Experts See Lengthy Cable-IMS Integration

Despite the strong, growing appeal of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) standard for spurring advanced mobile communications, don't expect the cable guys to take advantage of it anytime soon.

That's because the IMS standard, originally designed for the cellular phone business, must be substantially adapted to make it suitable for cable's very different hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) architecture. Speaking on a Cable Digital News Webinar staged by Light Reading yesterday, two tech officials stressed that it will take some time to "evolve" the IMS standard, develop all the service and support enhancements for cable operators, and run the equipment interoperability trials needed to ensure that the system actually works.

In fact, tech experts say the IMS standard, while widely expected to be a key part of the cable industry's upcoming PacketCable 2.0 spec, could take years to integrate smoothly into the current cable architecture. While the integration effort has come a long way in recent months, they argue that much more work is needed to ensure that the wireless industry standard meets the cable industry's unique needs.

"We're seeing a lot of progress, especially with the new PacketCable 2.0 spec," says Gordon Eddy, director of product management and marketing for Empirix Inc. , a VOIP testing and monitoring firm. "But there's still a lot of harmonization and work that need to be done to get to an agreed-upon spec."

Read the whole story at Cable Digital News.

— Alan Breznick, Site Editor, Cable Digital News