IMS

Sprint taps Nokia Siemens Networks for XOHM

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:56 -0400

Sprint tapped Nokia Siemens Networks to implement its subscriber database solution, which includes Apertio's One-NDS, (Network Directory Server), in an effort to provide a more personalized experience for future XOHM users. The deal will help Sprint to operate a Subscriber Profile System (SPS) based on a single, real-time common subscriber database, which the carrier expects to eliminate the need for multiple databases and to reduce administration and cost. The solution also supports a range of IP and IMS-based services, which are easily launched without service interruption.

For more on Sprint's deal with NSN:
- read this press release

Virgin Mobile USA offers new plans

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Virgin Mobile USA changed its monthly calling plans to give users expanded off-peak calling options. On top of the existing 400 anytime minutes, Virgin Mobile customers with a $49.99-a-month plan now get unlimited nights and weekends starting at 7 p.m. Customers previously paid $44.99-a-month but the nights and weekends minutes were capped at 2,000. The carrier did not change up its $24.99 plan's price, but customers get 500 minutes for nights and weekends, which now begin at 7 p.m., too. Virgin also lumped multimedia messages into its $9.99 per month messaging bundle, which also includes texts, emails and IMs. The carrier also now allows prepaid users to rollover up to 5,000 unused monthly minutes if they buy a new bundle within 30 days of buying a previous one.

For more on Virgin's new plans:
- read this release

Summit focuses on converged services

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:22:06 -0400

Analyst firm Informa will be hosting a one-day co-located seminar at CTIA that will focus on converged services. Program chair and Inform research director Gavin Whitechurch says that the seminar will focus on the benefits of converged services from both the consumer and enterprise perspective.

The conference, which will take place on March 31 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will feature presentations from operators such as BT Group, Rogers Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and Brazil Telecom. In addition, vendors such as Airvana, and Nextpoint Networks will participate, along with associations such as Femto Forum and the IMS Forum.

Whitechurch says that Informa expects about 100 to 150 participants and a mix of attendees from both operators and vendors. He expects lots of discussion of femtocells, which are a hot topic right now, particularly in Europe.

Wireline and wireless: Time to kiss and make-up

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:13:45 -0400

It's a dirty little secret that isn't really a dirty little secret anymore, but observers of Bellhead behavioral psychology (your's truly included) like to note how in large telcos with both wireline and wireless units, the wireline guys hate the wireless folks and vice versa.

This still may be true to some extent. At FierceMarkets' recent IMS Executive Summit in Washington, D.C., I was talking to an attendee who formerly worked on the wireless side of a Bell company before moving on to the vendor world. Asked if IMS could be an agent that helps unify these traditionally miles-apart organizations, he said, "I hope so," before adding, "Boy, we used to hate those [wireline] guys. We could never get anything done with them."

If anything, the wireline and wireless people in these companies should be drawing a little more inspiration from one another these days, and might want to start getting downright friendly. That's because fixed-mobile convergence is probably the top technology trend that folks on the wireline side of the industry need to come to grips with over the next two years. Those telcos with wireless units in house should be spending every waking moment getting those two sides to work together to understand technology, market opportunities, enterprise and consumer user behavior and usage patterns. They should develop a comprehensive corporate strategy the ends the sibling rivalry once and for all.

Meanwhile, video is the hottest application for both sides of the house, and I'm betting that here, too, wireline and wireless teams could work together to develop some interesting applications and functions that leverage TV and mobile phone devices in ways no one has thought of yet. Mobile TV is great and so is IPTV. How can we talk about fixed-mobile convergence and not presume it could affect entertainment content, too?

I don't know if any wireline folks will be attending CTIA I.T. and Entertainment in San Francisco, but it wouldn't hurt to consider it as an opportunity to energize your imagination for what telcos could be capable of in the future. Meanwhile, folks from the wireless side of the house who surely will be in attendance should think seriously about bringing home some information to share with your neighbor over the corporate fence. You might find out he's not such a bad guy after all. --Dan

P.S. FierceMarkets will bring you all the news and scoops from the CTIA I.T. Show. We are the official online show daily for CTIA. We will deliver all the news in our regular issue and at a custom micro-site entitled "CTIA Live!" Click here to check out the website.

