IMS: It’s Still About The Services

I was doing some reading on the subject of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and I was struck by a statement from a white paper on the matter written by Nokia. The statement was simple, yet declarative, and what it declared was this: “IP multimedia and its benefits will generate new business.”

There it is — pure and simple. Services based on IMS will generate new business. Service providers will make money and end users will gain access to a wealth of new and exciting services. And, like I’ve been saying all along, since we published the very first issue of Internet Telephony magazine: It’s all about the services!

For those unfamiliar with the technology, IMS is a network architecture defined by the 3GPP to support multimedia wireline and wireless convergence of voice, video, messaging, and data. SIP plays a major role in this convergence, enabling service creation, and giving developers a single open standard upon which to base their applications.

And the applications are many and varied. Some examples include multi-player gaming, video and content sharing, and of course voice over IP.
The opportunity for service providers is immense. By leveraging IMS, operators will be able to build services using a single platform, giving rise to the ability to create and mix and match services as dictated by consumer demand or by the need to satisfy specific business objectives, and truly delivering on the vision of building applications once and reusing them multiple times in various scenarios.

Dr. Sandip Mukerjee of Lucent Technologies addresses some of the opportunities presented by IMS in an article that appears on page 104 of this issue. Mukerjee makes the case that professionals and consumers are merging insofar as they are increasingly blending their work and home lifestyles, and wish to carry their multimedia services with them as they transition between the two. He labels these people “prosumers” and explains their growing expectations for a holistic communications experience that combines voice, video, data, and multimedia across any range of devices.

IMS holds great promise, and as with any compelling technology that is poised to make its presence felt in a big way, there is a concomitant need for education. That’s why this October, at the Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO, we will be featuring an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Summit, providing an unmatched opportunity for attendees to learn about this important technology. Check out the show Web site at www.itexpo.com for more information on this innovative new content offering.