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Description

This book explains why people and companies are using IMS equipment and software to efficiently upgrade existing communication systems to develop advanced communications services and to more easily integrate these systems with other information systems and services.

IMS is uses well-established communication protocols that has many low cost devices and software application development tools available. The use of IMS product and software allows companies to cost-effectively upgrade and eventually replace existing (legacy) communication systems with more cost effective and easy to use IP based equipment. Because IMS uses standardized protocols, this allows end-users and system administrators to have more control and even develop communication services (such as video mail) that have been traditionally been unchangeable and limited. IMS is based on SIP, a text-based protocol (similar to web HTML) which allows for relatively easy development and integration with existing company information systems to produce new revenue producing services (such as integrating mobile telephone and order processing systems).

Although IMS is an industry standard, not all IMS systems and services are the same. There are cost and quality tradeoffs along with common problem areas and risks. There are many ways IMS systems can reduce communication costs along with the ability to create new revenue producing services. This book will help you to understand what IMS is, how it operates, what services it can provide and how companies can benefit from implementing systems that use IMS. Some of the most important topics featured are:

• Function parts of IMS systems
• The evolution of IMS
• IMS services
• IMS system operation
• Fundamentals of how IMS works
• Upgraded systems to IMS capabilities
• IMS billing

Sample Diagrams

There are 32 explanatory diagrams in this book

IMS system

This figure shows the basic functions of the IMS system. This diagram shows that a user equipment device (a mobile phone in this example) is calling another device (a landline telephone). The UE sends its connection request (an invite) to the proxy call session control function (P-CSCF). The P-CSCF needs to find the call server so it sends a request to the interrogatory call session control sever (I-CSCF). The I-CSCF contacts the home subscriber server (HSS) which contains the service profile of user and the location of the serving call session control function (S-CSCF). The S-CSCF will then manage the communication session with the UE through the P-CSCF. The IMS system can then connect a call through a media gateway (signaling processes not shown) so the connection can reach the landline telephone.

IMS Billing

This figure shows how IMS billing system can use a combination of offline charging and online charging processes. For offline charging (post billing), charging event information (network function usage information) is accumulated and assigned to accounts in the charging data function (CDF). The CDF produces CDRs that are provide to the charging gateway function (CGF) which adapts and sends call session usage records to the billing system. For online charging, some network elements (such as the S-CSCF or MRFC) request service authorization before providing access to services. The online charging system interfaces directly with the billing system to reserve and post charges directly to the users billing account.

Table of Contents

IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)

