TeliaSonera taps Nokia for IMS

TeliaSonera has picked Nokia Siemens Networks’ implementation of the IMS core network after what a vendor spokesman called “extensive technical evaluations,” including interworking trials with the GSM Association.

In a statement on Tuesday, Nokia and TeliaSonera made reference to the IMS as an “open, standardised system for combining mobile and broadband services, making it possible for end users to seamlessly access the same services over mobile, fixed and WLAN networks,” suggesting that integration between the Swedish-Finnish operator’s fixed and mobile operations is top of the agenda.

Perhaps tellingly, it was TeliaSonera Broadband Services boss Ove Alm who announced the deal, rather than (say) Kenneth Karlsberg, head of mobility services. It has been widely suggested that IMS, a technology originating in the mobile business, is going to be deployed more widely by fixed line or cable operators.

But it remains to be seen exactly how IMS-like the products TeliaSonera has bought are. According to ZTE USA chief architect, Li Mo, in an exclusive interview with MCI and telecoms.com last month, most IMS deployments are still not true IMS – something Brough Turner, CTO of NMS Communications, recently confirmed on his blog.

Turner alleges that systems from several major vendors described as “IMS” are actually softswitches with add on SIP features and claims they are not compliant with IMS standards. He said he has looked at offerings from Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia.