The 3G IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS): Merging the Internet and the Cellular Worlds [Hardcover]

Gonzalo Camarillo (Author), Miguel-Angel García-Martín (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470871563 | ISBN-13: 978-0470871560 | Publication Date: August 4, 2004 | Edition: 1

If you need to know the IMS vision you need to read this book....

The IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) is the exciting new technology that will merge the Internet with the cellular world. It will make Internet technologies such as the web, email, instant messaging, presence, and videoconferencing available nearly everywhere.

The 3G IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) provides a thorough overview of the IMS and its technologies. Throughout, the authors first describe how each technology works on the Internet and then explain how the same technology is adapted to work in the IMS, enabling readers to take advantage of any current and future Internet service.

• Presents an introduction to the IMS - its goals, history, vision, the organizations involved in its standardization and architecture
• Discusses the signalling plane of the IMS including protocols, such as SIP and Diameter, used between the IMS architectural entities. Also describes how the IETF developed these protocols and how they are used in the IMS architecture
• Describes the media plane of the IMS and discusses Internet protocols that are not currently used in the IMS but may be in the future
• Provides SIP-based service examples such as presence, instant messaging and Push-to-Talk

Engineers, programmers, business managers, marketing representatives, and technically aware users will all find this book invaluable as it will help them to understand how the IMS works and the business model behind it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"…a great starting point for those readers who want to learn the IMS and explore it further." (E-STREAMS, September 2005)

From the Back Cover

If you need to know the IMS vision you need to read this book....

The IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) is the exciting new technology that will merge the Internet with the cellular world. It will make Internet technologies such as the web, email, instant messaging, presence, and videoconferencing available nearly everywhere.

The 3G IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) provides a thorough overview of the IMS and its technologies. Throughout, the authors first describe how each technology works on the Internet and then explain how the same technology is adapted to work in the IMS, enabling readers to take advantage of any current and future Internet service.

• Presents an introduction to the IMS - its goals, history, vision, the organizations involved in its standardization and architecture
• Discusses the signalling plane of the IMS including protocols, such as SIP and Diameter, used between the IMS architectural entities. Also describes how the IETF developed these protocols and how they are used in the IMS architecture
• Describes the media plane of the IMS and discusses Internet protocols that are not currently used in the IMS but may be in the future
• Provides SIP-based service examples such as presence, instant messaging and Push-to-Talk

Engineers, programmers, business managers, marketing representatives, and technically aware users will all find this book invaluable as it will help them to understand how the IMS works and the business model behind it.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470871563
• ISBN-13: 978-0470871560
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, August 22, 2006

By 

Thanos Kosmidis - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 3G IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS): Merging the Internet and the Cellular Worlds (Hardcover)

This book intends to be the de facto handbook for IMS, but it ends up being mostly reference material.

While it has some fairly detailed descriptions of the standards and protocols involved, it does not go beyond the specifications already publicly available, or the methods that some vendors already use. Some chapters read like a translation of technical drafts, while others concerning less defined areas are very high level.

The authors, while doing a good job assembling useful information, probably set out to write this book too early, when IMS was still only a reference framework, without widespread service provider adoption. Furthermore, the corresponding expertise across the industry is missing, thus making this a less elaborate view on the services that IMS would provide, compared to what the book's subtitle would suggest.

If you need a book on IMS right now, and are not happy with the abundance of online materials, buy this book. If you are looking for a comprehensive guide on what IMS means for providers and customers, I personally have not read such a book yet - but even if it has not been released, it is only a matter of time. Keep your eyes peeled for snippets of information coming out of service providers and infrastructure vendors, and for the ongoing debates in the industry around the evolution of the service delivery platform.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for those needing to know about IMS, January 3, 2005

By 

Sean K. Schneyer (The Colony, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 3G IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS): Merging the Internet and the Cellular Worlds (Hardcover)

My original review of this book was based on the 1st edition which contains some typos which could make it a bit hard to read.

I am now revising this review to reflect the 2nd addition that is now available. The editors did a much better job on this edition and there is plenty of new content to make it worth the purchase.

This is a great book to acquaint the user with IMS, its history and how it fits into the Internet landscape. The authors have done a good job of covering the entire IMS space.

This is a must have book for anyone needing to get up-to-speed on IMS.

For anyone who will be working with IMS regularly, they will want to also familiarize themselves with the 3GPP specifications ([...]) since IMS is still a developing technology. There are already a number of changes to IMS that are not documented in the 2nd edition since the specifications are still being worked on.

Not only do I highly recommend this book, but we often give this book to our customers when talking to them about IMS.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference Book, October 21, 2004

By 

Mehul Shah (Boca Raton, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 3G IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS): Merging the Internet and the Cellular Worlds (Hardcover)

If there is one book you have to buy for IMS, make it this one. The authors clearly explain the benefits of this new Multimedia domain and then go on to describe the architecture in no-nonsense, easy to understand terms. A basic understanding of 3GPP network architecture and the SIP protocol are required pre-requisites. An Extensive reference section will allow the user to dig deeper in any topic of their choosing. A must have reference book!!