Ericsson has defined a roadmap for evolving to an IMS-based infrastructure that lets operators move to an access-aware environment with little or no impact on existing operations. At the same time, Ericsson is focusing on IMS-based service creation, and working with consumers and enterprise end users to determine the types of services that they find attractive and are willing to purchase. A developer’s kit tailored to IMS will increase the range of available services, reduce time-to-market and simplify market entry for new application providers.

It is important that IMS vendors can support multi-vendor network environments, integrate into existing networks and interwork with different vendors’ terminals. Standardization solves some of these issues, while vendor competence in supporting evolution and in building and integrating complete solutions solves others. Having a deep understanding of consumer needs, networks, mission-critical systems and the interfaces between different layers are key competencies.

While several vendors have announced their intentions to develop IMS-based products, Ericsson is already shipping solutions based on IMS architecture. Ericsson has IMS deployments and trials with 25 fixed and mobile operators, for services such as Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC), Combinational Services, IP Telephony and IP Centrex. Much of Ericsson’s IMS focus today is on service creation and professional services, as operators start exploring the IMS scenario.

Telecom analysis firm Current Analysis confirmed in a recent report that Ericsson is demonstrating its establishment of an early lead in the still-emerging IMS market. "The public airing of the company's product plans and roadmap provide evidence that it is further advanced than most – if not all – competitors in the wireline space," the report said. "Ericsson has demonstrated that it understands that the real opportunity in the IMS infrastructure market is not in the delivery of the piece parts of the infrastructure but in the consistent delivery of new applications and professional services."

The complete, end-to-end nature of Ericsson's offering is what sets it apart from the competition, and makes Ericsson IMS the solution of choice for convergence using Internet Protocol. By introducing Ericsson IMS into networks today, fixed and mobile operators enable a secure migration to all-IP architecture and meet end-user demands for new enriched services.