|
|
|
|
|
|
211 Summit Place #292
Box 10,000
Silverthorne,
CO 80498
Office: 970-262-6100 Fax:
407-641-9595
MKhalilian@IMSForum.org
www.IMSForum.org
|
|
|
|
Fellow
IMS Forum Members and Friends:
As we enter into the second half of this year, I'm excited about the
products and services that have been launched as a result of the IMS
Forum's Plugfest series, where interoperability tests and validations
are performed in the IMS Forum Lab at the University of New Hampshire.
Our IMS Plugfest II event which took place June 4 - 8, is the second
event for this year of the Plugfest series. Open to IMS Forum members
and non-members, the Plugfest events progress toward the establishment
of industry-recognized certification for IMS products and services that
achieve the highest level of interoperability.
|
Plugfest II covers
Voice over IP applications, IP PBX, Voice Call Continuity (VCC) and Short
Message Service (SMS). The results of Plugfest II, including working
group activities and analyst partnership activities, will be announced at
member meetings during NXTcomm in Chicago, June 18. (RSVP required)
IMS has been and will be the driving force behind the early deployment of
triple- and quadruple-play services. Early indications are that the
consumer is catching on; they have seen the advertisements from the local
or national phone companies, and the ads from mobile phone providers and
television companies. Services based on IMS are breaching mainstream
culture, and I am proud to say it is a direct reflection of the work done
by this organization. To continue this great work, it is up to you to
facilitate the technology and participate in events like our Plugfest
forum series, which will now run through 2009.
As you participate, we can do more.
Our IMS Forum Plugfest is the only event providing frequent opportunities
for testing IMS services interoperability. Our objective is to continue
identifying interoperability issues and to make recommendations on our
findings. We are looking at the challenges and requirements of
interoperability to make sure that all the IMS applications and services
are going to work together in real life networks. At the same time, we
are in frequent contact with the technical and business media, and with
the industry at-large to pass this information along to you, our current
members, and future members.
I encourage you to participate in IMS Forum Technical Working Groups and
Plugfests to define and solve the issues surrounding the IMS applications
layer and interoperability.
Regards,
Michael Khalilian
Chairman & President
The IMS Forum
"The Voice of IP Convergence"
www.imsforum.org
MKhalilian@IMSForum.org
|
|
INTEROPERABILITY
and TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP UPDATE
|
|
Plugest II: Update from the Interoperability and Test (IOT)
Working Group
The IMS Forum Interoperability and Test (IOT) Working Group is getting
close to the completion of the test plan for the second IMSF Plugfest,
also known as Plugfest II. The IOT group has added 31 new test cases for
the event. As for the Plugfest I, the installation started the day before
the official date. In this case we started Sunday, June 3 and spent the
whole week working on the test plan.
The June event is a turning point in the testing of IMS based services,
with test cases covering IP Centrex, SIP based presence and instant
messaging, and the much talked about fixed-mobile convergence, or voice
call continuity (VCC). These services were tested over networks made up
of multiple vendors, thereby demonstrating true, multi-party IMS
interoperability.
The event is complemented by a number of networking activities for the
entire group of participants. Empirix and Ixia sponsored the networking
events.
A video of the Plugfest II event was sponsored by Sonus and will be first
presented in the IMS Forum Booth 3669 at NXTComm
Technology White Paper and Guideline Development:
The IMS Forum completed its first IMS Plugfest on January 19th at the
University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab (UNH-IOL) in Durham,
N.H. The event was attended by Ditech, Empirix, Ixia, Reef Point Systems,
NE Technologies, Starent Networks, Tektronix, Tekelec, Sonus, Valid8, and
sponsored by Empirix, Ditech, Sonus, GlobalTouch Telecom, Trendium and
VOX. A full report of Plugfest I was made available to the participants.
The IMS Forums Technical Working Group is now actively implementing a
technical white paper program. The goal of this white paper program is to
establish the IMS Forum as the leading industry authority for IMS.
Members of the IMS Forum author these white papers. The summaries will be
freely available for download from the IMS Forum Web site. The first
phase of white papers will be available for distribution at NXTcomm in
Chicago, June 18 at the Member Meeting.
