A user-centric service creation approach for Next Generation Networks

The architecture and technologies for the next generation networks are well known. The service provision approach is not so clear though. While the telecommunications killer application still remains to be found, new competitors in the new all-IP world threaten the traditional business models of telcos by providing their services directly to the operators' customers. An innovative paradigm has recently come about in the Internet which allows users to create and share their own services from the composition of other services. User-centric service creation environments improve the service offering with profitable, value-added services faster and cheaper than ever before. This paper presents the initial results of a research project that applies the user-centric approach to the creative combination of Web and network services over next generation networks.