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A public data network (PDN) is a data network used, or intended for use, at least partly by the public under New Zealand’s Telecommunications Act 2001. In ITU standards, the term also appears in a narrower technical context: identifying networks and enabling them to interwork. Neither use means that every piece of data carried on the network is publicly accessible.
What does “public data network” mean?
The term depends on context. The clearest legal definition in the sources available here is specific to New Zealand: its Telecommunications Act 2001 says, “PDN or public data network means a data network used, or intended for use, in whole or in part, by the public.” Read the Act’s definition.
This is a jurisdiction-specific statutory definition, not a universal rule for every country. If the term appears in a contract, regulation, or technical document, use that document’s own jurisdiction and terminology to interpret it.
What does PDN mean in ITU-T X.121?
ITU-T Recommendation X.121 is an international numbering plan for public data networks, not a general guide to every modern public network. The ITU-T record for its October 2000 edition describes a system using Data Country Codes and Data Network Identification Codes to identify countries and specific networks, with the aim of supporting international interworking. See the ITU-T X.121 record.
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The ITU-T catalog lists that 2000 edition as in force. That status belongs to the record and edition cited; X.121’s stated purpose is numbering and interworking, not defining what “public” means in every legal or technical context.
Does “public” mean the network is open or unsecured?
No. In the New Zealand statutory definition, “public” describes the network’s use or intended use. It does not say that the data carried on the network is openly accessible, free to use, or unsecured. The Act’s wording concerns the network’s public-use context, not the visibility of individual data.
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How does a public data network differ from a non-public network?
ITU-T Y.3128, dated December 2023, uses more specific terminology for IMT-2020 mobile-network architecture. It distinguishes a non-public network, intended for non-public use, from a public-network-integrated non-public network, which is deployed with support from a public land mobile network. It also describes a stand-alone non-public network as one that does not rely on functions provided by a public land mobile network. See ITU-T Y.3128.
| Term | What it describes | Role of public infrastructure |
|---|---|---|
| Public data network (New Zealand statute) | A data network used, or intended for use, in whole or in part, by the public. | The statutory definition does not specify an infrastructure arrangement. |
| Non-public network (ITU-T Y.3128) | A network intended for non-public use. | A stand-alone non-public network does not rely on public land mobile network functions. |
| Public-network-integrated non-public network (ITU-T Y.3128) | A non-public network deployed with public land mobile network support. | It relies on that support while remaining non-public in intended use. |
These terms are not interchangeable. A private or non-public service can rely on public-network infrastructure without thereby becoming a network intended for public use.
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What is the history of PDN terminology in ITU standards?
The ITU-T X-series catalog groups recommendations X.1–X.199 under public data networks. It also marks X.15, Definitions of terms concerning public data networks, as withdrawn on 25 November 1988. View the ITU-T X-series catalog. The catalog entry is standards history; it does not establish X.15 as a current definition or show that one definition governs all jurisdictions.
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How to interpret the term in a document
- For a legal or regulatory text: identify the jurisdiction and apply that text’s definition. The New Zealand Act’s wording is not automatically applicable elsewhere.
- For X.121: read PDN in the context of network numbering and international interworking.
- For mobile-network architecture: check whether the document means a non-public network or a public-network-integrated non-public network, as in ITU-T Y.3128.
- For access or security questions: do not infer that data is public, free, or unprotected merely because a network is called public.
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