3GPP Creates Services Specification Group for...

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) agreed on how Common Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) would meet the needs of the fixed, mobile, cable and broadband wireless communities.

Expressing the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) support for the move, Dr. Walter Weigel, ETSI director-general, said, "ETSI (Telecoms & Internet converged Services & Protocols for Advanced Networks) TISPAN has taken the first steps in migrating fixed IMS requirements to 3GPP in a cooperation that will prevent fragmentation of IMS standards. A Common IMS, developed in one place, is a big step forward and will bring enormous economies of scale and reductions in capital and operational costs."

At the 3GPP Plenary meeting, ETSI and 3GPP agreed to proceed with this work with immediate effect. Requirements for Common IMS will be specified by a rechartered "Services" group (new SA1) of the project.

Common IMS developments will form part of 3GPP Release 8, which is expected to be functionally frozen by the end of 2007, said ETSI.

Source: European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).