IMSIP Multimedia Subsystem

IMS Overview and the Unified Carrier Network

Neil Kinder
Technical Director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Sonus Networks
Introduction
Background
The Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem was initially defined by the 3GPP and 3GPP2
wireless working bodies. Its focus was to provide a new mobile network architecture that enables the
convergence of data, speech, and mobile network technology over an IPbased infrastructure. The
information management system (IMS) was designed to fill the gap between the existing traditional
telecommunications technology and Internet technology that increased bandwidth alone will not
provide. As a result, IMS will support operators in offering new and innovative services that will
attract new subscribers and maintain their existing base.
Mobile operators have been very successful in driving penetration of their services over the past 10 to
15 years. They have used the services applications of service management system (SMS), voice mail,
push-to-talk, and prepaid to support greater market segmentation, customer retention, and focus.
Innovative tariffs mechanisms and the attraction of mobility have enabled mobile carriers to reach a
broader customer base than the fixed-line carriers. However, fixed-line services are now changing
dramatically, with the introduction of broadband and IMS a key step in helping the mobile carriers
compete on the services side.
In the fixed-line world, IP has been already been deployed in many forms, from H.323 toll bypass
through to softswitching for class 4 and 5 traffic types. However, the fixed-line standards bodies
working on IP and voice were struggling to agree upon an architecture that maintained the important
qualities of the past 100 years of public switched telephone network (PSTN) voice with the dynamic
flexibility of the Internet. IMS has become attractive to both camps and, over the past four years, this
architecture has developed an increased following from organizations such as the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), European Telecommunications Standards Institute
(ETSI)/Telecommunications and Internet-converged Services and Protocols Networks (TISPAN), and
various other important working parties. Today, operators and standards bodies see it as the umbrella
architecture to both mobile and fixed multimedia communication in the 21st century.

Copyright 2005 Sonus Networks

Page 1

3GPP R5
R5 IMS
IMS
3GPP
SIP
SIP
IP end-to-end
end-to-end
IP
IP-based services
services
IP-based

Peer-Peer

3GPP R4
R4
3GPP
MGC/MG
MGC/MG
H.248, BICC
BICC
H.248,
ATM/IP core
core
ATM/IP

Soft
Switching

Circuit
Switching

3GPP R99
R99
3GPP
TDM
TDM
SS7/C7,
SS7/C7,
MAP
MAP

NGN

ITU/ETSI
ITU/ETSI
MGC/MG
MGC/MG
H.248, BICC
BICC
H.248,
ATM/IP core
core
ATM/IP

ITU/ETSI
ITU/ETSI
TDM
TDM
SS7/C7,
SS7/C7,
ISUP
ISUP

Figure 1: Standards Convergence

While being focused at embracing IP, IMS was specifically created to enable and enhance real time,
multimedia mobile services. The range of services has had to be as broad as the Internet has already
exposed to subscribers on fixed-line broadband infrastructures, e.g., rich voice services, video
telephony, messaging, gaming, conferencing, and instant messenger (IM) services. To support the
sophisticated demands of these services, many key mechanisms, including session negotiation and
management, quality of service (QoS), and mobility management, have had to be developed.
However, IMS enables much more than just real-time user-to-user services. This paper focuses on the
current market forces and how the IMS architecture responds to them.
Market Factors and Trends
A Market in Flux and Under Pressure
Trends in technology, consumer/enterprise buying habits and expectations, operator cost pressures,
regulatory changes, and geographical and political changes are just some of the influences being
mixed in the telecommunications melting pot. Even though minutes of use (MoU) are increasing
significantly, average revenues per user (ARPUs) from voice services continue their downward trend,
driving network operators to seek new revenue streams to build long-term growth, differentiation, and
profitability. The hunt is on for new products and services that can be introduced quickly and costeffectively. For services that will maintain existing subscribers and help to reduce churn, as well as
attract new users while supporting entry into previously untapped markets.
The traditional technical, geographical, and operational constraints, which segmented the roles of
carriers in the fixed and mobile markets, are being removed. Today, an application service provider
(ASP) or Internet service provider (ISP) is just as capable of launching a multi-country voice service
across other fixed and mobile transport networks as an incumbent who owns those very same
networks.
Service Silos Cannot Be Maintained
The influences of market deregulation, declining revenues/ARPU, and the variety of technological
innovations in the past 20 years have led carriers to develop and deploy stovepipe or silo services
and networks to meet the increased and broadening customer demand. This approach worked well
while the increases in customer penetration and profitability continued to cover the original
investment and maintain market share. However, the past five years have seen carriers finally accept
that operating up to 20 transport networks (2G, frame relay, switched multimegabit data service
[SMDS], asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], IP, etc.) with similar functional services mirrored
across the various technologies can no longer be sustained without reducing profitability further and
falling behind a market that is only increasing in momentum. Ten-year plans are being shortened to