Metric: 435M SIP phone users by 2012

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

According to a recent report from Informa Telecoms & Media, there will be 435 million users of SIP-enabled phones by 2012. Sales of handsets with active SIP functionality will reach 275 million units this year, but the inflection point for sales will land sometime in either 2010 or 2011, the report predicts. The figures take into account both IETF SIP and IMS SIP. Informa's Malik Saadi said that "growth will be mainly driven by the strong will of device vendors to get involved in the content space but also by the increasing number of new entrants among VoIP and Internet content providers who are determined to challenge the mobile operator walled-garden service offering."

For more on the SIP report:
- read this article from TMC

Is IMS Dead?

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

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Is IMS Dead?Ã‚Â

IP multimedia subsystem, or IMS, the technology that every vendor was touting two years ago, has fallen off the industry priority list. At this week's FierceMarkets IMS Executive Summit in Washington, D.C., all the Tier 1 wireline and wireless operators present (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and US Cellular) talked about how important IMS was to their network but they also pinpointed several serious gaps in the technology that must be resolved before they can move forward.

While the technology is certainly not dead, you could say it is in critical condition. During a roundtable discussion with industry analysts yesterday at the IMS Summit, Akshay Sharma, research director, carrier network infrastructure, converged infrastructure at Gartner Dataquest summed up his view of IMS by saying that the technology is currently in the "trough of dissolution."Ã‚Â He said that operators and vendors have realized that it's much more difficult to deploy IMS than originally anticipated and many are getting frustrated with its slow pace. However, he added that he expects the technology will soon move to the "plateau of productivity" where applications will start being commercially deployed and operators will make slow and steady progress toward having a simpler backend network architecture based on routers and IP soft switches

One big issue is in the billing systems and OSS. Most IMS applications that are being tested or launched by operators remain in separate silos and haven't developed to be the fully converged solutions that most envisioned when IMS was first conceptualized. The OSS and billing system integration is necessary to make this happen but many operators have multiple billing systems making this a complex and costly proposition.

Another common complaint is about IMS standards, or lack of them. I heard this week repeatedly that some standards exist while others are still in development and without a resolution most operators are hesitant to move forward. This issue is particularly a problem for smaller Tier 2 operators that can't afford to deploy proprietary IMS elements in their network.

When asked where they thought the industry would stand with regard to IMS at this time next year, all analysts agreed that progress would be minimal and most believed that we would be having many of the same discussions that we are having today. In the fast-moving world of technology, this is a bleak prognosis for a technology that was supposed to revolutionize the telecom network and reduce telco infrastructure costs. -Sue

Five Questions for Narothum Saxena, Senior Director of Advanced Technology and Systems Planning, US Cellular

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:23:41 -0400

For most Tier 1 operators, deploying IMS is not a question of if, but when. Operators understand that the IMS framework is a necessity for next-generation networks. But for smaller operators, IMS is not a sure thing. Tier 2 operators have to carefully evaluate whether IMS is going to provide the return on investment necessary to justify the deployment costs. FierceWireless editor-in-chief Sue Marek talked with U.S. Cellular's Narothum Saxena earlier this week. Saxena will be a keynote speaker at FierceMarkets' IMS 2007 conference in Washington, DC Sept. 19-20 (click here to register). He will be discussing the IMS framework and what it means for converged applications.

FierceWireless: What does IMS mean to the Tier 2 operator?

Saxena: IMS is only important to us if it allows us to provide services that appeal to our customers. IMS has to provide them with a better customer experience. And finally, the customer has to be willing to pay for it.

FierceWireless: Are there services that will benefit customers that IMS will enable?

Saxena: We are looking at that right now. We are looking at the applications that make sense for Tier 2 operators. What is the demand? What are the needs of our customers? The most talked about applications are the converged applications such as integrating messaging with voice, location and presence and push-to-x.

FierceWireless: A few years ago we thought all these next-generation apps would require IMS. But now IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m hearing that there are lots of ways to deploy converged apps and not all necessarily require the IMS framework. Is that correct?

Saxena: Most apps that Tier 2 operators and Tier 1 operators have launched today are without IMS. Can we launch applications today without IMS? Absolutely. But IMS does give us the benefit of additional management of network resources and for converged apps thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s important. However, for Tier 2 carriers, I believe, the business justification for IMS is a tough one. It is very important to Tier 2 operators to adopt a more standards-based approach to get the economies of scale rather than a pre-IMS or proprietary approach.

