IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS): The Commercial Rollout of Applications

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 SHOW LESS READ MORE >

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 Equipment

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

Alternate Service Delivery Methods

IMS Application Ecosystem

Conclusions

Companies Providing Information for this Report

Network Equipment Providers:

Alcatel Lucent

Cisco

Ericsson

Huawei Technologies

Italtel

Motorola

NEC

Nokia Siemens Networks

Nortel

Samsung

Sonus

Starent

Tekelec & HP Partnership

Veraz Networks

ZTE

Service Providers:

3

AIS of Thailand

AOL

AT&T

AXTEL of Mexico

BT

CSL in Hong Kong China

France Telecom / Orange

Free (Iliad)

NTT DoCoMo

ONEMAX

Softbank Mobile of Japan

Sprint Nextel

Swisscom

Telecom Italia

Telefonica

TeliaSonera

Telus Mobility Canada

Vodafone

Vonage

Wateen of Pakistan

Gaming Platforms and Game Providers:

Exit Games

Vivendi Games Mobile

Other Equipment (hardware / software / solutions) Providers:

Acision

AePona

Agilent

Agilent

Apertio Networks

Argela

Argela Technologies

Argent Networks

Aricent

Atos Origin

Atreus

Audiocodes

Azaire Networks

BEA Systems

Bridgeport Network

Bridgewater Systems

Brix Networks

Broadsoft

Brooktrout

Catapult Communications

Colibria

Comptel

Comverse

Comverse

Convergin

Dialogic

E28

ECI Telecom

Expirix

Genband

HelloSoft

IBM

Intec

Intel

IP Unity Glenayre - now Movius

Iperia

Ixia

JacobsRimmell

jNetx

jNetx

Leapstone Systems (a subsidiary of Motorola)

Mascon Global

Mavenir Systems

MetaSwitch

Mirial

Navtel

Nethawk

NETvisor

NewHeights Software

Opencloud

Openera

Openet

Openwave

Operax

Pactolus

PCTel

Pico Mobile Networks

Polycom

Qualphone

Radcom

RadiSys

Radvision

Redknee

Service PDQ (a subsidiary of ECI Telecom

SIPQuest

Solinet

Spirent Communications

Stratus Technologies

Sylantro Systems

Tazz

Tektronix

Telecordia Technologies

Telenity

Thomson

Traffix Systems

TTI

Ubiquity Software

UTStarcom

Veraz

Voxpilot

Wipro Technologies