[SIPForum-discussion] LPN and SIP

[Ringel, Rick]

Hello group, 

I'm doing homework relating to Interconnect issues, and looking at user
mobility.   I have a question regarding mobility between service
providers.

On the PSTN, number portability is a big issue, and thru regulatory
activity, this is being addressed in the circuit network.

In a SIP network, the issue takes on a different nature.  Clearly, as an
endpoint behind an IP-PBX, the user's identity is owned by the domain
owner.  If Joe leaves Acme, he has to leave his joe at acme.com identity
behind.  No problems here. 

However, in residential services, a user wants to create and publish an
identity that they own, independent of any particular service provider.
If Joe publishes his address as joe at provider.net, then moves his service
to joe at competitor.net, by LNP thinking, either the owner of provider.net
would have to redirect Joe's calls to competitor.net, or the full
address 'joe at provider.net' would undergo a translation (DNS?) prior to
delivery at provider.net's service point.  Alternatively, Joe could
obtain his own domain name and point a DNS record to his service
provider, but that doesn't seem scalable.  I haven't found a solution
that appears satisfactory.

In my view, the service provider and the domain name should not be
equated.  The same issue exists for e-mail services, but nobody expects
their e-mail account to be portable (yet).  I think it is probable that
expectations for IP phone service will be different, and that
eventually, SIP URI portability will become an issue.  

Does anybody know of any IETF tasks, public documents, or discussions on
this topic?  I've found lots of info on LPN relating to TEL: URIs, but I
have yet to see anything that addresses the problem when users are
addressed by a <username>@<domain> format. 

-Rick Ringel 

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