FierceWireless: Is there progress being made in the standards bodies?
Saxena: I also feel that the standards bodies are working on some of the pieces of the puzzle for IMS. Policy management is up for standardization. SMS or IMS is to be standardized. There is a lot of activity in the standards bodies. But I would say that IMS is a good two or three years away from today for Tier 2 operators.

FierceWireless: Have you made a decision yet about IMS?

Saxena: We are investigating IMS but we havenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t made a decision yet. ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s important for Tier 2 operators to keep in mind that there is a lot of promise in IMS. We hope it comes true. But right now itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s only pre-IMS solutions that are available and they donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t serve the entire value chain.

FEATURE: Five Questions for Narothum Saxena of US Cellular

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 06:59:53 -0400

FierceWireless: What does IMS mean to the Tier 2 operator?

Saxena: IMS is only important to us if it allows us to provide services that appeal to our customers. IMS has to provide them with a better customer experience. And finally, the customer has to be willing to pay for it. Continued...

Andrew Seybold: Intro to IMS--Simplifying the network

Andrew M. Seybold — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:59:02 -0400

We are hearing a lot about IMS these days, but what is it? Most of you probably know that IMS stands for Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, and perhaps you know it is intended to replace the wireless network operator's current complex back-end architecture with simpler architecture based on routers and IP soft switches. Today's wireless networks grew up using massive hardwired switches based on SS7 (Signaling System 7), which was invented by AT&T to replace its older switching systems already in use.

If you look at diagrams of most wireless networks today, you will see that in addition to a large number of MSCs (Mobile Switching Subsystem), over time a number of servers have been added for a variety of additional functionality including SMS, IM, MMS and other forms of voice and data services. The problem with these wireless network back-ends is that they have grown up piece-meal over time and have become extremely complex. Another problem is the large number of touch points,or different connections to the outside world's wired and wireless systems, that have been added over the years.

The idea of IMS is to simplify all of these connections and, over time, replace SS7 switches and other hardware components with IP components where most of the work is done in software. While numerous IMS systems are under construction, many of them got their start when 3G data services were added to the networks. Airvana, a Massachusetts company, has been pioneering in this area for a many years, AT&T, is building an IMS system based on Alcatel-Lucent technology and systems around the world are coming on line.

Even though the IMS standard was adapted for wireless by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Program) and the 3GPP2 (the CDMA version of the standards organization), there are still many differences between IMS systems being deployed. In some cases, the network operator finds out that the equipment it is installing has some proprietary components embedded in it. As with any standard, vendors want a marketing advantage.

Although IMS was updated for wireless by the 3GPP, there are still a number of issues that make “standardIMS less than optimal for many wireless networks. There is the issue of IMS being designed to handle SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) applications but not doing an optimal job with non-SIP applications (the bulk of what is being used today). Another issue is that “standard IMS still has what some consider to be too many touch points to external networks and not enough security across the network to defend against rogue devices or content.
These issues are currently being addressed in both the 3GPP and the 3GPP2 thanks to the leadership of Verizon Wireless and a consortium of companies that have reviewed the specifications and made additional recommendations. The result will be a more secure version of IMS with a single touch point to trusted sources beyond the network and a more secure network that could be disengaged from the rest of the worlds networks if there were a massive denial of service or other disruption on the wired Internet or elsewhere.

Everyone in the industry believes that IMS, or at least IP in the network back-end, is the ultimate goal. We also know that all of the new wireless technologies including WiMAX, UMB and LTE are being designed to embrace IP from devices through the entire network back-end. The results will be long time coming though, as there are a number of issues yet to be resolved. If you look at a diagram of a typical IMS back-end, you will see that it has grown to be almost as complex as todayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s hard switch systems, and then there is the issue of a network dumping SS7 switching, which is still carried on the books and being depreciated.

All of this will work itself out. What are the benefits for wireless network operators? They range from a better, easier-to-manage network, to less capital expense and less operating expenses. The resulting benefit is that wireless network operators will be able to deliver voice and data services less expensively in the future.

What does this mean for end users? Over the long term, as the cost to deliver voice and data across the networks declines, the cost of using voice and data should also decline. Finally, because we will, at some point, live in an all-IP world, we will have more flexibility to access other networks, different content and a new set of services these systems will enable.

