CANNES, France-The GSM Association said it has brought together network operators and vendors to conduct interoperability trials of equipment and networks for Session Initiation Protocol-based services.
SIP is the underlying protocol for hosting session-based services such as instant messaging, Push-to-talk over Cellular, video telephony and multiplayer games.
Wireless players are gravitating toward SIP for Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystems platforms that can enhance third-generation services.
“Customers want universal connectivity, not isolated island communities,” remarked Rob Conway, chief executive officer and member of the board of GSM Association.
Last December, 13 companies signed a GSM Association memorandum of understanding to actively promote interoperability for SIP-based services. They include Belgacom, Cable & Wireless, Ericsson, KPN, MMO2, Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp., Orange, SFR, Siemens, Telenor, TeliaSonera and Vodafone.
The GSMA said a test campaign completed in February this year resulted from the MOU. The trial used infrastructure based on the 3GPP IMS standard, handsets provided by Nokia with test applications such as voice instant messaging, video sharing and gaming. The tests employed both 2G and 3G access networks, according to GSMA.
Six operators, four GSM roaming exchange carriers and three infrastructure vendors took part in the trial. The carriers included KPN, Orange, SFR, Telenor, TeliaSonera and Vodafone. The GRX carriers are Belgacom, Cable & Wireless, KPN and TeliaSonera, while the three infrastructure vendors included Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens.
