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IPMultimediaSubsystem
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

TheIPMultimediaSubsystemorIPMultimediaCoreNetworkSubsystem(IMS)isanarchitectural
frameworkfordeliveringIPmultimediaservices.Historically,mobilephoneshaveprovidedvoicecallservices
overaswitchedcircuitstylenetwork,ratherthanstrictlyoveranIPpacketswitchednetwork.Alternativemethods
ofdeliveringvoiceorothermultimediaservicesoverIPhavebecomeavailableonsmartphones(e.g.VoIPor
Skype),buttheyhavenotbecomestandardizedacrosstheindustry.IMSisanarchitecturalframeworktoprovide
suchstandardization.
IMSwasoriginallydesignedbythewirelessstandardsbody3rdGenerationPartnershipProject(3GPP),asapart
ofthevisionforevolvingmobilenetworksbeyondGSM.Itsoriginalformulation(3GPPRel5)representedan
approachtodelivering"Internetservices"overGPRS.Thisvisionwaslaterupdatedby3GPP,3GPP2andETSI
TISPANbyrequiringsupportofnetworksotherthanGPRS,suchasWirelessLAN,CDMA2000andfixedlines.
ToeasetheintegrationwiththeInternet,IMSusesIETFprotocolswhereverpossible,e.g.,SIP(SessionInitiation
Protocol).Accordingtothe3GPP,[1]IMSisnotintendedtostandardizeapplications,butrathertoaidtheaccessof
multimediaandvoiceapplicationsfromwirelessandwirelineterminals,i.e.,tocreateaformoffixedmobile
convergence(FMC).Thisisdonebyhavingahorizontalcontrollayerthatisolatestheaccessnetworkfromthe
servicelayer.Fromalogicalarchitectureperspective,servicesneednothavetheirowncontrolfunctions,asthe
controllayerisacommonhorizontallayer.However,inimplementationthisdoesnotnecessarilymapintogreater
reducedcostandcomplexity.
Alternativeandoverlappingtechnologiesforaccessandprovisioningofservicesacrosswiredandwireless
networksincludecombinationsofGenericAccessNetwork,softswitchesand"naked"SIP.
Sinceitisbecomingincreasinglyeasiertoaccesscontentandcontactsusingmechanismsoutsidethecontrolof
traditionalwireless/fixedoperators,theinterestofIMSisbeingchallenged.[2]
ExamplesofglobalstandardsbasedonIMSareMMTelwhichisthebasisforVoiceoverLTE(VoLTE)andRich
CommunicationServices(RCS)whichisalsoknownasjoynorAdvancedMessaging.

Contents
1 History
2 Architecture
2.1 Accessnetwork
2.2 Corenetwork
2.2.1 CSCFCallSessionControlFunction
2.2.2 Applicationservers
2.2.2.1 Functionalmodel
2.2.2.2 PublicServiceIdentity
2.2.3 Mediaservers
2.2.4 Breakoutgateway
2.2.5 PSTNgateways
2.2.6 Mediaresources
2.3 NGNinterconnection
2.4 Charging
2.5 IMSBasedPESArchitecture
2.6 Interfacesdescription
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3
4
5
6
7
8

2.6 Interfacesdescription
Sessionhandling
3.1 Initialfiltercriteria
SecurityaspectsofearlyIMSandnon3GPPsystems
Seealso
References
Externallinks
Books