three years, and business cases need to start showing returns within 12 months to attract the attention
of the board.

Apps

Apps

GSM/
UMTS

Wireline

Apps

Apps

Broadband

WLAN

Figure 2: Inefficiency of Running Multiple Transport Networks with Separated Service Silos
Class 5 Trends
Maturity of VoIP Technology
In comparison to all other communications technologies, IP and the Internet have continued to adapt,
develop, and grow in the numbers of infrastructures it can be transported across, applications it can
support, and devices within which it is incorporated. Despite carriers having mixed opinions of the
competencies of IP during the 1990s, it is now the case that IP is the only technology that can provide
that can unify so many networks and applications.
As part of this evolution, voice over IP (VoIP) has also developed to provide the quality and
reliability to rival that of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) while providing the
significant cost savings of deploying a mass-market technology (at the time of writing this document,
more than 11 percent of worldwide long-distance traffic [200 billion minutes] is now VoIP).
Virtually, all new long distance and tandem/transit deployments use VoIP and massive momentum is
building behind VoIP in Class 5.
Changing Customer Landscape
In many markets, brand loyalty is diminishing and customers are becoming more discerning of their
own needs. Indeed, the many traditional brands and incumbents are now developing strategies of
making themselves more attractive to customers who now base their decisions on price, functionality,
and ease of use.
Mobile services supplanting fixed is becoming common with both businesses and consumers.
Increasingly, end users are relying purely on mobile for their voice service. In the developed parts of
the world, wireline subscriber figures are stable or else declining. In the developing world, the areas
experiencing voice market expansion and significant proportions of growth are in the wireless market
due to the lack of last-mile infrastructure.

100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2001

2002

2003

2004

Wireless

2005

2006

2007

Wireline

Figure 3: Increasing Proportion of Wireless Subscribers; Source: Probe Research

Mobile carriers are seeing increasing churn as competition for the best tariffs and handsets, combined
with the ability to transfer your phone number to the new service, drive customers to switch services.
It is also the case that most mobile operators services are, in the broadest sense, very similar to each
other. There is therefore a need to support more innovative services ideas.
Subscribers increasingly see too much complexity in their interaction with utilities, including multiple
accounts, multiple devices, multiple bills, and uncoordinated services. As a result, one way to gain
competitive advantage is to simplify subscribers lives through a single account, a single bill, and
consistent services across all types of access.
Voice over Broadband
Within incumbents and major fixed-line providers, major budget shifts are taking place from
expanding existing time division multiplex (TDM) voice platforms to investing in broadband,
including DSL, cable, wireless, and Wi-Fi; wireless/mobile service platforms; and VoIP.
To incumbents, voice over broadband (VoB) represents the opportunity for major cost savings. This is
because the investment in replacing 20-year-old concentrator equipment with intelligent, remotely
configurable, and scalable access equipment can remove the costs for the man-in-a-van
configuration changes and spiraling maintenance costs on equipment approaching obsolescence.
250
200
150
100
50
0