Like any new technology upgrade, conversion to IMS will occur slower than has been predicted and there will be bumps along the way. But once we get there, wireless networks will be more efficient, and services to the customer base will be more plentiful and less expensive.

Andrew M. Seybold is an authority on technology and trends shaping the world of wireless mobility. A respected analyst, consultant, commentator, author and active participant in industry trade organizations, his views have influenced strategies and shaped initiatives for telecom, mobile computing and wireless industry leaders worldwide.

Note from editor: Learn more about IMS and it's potential at IMS 2007 Sept. 19-20 in Washington, D.C. Hosted by FierceMarkets, this event delves into the technical and business aspects of deploying IMS. Here's a link to the agenda.

Is IMS Necessary?

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

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Is IMS Necessary?Ã‚Â Ã‚Â
IMS, or IP Multimedia Subsystem, is often touted as a must-have network evolution for mobile operators that want to derive value from future applications. The goal of IMS is to replace the operator's current back-end network architecture with an all IP-based system making it easier to deploy applications. (For more the IMS standard, see Andy Seybold's commentary below).

Now that operators are starting to deploy IMS there has been a slight change in its perception. For example, not every advanced application needs IMS to be a success. Ken Rehbehn, analyst with Rehbehn Associates, says that some applications (particularly those that carriers don't want to have visibility into the network) don't need IMS. "I think there is a decreased expectation that if there's an application, it will be IMS," Rehbehn says. "Operators will still have applications that are not on IMS."

When I first started hearing about IMS, it was usually talked about in conjunction with push-to-talk and video sharing. Those applications, Rehbehn says, will definitely benefit from IMS as will any secure payment application. "Operators have very sophisticated billing systems in place," Rehbehn says. "IMS provides a wonderful framework for micropayments."

IMS is also critical for quality of service. Rehbehn says that IMS will allow service providers to juggle different levels of service quality. For example, certain streams of content (multimedia) may be designated a higher priority, other streams that don't require as much quality control will have a lower designation.Ã‚Â

Of course, some of the most compelling IMS applications-such as video sharing, push to video, etc. are big bandwidth hogs. According to iGR Research, IMS application usage will likely result in an increase in bandwidth consumption beginning in 2008. In fact, iGR is forecasting that total bandwidth used by mobile subscribers in the U.S. will double by 2011 with "light" subscribers increasing their usage from 6.3 Mb per month in 2007 to 22 Mb per month in 2011.

So while IMS may not be a necessity for all applications, it seems certain that mobile operators will benefit from the efficiencies IMS offers. Wireless carriers have long been looking for a streamlined way to deliver compelling applications and the IMS framework seems like a natural progression.

We'll be delving into all the various angles on IMS deployments at our IMS 2007 conference in Washington, D.C. Sept. 19-20.Ã‚Â Join me and my colleague Dan O'Shea of FierceTelecom as we chair the two-day event which will feature key speakers from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, Cox Communications and more. Here's a link to the agenda. -SueÃ‚Â Ã‚Â

FEATURE: Intro to IMS--Simplifying the network

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:59:53 -0400

By Andrew M. Seybold

We are hearing a lot about IMS these days, but what is it? Most of you probably know that IMS stands for Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, and perhaps you know it is intended to replace the wireless network operator's current complex back-end architecture with simpler architecture based on routers and IP soft switches. Today's wireless networks grew up using massive hardwired switches based on SS7 (Signaling System 7), which was invented by AT&T to replace its older switching systems already in use.

Continue reading...

Verizon's Lynch talks about IMS, 4G and more

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:59:57 -0400

At the RBC Capital Markets North American Technology Summit yesterday in San Francisco Verizon CTO Dick Lynch gave investors some insight into his new role and how he will bring together the wireless and wireline entities at Verizon. Lynch, a long-time Verizon Wireless veteran was recently promoted to executive vice president and CTO of Verizon Communications. Here's a recap of some of Lynch's comments:

3G: 3G has been delivered and it's been a smashing success for us. We will continue to grow our 3G business for a long time to come. The application growth for 3G is in the early stages. We first introduced wide-area 3G in 2003 and now our upload speeds have been enhanced with Rev. A. We now have the upload speed for applications such as mobile VOIP, enhanced PTT capability and push-to-X video capability.

IMS: There are lots of definitions of convergence, converged products, converged networks and converged applications. IMS is the real deal. IMS and 3G will tie together disparate networks--wireless, landline, cable and enterprise to work seamlessly together.

