Over the last couple of years IMS solution providers are pitching IMS to anyone who can lend those ears. IMS may make business sense in green field mobile broadband deployments. And yes IMS has got a new lease of life through One Voice initiative in LTE. However IMS business case is worst when it comes to GSM/EDGE operators. IMS business case is usually built by solution providers upon following perceived advantages.
1. Low-cost delivery of legacy services like voice, SMS and MMS
2. Fixed Mobile Convergence like VCC
3. Web Integration with services like Facebook, EBay, MSN Messenger, yahoo etc
Although the need for these objectives is well understood, however it is difficult and some times impractical to realize these objectives from Technical and commercial point of view.
1. Low Cost Delivery of Legacy Services
Migration of legacy services like Voice, SMS and MMS in order to gain Capex/Opex savings is the biggest farce because it is not difficult to establish connectivity with current MSC, SMSC and MMSC systems. Furthermore existing interfaces are standard and widely adopted by applications and content providers all over the world. Migration of these legacy services is only going to increase the cost of their delivery.
2. Fixed Mobile Convergence like VCC
Saying that the IMS provides fixed mobile convergence is calling aspirin the cure for all diseases. IMS is just a smaller piece of complete FMC puzzle. FMC is an all encompassing concept which entails convergence of services, convergence of devices and convergence of use experience. IMS only provides convergence of ‘subset’ of services and that is voice. Couple of IMS based FMC services like VCC have failed as they are perceived to be complicated from user experience point of view. Unavailability of handsets for VCC services is another factor.
3. Web Integration with services like Facebook, EBay, MSN Messenger, yahoo etc
It’s about time that operators realize that they are nothing more than the bit pipe. All those discussions in 3 GSM conferences to evolve themselves from the current bit pipe status have fizzled out. They just can’t have better social networks then Facebook, can’t have better messengers than MSN and GTalk and simply can’t outsmart apples and googles in app stores. Therefore enough with Web 2.0 and Telco 2.0 crap, at-least for GSM/EGDE operators.
and u think we have a business case on EDGE…. for MM services on IP; first stop is BroadBand (aka HSPA+) in mobiles.