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Figure 4: Total Broadband Subscribers and VoB Penetration Subscribers in Millions; Source: Probe
Research, IDC, March 2004

To alternative operators, it represents the elimination of the key barrier to entry, that is, it removes the
need to deploy an access network to reach subscribers. Indeed the service providers that are reacting
quickest to this opportunity are those with significant IP expertise and investments such as ISPs and
next-generationbased alternative operators. They then connect to their customers over other
operators access networks.
VoIP generates high revenues on broadband infrastructures compared to the bandwidth required. The
service can also take broadband to environments less interested in the pure data solution. In some
markets, the attractive factor of the marketed service is that it is VoIP.
Mobile carriers are looking toward VoIP to assist with the next phases of their services expansion.
Push-to-talk, simplified services integration, and multimedia services are examples of the benefits of
VoIP. Mobile carriers do not want their current services advantage to diminish when compared to
VoB, e.g., IM.
Another benefit of VoIP to carriers whose existing market is mobile is the ability to take their services
to fixed-line broadband networks and therefore expand their service reach. It therefore allows wireless
operators to offer mobility without necessarily needing the user to always use the same handset, i.e.,
VoIP allows the subscriber to roam across multiple devices, both wired and wireless.
Services Challenge
The communications industry is agreeing on the following architectural principles:

One network, multiple access technologies

Open and standards-based
Internet protocols
IPbased application framework
Services that span the whole customer base

Technology Revolution in Handsets and CPE

Communication and handset devices are going through a revolution. Increasingly more complex
technology is being packaged together in affordable handsets. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, camera, office
software, Internet browsing, session initiation protocol (SIP) voice client, IM client, gaming formats,
etc., are enabling operators and service providers to develop services that exploit all of these user
interfaces.
Likewise, fixed-line customer premises equipment (CPE) devices are benefiting from the
commoditization of communication software stacks, network processors, and digital signal processors
(DSPs). This is generating a reduction in unit prices and improvements in remote management and
upgrades. Many of these models are also able to support voice, video, and data service feeds from the
same device and will optionally include Wi-Fi, universal serial bus (USB), Bluetooth, and data
storage.

IMS Architecture
IMS broke the challenge down into three key areas, as shown in Figure 5:

 High-value services

Application Layer

Services bundling
Single converged network
Voice and multimedia
Wireline and wireless

Session Control Layer

Multiple access technologies

Interworking to common
core

Interworking & Media Layer

Figure 5: Layered View of IMS Model

With this model, it becomes possible to offer simplified operations, service consistency, ease of
service bundling, streamlined provisioning, and common billing.
The solution is based on standards-based interfaces. Applications and services can be deployed in a
much quicker fashion through simplified SIP control mechanisms. Voice, data, and multimedia can be
incorporated in the services over a single IP interface and the application programmers insulated from
access details. The result is the ability to quickly develop high-value applications.
IMS Layer Overview
Application Server Layer
The application server layer contains the application servers, which provide the end user with service
and enhanced service controls. The IMS architecture and SIP signaling is flexible enough to support a
variety of telephony and non-telephony application servers. Sonus Networks has been interfacing to
SIPbased application servers for many years (www.sonusnet.com/contents/partners). The IMS model
has defined a number of application servers. However, the basic function of them is to provide service
applications via SIP.
Session Control Layer
The session control layer contains a number of components that maintain the relationship between the
applications and endpoints. These components perform the core work of call establishment.
Interworking and Media Layer
SIP signaling is used to initiate and terminate sessions and provide bearer services such as conversion
of voice from analogue or digital formats to IP packets using real-time transport protocol (RTP). All
of the media processing facilities are in this layer, e.g., media gateways (MGs) are here for converting
the VoIP bearer streams to the PSTN TDM format, and media servers provide many media-related
services such as conferencing, playing announcements, collecting in-band signaling tones, speech
recognition, and speech synthesis.
IMS Component Overview

