A framework for end-to-end service differentiation: Network planes and parallel internets

This article presents a technology-agnostic and a multi-dimensional (i.e., routing, forwarding, and traffic management dimensions) approach for the management of IP network resources to ensure service differentiation with both intra- and inter-domain scope. This article introduces the network plane (NP) and parallel Internets (PI) concepts for achieving service differentiation. Based on these concepts, a functional architecture together with a business model is presented. In addition, this article describes how the proposed approach can become a promising platform for the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), with the objective of providing end-to-end QoS-enabled multimedia delivery across multiple providers to replace the flow-based reservation mode known as the VoIP resource reservation framework.