Carriers prepping to test next-generation net architectures

A group of carriers and their suppliers say they will hold a multinational interoperability test in the fall to showcase a new breed of networks relying on the IP Multimedia System (IMS) architecture.

The Global MultiService Forum (MSF) Interoperability event will be held in October, hosted by five carriers and the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab. The hosting carriers are BT, KT, NTT, Verizon and Vodafone, though dozens of carriers and suppliers are expected to participate.

The event will put the test IMS Release 3. IMS is an architecture that defines how IP networks should handle voice calls and data sessions. It essentially takes the place of the control infrastructure in the traditional circuit-switched telephone network, with the key difference that it separates services from the underlying networks that carry them.

The IMS Release 3 implementation agreements cover everything from roaming across different wireless network types, such as Wi-Fi and cellular, as well as handling QoS and working with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 4 specifications.

Global MSF Interoperability events are held every two years.