IMS Forum: The Voice of IP Convergence

NGN IP Convergence is once again breaking out everywhere. We now have convergence of applications, content and services. Applications are downloaded onto user devices or service models are deployed where the user device only requires a browser. These processes place huge burdens on networks as many of us have seen with the introduction of the iPhone.

LTE may alleviate the problem but it is a Long-Term Evolution and the growth of smart devices is rapid. There is a need to know what performance is being delivered by networks and what extra capacity needs to be installed in order to provide a satisfactory user experience. We need to test and benchmark the performance and quality of experience of a vast array of applications over the new networks, so we can see where we are today and what remains to be done to ensure continued consumer enthusiasm for these exciting Apps.

Convergence moves the network infrastructure towards commodity equipment and lower cost network provisioning. IP is the way to converge wireless as well as wireline networks. IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks are playing a part in ensuring security and quality of service. IP Multimedia Subsystem enables Voice over IP, Instant Messaging and presence (a subscription / notification mechanism to provide information to a select group of users in real-time). IMS is also deployed to provide Rich Communications Services (RCS) to enable users to share contents, chat using audio and video, and to be notified if their contacts are available (presence).

So in addition to needing faster networks to pass more data rapidly, we also need tighter security mechanisms, more flexible billing management and protection against unauthorized network use. These enhanced mechanisms also require comprehensive testing. This article continues in more detailed in our Technical Working Group Update Section Below.

Many of these LTE and pre-LTE scenarios and more will be addressed at the upcoming NGN Forum Plugfest 9 to be held this Fall. The NGN Forum Plugfest 9 (www.NGNForum.org/Plugfest_9) is the leading event for testing and verifying interoperability today. This event will be attended by all the leading infrastructure vendors. We are currently working on the test plan for our next IMS and NGN Plugfests. interoperability test events, which will test out many of these business models along with others. Registration for this Plugfest and Working Groups is now open to any service providers, integrators, vendors, apps developers, utility companies and governmental agencies who would like to participate and provide their input into the final test plan (www.IMSforum.org/Plugfest_9). For additional information please contact Admin@NGNforum.org.

Regards,

Michael Khalilian
President
NGN Forum

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Gartner Says Android to Become No. 2 Worldwide Mobile Operating System and Challenge Symbian for No. 1 Position by 2014

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1434613

The worldwide mobile operating system (OS) market will be dominated by Symbian and Android, as the two OSs will account for 59.8 percent of mobile OS sales by 2014, according to Gartner, Inc.

Symbian will remain at the top of Gartner's worldwide OS ranking due to Nokia's volume and the push into more mass market price points. However, by the end of the forecast period, the No. 1 spot will be contested with Android, which will be at a very similar share level.

"The worldwide mobile OS market is dominated by four players: Symbian, Android, Research In Motion and iOS," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. "Launches of updated operating systems . such as Apple iOS 4, BlackBerry OS 6, Symbian 3 and Symbian 4, and Windows Phone 7 . will help maintain strong growth in smartphones in 2011 and spur innovation. However, we believe that market share in the OS space will consolidate around a few key OS providers that have the most support from CSPs and developers and strong brand awareness with consumer and enterprise customers."

Forecast: Mobile Communications Device Open OS Sales to End Users by OS (Thousands of Units)

Source: Gartner

"CSPs and mobile device manufacturers alike will need to revisit their platform strategies and balance the need to pursue platforms with the highest current demand against the need to maintain differentiation with unique devices," Ms. Cozza said. "CSPs will likely reduce the number of platforms they offer, to reduce their support costs and clarify their propositions to market."

Gartner predicts that by 2014, open-source platforms will continue to dominate more than 60 percent of the market for smartphones. Single-source platforms, such as Apple's iOS and Research In Motion's OS, will increase in unit terms, but their growth rate will be below market average and not enough to sustain share increase. Windows Phone will be relegated to sixth place behind MeeGo in Gartner's worldwide OS ranking by 2014.

Additional information is available in the report "Forecast: Mobile Communications Devices by Open Operating System" which is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1428830.

Q & A with Richard Jobson, President, Teraquant

Teraquant is a systems integrator, exclusively focused on test and monitoring solutions. We work with engineering-based test technology companies and bring those solutions to market. For IMS, we mostly develop business and solutions for IPTEGO GmbH.s Service Assurance software for operational VoIP and IMS network Service Assurance and for Nexus Telecom for IMS and wireless lab test systems.IPTEGO has an interesting history having been involved with the original SIP and IMS research from day one. The IPTEGO team was involved in developing the very popular SIP softswitch SER and they helped Tier1 telcos with their first SIP deployments with regard to scalability, high availability and accounting. Later when SIP had been deployed virtually in every operator's network and IMS became more and more popular we began to help our customers optimize their Return on Investment in both SIP and IMS. Leveraging our multi-year experience in SIP & SS7 networks, we present a unique real-time monitoring product that takes operators to the next level in delivering a great Customer Experience and in lowering Cost of Operations.

What IMS and NGN services and products does your company offer and what are some of the key differentiators for your company in this market?