Serving-CSCF
Call Management
Service Coordination

Application
Server

SIP-AS

MGCF
Home Subscriber Server
Subscriber Database

Policy Control Function

QoS Management

Proxy-CSCF
Device control
Interworking
Security

Breakout GW Control Function

Routing to circuit networks

HSS

S-CSCF

BGCF

P-CSCF

Media
Services

PSTN
Interface

PCF
PCF

Interface to circuit networks

IMS

Access

PSTN

Subscriber

Announcements,
conferencing, etc.

Figure 6: Component Functional Overview

Call session control function (CSCF)This provides the registration of the endpoints and
routing of the SIP signaling messages to the appropriate application server. The CSCF works
with the interworking and transport layer to guarantee QoS across all services. There are a
number of roles defined for CSCF servers, including the following:
o
o

Serving (SCSCF)This is a session control entity for endpoint devices that maintains
session state.
Proxy (PCSCF)This is the entry point to IMS for devices. Whether in a home network
or visited network, the PCSCF will be the first point of contact for the UE and forward
SIP messages to the users home SCSCF.
Interrogating (ICSCF)This is the entry point to IMS from other networks.

Breakout gateway control function (BGCF)This function selects the network in which a
PSTN breakout is to occur. If the breakout is to occur in the same network as the BGCF, then
the BGCF selects a media gateway control function (MGCF), this will be responsible for
interworking with the PSTN. The MGCF then receives the SIP signaling from the BGCF. The
BGCFs role will increase in importance as networks begin to peer at an IP level for voice. As
this starts to happen, the BGCF will become the peering control point in these IPIP network
boundary points.
Media gateway control function (MGCF)This interworks the SIP signaling with the
signaling used by the media gateway (if required). The MGCF manages the distribution of
sessions across multiple media gateways.
The media server function control (MSCF)This manages the use of resources on media
servers.
SIP applications server (SIPAS)

The result is a converged architecture supporting a plethora of services over fixed and mobile access
networksa single unified network supporting all major access technologies with a single set of
services that apply network-wide that are available anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

Application
Layer

App
App
Servers
Servers

Session
Control
Layer

Web
Web
Portal
Portal

Sonus IMS Core

Interworking
& Media
Layer

Circuit
Interworking

POTS
Interworking
IP Access

DSL/
Cable

3G
All-IP
IP PBX

POTS

GSM/
CDMA

WLAN

PSTN
PBX

Figure 7: The Converged Network

Open and Standards-Based
For IMS to be successful, it needed to have the involvement of the standards bodies and benefit from
practical deployments. Fortunately, VoIP has been widely deployed over the past 20 years for many
applications and, as a result, significant experience of the technology has been gleaned. The largest
standards bodies have supported the development of IMS from the wireless world 3GPP/3GPP2 and
from the fixed-line world, the ITU, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the ETSI.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has also provided many of the base elements such as SIP.
Finally, specialized organizations have added meat to the specification, e.g., Open Mobile Alliance
(OMA) and the development of service applications, e.g., PoC (push-to-talk over cellular).
SIP-AS

MGCF

HSS

S-CSCF

Based on Internet protocols

SIP

for session control

for database access
COPS for QoS

BGCF

DIAMETER

P-CSCF
PCF

Media
Services

PSTN
Interface
IMS

Access

PSTN

Subscriber

Figure 8: IMS Standard Interfaces

IMS Application Servers
The IMS application service architecture has been defined with sufficient flexibility to incorporate a
breadth of service profiles. Many intelligent network (IN) application servers relied too heavily on a
tightly integrated architecture with proprietary implementation of application programming interfaces
(APIs) or protocols. As a result, applications took too long to develop to meet market opportunities

and were unnecessarily expensive. These service platforms were poorly integrated with the Web and
Internet services.
External Databases

Address
Book
Integration

IM

List Server
(Buddy Lists) . . . .

