Abstract
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) has moved from the realms of R&D labs and commercial trials into a limited number of commercial deployments. Skepticism pervades much of the industry regarding IMS. Without a doubt, there are tremendous challenges, both technical and business, in deploying the IMS technology commercially. However, with each real-world commercial rollout, there is evidence that the promise of IMS will be realized and the business case of IMS is solid.
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS): The Commercial Rollout of Applications evaluates a variety of IMS based applications. IMS applications are evaluated on a world-wide basis with a case study perspective providing analysis and conclusions for each application deployed by network operators. Each application is defined and described, and real world commercial deployments are analyzed. Each application is categorized as follows:
- Tier 1 IMS Applications: These applications have strong drivers for initial IMS deployments
- Tier 2 IMS Applications: Appropriate for later stage IMS deployments or a supporting application - a support role for other IMS applications
Commercial deployments of the following IMS applications are cited:
- Fixed Mobile Convergence
- Presence
- Rich Calls (also known as Video Share)
- Push to X (also known as Push to Talk, POC, P2T)
- IPTV Interactions
- Consumer and Business VoIP
Target Audience
Network Operators: Network operators that are deploying IMS, considering IMS, or have made the decision to deploy an IMS network
Service Providers: Service providers that are making plans to utilize IMS core network to provide services to subscribers
Vendors: Hardware, software, and solution vendors for IMS and related technologies such as Service Delivery Platforms (SDP)
Industry Analysts: Analysts covering the telecom and/or convergence industries
Consultants: Consultants providing an advisory role to service providers, network operators or vendors
Key Findings
- The benefits of IMS in terms of speed and flexibility in deploying innovative new services, as well as controlling operational costs, are important to operators, especially in relation to the increasing competition from "over the top" and unbundled service providers. IMS will be the technology that can blend multiple network services for subscribers.
- Many of the technical challenges of deploying IMS, however numerous and onerous, are solvable problems over time. The "Walled Garden" problem of IMS threatens to limit the value of IMS in the long term, but is not a problem for the short term. It is a problem that the industry must address.
- Certain IMS applications will act as leading services drivers justifying deployment of IMS while others provide merely an important supporting role
- While initially practical, alternative deployment architectures will be succumbed by IMS
Table of Contents
The Promise of IMS
- The Promises and Benefits of IMS
- The IMS Framework
- Access networks
- Transport Layer
- Session Management Layer
- Services / Application Layer
- IMS in the Competitive Landscape of Telecom Services
Threats and Challenges for IMS
- Will IMS Forever be a Walled Garden?
- IN / CAMEL Services
- Evolution Path to IMS for Network Equipment16
IMS Applications
- Fixed Mobile Convergence
- What is Fixed Mobile Convergence, and why is it Useful?
- How do IMS Standards Enable FMC?
- Examples of FMC Deployments
- Presence
- Description of Presence Service
- Standards Supporting Presence
- Deployment Example
- Push-to-X
- Description of Push-to-X Application
- Standards Supporting Push-to-X
- Deployment Examples
- Rich calls
- Description of Rich Calls Application
- Standards Supporting Rich Calls
- Deployment Examples
- Personalized Communication / Information Services
- Description of Personalized Communication / Information Services Application
- Standards Supporting Personalized Communication / Information Services
- Deployment Examples
- Multiparty gaming
- Description of Multiparty Gaming Application
- Standards Supporting Multiparty Gaming
- Deployment Examples
- Multimedia Telephony including Video Calling
- Description of Multimedia Telephony Application
- Standards Supporting Multimedia Telephony
- Deployment Examples
- Audio/Web/Videoconferencing
- Description of Audio/Web/Videoconferencing Application
- Standards Supporting Audio/Web/Videoconferencing
- Deployment Examples
- Interactive Voice Response
- Description of Interactive Voice Response
- Standards Supporting Interactive Voice Response
- Deployment Examples
- Consumer Voice services / Business Voice Services
- Description of Voice Application
- Consumer / Business VoIP versus Multimedia Telephony Services
- Standards Supporting VoIP
- Deployment Examples
- IPTV interactions
- Description of IPTV Application
- Standards Supporting IPTV Applications
- Examples of IPTV Deployments
- Messaging Applications
- Description of Messaging Application
- Standards Supporting Messaging
- Deployment Examples
- Service Capability Interaction Manager (SCIM)
- Description of SCIM
- Standards Supporting SCIM
- Deployment Examples