The following technical white papers are in production by IMS Forum
technical working group members:
The Role of PRACK in IMS
IMS Testing Challenges and Solutions
IIT VoIP Lab: IETF SIP versus 3GPP SIP for IMS
Policy Enforcement at the IMS Border
New contributors are also welcome. To become a white paper contributor,
email technicalchair@imsforum.org.
Potential topics of interest are listed below:
Mobility Management and VCC for IMS
OSS/BSS for IMS
Diameter versus RADIUS in IMS Networks
3GPP2 in IMS
The Business Case for IMS
|
|
|
|
IMS
Forum Member Q & A
|
|
|
|
Sonus Networks, Inc.
Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Vikram Saksena
Director of Network Engineering, Ray Pasquale
IMSF: Tell us about Sonus and its IMS products and services.
VS: Sonus is a leading provider of voice over
IPinfrastructure solutions for wireline and wireless service providers.
We are pioneers of a solution that embraces the sameprinciples inherent
in today's IMS architecture. We introduced our network architecture 10
years ago, and today, we have the lead market share. Sonus platform is
deployed in more than 150 large and small network operators, wireless
service providers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and cable
operators, across more than 50 countries. Sonus had the vision to grasp
the essential principles of IMS, namely the use of a distributed
architecture and the implementation of leading protocols such as SIP
and DIAMETER, very early in the game.
|
We incorporated those
principles into our products, allowing us to favorably compete in the
carrier and service provider market. The advent of IMS endorses Sonus'
view of product development and the Sonus IMS allows customers to
seamlessly comply with the developing IMS standards, while remaining cost
effective. The solution also helps customers maximize their investments
by delivering converged multimedia services over their existing Sonus
architecture. Telecommunications providers worldwide trust Sonus-based
infrastructure to deliver their next-generation VoIP and multimedia
services.
IMSF: What can the IMS Forum do for your company?
RP: Interoperability is key in these new markets. IMS is
important because in order for mass-market adoption to occur,
interoperability has to occur. An event like the IMS Forum's Plugfest
gives us the opportunity to push interoperability in the market. It shows
service providers that there is movement in this industry. Sonus has been
an IMS company from its very inception. Through the IMS Forum, the
preeminent forum in the industry, we are proving the carrier community
can do IMS, and we have the vendors to prove it. Plugfest proves to
network operators that IMS systems can be deployed...today. But, it takes
the willingness of the vendor community.
VS: If you look at what's happening to IMS, there has
been a lot of hype and many vendors have claimed their products to be
capable of interoperability. But they weren't. IMS helps separate myth
from reality. IMS tells the industry what it really needs to know, such
as who has the actual components of interoperability and who just says it
on paper. IMS also helps customers figure this out in a neutral
environment. It tells service providers who meets the standards and who
doesn't.
RP: IMS shows that companies can get things done today
to drive new revenue-generating services into business- at Internet
speed. The IMS Forum's consistent testing, several times a year, moves
the industry along. Other companies will move a lot slower, but we're not
going to wait. The industry needs to see rapid progression in order to
separate the hype from reality. IMS is an industry wide initiative
showing the need for a breakthrough. The driving force of the industry -
the consumer - wants expanded ways to communicate. Those ways can be
awfully complicated. IMS is the enabler to unclog the next generation of
communication services.
VS: If we want growth in the industry to drive more
customers to the technology, we've got to be ahead of everyone else. Once
the IMS Forum helps separate the hype from reality, companies like Sonus
will come out on top. When the industry benefits as a whole, we intend to
benefit.
|
|
|
|
IMS
FORUM CALENDAR AND EVENTS
|
|
Calendar and Events
The IMS Forum is pleased to announce that it will be leading and
participating in several industry events worldwide, including:
June 4 - 8: IMS Forum Plugfest II, at the
University of New Hampshire
Interoperability Lab (UNH IOL)
June 5 - 8: Broadband World Forum Asia,
Beijing, China
June 18: Hyatt Regency McCormick, Chicago
IL, Conference Rm.
