The 3GPP release 8 IMS Implementation, Deployment & Testing workshop

The 3GPP release 8 IMS Implementation, Deployment & Testing workshop took place in Sophia Antipolis on 24-25 November 2010.

The event was attended by 70 delegates actively participating to the discussions.

Presenting companies included: Tel : A1 Telekom Austria, Alcatel Lucent, Codenomicon, Conformiq, Eircom, Elvior, ETSI, France Telecom, GSMA, Huawei, Huawei, Mobitel, NTT DoCoMo, SFR, Telecom Italia, TestingTech, TU Berlin, Wind, Wipro, ZTE.

Here are the highlights from the ETSI document:

Goals and Outcome for this workshop

Share exprience from IMS implementation

Highlight areas for further specifications, for

Standards and Testing

Learn of issues and possible resolutions

Comments from The IMS Network Testing Group

Develop IMS core network test specifications based upon 3GPP, for:

• Interoperability

• conformance

• network integration

Hold interoperability events (IMS Plugtests)

Coordinate with other organisations such as OMA, MSF, GSMA

Implementations

• Beyond small islands, second wave to replace unscalable, unmaintenable early VoIP systems

• Implementation options - Hybrid CS-GW for transition from CS to LTE, which already has 2 million subscribers on IMS/CS-GW/RNC

• Auto provisioning - to simplify complexity

• IMS functions must be implemented in the core – not in any access network, such as LTE, and can be used for non-Voice as well

Implementing RCS (Rich Communication Suite)

• RCS trial feedback - Good feedback from 400 trial users on RCS but difficult to configure SBC

• RCS implementations should include aggregation with SNS (Social Network Services)– eg contact list from Facebook

• Most appreciated feature of RCS is: - cross-operator interworking and compatibility with ordinary phones, not just smartphones

Specific Issues and Resolutions

• FAX – Delay and Jitter issues - FTTH will solve long delays etc

• Emergency and Lawful Intercept with IMS -There are standards and developed solutions available but Currently still falls back to CS /TDM

• Data Provisioning speed is important, to achieve no service interruption.

• 3GPP II-NNI: Inter-IMS Network to Network Interface - Two levels: Solx (service with control function) and Coix (connection – a pipe for media).

• “PathFinder” Global ENUM – like DNS for phone number; It is a solution to number portability and can optimise routing

About Services

• Most issues are Beyond IMS - integrating OSS/BSS, existing systems, inter-vendors interfaces

• IMS and IN - Pity the Standards did not bring IN and IMS close together; Need iFC enhancements, like in IN; Need to support combining services

• OTT and SNS dominate growth - occupies the minds of commercial people, GSMA-like services have slowed down

• Service layer (Wipro) – Telcos want one SDP to serve all - include IMS and non-IMS services, human and non-humans on NAB, context based, and charge only what is ‘consumed’

Testing Methods, Tools and Test Beds

• Integrate Conformance checking with interoperability testing

• Automation of interoperability trace checking – it can reduce costs by more than 50 % compared to manual validation

• Independent Test Bed- available EPC playground for prototyping applications

• Protocol message customisation tool - allows changing the message and customise the flow

• Security testing tool - testing by ‘fuzzing’, 100% TTCN free – everything is already build in

• IMS is a multi vendor environment - Testing and validation must be an integral part of the deployment process

Memorable Quotes

“IMS is a Journey, not a destination” (ALU)

“SDP is almost anything” (Matjas Bericic, Mobitel)

“Voice as an app versus Voice as a Service” is a challenge (Manuel Vexler, Huawei)

“IMS is not a box, it is a network” (Matjas Bericic, Mobitel)

“global ENUM is DNS for phone numbers” (Adrian Dodd, GSMA)

“Kill with one SIP” (Ari Takanen, Codenomicon)

“ IOP is the red thread running through the entire ETSI standards development process “ (Milan Zoric, ETSI)

All documents from this workshop is available at: http://docbox.etsi.org/Workshop/2010/201011_IMSWORKSHOP/