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

~ (Author), Miguel-Angel García-Martín (Author) "Third Generation (3G) networks aim to merge two of the most successful paradigms in communications: cellular networks and the Internet..." (more)
Key Phrases: initial filter criteria, remote sendrecv, offline charging, Public User Identity, Session Progress, Private User Identity (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

Product Description

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (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 (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #977,511 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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 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)

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.

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars SIP & IMS , Not too bad after all, May 1, 2005

By	fatih eyup nar "fenar" (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After the the book SIP Demisfied of author (G.Camarillo) I was not quite sure to spend this much money... Anyway try & see I said: Here it's outlines..
1-Paying that much money (~100usd) and gray figures in book , damn! why it is not colorfull (at least clouds in figures)..
2-comparing with basic SIP and internet based session setup dialogues system , good approach...
3-Not inspected good , mis-writings , spelling errors etc. Ex:page 12 "while 3gpp and 3gpp.." ...
4-Clear expressions & nearly describing all related items...

Last Comment: Have some money and want to learn some more on IMS after SIP know-how then get it but donot expect too much in details...