Network Convergence

ALSO CALLED: Converged Communications, Voice & Data Integration, Voice/Data Integration, Convergence, Integration, Digital Convergence, Voice/Data Convergence, Data & Voice Integration, Voice and Data Integration, Data Voice Integration, Data and Voice Integration, Voice Data Integration, Data/Voice Integration, Voice Data Convergence, Voice and Data Convergence
DEFINITION: The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a concept for an integrated network of telecommunications carriers that would facilitate the use of IP (Internet Protocol) for packet communications in all known forms over wireless or landline. Examples of such communications include traditional telephony, fax, e-mail, Internet access, Web services, Voice over IP (VoIP), instant messaging (IM), videoconference  … 
Definition continues below.

NETWORK CONVERGENCE DEFINITION (continued): …  sessions and video on demand (VoD). IMS was originally conceived in the late 1990s as part of a plan for worldwide deployment of mobile telecommunications networks that would interface with the public switched telephone network (PSTN). IMS is part of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).In its ideal form, IMS would offer unprecedented convenience for individual and business users. Flexibility and expandability would allow vendors to bring new services online as those services emerge and evolve, without forcing subscribers to frequently change carriers. Reality has fallen short of this … 
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