CC12D IMS Forum Member Meeting
June 18 - 21: NXTcomm, Chicago, IL IMS
Forum Marketing demo,
press interviews, Booth No. 3669
June 18 - 21: NXTcomm EOS Award and IEC
Speaking, Chicago, IL
IMS Forum executives participation
June 19 -27 at 10:25 AM: CommunicAsia
2007, Singapore IMS Forum
Sponsored Keynote address from IMS Forum Board
member Eric Burger
June 26 at 11 AM EDT: IMS Webinar
sponsored by Radvision and SUN
IMS Chairman Michael Khalilian will speak on IMS
and the IMS Forums
Plugfest II interoperability testing results.
The Fall Calendar includes:
Sept. 10 - 12: IMS EXPO 2007, Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 7 - 10: COMPTEL PLUS, Dallas, TX
Oct. 23 - 25: CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment,
San Francisco, CA
Oct. 29 - Nov. 1: VON 2007, Boston, MA
Detailed Calendar for NXTcomm, June 18 to 21, Chicago, IL
The IMS Forum will hold its Member Meeting at NXTcomm to review
results of Plugfest II:
Meeting Logistics:
Date: Monday, June 18, 2007
Time: 10 AM - 12 PM (IMS Forum members
only Marketing, IOT)
Time: 1 PM - 4 PM (Open to NXTcomm
attendees)
Time: 4:45 PM - 6 PM (Board Meeting: Board
Members Only)
Location: Conference Room CC11A
in the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
in Chicago
Agenda for Open Meeting (Monday, June 18th 1-4 PM):
Plugfest II results review and Plugfest III planning
Marketing, and Technical Working Groups meetings
IMPORTANT: IMSF Meeting
Registration RSVP info:
All the IMS Forum at NXTcomm meetings required RSVP to info@imsforum.org.
Free NXTcomm exhibition pass from the IMS Forum:
For a free exhibit hall pass contact: info@imsforum.org.
IMS Forum Speaking Engagement at NXTcomm:
Monday, June 18th the IMS Forum's President Michael Khalilian to speak on
IMS at the following NXTcomm Microsoft session: C3: Connected Home,
Connected Services, Connected Entertainment.
Wednesday, June 20, 11:30 AM, the forum will also be part of the
"Using IMS to Deliver IP Video across Converged Networks", on
panel by Infonetics Research
Michael Khalilian will also once again be a judge of the NXTcomm EOS
Awards at NXTcomm.
Do you want to find out more about the IMS Forum and its
members?
You can visit the IMS Forum in Booth 3669 at NXTcomm:
The IMS Forum will present the results of the Plugfest II
interoperability test at Booth No. 3669, which will feature a video of
the second IMS Forum Plugfest event.
The IMS Forum offers members a cost-effective opportunity to brand their
company as a leader in IMS and create a presence at this year's NXTcomm
exposition in Chicago. The Forum offers two low-cost sponsorship packages
to leverage for visibility at the show. For details please contact the
IMS Forum via email at info@imsforum.org
Thanks to our NXTcomm Marketing Demo Gold Sponsors:
ARGELA Technologies (www.argela.com.tr)
Reef Point Systems (www.reefpoint.com)
For complete list of IMS Forum NXTcomm participants please visit www.IMSForum.org.
To participate in the NXTcomm IMS Forum marketing demo, contact info@imsforum.org.
Panoramic view from the IMS Forum First Plugfest Event
Services leveraging the IMS architecture
About First IMS Forum Plugfest
The first IMS Forum Plugfest, which took place on January 15-19 at the
University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory, demonstrated the
flexibility of the IMS network by exercising ten different network
configurations for a total of 130 test cases. The 10 companies that
attended the first event were able to demonstrate interoperability of the
core building blocks, as well showcase voice applications and services
such as Centrex call screening, call waiting, and attendant console. A
number of key findings affecting IMS deployment were identified as a
result of the tests. Participants benefited from the presence of
development personnel, resulting in the fast resolution and in many
occasions, the immediate changes to ensure interoperability.
|
|
|
|
IMS
FORUM MEMBER NEWS
|
|
A number of IMS Forum members announced their participation in
the IMS Forum Plugfest and the NXTcomm show.
ARGELA Technologies to Demo with IMS Forum at
NXTcomm
Istanbul, Turkey - May 21, 2007 - ARGELA, a leading provider of next
generation network service infrastructure components for wireline and
wireless service providers in Turkey and the Middle East region, will be
participating in the IMS Forum at Booth No. 3669 at NXTcomm 2007 June 18
- June 21 in Chicago. ARGELA will be participating in demos and marketing
presentations to enter the US IMS markets with several other companies.
