Up to now, operators did not really need to concern themselves about which devices were used in a home network. However, to offer IPTV services with guaranteed quality of service, for example, the operator has to take responsibility all the way to the end device in the digital home.

One solution Ericsson plans to offer to operators is based on HIGA (Home IMS Gateway), which will bridge the gap between the outer IMS services, such as IPTV, and the inner, non-IMS home devices, such as TV, PC or a media player.

Per Sjödén, Ericsson's business development manager for Connected Home, says: "For us, developing a HIGA prototype is a way to explore the market both in terms of consumer preferences and operator interest. If the market response is positive, the concept may move to the product phase."

With an intelligent HIGA function in, for example, the residential gateway, including an ISIM-card, home devices can get immediate access to IMS services. In this solution, HIGA translates between the IMS/SIP protocols and home network protocols such as UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), the prevailing standard for media connectivity between home electronics devices.

Torbjörn Cagenius, senior specialist in broadband network technology at Ericsson Research, says: "A HIGA gateway would benefit both the operators and the consumer-electronics industry. The operator can offer a true end-to-end channel for all services, and the more IMS-based services offered by the operators, the higher value the devices have."

The HIGA concept has been developing in the RECHON research project since 2005. Ericsson is now - via partner operators - influencing the standardization work of the Home Gateway Initiative, which was started by leading operators in late 2004.

Andreas Fasbender, RECHON project manager, says the focus in 2005 was on supporting communication services on non-telecom devices, while the focus in 2006 had been on content services, such as IMS-based IPTV and accessing personal media from a remote phone or any other device.

"In 2007, we will look more into blending online services, such as IPTV, with community services, and into making these services available wherever you are or on the move," Fasbender says. "We are also working actively in TISPAN where we are standardizing IMS-related functions that support the HIGA concept."