service

1. In Service Oriented Networks, the two basic uses of service are:
a)Something of value being provided to and consumed by end-users of communications networks. It may be a specific service, such as Verizon FIOS IPTV Premier or Acme Restaurant Finder, or it may be general, such as VoIP telephony service or emergency services.
b)A function that is performed by software whose output is used by some other entity. It may be, for example, a presence engine, or a routing function, or a number translation capability, or protocol interworking. ‘Service‘ may also refer to the software itself.
A service can be turned into a Service Enabler when complemented with appropriate logic and exposure building blocks, so that it can be reused or combined by another application through well-defined functional and operational interfaces.
2. A set of functionality enabled by a provider for consumers – e.g., providing IP with QoS connectivity, providing an IPTV service, providing IM public connectivity. In order to get a Service, a consumer needs at least to become a Subscriber to the Service and implement one or more of the IPTV Device Clauses as scoped by the provider for the Service.