Method for deploying a service and a method for configuring a network element in a communication network

The invention relates to a method for deploying a service in a communication network by performing the steps of: invoking a service deployment engine by a request for the service, retrieval of deployment templates, retrieval of service deployment policies, determination of a current configuration of at least one network element involved in providing the service, selection of a deployment template from the retrieved deployment templates based on the service deployment policies and configuration. Further a method for configuring a network element by means of a network element controller through the intermediary of a network element proxy is devised by the present invention. In particular this has the advantage of seemless integration into the IETF policy framework.