Qualified eXchange Network

2. Qualified eXchange Network • The QXN Consortium • Goals • The Network Infrastructure • Services • Future developments

3. Setup date: July 10th, 2006 Founding members: the four major italian TLC Operators On October 2006, QXN Consortium signed a contract with CNIPA in order to implement and run QXN infrastructure and services (60%) (5%) (10%) (25%) QXN Consortium - Milestones

4. Management Board, formed by founding members representing the four partners of the Consortium: 1 President (BT Italia) 1 CEO (Fastweb) 4 Fastweb representatives 1 BT Italia representative 1 Wind representative 1 Telecom Italia representative Technical Committee: 1 Chairman (QXN Technical Director) 1 representative each from CNIPA, BT, Fastweb, Wind, Telecom Italia, Namex, MIX and CG-SPC QXN Consortium – Organization

5. To design, implement, operate and develop a geographically-distributed IP backbone infrastructure (QXN) acting as an exchange network among SPC Q-ISP’s** backbones. To provide Q-ISPs with access to QXN services (such as housing, access ports, guaranteed bandwith, centralized DNS, NTP server) To guarantee equal access conditions to QXN infrastructure and services both to Members of Consortium and to other Q-ISPs. **Q-ISP: Qualified Internet Service Provider QXN Consortium – Main goals

6. QXN within SPC General Framework (1) Network : QXN

7. SPC management Technology and services Security SPC Future developments QXN within SPC General Framework (2) QXN is a “corner stone” within SPC Framework due to its central role in the following issues:

8. QXN Consortium, through the work of its bodies (Management Boards, Technical Committee), acts as an aggregation point among all actors involved in SPC, that are: CNIPA Q-ISPs CG-SPC NIV This has a fundamental importance in helping CNIPA to manage a complex environment as SPC is, due to its “multi-provider” nature. QXN Centrality in SPC management

9. Q-ISPs may implement their backbones by using different technologies, with differentservices andSLAs and according to different evolution paths. QXN “smooths” all these differences, by binding all Q-ISPs to comply with specific technical requirements and rules set by QXN Technical Committe. This results in creating a single SPC “virtual” network (integrating QXN and QISP’s backbones) that provides all SPC customers (the PAs) with services with high and homogeneous levels of quality, no matter what Q-ISP is. QXN Centrality in technology and services

10. The QXN Points of Presence (PoP) have been implemented by taking specific care to security issues such as: physical security of equipment logical security of data and traffic flowing through QXN network, (by using Firewalls that implement policies for traffic segregation, network intrusion detection, etc.. ) this resulting in a network infrastructure capable of ensuring high security and availability levels of service. QXN centrality in security

11. As a central bulding block of SPC Framework, QXN is well suited to implement and provide new “centralized” services to PAs. As an example, QXN has already implemented and is currently running the Centralized SPC Domain Name System service, that ensures resolution of domain names of all hosts and services that PAs publish on SPC. Further services are currently under study by CNIPA. QXN centrality in SPC future development

12. Two PoP based on Cisco technology, located at major italianNAP (Neutral Access Point) premisesin Rome (NAMEX) and Milan (MIX) High security levels (physical and logical) Service Level Agreement (SLA) Service Avalilability = 99,99% One Way Delay <= 20 Ms Packet Loss <= 0,05% One set of technical rules that every Q-ISP must follow in order to be interconnected to QXN (certification process) Service Trial completedon July 26th, 2007, Commercial service started on July 27th, 2007 QXN Network Architecture - Main features

13. PA x PA y INTERNET INTERNET SPC Q-ISP A BRqxn BRqxn RUPA PIR BRqxn BRqxn NODO QXN ROMA NODO QXN MILANO SPC Q-ISP B PA n PA 1 PA 2 QXN network architecture

14. QXN network architecture • Two nodes - Rome and Milan – interconnected by two redundant high speed transmission links(2x100 Mbps SDH, upgradable up to 1 Gbps), designed for high availability (equipment redundancy and physical path diversity) • Each node is equipped with : • n.2 Cisco 7609 high-performance routers (BRqxn – Border Routers QXN) interconnected locally and to BRqxn at the remote site; • SLA management system (based on Cisco IP SLA solution)in order to monitor and measure network quality parameters (One Way Delay, Packet Loss); • Firewall e Intrusion Detection System, in order to protect PA’s data and traffic flowing through QXN • Infrastructure for housing(rack), in order to accomodate equipment that QISPs use to interconnect their backbone to QXN nodes. These equipment must be co-located to the QXN Border Routers

15. QXN Architecture – network & SLA management Sonda Sonda Sonda Sonda Sonda Sonda Sonda Sonda

16. SLA monitoring system Cisco 2811 Cisco 2811 Cisco 2811 Cisco 2811 Cisco 2811 Cisco 2811 Cisco 2811 Cisco 2811

17. SPC DNS Architecture N. 2 clusters of server (Rome and Milan)

18. OPA Interconnection OPO Interconnection SPC Centralized DNS SPC official timing source(NTP server) Network Operation Center(operating a 24x365 service for monitoring and operating QXN infrastructure and services) OPA= Offerta Per le Amministrazioni OPO= Offerta Per gli Operatori DNS= Domain Name System NTP= Network Time Protocol QXN service offering

19. WHO are the QXN Customers ? • Current • The 4 major Italian Telco Operators (BT, TI, Wind, Fastweb) • SPC Management Center (CG-SPC) • Coming next • Node for PA’s Voip interconnection (NIV) • Application Cooperation Centers • Future • Other Q-ISP (with national or regional scope) fulfilling requirements set by QXN Board and Techical Committe according to general certification criteria set by CNIPA • QCN : Qualified Community Networks