IMS over WiMAX: Opportunities for service providers and corporations

DUBLIN, IRELAND: Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "IP Multimedia Services over WiMAX: Opportunities for Service Providers and Corporations" report to its offering.

The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) framework represents an integrated traffic of data, voice and video on the same networking infrastructure whereby the performance of all the three services are optimized. WiMAX holds great promise as the potential answer to IP multimedia for corporations.

This report presents analytics for corporate markets of WiMAX (fixed as well as mobile) that is invaluable to IT and telecom strategists working with OEMs, service providers, systems integrators, telecom consultancy firms, telecom migration consultants, & corporate customers that are planning to implement IP multimedia services on wireless systems for premium (heavy duty) applications.

An analysis of opportunities offered by the UK Economy alone reveals that WiMAX equipment market is close to $600 million and services market close to $12 billion in the SMEs and corporate sector in the UK alone.

If the same analytics is extended to the Global SMEs and Corporate market, a market worth >$10 billion for equipment and >$100 billion for services is waiting to be tapped.

Selected key report findings:
* IP Multimedia Subsystem will not penetrate corporations until legacy data networking companies such as Cisco and Motorola develop a structured roadmap and offer complete range of products. For example, Cisco will need to rebuild AVVID like framework for IMS.

* SIP may not replace H.323 unless IMS roadmap for corporations is clear.

* With the exception of Alcatel-Lucent, no other companies wish to invest in R&D of both technologies. Moreover, the Telecom service providers have focused on subscribers using mobile handsets or tablets should continue using 3G and wait for commercialization of 4G (LTE).

* The telecom service providers should not position 3G as broadband service on laptops but should rather focus on 3G broadband services on PDAs/mobile handsets with a roadmap to adopt 4G (LTE). Similarly, the WiMAX broadband Internet markets (fixed and mobile) should focus on laptops, desktops and pocket PCs but not on handsets.

* WiMAX has addressed all the gaps left by the WiFi technologies and hence should be considered for wireless IP multimedia corporate applications (like IBM Sametime, Microsoft Communications Server, Go To Meeting (on Citrix), WebEx, etc. in SMEs and corporations.

* There is no technology war among 3G, 4G, WiMAX (fixed & mobile) and 802.11e. All the four technologies have different visions and are expected to settle down in their own respective markets except minor overlaps due to demographic, political, service provider's strategic positioning, etc.

* The services for general subscribers and SMEs/Corporations should be segregated by the service providers by providing (preferably) dedicated channels to SMEs/corporations not mixed with channels serving general subscribers. Also, corporate services are for serious business applications and hence their retention and value per customer would be much higher compared with general customers who would use most of the IP multimedia services for fun.

* 3G with IP multimedia subsystem services (IMS based) is to be positioned for general mobile subscribers, 4G with IP multimedia subsystem services (IMS based) is to be positioned for premium corporate mobile subscribers, fixed WiMAX is to be positioned for rural subscribers for broadband services, and fixed and mobile WiMAX (with segregated channels) is to be positioned for SME/corporate subscribers for broadband services with traditional IP multimedia services (H.323 based).

In addition, WiMAX has a large market for backhaul connectivity and as replacement of OFC last mile in corporate Internet connections. In many cases, it can be included as a backup to corporate leased circuits connecting to Internet.