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Tag: ims

  • Kineto Announces Combined VoLGA / IMS Client for Voice Over LTE

    Kineto, an innovator and supplier of solutions that enable delivery of mobile services over broadband, announced what it claims to be the industry’s first software client that supports both VoLGA (voice over LTE via Generic Access) and IMS voice for LTE handsets.

    An important requirement for any LTE handset is concurrent support for both the interim VoLGA and longer-term IMS voice solutions. Operators around the world will adopt IMS voice on different timelines, so LTE handsets must support the interim approach along with IMS to provide an effective roaming solution.

    Kineto says its combined client is the industry’s first to provide this comprehensive solution.

    According to the company, the new client enables handset manufacturers to easily integrate a combined VoLGA/IMS voice client and accelerate LTE handsets to market.

    In addition, the client can be upgraded over the air through standard procedures to support new and evolving functionality, providing operators, as well as subscribers, a future-proof solution, as they assure.

    Stéphane Téral, principal analyst with Infonetics Research, claims this is an important step for bringing LTE networks to market faster. “The evolution to mobile IMS voice will take longer than many expect, and a combined voice client which can be field upgradeable removes some of the risk associated with LTE rollouts,” he said.

    Kineto’s combined VoLGA/IMS voice client is compliant with the VoLGA Forum’s release 1.0 specifications and is planned to support the recently announced “One Voice” IMS telephony profile.

    VoLGA is defined specifically to pave a smooth migration path to IMS voice. It utilizes many of the same connection protocols defined in IMS voice, including RFC 4867 and RoHC (robust header compression).

    VoLGA works with IMS data services, like the Rich Communications Suite (RCS) over LTE, enabling operators to begin their IMS deployments with new revenue-generating applications while laying the foundation for IMS voice.

    “Kineto’s innovative client architecture, with field upgradeable software, helps operators and handset vendors overcome the complexities of bringing new voice solutions to market,” said Mark Powell, vice president and general manager of Kineto’s client software business unit.

    Uwe Janßen, senior vice president of core networks at Deutsche Telekom said, “While the long-term approach for LTE voice remains IMS, many operators will require an interim voice solution, and we see VoLGA being the best approach, by far. As both are based on the same radio mechanisms, there is a natural evolution from VoLGA to IMS, which is nicely demonstrated by the integrated client.”

  • Fixed-Line VoIP Service as a Mainstay of IMS Deployments

    Communications market research firm Infonetics Research released results from its IMS Plans: Global Service Provider Survey, published last week as part of its Service Provider VoIP and IMS Continuous Research Service.

    The survey provides a strategic overview of service provider IMS network plans, service offerings, core product features and capabilities, drivers and barriers to deploying IMS, and ratings of 10 IMS vendors: Acme Packet, Alcatel-Lucent, BroadSoft, Cisco, Ericsson, HP, Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks, Sonus, and ZTE.

    The research shows that the IMS market is advancing from early-stage services to the next phase. According to Diane Mayers, Infonetics’ Directing Analyst for Service Provider VoIP and IMS, the two most important indicators are:
    • the higher number of service providers planning to offer services beyond fixed-line voice—such as video and mobile services—by 2011;
    • the shift in IMS deployment drivers, which include the opportunity to offer converged services, deploy new applications and services, and consolidate networks.

    80% of Infonetics’ service provider respondents run fixed voice over IMS today or will by 2011, making fixed-line VoIP service the current mainstay of IMS deployments.

    More than half of the service provider respondents plan to deploy video telephony and converged mobile/fixed-line services over the next 12–18 months.

    The report also unveils that the top three IMS applications operators expect to offer over the next two years are mobile-related: FMC, mobile presence, and mobile messaging.

    "On the vendor front, Ericsson continues to be the leading IMS vendor, but Huawei has made the most progress in terms of deployments and vendor perceptions. Huawei poses a credible and serious threat to Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nokia Siemens based on the number of providers with Huawei IMS products under evaluation, and overall perception of Huawei across a broad set of criteria," said Myers.

  • VoIP Equipment Sales Plummet, IMS Revenues Grow


    VoIP equipment purchases are decreasing at the expense of spending on the deployment of IMS (IP multimedia subsystem) technology, according to Infonetics Research.

    Worldwide sales of IMS equipment, including HSS (home subscriber servers), CSCF servers, and voice application servers, are forecast to jump 74 per cent in 2009 over 2008.

    However, worldwide VoIP revenue in Q1 totaled USD $600.4 million, down 33 per cent from the first quarter of 2008 – the sharpest quarterly decline ever.

    Diane Myers, directing analyst, Service Provider VoIP and IMS at Infonetics Research, said no product segment or region was immune to declines in the service provider VoIP equipment market.

    Diane Myers, Infonetics Research

    Most large Tier 1 service providers are coming to the end of major VoIP projects and most ILECs and PTTs have put PSTN migration plans on hold.

    She said the service provider VoIP equipment market had a "rough" first quarter, declining 29 per cent sequentially in worldwide revenue. "The market pause for VoIP equipment is being exacerbated by the global economic downturn as service providers put VoIP equipment purchases on hold," she said.

    "We are beginning to see a noticeable shift in spending from stand-alone VoIP networks to IMS deployments."

    Myers said that while the core IMS equipment segments, CSCF and HSS, are still small compared to the service provider VoIP market, deployments remain strong in EMEA and Asia Pacific.

    Infonetics’ IMS Deployment Tracker shows Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia Siemens, and Huawei leading the way with core IMS equipment.

    "The core IMS equipment market had an impressive quarter with $63.7 million in revenue," she added.

  • Carrier VoIP Equipment Spend Down, IMS To Become Revenue Driver by 2011







    The worldwide market for carrier VoIP equipment has stalled after a pro-longed period of double-digit annual revenue growth that began in 2002.

    This led to the market contracting for the first time ever in 2008, with a drop in revenue of 6 per cent, according to Infonetics Research.

    On a brighter note, a second Infonetics report, found that IMS deployments are likely to become a serious revenue driver by 2011.

    Diane Myers, directing analyst at Infonetics, said the fourth quarter of 2008 confirmed what had been seen in the previous two quarters in North America, with signs in Western Europe and some parts of Asia as well.

    "The market for carrier VoIP equipment has stalled due to large deployments nearing completion and shifting strategic priorities," she said.

    "The global economic downturn will likely exacerbate the drop in VoIP equipment sales."

    The second Infonetics report paints a more optimistic picture for VoIP equipment manufacturers.

    It shows that worldwide sales of IMS (IP multimedia subsystem) equipment, including HSS (home subscriber servers) and CSCF servers, were up 94 per cent in 2008 compared to 2007.

    Myers said IMS deployments are growing, led largely by European operators.

    Fixed-line VoIP services are still the most popular applications delivered over IMS, however the reports suggests rich communication services will be an important part of the shift from fixed-line VoIP services to mobile networks and integration with standardized devices.

    She said the revenue total for IMS deployments is small currently, but will grow rapidly and become substantial in 2011 and beyond as mobile operators upgrade infrastructure.

    "With over 100 service providers worldwide having chosen their IMS vendors, less than half are fully deployed with live traffic," she said.

    "The move to turn-up the remaining deployments, in addition to new deployments, will help fuel the sales for IMS network equipment.

    "Mobile operator migration to IP and adoption of RCS will drive the deployments for IMS during the next four to five years."