History
IMSwasoriginallydefinedbyanindustryforumcalled3G.IP,formedin1999.3G.IPdevelopedtheinitial
IMSarchitecture,whichwasbroughttothe3rdGenerationPartnershipProject(3GPP),aspartoftheir
standardizationworkfor3GmobilephonesystemsinUMTSnetworks.ItfirstappearedinRelease5
(evolutionfrom2Gto3Gnetworks),whenSIPbasedmultimediawasadded.SupportfortheolderGSM
andGPRSnetworkswasalsoprovided.[3]
3GPP2(adifferentorganizationfrom3GPP)basedtheirCDMA2000MultimediaDomain(MMD)on3GPP
IMS,addingsupportforCDMA2000.
3GPPrelease6addedinterworkingwithWLAN,interoperabilitybetweenIMSusingdifferentIP
connectivitynetworks,routinggroupidentities,multipleregistrationandforking,presence,speech
recognitionandspeechenabledservices(Pushtotalk).
3GPPrelease7addedsupportforfixednetworksbyworkingtogetherwithTISPANreleaseR1.1,the
functionofAGCF(accessgatewaycontrolfunction)andPES(PSTNemulationservice)areintroducedto
thewirelinenetworkforthesakeofinheritanceofserviceswhichcanbeprovidedinPSTNnetwork.AGCF
worksasabridgeinterconnectingtheIMSnetworksandtheMegaco/H.248networks.Megaco/H.248
networksoffersthepossibilitytoconnectterminalsoftheoldlegacynetworkstothenewgenerationof
networksbasedonIPnetworks.AGCFactsaSIPUseragenttowardstheIMSandperformstheroleofP
CSCF.SIPUserAgentfunctionalityisincludedintheAGCF,andnotonthecustomerdevicebutinthe
networkitself.Alsoaddedvoicecallcontinuitybetweencircuitswitchingandpacketswitchingdomain
(VCC),fixedbroadbandconnectiontotheIMS,interworkingwithnonIMSnetworks,policyandcharging
control(PCC),emergencysessions.
3GPPrelease8addedsupportforLTE/SAE,multimediasessioncontinuity,enhancedemergencysessions
andIMScentralizedservices.
3GPPrelease9addedsupportforIMSemergencycallsoverGPRSandEPS,enhancementstomultimedia
telephony,IMSmediaplanesecurity,enhancementstoservicescentralizationandcontinuity.
3GPPrelease10addedsupportforinterdevicetransfer,enhancementstothesingleradiovoicecall
continuity(SRVCC),enhancementstoIMSemergencysessions.
3GPPrelease11addedUSSDsimulationservice,networkprovidedlocationinformationforIMS,SMS
submitanddeliverywithoutMSISDNinIMS,andoverloadcontrol.

Architecture

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3GPP/TISPANIMSarchitecturaloverview

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3GPP/TISPANIMSarchitecturaloverviewHSSinIMSlayer(asbystandard)

Eachofthefunctionsinthediagramisexplainedbelow.
TheIPmultimediacorenetworksubsystemisacollectionofdifferentfunctions,linkedbystandardizedinterfaces,
whichgroupedformoneIMSadministrativenetwork.[4]Afunctionisnotanode(hardwarebox):Animplementer
isfreetocombinetwofunctionsinonenode,ortosplitasinglefunctionintotwoormorenodes.Eachnodecan
alsobepresentmultipletimesinasinglenetwork,fordimensioning,loadbalancingororganizationalissues.

Accessnetwork
TheusercanconnecttoIMSinvariousways,mostofwhichusethestandardIP.IMSterminals(suchasmobile
phones,personaldigitalassistants(PDAs)andcomputers)canregisterdirectlyonIMS,evenwhentheyare
roaminginanothernetworkorcountry(thevisitednetwork).TheonlyrequirementisthattheycanuseIPandrun
SIPuseragents.Fixedaccess(e.g.,DigitalSubscriberLine(DSL),cablemodems,Ethernet),mobileaccess(e.g.
WCDMA,CDMA2000,GSM,GPRS)andwirelessaccess(e.g.,WLAN,WiMAX)areallsupported.Otherphone
systemslikeplainoldtelephoneservice(POTStheoldanaloguetelephones),H.323andnonIMScompatible
systems,aresupportedthroughgateways.