Parental
Control

Multimedia Servers
Audio

AS

AS

AS

Video

Gaming

Figure 9: IMS Application Server

IMS application services will employ Web-enabled APIs such as call control extensible markup
language (CCXML), voice XML (VXML) and Java together with standard interfaces to external
databases such as simple object access protocol (SOAP)/XML, open database connectivity (ODBC),
and java database connectivity (JDBC). Media servers and gateways will provide media processing
when instructed by the application server. The newer implementations will cleanly separate the
development environment from the run time to optimize performance.

Benefits of IMS
IMS Applications and Services Examples
Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC)
Push-to-talk is a mobile networkderived service for instantly communicating with the rest of a
nominated workgroup. It is based on half-duplex VoIP technology. Converged PoC offers the
subscriber all the benefits of two-way radio, across the country or around the world. Users can selfprovision their own call groups, making changes and updates at any time. With the integration of
converged presence and directory services, the user will be able to tell which group members are
available for instant PoC contact at the push of a button.
Instant Messenger
PCbased instant messaging has become very popular among teenage Internet users. Workgroups,
enterprises, and family and social groups are also embracing these text-based dialogues.
Gaming
By developing the online gaming communities appetites, interactive communication and
entertainment combined with the fact that these games run across IP, it becomes possible for IMS
based architectures to develop new revenue streams from this segment. These games can be
downloaded over the IP broadband connection to the wireless or wireline device of choice.
Voice and Unified Messaging
Unified messaging supports access to messages of various media types (including voice mail, fax, or
e-mail) from a single mailbox. The user can do this via a variety of devices, including wireless or
wireline phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) or personal computer (PC) through a Web interface.
Videoconferencing
Web conferencing, audioconferencing, and videoconferencing allows participants to view
presentation materials, listen to a conference, and hold simultaneous private text conversations, all
under the control of a conference moderator.
Voice and Video Telephony
IP has increased the availability of video communication between various terminals and PCs. For
businesses and geographically dispersed families, this means a videophone solution that does not
depend on proprietary networks and equipment and is mobile.
Presence Services
The addition of presence services turns a simple handset directory into an availability list, indicating
whether a user is available for a voice call or SMS message. The presence server can route calls in the
preferred medium, not only to individual users, but also to services and places.
IMS Value Proposition
Single Infrastructure and Lower Operational Costs
The converged network is characterized by the following:

One network, multiple access technologies

Open and standards-based
Single set of services that apply network-wide

Addresses Carriers Business Needs

Reduced operating costs

o
o
o

Lower transmission costs

Simplified operations
Streamlined provisioning

Better ability to address subscriber requirements

o
o
o

Service consistency for different types of access

Ease of service bundling
Common billing

Faster Service Time to Market

IPbased application interface
o
o
o
o

Much simpler than old methods

Easy to combine voice, data, and multimedia
Independent of access details
Tailored services to specific markets lowers churn

The result: fast development of high-value applications

Directly affects carrier business
o
o

Adds revenue
Builds loyalty

Enhanced QoS
IMS provides standardized solution for real-time IP mobile services. Real-time mobile IP
communication is difficult due to fluctuating bandwidths, which severely affect the transmission of IP
packets through the network. The de facto best effort approach for IP frame communication does not
suit the service characteristics required by voice and video. The result is that real-time mobile IP
services function poorly or not at all (i.e., voice quality is poor or garbled, video jitter, etc.). The QoS
mechanisms were developed to overcome these issues and provide some type of guaranteed level of
transmission instead of best effort. The policy decision function (PDF) contains the intelligence
required to enable QoS within a mobile IP network.

Educational Content Provided By Neil Kinder, Technical Director for Europe, the Middle East, and
Africa, Sonus Networks (www.sonusnet.com/contents/home/home.cfm)