environment. As mentioned before: There are many players and a growing number of applications. Messaging services and transactional services require much support from the service layer (Chapter 8). To cope with the situation there is a need for partnerships between operators, vendors and content and application providers. See Figure 16.15. There is also a need for common enablers to control OPEX and CAPEX. The middleware or framework functions are vital. They include support servers for service administration like registration in system component registry, discovery, common directory, common charging such as prepaid, and single sign on with authentication. Service development kits and API including service gateways make deployment easier. Telecom Management - Operations User data Business relation Charges User segments Content FAB = Actor-user Life stage dimension Retailers providers interface, with Value/attitude dimension fulfilment, Reception assurance and Services, QoS, Security (peer) billing perception 'Neutral' to SM = Service Appli Application Applicati management providers Service providers Tunir NM = Network Service enablers ment. management Control FP 'Neutral' to cessing FP = Fundamental interra technical plans Blatform Core connectivity Carriers Access Distribution Access Figure 16.15 Actors around the service layer Defined interfaces are important, and also to reduce complexity of the service layer architecture and evolve the service network in a structured manner. Integration of all domains makes system integration crucial: Configuration and installation towards home environment applications, HE-VASP appli- cations. Configuration and installation towards users includin