Corenetwork

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HSSHomesubscriberserver:
Thehomesubscriberserver(HSS),oruserprofileserverfunction(UPSF),isamasteruserdatabasethatsupports
theIMSnetworkentitiesthatactuallyhandlecalls.Itcontainsthesubscriptionrelatedinformation(subscriber
profiles),performsauthenticationandauthorizationoftheuser,andcanprovideinformationaboutthesubscriber's
locationandIPinformation.ItissimilartotheGSMhomelocationregister(HLR)andAuthenticationcentre
(AuC).
Asubscriberlocationfunction(SLF)isneededtomapuseraddresseswhenmultipleHSSsareused.
Useridentities:
VariousidentitiesmaybeassociatedwithIMS:IPmultimediaprivateidentity(IMPI),IPmultimediapublic
identity(IMPU),globallyroutableuseragentURI(GRUU),wildcardedpublicuseridentity.BothIMPIandIMPU
arenotphonenumbersorotherseriesofdigits,butuniformresourceidentifier(URIs),thatcanbedigits(aTel
URI,suchastel:+15551234567)oralphanumericidentifiers(aSIPURI,suchassip:john.doe@example.com").
IPMultimediaPrivateIdentity:
TheIPMultimediaPrivateIdentity(IMPI)isauniquepermanentlyallocatedglobalidentityassignedbythehome
networkoperator,andisused,forexample,forRegistration,Authorization,Administration,andAccounting
purposes.EveryIMSusershallhaveoneIMPI.
IPMultimediaPublicIdentity:
TheIPMultimediaPublicIdentity(IMPU)isusedbyanyuserforrequestingcommunicationstootherusers(e.g.
thismightbeincludedonabusinesscard).TherecanbemultipleIMPUperIMPI.TheIMPUcanalsobeshared
withanotherphone,sothatbothcanbereachedwiththesameidentity(forexample,asinglephonenumberforan
entirefamily).
GloballyRoutableUserAgentURI:
GloballyRoutableUserAgentURI(GRUU)isanidentitythatidentifiesauniquecombinationofIMPUandUE
instance.TherearetwotypesofGRUU:PublicGRUU(PGRUU)andTemporaryGRUU(TGRUU).
PGRUUrevealtheIMPUandareverylonglived.
TGRUUdonotrevealtheIMPUandarevaliduntilthecontactisexplicitlyderegisteredorthecurrent
registrationexpires
WildcardedPublicUserIdentity:
AwildcardedPublicUserIdentityexpressesasetofIMPUgroupedtogether.
TheHSSsubscriberdatabasecontainstheIMPU,IMPI,IMSI,MSISDN,subscriberserviceprofiles,service
triggers,andotherinformation.
CSCFCallSessionControlFunction
SeveralrolesofSIPserversorproxies,collectivelycalledCallSessionControlFunction(CSCF),areusedto
processSIPsignallingpacketsintheIMS.
AProxyCSCF(PCSCF)isaSIPproxythatisthefirstpointofcontactfortheIMSterminal.Itcanbe
locatedeitherinthevisitednetwork(infullIMSnetworks)orinthehomenetwork(whenthevisited
networkisnotIMScompliantyet).SomenetworksmayuseaSessionBorderController(SBC)forthis
function.ThePCSCFisatitscoreaspecializedSBCfortheUsernetworkinterfacewhichnotonly
protectsthenetwork,butalsotheIMSterminal.TheuseofanadditionalSBCbetweentheIMSterminaland
thePCSCFisunnecessaryandinfeasibleduetothesignalingbeingencryptedonthisleg.Theterminal
discoversitsPCSCFwitheitherDHCP,oritmaybeconfigured(e.g.duringinitialprovisioningorviaa
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3GPPIMSManagementObject(MO))orintheISIMorassignedinthePDPContext(inGeneralPacket
RadioService(GPRS)).
ItisassignedtoanIMSterminalbeforeregistration,anddoesnotchangeforthedurationofthe
registration.
Itsitsonthepathofallsignalling,andcaninspecteverysignaltheIMSterminalmustignoreany
otherunencryptedsignalling.
ItprovidessubscriberauthenticationandmayestablishanIPsecorTLSsecurityassociationwiththe
IMSterminal.Thispreventsspoofingattacksandreplayattacksandprotectstheprivacyofthe
subscriber.
ItinspectsthesignalingandensuresthattheIMSterminalsdonotmisbehave(e.g.changenormal
signalingroutes,donotobeyhomenetwork'sroutingpolicy).
ItcancompressanddecompressSIPmessagesusingSigComp,whichreducestheroundtripover
slowradiolinks.
ItmayincludeaPolicyDecisionFunction(PDF),whichauthorizesmediaplaneresourcese.g.,quality
ofservice(QoS)overthemediaplane.Itisusedforpolicycontrol,bandwidthmanagement,etc.The
PDFcanalsobeaseparatefunction.
Italsogenerateschargingrecords.
AnInterrogatingCSCF(ICSCF)isanotherSIPfunctionlocatedattheedgeofanadministrativedomain.
ItsIPaddressispublishedintheDomainNameSystem(DNS)ofthedomain(usingNAPTRandSRVtype
ofDNSrecords),sothatremoteserverscanfindit,anduseitasaforwardingpoint(e.g.,registering)forSIP
packetstothisdomain.
itqueriestheHSStoretrievetheaddressoftheSCSCFandassignittoauserperformingSIP
registration
italsoforwardsSIPrequestorresponsetotheSCSCF
UptoRelease6itcanalsobeusedtohidetheinternalnetworkfromtheoutsideworld(encrypting
partsoftheSIPmessage),inwhichcaseit'scalledaTopologyHidingInternetworkGateway(THIG).
FromRelease7onwardsthis"entrypoint"functionisremovedfromtheICSCFandisnowpartof
theInterconnectionBorderControlFunction(IBCF).TheIBCFisusedasgatewaytoexternal
networks,andprovidesNATandfirewallfunctions(pinholing).TheIBCFispracticallyaSession
BorderControllerspecializedfortheNNI.
AServingCSCF(SCSCF)isthecentralnodeofthesignallingplane.ItisaSIPserver,butperformssession
controltoo.Itisalwayslocatedinthehomenetwork.ItusesDiameterCxandDxinterfacestotheHSSto
downloaduserprofilesanduploadusertoSCSCFassociations(theuserprofileisonlycachedlocallyfor
processingreasonsonlyandisnotchanged).Allnecessarysubscriberprofileinformationisloadedfromthe
HSS.
ithandlesSIPregistrations,whichallowsittobindtheuserlocation(e.g.,theIPaddressofthe
terminal)andtheSIPaddress
itsitsonthepathofallsignalingmessagesofthelocallyregisteredusers,andcaninspectevery
message
itdecidestowhichapplicationserver(s)theSIPmessagewillbeforwarded,inordertoprovidetheir
services
itprovidesroutingservices,typicallyusingElectronicNumbering(ENUM)lookups
itenforcesthepolicyofthenetworkoperator
therecanbemultipleSCSCFsinthenetworkforloaddistributionandhighavailabilityreasons.It's
theHSSthatassignstheSCSCFtoauser,whenit'squeriedbytheICSCF.Therearemultiple
optionsforthispurpose,includingamandatory/optionalcapabilitiestobematchedbetween
subscribersandSCSCFs.
Applicationservers
SIPApplicationservers(AS)hostandexecuteservices,andinterfacewiththeSCSCFusingSIP.Anexampleof
anapplicationserverthatisbeingdevelopedin3GPPistheVoicecallcontinuityFunction(VCCServer).
Dependingontheactualservice,theAScanoperateinSIPproxymode,SIPUA(useragent)modeorSIPB2BUA
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mode.AnAScanbelocatedinthehomenetworkorinanexternalthirdpartynetwork.Iflocatedinthehome
network,itcanquerytheHSSwiththeDiameterShorSiinterfaces(foraSIPAS).
SIPAS:HostandexecuteIMSspecificservices
IPMultimediaServiceSwitchingFunction(IMSSF):InterfacesSIPtoCAPtocommunicatewithCAMEL
ApplicationServers
OSAservicecapabilityserver(OSASCS):InterfacesSIPtotheOSAframework
Functionalmodel

