Innovation Area - SIP/IMS
Introduction
It is widely accepted that people in this day and age are accustomed and use
a variety of communication methods and services. From traditional voice calls
and text messages, to the more rich content such as pictures, videos, music
files, and games to mention a few and the most common to all of us; these
services have become ingrained in our lifestyles.
Naturally, telecommunication network operators and service providers are keen
to offer customers as many new services as possible and develop more features
that people are willing to pay for. New products not only generate revenue, but
also contribute to making a telecommunications company stand out in what is
considered to be an increasingly congested and commoditized market.
As telecommunication networks migrate universally to IP technology, IMS or IP
Multimedia Subsystem is a specification of an environment where these kind of
services can flourish.
What is SIP/IMS and what are its benefits?
IMS is a 3GPP standard architecture overlay aimed to provide Internet based
multimedia services over mobile and fixed networks, meaning it is access
agnostic. IMS is designed to enable the development, deployment and delivery of
applications and services as quick and simple as possible in a standardized
manner. Now creation of composite and mash-up (in one single session) services,
be it circuit or packet switched, to deliver improved usage, enhanced revenue,
and differentiation is possible. Case applications of the technology can be
limitless and left up to the imagination of those creating the services; these
may range from:
- Presence and location enabled multi-party gaming with players able to talk
at the same time as they play.
- Push to Talk
- Content sharing and real time collaboration
- Productivity tools, from teleconferencing to personal organizers
Key to this standard is SIP, a protocol that links the main interfaces and
components of an IMS based network. SIP also provides developers with a
convenient tool that is derived from accepted Internet protocols, supports all
media types, and is easy to code and debug.
The figure below summarizes potential benefits to operators and end users alike:
