This article originally appeared in the March 2011 issue of NGN.

NGN Forum’s planned initiatives for 2011 activities will focus on the following areas: applications delivery guideline and architecture implementation; ROI business modeling; and operator challenges, including best practice documents development.

NGN technology and business working group coverage includes IMS, IP video, 4G (HSPDA+ LTE (News - Alert)), SDP, VoIP, RMS/RCS, UC and security (IP BSS/OSS). The new Smart Grid Forum and NGN Enterprise/Information Technology working group will focus on application delivery technology such as energy management, M2M, cloud, IP peering transport and integration/implementation, meter data management, billing and security challenges. The Interoperability and Testing working group will resume with a Plugfest 9 test plan for smart grid, IMS, 4G, SDP and IP BSS/OSS/IPv6 application delivery. The marketing working group will continue to enhance its global speaking engagement bureau as well as its media and analyst participation for 2011 working group activities.

The NGN IMS Forum (News - Alert) has just completed its Business Models for the Development of Applications over Broadband IP Networks working group document. The forum’s technical working group paper examines new business models and use cases for applications running over IMS, 3G and 4G networks.

This working group document discusses over-the-top services, other new options for operators, and freemium business models (where operators offer a basic product or service free of charge such as software, web services or other), while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality, or related products and services.  

Other topics covered in this document include:

·       network architecture and service classification;

·       business models for operators;      

·       applications over broadband IP networks;

·       use cases;

·       security issues for applications over broadband IP networks; and

·       testing.      

In 2010 the IMS Forum also published the following guideline documents on best practices for IP BSS/OSS with security and Diameter implementations:

·       BSS/OSS & Security for Services in NGN/IMS Paradigm: Guidelines for Implementation

·       Interoperability Challenges in Diameter Implementations

·       IMS AAA Architecture: The Diameter Advantage

In 2011 NGN Forum working group documents will develop business models illustrating different technologies such as 4G, IMS, service delivery platform, cloud, M2M and smart grid.

We are also working on the test plan for our next IMS Plugfest and NGN Plugfest interoperability test event, which will test out many of these business models along with others. Registration for this Plugfest and working group is now open to any service providers, integrators, vendors, apps developers, utility companies and governmental agencies that would like to participate (www.IMSforum.org/Plugfest) to determine the final test plan. For additional information please contact [email protected]

Michael Khalilian (News - Alert) is president of NGN, IMS and Smart Grid Forum.