IP Multimedia Subsystem

Following the telecom industry evolution MERA has expanded its Core Network competence beyond mobile 2G/3G and started providing software R&D services for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Once a hype IMS is currently widely accepted as an industry standard for converged services Core Network architecture.

The great value of IMS lies in the fact that IMS offers integrated control for various wireless and wireline access technologies hence providing true conversion of Mobile, Fixed and Internet worlds. Moreover IMS provides a unified means for rapid services development and deployment. IMS will also play a crucial role in introduction of 4G high-speed mobile broadband access technologies such as LTE.

MERA believes that IMS will be a vital component of services-oriented communications networks in the very near future. For this reason MERA chose IMS to be one of the strategic technological domains. Leveraging its competence in IMS nodes/platforms as well as underlying IMS technologies (SIP and Diameter protocols) and specifications (ETSI TISPAN and 3GPP) MERA has been actively investing into building extensive market-unique IMS technological expertise.

Following its IMS strategy MERA started contributing to Open Source IMS core software development (reference implementation). MERA will continue investing into its IMS competence development and plans to design and deploy a local IMS laboratory in 2010. There are IMS Call Session Control Functions (CSCFs) and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) in the laboratory. IMS use cases such as Instant Messaging, audio/video calls, IPTV have been fulfilled in the laboratory. Use cases being studied include Wi-Fi call via IMS, legacy phone attachment/call, VoIP phone attachment/call, PSTN gateway integration in the laboratory. MERA analyses set-up of Evolved Packet Core (EPC) in the local laboratory as foundation for research activities in SAE.

MERA aims for membership in ETSI. We are waiting for General Assembly #55 decision for this membership in the end of March, 2010.

Current MERA's IMS-related project portfolio includes, but is not limited to:

• Software R&D for IMS nodes Platforms - design, development, testing (including test automation) and maintenance since 2005

• Software R&D for underlying IMS protocols - SIP, Diameter, Network Management family, etc.