IMS Specifications

3GPP - 3rd Generation Partnership Project
3GPP2 - 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2
AccountID - Account Identifier
ACA - Accounting Answer
ACR - Accounting Request
ALG - Application Layer Gateway
AS - Application Server
AKA - Authentication and Key Agreement
ANI - Automatic Number Identification
BICC - Bearer Independent Call Control
BS - Bearer Services
BD - Billing Domain
BIC - Bonus on Incoming Calls
BGCF - Breakout Gateway Control Function
CATV - Cable Television
CSCF - Call Session Control Function
CAP - CAMEL Application Part
CSE - CAMEL Service Environment
CA - Certificate Authority
CRL - Certificate Revocation List
CHAP - Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
CDF - Charging Data Function
CDR - Charging Data Record
CGF - Charging Gateway Function
CGF)1 - Charging Gateway Function
CRF - Charging Rule Function
CTF - Charging Triggering Function
CK - Ciphering Key
CS - Circuit Switched
CS - Circuit Switched Data
CN - Core Network
CAMEL - Customized Applications For Mobile Enhanced Logic
DNIS - Dialed Number Identification Service
DUA - Directory User Agent
DNS - Domain Name Server
DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
ESD - Emergency Session Detection
Expiry Date - Expiration Date
EAP - Extensible Authentication Protocol
XML - Extensible Markup Language
FTP - File Transfer Protocol
GW - Gateway
GGSN - Gateway GPRS Support Node
GCID - GPRS Charging Identifer
gprsSSF - GPRS Service Switching Function
gsmSSF - GSM Service Switching Function
GBR - Guaranteed Bit Rate
HLR - Home Location Register
HSS - Home Subscriber Server
HSS Resolution - Home Subscriber Server Resolution
ICID - IMS Charging Identifier
IMS-MGW - IMS Media Gateway
ISC - IMS Service Control Reference Point
IM - Instant Messaging
IMPP - Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol
ICV - Integrity Check Value
IK - Integrity Key
IN - Intelligent Network
INAP - Intelligent Network Application Part
INE - Intelligent Network Element
IN-IVR - Intelligent Network Interactive Voice Response System
IN-Trigger - Intelligent Network Trigger
IN-Triggering - Intelligent Network Triggered Charging
IBCF - Interconnect Border Control Function
IMSI - International Mobile Subscriber Identity
IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force
IP Connectivity - Internet Protocol Connectivity
IPSec - Internet Protocol Security
IPTV - Internet Protocol Television
ISAKMP - Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol
IMUA - Interpersonal Message User Agent
I-CSCF - Interrogating Call Session Control Function
IWF - Interworking Function
ISIM - IP Multimedia Services Identity Module
IMS - IP Multimedia Subsystem
ISUP - ISDN User Part
LNP - Local Number Portability
LM - Location Management
LS - Location Server
LE - Logical Element
MITM - Man in the Middle
MML - Man Machine Language
MBR - Maximum Bit Rate
MG - Media Gateway
MGCF - Media Gateway Control Function
MGCP - Media Gateway Control Protocol
MD5 - Message Digest 5
MTP - Message Transfer Part
MNP - Mobile Number Portability
MM - Mobility Management
MMD - Multimedia Domain
MRFC - Multimedia Resource Function Controller
MRFP - Multimedia Resource Function Processor
NAI - Network Access Identifier
NAI - Network Address Identifier
NAT - Network Address Translation
NE - Network Element
NTU - Network Termination Unit
NPDB - Number Portability Database
OCS - Online Charging System
OMA - Open Mobile Alliance
OSA - Open Service Architecture
OTA - Over the Air
PDP - Packet Data Protocol
PDP Context - Packet Data Protocol Context
PS - Packet Switched Data
PAP - Password Authentication Protocol
P2P - Peer to Peer
PN - Personal Network
PPP - Point - To - Point Protocol
PCRF - Policy Control and Charging Function
PDF - Policy Decision Function
PDP - Policy Decision Point
PSA - Pre - Established Service Association
PIC - Preferred Interexchange Carrier
P-CSCF - Proxy Call Session Control Function
P-CSCF Discovery - Proxy Call Session Control Function Discovery
Purge - Purging
PPA - Push Profile Answer
PPR - Push Profile Request
QoS - Quality Of Service
QoS Authorization - Quality of Service Authorization
RTBS - Real Time Billing System
RP - Reference Point
RADIUS - Remote Access Dial In User Service
RPC - Remote Procedure Call
SSL - Secure Sockets Layer
SA - Security Association
SSF - Servce Switching Function
SAR - Server Assignment Request
SBLP - Service Based Local Policy
SCS - Service Capability Server
SCF - Service Control Function
SCRP - Service Control Reference Point
SDP - Service Discovery Protocol
SLF - Service Logic Function
S-CSCF - Serving Call Session Control Function
SGSN - Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node
SBC - Session Border Controller
SCP - Session Control Protocol
SDP - Session Description Protocol
SIP - Session Initiation Protocol
SMS - Short Message Service
SG - Signaling Gateway
SGW - Signaling Gateway
SRF - Single Reservation Flow
SLF - Subscriber Locator Function
Syntax - Syntactics
TAPI - Telephony Application Programming Interface
THIG - Topology Hiding Inter - network Gateway
TPF - Traffic Plane Function
TLS - Transport Layer Security
USIM - UMTS Subscriber Identity Module
UICC - Universal Integrated Circuit Card
UDR - Usage Data Record
USIP - Use Source Internet Protocol
UA - User Agent
UAA - User Authorization Answer
UAR - User Authorization Request
UDR - User Data Request
UE - User Element
UE - User Equipment
VHE - Virtual Home Environment
VRU - Voice Response Unit
VS - Voucher Server
WTLS - Wireless Transport Layer Security

Mr. Lawrence Harte is a communications expert with over 29 years technical and business experience. As of 2008, he has authored over 100 books and is an inventor of several communication patents. His many degrees and certificates include an Executive MBA from Wake Forest University and a BSET from the University of the State of New York.

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