VITAL++, a new communication paradigm: Embedding P2P technology in next generation networks

This article describes the major components and their interactions of a novel architecture called VITAL++ that combines the best features of the two seemingly disparate worlds, peer-to-peer and NGN in particular IMS, which is then used to support multimedia applications and content distribution services. To this end, P2P is enhanced with advanced authentication and DRM mechanisms while NGN have become more scalable, reliable and less centralized by exploiting P2P self-organization properties. We describe novel P2P algorithms for optimizing network resources in order to efficiently distribute content among various users without resorting to laborious management operations required in NGN.