Network Working Group                                           B. Rosen
Request for Comments: 4967                                       NeuStar
Category: Standards Track                                    July 2007


                     Dial String Parameter for the
        Session Initiation Protocol Uniform Resource Identifier

 Status of This Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

 Copyright Notice

   Copyright © The IETF Trust (2007).

 Abstract

   RFC 3966 explicitly states that 'tel' URIs may not represent a dial
   string.  That leaves no way specify a dial string in a standardized
   way.  Great confusion exists with the SIP URI parameter "user=phone",
   and specifically, if it can represent a dial string.  This memo
   creates a new value for the user parameter "dialstring", so that one
   may specify "user=dialstring" to encode a dial string as a 'sip:' or
   'sips:' URI.

 Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
   3.  Requirements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   4.  Solution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   5.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   6.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   7.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5












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1.  Introduction

   A user at a phone often has a limited User Interface, and in some
   cases, is limited to a 10 key pad (and sometimes a "flash" function
   with the switchhook).  The user enters a series of digits that invoke
   some kind of function.  The entered sequence, called a "dial string",
   may be translated to a telephone number, or it may invoke a special
   service.  In many newer designs, the mapping between a dial string
   and a phone number or service URI is contained within the phone
   (digitmap).  However, there are many phones and terminal adapters
   that do not have internal translation mechanisms.  Without a
   translation mechanism in the phone, the phone must send the dial
   string in a 'sip:' or 'sips:' URI [RFC 3261] to an intermediary that
   can transform the dial string to a phone number or a service
   invocation.  The intermediary is able to perform this transform
   provided that it knows the context (i.e., dialing plan) within which
   the number was dialed.

   There is a problem here.  The intermediary can apply its
   transformation only if it recognizes that the user part of the SIP
   URI is a dial string.  However, there is currently no way to
   distinguish a user part consisting of a dial string from a user part
   that happens to be composed of characters that would appear in a dial
   string.

   Use of DTMF (dual tone multi-frequency) detectors after the initial
   number has been dialed is not uncommon.  A common function some
   systems have is to express a string that incorporates fixed time
   delays, or in some cases, an actual "wait for call completion" after
   which additional DTMF signals are emitted.  For example, many
   voicemail systems use a common phone number, after which the system
   expects the desired mailbox number as a series of DTMF digits to
   deposit a message for.  Many gateways have the ability to interpret
   such strings, but there is no standardized way to express them,
   leading to interoperability problems between endpoints.  This is
   another case where the ability to indicate that a dial string is
   being presented would be useful.

2.  Terminology

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC 2119].

   It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the terminology and
   acronyms defined in [RFC 3261].





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3.  Requirements

   A mechanism to express a dial string in a 'sip:' or 'sips:' URI is
   required.  A dial string consists of a sequence of

   *  the digits 0-9

   *  the special characters # and *

   *  the DTMF digits A-D

   *  characters representing a short pause, and a "Wait for call
      completion" in a dial string

   Note: DTMF = dual tone multi-frequency.  Each "tone:" is actually two
   frequencies superimposed.  DTMF is a 4 x 4 matrix with four row
   frequencies (697, 770, 852, 941 Hz) and four column frequencies
   (1209, 1336, 1477, 1633).  Most telephones only implement 3 of the 4
   columns, which are used just as the telephone dial pad implies.
   Thus, the digit 2 is the first row, second column, and consists of
   770Hz and 1209Hz frequencies mixed together.  The fourth column is
   not used in the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).  The
   "digits" for the fourth column are usually expressed using the
   letters A through D.  Thus, "C" is 852/1633Hz.  Some systems do use
   these digits, so we include them in the definition of the dial
   string.

   A dial string always exists within a context.  The context MUST be
   specified when expressing a dial string.

   It MUST be possible to distinguish between a dial string and a user
   part that happens to consist of the same characters.

