Fixed Mobile Convergence

Next generation communications software developers and equipment makers have a new online resource for testing and validating their solutions.

 

www.TestNGN.org, launched today by the IMS/NGN Forum and Aricent (News - Alert), is a new community-based, open repository for testing next generation equipment such as multimedia gateways and application servers, as well as new services such as VoIP, converged Web-telephony services and IPTV.

This online testing and validation site is designed to significantly reduce the time, complexity and cost involved in introducing new solutions and services. The site hosts an industry-wide collaborative platform of comprehensive test cases for the validation of IMS and NGN equipment and services.

 

According to Michael Khalilian (News - Alert), chairman of the IMS/NGN Forum -- which just last week announced the creation of its BSS/OSS & Security Technical Working Group -- there is increased competition in the consumer and enterprise multimedia markets, with an urgent need for NGN equipment manufacturers and service providers to get new products and services to market quickly. He said this joint effort between Aricent and the IMS/NGN Forum is intended to complement the Forum’s annual roster of IMS Plugfest interoperability events.

“With easy access to downloadable test cases, equipment manufacturers will reduce their testing times and be assured of consistent compliance with the latest standards,” Khalilian said in a release. “Service providers will benefit from the ability to carry out their own end-to-end testing, and will be able to swiftly verify vendor assurances of NGN compliance testing.”

He added that the site was designed to provide “a major addition to the multivendor, multinetwork environment created for our IMS/NGN Plugfest interoperability test events to further accelerate the deployment of Next Generation Services and Networks.”

C. P. Murali, senior vice president at Aricent, said the launch of the new online resource “should lead to reduced development times for the whole NGN industry." Aricent has developed an extensive NGN testing practice, employing more than 1,600 test engineers and test consultants. The practice has over 70,000 test cases for wireless, VoIP and IMS, all designed to speed the worldwide delivery of Next Generation networks and services.

The IMS Forum’s (News - Alert) TestNGN and Interoperability Working groups are currently focusing on the product interoperability, reliability and operational and management issues associated with converged IMS and NGN applications and services delivered over wireless (3G, LTE (News - Alert)), wireline (DSL, optical) and cable broadband. The groups ensure that converged applications and the vehicles which deliver such services will be timely and well supported from a provisioning, billing and management systems perspective.

In the Jan./Feb. issue of NGN Magazine, a TMC (News - Alert) publication, Khalilian explained the IMS Forum’s recent decision to merge with NGN Forum:

“By combining IMS, SIP, unified communications and service delivery platforms, our organization unites developers, service providers, integrators and solutions providers to further NGN and IMS deployment,” he said in the article. “The NGN Forum is a pioneer in developing profitable business models for converged services targeting consumer and enterprise markets.”

Khalilian said the “new” organization, which includes more than 2,000 executives, technical and marketing professionals from a wide cross-cut of equipment vendors, solution providers, integrators, service providers and governmental agencies, enables members “to fully address the emergence of a single market comprised of information technology, telecommunications, and media sectors that formerly operated in separate markets.” He also pointed out that the IMS/NGN Forum has created “the industry’s first joint venture capital study group consisting of its members and over 20 venture capitalists, private equity groups and financial institutions.”

The IMS/NGN Forum’s seventh IMS/NGN Plugfest will be held June 1-5, 2009 at the InterOperability Lab (UNH IOL) in Durham, NH. The NGN IMS Forum Plugfests are the industry's only interoperability events covering NGN services over 3G, LTE, WiMAX, wireline and cable broadband.

Plugfest 6, which took place January 12-16, also at the InterOperability Lab, resulted in a number of important milestones for the industry at large, including confirmation of the transition to what analysts call the “Real IMS,” a phase which demonstrates policy control, charging and the wide support of IP applications. The event simulated two different IMS operator networks across four continents.