4G: There's lots of posturing about 4G. I don't know what it is yet. The ITU hasn't defined 4G. It's not just higher bandwidth and faster speeds. It will have those attributes but 4G will be embedded broadband in all sorts of devices. Today we are just starting to see embedded modules in PDAs and laptops. 4G will do for portable consumer devices what 3G devices did for the enterprise.

WiMAX: There's a lot of buzz about this. It's just another air interface technology. WiMAX, LTE and UMB are essentially 4G wannabee technologies. They all use OFDM technology and perform the same way in the same amount of spectrum. Would I use WiMAX with Verizon? Possibly. If I had TDD spectrum. -Sue

Vodafone joins WiMAX Forum, but why?

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Vodafone made a surprising move today and joined the WiMAX Forum. Most of the company's carriers make use of GSM technology for their networks, and are, therefore, probably planning on LTE technology for next generation networks. However, a few notable CDMA exceptions exist: namely Verizon Wireless, in which it owns a 45 percent stake.

IMS Research's Alex Green, who heads up the analyst firm's Broadband group, stated that the fact that the WiMAX Forum announcement came one day after Vodafone reiterated its intent to hold onto Verizon Wireless could indicate a potential WiMAX play for Verizon Wireless: The timing isÃ‚Â "surely more than just a coincidence and perhaps a sign that Verizon Wireless may follow the WiMAX strategy of its main CDMA2000 competitor, Sprint Nextel," Green writes.

For more on Vodafone's announcement:
- read this press release

Fixed/Mobile Convergence and IMS

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:27:25 -0400

Look for fixed-mobile convergence vendors to be avidly trying to shed a positive light on the industry after news earlier this month that Deutsche Telekom shut down its dual-mode SIP-based WiFi/GSM offering, called T-One, in Germany after attracting fewer than 10,000 subscribers since last August. One positive development that we keep hearing about is femtocells—small cellular base stations designed for residential environments--and we’re intrigued by the concept. Kineto Wireless this week announced that NEC will integrate Kineto’s UMA Network Controller into NEC’s Home Gateway Solution and we expect other femtocell news to crop up next week at CTIA.

On the IMS front, we expect to hear some buzz about IMS messaging as carriers try to figure out how to seamlessly transmit messages between their 2G and 3G networks. Steve French, senior manager of product marketing at Tekelec’s network signaling group, said that he has seen some recent operator request for proposals looking for IMS messaging gateways. Operators are also trying to figure out how to leverage existing equipment and still transition to IMS. They’ll be looking for solutions next week that will solve this problem.

Also, look for Intellinet to be talking about the results of its IMS diameter interoperability event. The event took place in early February and 14 companies participated in it. According to Arun Handa, CTO of Intellinet, the goal was to make sure there was complete interoperability between the different diameter implementations. “We created a very vendor-neutral test environment,” Handa said. -Sue

FEATURE: IMS--Does Metcalfe's Law Matter?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:01:33 -0400

By Ken Rehbehn, research director, Current Analysis

When they first came out, one of the coolest things about cell phones was the almost magical ability to reach out to somebody (anybody, really) and talk--regardless of where you were. It was cool because you were on the move. Yet, more than just being cool, it made a difference to communications because it was a direct personal connection with another human…and it worked because both parties had devices and services capable of making a connection over a network. In the parlance of Metcalfe's law, the value of the network was high.

Fast-forward 20 years or so and those old PSTN/cellular circuit-switched networks seem oh-so-quaint. Now, high performance multimedia services delivered over mobile and fixed IP networks promise the next level of person-to-person communication. Video sharing and gaming stand out as two possible applications benefiting from the new era of digital communications. Making such peer-to-peer services--as well as client/server applications--work as part of a service offering is the job of IMS, with extensive building blocks for session control, AAA, security and legacy interconnection. Voice services offered over IMS architectures are already starting to make a presence. Video share services are as well.

However, all is not well in the world of IMS. Despite early promises of IMS serving as a conduit for a wide-ranging set of person-to-person interactions, the client implementations have been limited. In part, this is due to the early stage of the game. But it's also do to complexity. A simple "plain old telephone" and even its complex cousin, the cell phone, enjoy a trivial user interface with sparse--but universal--functionality. If you know a phone number, you can call it. Again, the network value was high.

