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Current Issue: October 2007
BT blames vendors for IMS hold-ups
by Iain Morris
UK incumbent BT has accused vendors of lagging on IMS standardization, claiming it cannot buy some of the equipment it needs for carrier-grade applications.
In a conversation with Telecommunications, Malcolm Wardlaw, BT’s director of converged services, intelligence and applications, said vendors still have not developed "the full set" of standards-based equipment BT needs.
"When vendor equipment meets the standard it will be a lot easier for carriers like BT to mix and match vendors, and that’s critical both commercially and from a resilience point of view," Wardlaw says.
The accusation comes just weeks after the CTO of Australian incumbent Telstra reportedly raised similar concerns during a conference in Sydney about the lack of IMS progress. Hugh Bradlow was quoted as saying a complete IMS solution was years away and current offers amounted to no more than bits and pieces.
The delays could restrict the choice of vendors available to an operator rolling out IMS. That, in turn, could drive up costs and make an IMS venture much riskier.
"You wouldn’t want the whole thing to run with a single vendor,"Wardlaw says. "We’re focused on having resilience through a mixture of vendors and also on getting the best price and performance."
In BT’s case an IMS roadblock could have further repercussions. As part of a converged-services strategy, the operator is trying to partner with mobile carriers and is evaluating the use of broadband wireless technologies to overcome its lack of a wireless business. IMS is a critical component of this strategy.
"When we looked at what was the best architecture for a fixed operator that wanted to provide convergent services through MVNO agreements and a WiFi service, the one architecture that stood out was IMS,"Wardlaw says. "There really isn’t another game in town in terms of architecture."
Despite reservations, Wardlaw is optimistic vendors will plug gaps in the range of IMS equipment in 2008 and thinks too many of the world’s biggest operators have committed themselves to the technology for it to be derailed by an alternative.
"Most of the players arguing against IMS are providing just one particular service in one particular market," he says.
Wardlaw also denies suggestions that slow progress on IMS standardization must be hampering BT’s effort to develop new services. BT has launched a range of VoIP offers, including the residential service Broadband Talk, based on prestandardized IMS software that will be upgraded to IMS proper as part of what Wardlaw calls a "technology refresh."
A more fundamental problem for IMS may be the lack of demand for the converged services it can deliver, some of which have already become available using other technologies. BT Fusion, a fixed-mobile service aimed at the residential market, had reportedly sold just 40,000 units by the end of 2006, more than 18 months after its launch.
According to a new report from consultancy Analysys, that problem could be endemic. "It is difficult to produce a business case for a generic capability like IMS without being specific about the services that it will support, and compelling service propositions have not yet been forthcoming," write the authors.
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Most of the players arguing against IMS are providing just one particular service in one particular market.
