The IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) specification has taken the industry by storm, promising access-agnostic multimedia services and fixed/mobile convergence. As IMS gains momentum, service providers are rapidly evaluating and converting network architectures in order to experience the cost savings, time-to-market and added capabilities that IMS promises. This session will take a closer look at IMS service infrastructure and components, providing an overview of the critical components that will deliver on IMS’ potential.

IMS is becoming the architecture of choice for wireless and wireline convergence. Many service providers are tapping into its ability to offer advanced, revenue generating features, however, making advanced services accessible by broadband wireless users constitutes only half the equation for service provider success. The other half: VoIP and IP multimedia application platforms designed to attract developers and to host the true killer application: continuous, customer-responsive application innovation. The presenter will highlight the benefits of converged services and new applications and provide best-practice examples of how carriers have added voice services and advanced applications to their portfolio.

It’s become clear that IMS will play a major role in the ongoing convergence of wireline and wireless networks. And operators who are keen to build next-generation services on all-IP infrastructures to save costs and increase the speed of service delivery are already taking their first steps to developing an IMS strategy. But what will the future hold? What challenges and opportunities will we face as we move towards convergence? Come to this session and find out.

The ability to maintain communications with staff and customers is essential. Connecting the mobile workforce by providing telecommunications solutions that address business continuity, mobility, and telecommunications cost control will empower employees to maintain communications effectiveness under any outage or disaster situation and proceed with “business as usual.” Essential to maintaining communications is uninterrupted access to company applications, communications tools, and essential content that’s located on the Internet and intranet. This presentation will identify and address business benefits and the expected productivity payback of expanding access to the corporate network using wireless devices and mobility applications.

The VoIP explosion is underway. VoIP is now unleashed to be viable solution for wireless and WiFi users. Mobile professionals can incorporate VoIP communications wherever they connect. This panel discussion explores the transitions in telecom, examines VoIP's current trend towards supporting mobile users, and addresses implications to consider when implementing a mobile VoIP solution. Special attention will be paid to the subject of softphones and truly mobile VoIP applications. Come to this session to learn about the true state of the VoIP mobility market.

Wireline and wireless carriers alike are currently exploring the market for fixed mobile convergence, which allows subscribers to use special two-radio phones to connect to either cellular or WLAN services, depending on best availability. With this technology, users can enjoy a single set of services regardless of their network, with special mobility technology enabling the seamless transition between networks. Networks must support multiple access types from one common core in order to provide profitable, fast, low-cost, bundled services to consumers. All of these factors are pushing wireless and wireline convergence. These issues must be resolved for wireless and wireline service providers to remain competitive. This panel discussion will examine the issues involved in migrating from separate networks to converged networks.