4.  Solution

   A new alternative value for the "userinfo" parameter of the 'sip:' or
   'sips:' URI schemes is defined, "dialstring".  This value may be used
   in a 'sip:' or 'sips:' URI when the user part is a dial string.  The
   dial string is a sequence of the characters 0-9, A-F, P, X, '*' and
   '#'.  E represents *, F represents #, P is a pause (short wait, like
   a comma in a modem string) and X represents "wait for call
   completion".

   When the "user=dialstring" is used, a context parameter, as defined
   in [RFC 3966], MUST be specified.  The context parameter would
   normally be a domain name.  The domain name does not have to resolve
   to any actual host but MUST be under the administrative control of
   the entity managing the local phone context.  The context parameter



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   value is normally configured in the user agent.

   The syntax of the context parameter follows the same conventions as
   the same parameter in [RFC 3966], that is, it appears between the
   digits and the "@" in the userinfo [RFC 3261] of the URI:

       dialstring = dialstring-digits context; context from RFC 3966
       dialstring-digits = *dialstring-element dialstring-digit
                  *dialstring-element
       dialstring-digit = HEXDIG / "*" / "#"; HEXDIG from RFC 3966
       dialstring-element =  dialstring-digit  / "P" / "X" /
                  visual-separator; visual-separator from RFC 3966

   A dial string SHOULD NOT be used for an AoR (Address of Record) in a
   REGISTER.  Parameters are ignored in registration.  Thus, two
   registrations with different phone-contexts would be considered
   equivalent, which is probably not desirable.

   A proxy server or Back to Back User Agent (B2BUA) [RFC 3261], which is
   authoritative for the context, may translate the dial string to a
   telephone number or service invocation URI.  The telephone number MAY
   be expressed as a global or local tel: URI, or it MAY be left as a
   sip: or sips: URI with the URI parameter value changed from "user= "
   to "user=phone".

   Examples of dial string use include:

   ;what a SIP Phone might emit when a user dials extension 123
sip:123;phone-context=atlanta.example.com@example.com;user=dialstring

   ;existing voicemail systems have a local access extension,
   ;then expect to see the extension number as DTMF for the mailbox
sip:450X123;phone-context=biloxi.example.com@example.com;user=dialstring

5.  IANA Considerations

   [RFC 3969] defines a 'sip:' or 'sips:' URI Parameter sub registry.
   The "user" parameter is specified as having predefined values.

   This RFC defines a new value for the "user" parameter, "dialstring".
   This RFC has been added to the references listed for the "user"
   parameter.

6.  Security Considerations

   Dial strings exposed to the Internet may reveal information about
   internal network details or service invocations that could allow
   attackers to use the PSTN or the Internet to attack such internal



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   systems.  Dial strings normally SHOULD NOT be sent beyond the domain
   of the UAC (User Agent Client).  If they are sent across the
   Internet, they SHOULD be protected against eavesdropping with TLS
   (Transport Layer Security) per the procedures in [RFC 3261].

7.  Normative References

   [RFC 2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC 3261]  Rosenberg, J., Schulzrinne, H., Camarillo, G., Johnston,
              A., Peterson, J., Sparks, R., Handley, M., and E.
              Schooler, "SIP: Session Initiation Protocol", RFC 3261,
              June 2002.

   [RFC 3966]  Schulzrinne, H., "The tel URI for Telephone Numbers",
              RFC 3966, December 2004.

   [RFC 3969]  Camarillo, G., "The Internet Assigned Number Authority
              (IANA) Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) Parameter
              Registry for the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)",
              BCP 99, RFC 3969, December 2004.

Author's Address

   Brian Rosen
   NeuStar
   470 Conrad Dr
   Mars, PA  16046
   USA

   Phone: +1 724 382 1051
   EMail: br@brianrosen.net


















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RFC 4967                 Dial String Parameter                 July 2007


Full Copyright Statement

   Copyright © The IETF Trust (2007).

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Acknowledgement

   Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
   Internet Society.







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Dial String Parameter for the Session Initiation Protocol Uniform Resource Identifier

RFC TOTAL SIZE: 12659 bytes
PUBLICATION DATE: Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
LEGAL RIGHTS: The IETF Trust (see BCP 78)