Facilitating 4G convergence using IMS

In order to achieve the Fourth Generation of wireless communications (4G) goal of convergent and omnipresent communications and services, an efficient service delivery platform is necessary. The most promising services platform is the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project. IMS provides a reliable and efficient architecture that supports multiple service categories while maintaining QoS and managing many aspects of the network such as authentication and accounting Utilizing IMS and enhancing its components to provide the abovementioned services can significantly help in building the envisioned ubiquitous 4G environment that consists of a standardized IMS core with extended capabilities. In this paper we describe how 4G convergence and mobility enhancement can be achieved via IMS. We also present a survey of current IMS convergence schemes for 4G.

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