IMS clients are not simple. Successful completion of a person-to-person interaction with rich sound and graphics over an IMS-based service demands an extraordinary degree of luck. Take an IMS-based chess application. Each person must possess a device (a handset or fixed terminal) that is compatible with the device of the other player--there is little point in thinking about video share if your partner's device lacks a video camera. Often, this goes beyond having the right device to having the right network (supports IMS, supports interconnection to other IMS networks, etc.), the right tariff ("yes, you can play chess for $1.00"), and the right application (both sides knowing how to signal a piece moving). You have to guess whether a friend has the "right stuff" before attempting a friendly game of chess, but with so many variables it is likely you will guess wrong. The result is a user community--everyone sharing the "right stuff"--that is incredibly small. In terms of Metcalfe's law, the value of the network is low. Small wonder we have not seen an explosion of jaw-dropping apps.

So, does this mean that IMS will fail to deliver on high network value for rich person-to-person communication? No.

IMS remains a compelling solution for managing session-based connections over an IP network in the presence of stringent requirements for AAA, security, monetization and legacy interconnection. Communities of interest supported by the "right stuff" in the form of compatible networks, devices and application clients reap the benefit of reliable person-to-person communication. Video share is a case in point. Over the past two years, the GSM Association expended significant energy into making sure W-CDMA mobile devices delivered on the promise of IMS-based video share. Months of testing by numerous network operators, infrastructure vendors and handset suppliers systematically attacked the problem. At the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, the GSMA and its members demonstrated the fruits of the effort, raising the prospect of a large potential video share community, one that satisfies the conditions for a high value network.

Just as encouraging, many interesting IMS applications do not depend on communication between two subscribers outfitted with unpredictable devices and applications. Services offered on application servers--leveraging IMS enablers such as presence and location--depend only on compatibility with a subscriber's device and application client. While a person may not know which friends share a common feature, IMS clients/servers know exactly how to find each other. A subscriber with a weather client on a device predictably finds the desired forecast from an IMS-hosted server. Likewise, new approaches towards IPTV also promise to deliver on this concept. Feature interaction, so-called "caller ID" combined with a televised multimedia stream, delivers on the vision of IMS to a well-defined community of users.

Nonetheless, pure person-to-person interaction built on an IMS framework is likely to remain limited to a narrow set of exhaustively proven, and relatively simple, applications. Perhaps incorporation of seamless "just-in-time" IMS client downloads, much as with the fluid web-client paradigms of Web 2.0, can deliver a ubiquitous peer-to-peer application experience that delivers on the power of Metcalfe's law. Lacking such innovations, subscribers of the future are more likely to take advantage of today's well-understood peer-to-peer application mechanism ubiquitous today: the Web browser supporting java script.

Ken Rehbehn is a research director at Current Analysis, a Washington, DC-based independent research firm.

3GSM: Fixed/Mobile Convergence

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:57:54 -0500

After years of hype and little reality, expect UMA to finally get more traction. Carriers like British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, TeliaSonera and France Telecom have launched FMC services based on WiFi/cellular phones and either Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) or SIP technology. According to Chris Ambrosio, director of device research with Strategy Analytics, handset selection is what has stymied user adoption for at least BT’s Fusion service. But, Kineto next week will announce that UMA technology is now available on 10 different models of handsets. And Boingo is poised to debut what it calls the first worldwide WiFi roaming network for dual-mode and WiFi enabled handsets. The new Boingo Mobile service will provide these phones with access to high-speed hotspots in airports, hotels and restaurants worldwide.

But FMC isn’t out of the woods yet. Says Ambrosio: “Operators aren’t feeling any great need to commit to UMA or dual-mode service at this point. They are closely watching the threat that UMA presents vs. VoIP over just a 3G phone or WiFi phone. And it’s not a broad threat yet. Most of the operators who have launched are treating UMA like a fringe service.”

IMS is another once-hyped technology that is now making inroads much later than expected. 2005 was the hype year, and 2006 consisted of the quiet deployments. Ericsson CMO Johan Bergendahl said that IMS has been deployed at more than 100 carriers. That figure will likely grow after next week’s announcements. Since 2005, IMS has been more about network development. At this show, expect to see the actual applications it enables. The Telefonica, Accenture and Capgemini booths will demonstrate IMS-based applications. -Lynnette

Editor's Corner

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:01:39 -0500

In last week's Friday Feature, Tekelec's Steve French considered whether rolling out an IMS network was similar to the Big Dig in Boston. The piece triggered a few letters to the editor, so I thought I would include one today:

Steve French compares the IMS deployment challenge to the Boston Big Dig, which is probably a fair analogy for the challenges of deploying a new system architecture within an operational environment.