"Our focus of the demos at NXTcomm will be the newly unveiled ARGELA
multimedia sponsored call (MSC) application, which leverages many
components and protocols of IMS with the added touch of ARGELA
innovation," said Dr. Seyhan Civanlar, ARGELA Vice President of
International Business Development. "This application will be
demonstrated on the ARGELA SIP client, and will use a standards-compliant
SIP Application Server (SIPAS) and several other components from ARGELA
and other vendors. The focus will be the interoperable aspect of our
solution.'
ARGELA's MSC application allows callers to watch short multimedia ads at
no charge or partially subsidized voice service over a multimedia capable
SIP client, leveraging advertisement income. This enables mobile
operators to fight against competition and falling ARPU, while offering a
richer user experience by providing interactive purchasing and viewing
capabilities in parallel to calling. For more information, visit www.argela.com.
Empirix Expands Coverage at Second IMS Forum Plugfest
IMS Forum Plugfest II Sponsor Offers Its Hammer for IMS Test
Portfolio to Facilitate Multivendor IMS Interoperability
BEDFORD, Mass - May 21, 2007 - Empirix Inc., which helps organizations
adopt complex communications solutions, recently announced that its
Hammer Testing and Monitoring Portfolio would be used at the second IMS
Forum Plugfest, taking place during the week of June 4 at the University
of New Hampshire IMS Forum Interoperability Lab (UNH IOL). Empirix's
Hammer portfolio will be utilized in a variety of scenarios throughout
the week to simulate SIP and IMS end users and emulate IMS infrastructure
devices, including the Diameter-based HSS. Empirix's Hammer XMS
service-monitoring system will also be used to monitor and analyze the
various tests performed at Plugfest. Tests that will be run using
Empirix's Hammer for the IMS portfolio include instant messaging, fax
over IP, presence, and multi-domain calls, among others.
For more information visit www.empirix.com.
Sonus Networks drives adoption for IMS
applications
WESTFORD, Mass., May 22, 2007 - Sonus Networks, Inc., a leading supplier
of service provider Voice over IP (VoIP) infrastructure solutions,
recently announced the company is helping to drive the adoption of
applications and services in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) environment
through its participation at the IMS Forums IMS Plugfest II.
Sonus Networks, an IMS founding member and Plugfest gold sponsor, will be
participating at the event by providing its IMS core network solutions as
the reference architecture, and will participate in a series of tests
with application vendors.
Results of IMS Plugfest II will be announced at this year's NXTcomm, one
of North America's largest premier information and communications trade
show events, held in Chicago, IL, June 18-21. Sonus will be exhibiting at
NXTcomm Booth No. 4215.
For more information visit www.sonusnet.com.
Empirix wrote a book on IMS quality!
Our new book, Ensuring a Quality IMS Experience: A Practical Guide to
Testing and Monitoring IP Multimedia Subsystem and Services, is a
collection of our real-world experiences with NGN/VoIP to IMS transitions
in test labs, field trials and operational services. It outlines testing
and monitoring strategies as well as examples and guidelines for
overcoming the challenges facing IMS and ensuring successful deployment
and operation of IMS functions, devices, networks and IMS enabled
applications and services.
Request your copy now, or visit us at NXTcomm 2007, Booth No. 7418.
|
|
|
|
How to
Join the IMS FORUM
|
If you are interested in joining the IMS Forum, or in participating in
any of the working groups or marketing programs, please contact the IMS
Forum by email at info@imsforum.org,
or visit: http://www.imsforum.org/member/how_to_join.shtml
Membership Benefits include:
Verify and certify interoperability, reduce costs and
accelerate time to market
Participate in technical working groups focusing on
service creation and
applications for IMS architecture framework
as well as IMS deployment issues
Gain additional visibility through the IMS Forum's
Speakers Bureau, public
relations and marketing programs
Member companies showcased at major telecom, cable,
and wireless events in
North America, Asia, and Europe
Receive current market and technology information
through newsletters,
reports, and conferences
Gain access to an informed professional network of
industry consultants and
accredited experts
|
|
|
|
|
|
