 agnostic platforms have been created, SO we will not have sep- arate devices for voice and data as we do today, but we'll have nodes that can accommodate any traffic type and protocol. We're also introducing Chapter 4 The PSTN intelligent edges-where the smarts for processing service requests, deliver- ing features, and accommodating advanced applications are deployed at the edge rather than in the core network. This allows for more rapid introduc- tion, as well as more customization of the feature sets. The core also has to be multiservice because it needs to differentiate between the requirements of the different traffic streams, but more importantly, the next-generation core must be ultrafast and ultrareliable. (See Chapter 10.) Next-generation telephony is very important for new entrants, particularly because of the costs of deploying normal local exchanges. A regular local exchange costs in the neighborhood of US$3 million to US$5 million, whereas a media gateway will be on the order of US$100,000. For those seeking to become competitors in the local loop environment, next- generation telephony offers a very cost-effective means of gaining entry. (See Chapter 9.) Intelligent networking is being applied to the public data infrastructure as well as the Internet. From an architectural standpoint, the ITU's next- generation network relies heavily on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) framework (see Chapter 10). IMS creates a telephony-oriented signaling network that overlays an underlying IP network, replacing traditional telco SS7 signaling and acting as a control plane for both wireless and wireline networks. Network operators are introducing video and multimedia elements, video servers, media farms, video compression, and decompression devices, all of which become part of what constitutes the entire communications network. (See Chapter 10.) Access is moving toward the broadband realm on both a wired basis and a wireless basis. (See Chapter 12.) Data Networking and the Internet This page intentionally left bla