However, I'm curious whether Steve is aware of the recent challenges the Big Dig has faced, when he makes the assertion, "Despite the many obstacles and issues surrounding the Big Dig, it was in many ways a spectacular engineering accomplishment." It turns out that the ceiling of the Big Dig tunnel was poorly constructed, and has started to collapse, killing Boston motorists. For those that have to drive through the Big Dig every day, whether the tunnel has been a 'spectacular accomplishment' is probably a debatable point. Let's hope that IMS roll outs are more successful. - Jason Warren, Motorola

I'd also like to call your attention to a webinar I'll be moderating this Thursday, November 2nd. The webinar is called, "Mobile Messaging Mania: Myths and Money Makers." Speakers include John Delaney, principal analyst of Ovum's Consumer Group and Vincent Kadar, CTO of Airwide Solutions. We will be offering two live broadcasts of the webinar at 9 a.m. EST and 1 p.m. EST. If you'd like to listen in and participate in the Q&A session, register here.

Finally... Just a note that the Fierce Favorites blog competition ends at midnight tonight. We will be tallying up the votes and compiling the list of Fierce Favorites as an online resource at FierceWireless.com. One last chance to vote! Make it count. -Brian

FEATURE: Easing the Transition to IMS

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:01:33 -0400

IMS Deployment Environment: Greenfield or Big Dig?

By now, most of us in the telecommunications industry are familiar with Internet Protocol Multimedia System (IMS)--the drivers, architecture and benefits. Almost every week we hear about another "IMS-Ready" win--though the press release never really explains what exactly "IMS-Ready" means. But rarely, if ever, do we hear of a real, honest-to-goodness, IMS deployment.

In fact, a quick Google search on "call session control function (CSCF) commercial deployment," with the CSCF being the heart of the IMS signaling core, returned several pages of results, with none of the first few pages from a service provider. The truth is that most of the returned results were white papers from vendors trying to pitch CSCFs to carriers.

What many people forget to include in their discussions about IMS is how to overcome the challenges associated with moving from today's networks to IMS networks. Vendors are out pitching IMS as if they're in a "Greenfield Vacuum," and operators are conducting lab trials in what is essentially a clean-room lab experiment. The reality of an IMS field deployment is more analogous to Boston's well-known "Big Dig" than to a Greenfield deployment.

For those not familiar with the Big Dig, it is a project in Boston to replace an elevated highway that runs through the city with an underground tunnel. The path for the tunnel was under the existing roadway and the city needed to build the tunnel while keeping the existing roadway in place, so that it could continue to carry traffic through the city. Needless to say, this turned out to be a real engineering and financial challenge. Despite the many obstacles and issues surrounding the Big Dig, it was in many ways a spectacular engineering accomplishment.

Each and every carrier that deploys IMS will be faced with similar challenges. They will be forced to deploy new IMS-based technology, and at the same time, they will be forced to keep much of the existing technology in place for quite some time because complete replacement with IMS will not happen over night and is cost prohibitive. At the same time, although continuing to use the pre-IMS infrastructure, carriers will be interested in minimizing their investment in the pre-IMS technology.

IMS presents a number of key challenges from both a technical and business perspective. From the business case perspective, key questions include "what applications do I deploy first?" and "when and how do I make the business case work for IMS when the majority of my customers will be on a 'pre-IMS' infrastructure well into the future…?" And, from a technical perspective, the issue of systems integration and multi-vendor interoperability are a concern.

How can operators ease the technical and financial pains of transitioning to an IMS architecture? The answer is...via session initiation protocol (SIP)-signaling system 7 (SS7) Service Mediation.

The Bridging Technology: SIP-SS7 Service Mediation

With a substantial investment in existing circuit-switched networks, operators need to leverage their existing resources and services to maximize the return on investment as they transition to a new technology.

