Thomson Unveils IMS Video Strategy

The world’s largest IPTV[1] solutions provider brings IMS standardization to deliver interactive TV across fixed and mobile broadband networks

PARIS (France) and ATLANTA (United States) — At the professional tradeshow TelcoTV, currently taking place in Atlanta, Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE; TMS) announced its strategy for the delivery of interactive voice and video services over any fixed or mobile network using IMS (“IP Multimedia Subsystem”) architecture. This announcement follows Thomson’s on-going action to ease the deployment of new IPTV and interactive TV services and lower network costs.

Leveraging standard interfaces and mechanisms, IMS is a network architecture developed together by equipment vendors and telecom operators to deliver any type of service over any local loop and any device using a single infrastructure. It is seen by operators as the way to replace legacy telecom architectures with IP networks and launch a new breed of interactive and multimedia features to compete against “peer-to-peer” and Internet-based services.

Non-proprietary and open standards

“As one of the first telecom equipment manufacturers to announce the availability of IMS solutions, we are committed to the promotion of non-proprietary and open standards” said Frédéric Caussarieu, senior vice president of the Network Intelligence Solutions activity within Thomson’s Systems Division. “In fact, our Cirpack telephony application and core IMS solution have already been deployed with large broadband operators as well as with fixed mobile convergence rollouts.”

Frédéric Caussarieu added that IMS technology will resolve a number of IPTV issues which are becoming critical for operators wishing to deploy IPTV, including a lack of standards, bandwidth management, and a complexity that hinders the ability to offer cross services. He sees the combination of IMS technology and Thomson’s video expertise as a unique asset that will give the company an edge in content distribution services across fixed and mobile broadband networks.

“Our IMS solution will clearly accelerate deployments of IPTV services, but will also enable content roaming and handover across networks and terminals to realize the vision of a unified TV experience that only telecom operators can bring to life” said Frédéric Caussarieu.

As the world’s largest IPTV equipment developer, Thomson is a major contributor to standardisation efforts, chairing the DVB-IP workgroups and playing a key role in the European Telecommunications Standard Institute’s “TISPAN 2” working groups currently finalising the IMS specifications for IPTV.

These new industry standards for IPTV are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2008. Thomson has already started to adapt its SmartVision IPTV service platform, and will make its full IMS solution available for trials in 2008. Existing SmartVision customers will be able to migrate smoothly to embrace IMS standards when desired.

[1] According to market analysts MRG