IMS, NGN forums merge, reflecting IMS travails

Given that situation, vendors and carriers have – reflected in the IMS/NGN Forum combo – moved to “plan B,” said McGarvey – taking cost and complexity out of full-blown IMS platforms by building more modular approaches that “make it easier for operators to move from an NGN to IMS environment on a component by component basis.”

Over the course of its existence, the IMS Forum has been strongly focused on proving the interoperability of core IMS elements via its plugfest series of testing events. More than 50 service providers and IMS vendors have participated in the first five plugfests.

The IMS/NGN Forum will continue those efforts, including the upcoming Plugfest 6 event, which will focus on the intersection of IMS, SIP and the Diameter OSS/billing protocol, said Manuel Vexler, IMS Forum technical working group chair. “What we’re adding with the NGN add-on to our charter is looking at different [network] architectures and see how we can get them to IMS.”

Specifically, the combined groups will not only focus on IMS but on the capabilities of SIP-based networks, emerging service delivery platforms (SDPs) and unified communications applications to deliver new carrier business models and service revenues, Vexler said. Beyond that services focus, the NGN Forum brings a focus on IP billing, OSS and payment network that dovetails nicely with the IMS Forum’s interests, Vexler said.

In addition to ongoing plugfest work, the combined groups will launch new technical and business working groups in the areas of converged services, enhanced interoperability and business and operational support systems. The combined groups will also continue to offer marketing, education and advisory services.