SIP-SS7 Service Mediation products enable service interaction between legacy, mobile and IMS networks and serves as the "bridging technology" to the next-generation of network technology, without requiring upgrades of existing network elements or a complete migration of all existing services to the SIP/IMS domain. The transitional products allow service delivery across multiple domains, enabling intelligent network (IN) service platforms to coexist and interact with SIP-based application servers.

SIP-SS7 Service Mediation is the "bridging technology" that enables access from the 2G/time division multiplexing (TDM) domain to the IMS domain and from the IMS domain to the SS7 domain. For example, one can move from the IMS domain to a number portability database or from the 2G domain to an IMS-based voice mail or multimedia mail server in the IMS domain.

Access to SIP Applications from the 2G/TDM Domain

Operators can increase their revenue opportunities by delivering new services to legacy clients using IMS platforms. However, many will need to maintain legacy TDM voice networks for some time after the introduction of VoIP networks that provide interoperability between technologies as well as serve subscribers who are slow adopters. The VoIP network brings a unique set of SIP-based service offerings such as web-based call management, click-to-dial and unified messaging--which are not generally available to an end user in the legacy voice network. To maximize VoIP and IMS investments, open up new revenue streams and encourage subscribers to migrate to the new technology, the ability to offer next-generation services in the legacy voice network is equally as important.

SIP-SS7 Service Mediation gives legacy TDM voice networks access to next generation, SIP-based services, such as click-to-dial, remote call management, advanced call treatment, unified messaging and dynamic call routing. Operators can offer newly deployed services to legacy subscribers and generate fresh sources of revenue.

It's a win-win situation. Operators can save money, while making money, maximize revenues, and reduce costs making the IMS business case work. The bottom line results are lower cost, easier transition, and richer, more profitable services.

Steve French is a senior manager of Tekelec's Product Marketing Network Signaling Group.

Editor's Corner

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:01:39 -0400

Business 2.0 Magazine's Owen Thomas writes that the AT&T acquisition of BellSouth is not a return to Ma Bell, but about Ma Cell and the future of wireless communication for businesses. Consolidated ownership of Cingular Wireless (AT&T and BellSouth previously shared ownership of the carrier) will make for a far more nimble player, one that, like the other major carriers, will roll out an IMS network architecture. Thomas echoes and extols the likely benefits the near mythical IMS will bring: CIOs won't have to think landlines, pagers, calling cards and cell phones anymore, because they'll just have to buy connectivity, "plain and simple." The future always sounds so easy.

While IMS promises a much less convoluted world for the CIO, so-called "pre-IMS" services are rolling out nationwide today, including fixed-mobile convergence and wireless VoIP, or as we call it, wVoIP. Thomas points out that AT&T's citywide WiFi network in Riverside, CA was once a threat to Cingular's 3G business, but now the merged company can freely sell 3G and/or WiFi access to customers--or both. You can bet that AT&T's managed WiFi hotspots and the proliferation of WiFi networks in the enterprise is leading toward a wireless VoIP enterprise. Soon enough AT&T will retail dual-mode handsets. AT&T has a lot of Fortune 500 clients, many of whom will be wVoIP equipped as the carrier rolls out IMS.

The rise of wVoIP in the past year is not a fleeting trend, it's a movement. It's not a phase, it's just phase one. Join us on November 7th and 8th at FierceMarkets' wVoIP executive summit in San Francisco to understand the other factors that are pushing wVoIP, including why carriers are embracing, rather than ignoring these services. Our speakers and panelists are a who's who of the wireless industry, including BelAir Networks, Kineto, Aruba, VeriSign and AmDocs.

Register today and use my last name "DOLAN" as a special promotional code that will get you $300 off your admission. Also be sure to ask us about special deals for large groups and carriers. See you there! -Brian

Enterprise mobile IM: More than $2B opportunity

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:01:34 -0400

According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, business use of mobile instant messaging (IM) will lead to a $2 billion-plus opportunity in Western Europe and North America by 2010. IT-sanctioned and rogue use of mobile IM are both set to contribute to the growth. Strategy Analytics also predicts that mobile IM will set the stage for the integration of "presence" or "availability" into a range of enterprise applications. Key IM drivers include increased enterprise awareness of IM's benefits, a new breed of sub-$150 QWERTY smartphones, the advent of IMS core networks and millions of IM-dependent users about to flood the workforce.

For more on the rise of enterprise mobile IM:
- see this article from cellular-news.com