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 ver Thought of logging on to your personal computer from a phone? Or accessing any communication terminal like a phone,fax,e-mail,pager,mobile phone, or website at home, at work or while on the move? Do you long for a world where you have just a single number rather than a long list for your home,office,fax,mobile and an e-mail ID?
This seemingly utopian world of convergence is increasingly becoming a reality, thanks to an ongoing international effort anchored by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The key to making it happen is the final adoption of Internet telephone number mapping protocol, christened ENUM.
Some experts belive that ENUM has immense potential and say that it could emerge as the most important new Internet platform since the world wide web- perhaps even eclipsing it in importance.
ENUM what? ENUM is the name adopted by the Internet Engineering Task force (IEFT) to discribe a mechanism that uses the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) to map E.164 numbers to a universal resource locator (URL). E.164 is an ITU standard that describes the format of telephone numbers used around the world.
Is it necessary? The advent and increased use of different communication devices, that access different networks (public switched telephone network-PSTN-and Internet protocol IP) through different address conventions (phone number e-mail address etc) and input capabilities (Telephone computer, personal digital assistant) has created the need for a method that allows easy access to the growing list of devices, regardless of the platform to which they are connected or the kind of device that is used to access the information. ENUM is a solution to his problem. It is a convergence enabler that bridges the PSTN and IP worlds.
How does it work? Simply put, it means that one can use a single contact number to access multiple devices and services, as it will enable seamless access between devices that use different types of networks.
There are many service applications that will be facilitated by the ENUM standard. One of these is the establishment of a single contact number for individuals that will allow the visiting card of the future to contain just one number. Various services will use the Internet to translate that one number into service specific addresses.
In technical terms, ENUM will map a single phone number to multiple addresses of devices through the DNS for example, an overseas telephone number +41 22 123 4567 would become 7.6.5.4.3.2.1.2.2.1.4.E164. TLD, where the number is written backward with the E164.TLD at the end. When using ENUM, users will need to only dial the number, the reversing of digits and conversion into the DNS will be performed by the computer.
What will it mean for the user? Two key applications that ENUM will make possible for the first time is the ability to call any device from a normal land line phone and easily determine what type of terminal is associated with the number.
For example dialing an ENUM-enabled telephone number from a third generation (3G) multimedia handset will render it unnecessary to enter an Internet type address on a numeric keypad, a fairly cumbersome process. At the same time it will enable a location-based mobile web service.
Another possible application of ENUM is the support of dynamic routing of certain types of calls, say those from friends o a 'buddy' list to a device like a mobile phone or pager.
Says Roy Blane, chairman of the ITU study group, "We have agreed on a path that will eventually allow an orderly and secure way for many new services to be provided, for example the ability to call a voice enabled IP terminal from a conventional telephone.
This is a clear example of convergence, and the ITU is planning a major role in making it possible." The first draft of the ENUM next is expected to be reviewed at the next meeting of an ITU expert group in May 2002 for possible approval in November 2002.
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