With ever-increasing competition from telcos, “over-the-top” competitors, and direct broadcast satellite, Multiple System Operators (MSOs) must differentiate with consumer-driven, rich IP multimedia services. How can operators deliver advanced offerings like fixed mobile convergence while simultaneously improving the operational efficiency of their networks? How can MSOs deliver these services today, while ensuring a future roadmap to a next-generation infrastructure?
This paper reviews the forces that are influencing the development of relevant standards to meet these challenges. The standards include IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), PacketCable™ 1.x, PacketCable 2.0, and PacketCable Multimedia™ (PCMM). Also included is an example of how an MSO can gracefully migrate from PacketCable 1.x voice services to IMS/SIP multimedia services and the key benefits that such a gradual transition offers.