Based on the Nexus telecom 8610 test platform, Teraquant provides high-end load test systems, capable of really stressing high-capacity SoftSwitch/CSCF/B/MGCF/MRFC  IMS infrastructure. From IPTEGO, we provide real-time Service Assurance for IMS operators. The most popular applications to date are Customer Experience Management and Network Operations and Customer Care. Fraud prevention in the recent past has also become an important application and we see it's importance for growth in the years to come. 

IPTEGO's solution is unique in terms of the actual End-To-End view it provides. It shows business relevant information at a glance. Even people in operations who have much more experience in TDM networks than they have in IMS are able to finish tasks in minutes with this solution which before took them literally hours to complete. The Product also makes it very simple for Customer Service Agents to solve problems independently without resorting to protocol specialists.

Teraquant's unique contribution is to seamlessly integrate a number of software solutions with hardware scaled for the job and to guarantee that it all works in your network. We work with customers on interoperability and implementation issues to ensure the test and monitoring solution makes visible all the information they need

How do the IMS Forum's Plugfests benefit your company and its customers?

When it comes to generating calls or sessions with the Nexus 8610 load tester, the IMS Plugfests are very useful in seeing how our test systems interoperate with the major infrastructure vendors out there. With regard to our monitoring systems, we.re not so involved in the exchange of messages across the network. We automatically highlight and make visible all interactions between the network equipment. In other words we assist with this very important role of the Plugfest by helping to isolate problems during the event.

How does a verification and certification process aid in the development of IMS interoperability/standards?

Verification gives confidence that standards are robust and workable. Verification of interoperability gives service providers confidence that they can deploy best in class solutions from multiple different vendors at a competitive price. IMS networks may be capable of setting up sessions and calls and providing new rich content-based services and applications. But only a Certification Program will prove that the network is actually authenticating users correctly. So a Certification program would have high-value in proving that IMS standards are being adhered to and that the security IMS promises is actually being delivered.

Who are some of your customers and what IMS services are they deploying?

Vodafone, T-Mobile and KPN are providing a variety of services based on IMS networks and their number of subscribers is continuously growing.

What are some areas of IMS where you have found challenges for operators?

Operations and Customer Care. What appears rather straight forward to operate often times turns out to be very complex and hard to handle in a production environment. The lack of standards for IPTV and VoD and the lack of value-added service beyond traditional voice calls is an issue for operators. It makes reasonable ROIs based on IMS platforms difficult to achieve.

Are there any other critical benchmarks that need to take place in this IMS NGN evolution?

There is no way to actually compare the level of quality provided by two networks of different operators or even from the same operator. Even when looking at a single network, it is hardly possible to tell the actual quality provided by the network to its subscribers. A number of KPIs have been defined, none of which actually tells a lot about the Customers' Experience. Often operators focus a lot on voice quality, underestimating the importance of the overall performance.

We are listening to the debate on "network neutrality" and trying not to get involved. But that debate does have an impact on the quality of the service provided to the end-user.

What are some of the key factors for NGN/IMS success in the industry?

Standards for basic services, particularly for IPTV and VoD are very important. New ideas for value added services over and above traditional TDM service offerings and the ability to assist service providers with their security issues are also key. Toll fraud is the most urgent of many security concerns today.

To have your company considered for a profile in the Q & A section of this newsletter send an email to pr@ngnforum.org.

NGN Forum IMS Forum Technical Working Groups Update

NGN Forum Calendar of Events

See the NGN/IMS Forum at the following 2011 events:

• June 6-8: FTTx and Next Generation Access, Berlin
• June 14-16: The Cable Show, Chicago, IL
• June 15-17, 2011: BOSS, Washington, DC
• Sept. 13-15, 2011: Internet Telephony Expo. 4GWE, Austin  
• October 2-5, 2011: Comptel, Orlando
• October 11-13, 2011: CTIA Enterprise & Applications, San Diego    
• October 24-27, 2011: 4G World, Chicago
• November 8-9, 2011: LTE World, Dallas
• November 8-10, 2011: Management World Americas 2011, Orlando
• Feb. 14-17, 2011: Mobile World Congress, Barcelona

Smart Grid Shows:

• June 15-16, 2011: West Coast Energy Management Conf., Long Beach
• Sept. 25-28, 2011: GRIDWEEK, Washington, DC
• November 8-10, 2011: Gridwise Global Forum, Washington, DC
• November 15-16, 2011: APPA Smart Grid Summit, Austin, TX
• November 30 . Dec. 2, 2011: Grid-Interop, Chicago
• December 12-15, 2011: POWER-GEN, Las Vegas, NV
• December 24-26, 2011: Utility Products Conference and Exposition, San Antonio, TX

Showcase Your Expertise and Leadership: Call for Speakers

The NGN Forum and IMS Forum invite members to join its exclusive Speakers’ Bureau. Member companies have an excellent opportunity to market their companies and senior executives while representing the Forum at future trade shows and conferences. Simply contact us with a copy of the proposed speaker’s bio and indicate any specific NGN and IMS-related speaking topics and expertise. Speaking topic abstracts of one or two paragraphs are especially helpful. Please send to: pr@ngnforum.org