TheASILCM(ApplicationServerIncomingLegControlModel)andASOLCM(ApplicationSeverOutgoing
LegControlModel)storetransactionstate,andmayoptionallystoresessionstatedependingonthespecificservice
beingexecuted.TheASILCMinterfacestotheSCSCF(ILCM)foranincominglegandtheASOLCM
interfacestotheSCSCF(OLCM)foranoutgoingleg.ApplicationLogicprovidestheservice(s)andinteracts
betweentheASILCMandASOLCM.
PublicServiceIdentity

PublicServiceIdentities(PSI)areidentitiesthatidentifyservices,whicharehostedbyapplicationservers.Asuser
identities,PSItakestheformofeitheraSIPorTelURI.PSIsarestoredintheHSSeitherasadistinctPSIorasa
wildcardedPSI:
adistinctPSIcontainsthePSIthatisusedinrouting
awildcardedPSIrepresentsacollectionofPSIs.
Mediaservers
TheMediaResourceFunction(MRF)providesmediarelatedfunctionssuchasmediamanipulation(e.g.voice
streammixing)andplayingoftonesandannouncements.
EachMRFisfurtherdividedintoamediaresourcefunctioncontroller(MRFC)andamediaresourcefunction
processor(MRFP).
TheMRFCisasignallingplanenodethatinterpretsinformationcomingfromanASandSCSCFtocontrol
theMRFP
TheMRFPisamediaplanenodeusedtomix,sourceorprocessmediastreams.Itcanalsomanageaccess
righttosharedresources.
TheMediaResourceBroker(MRB)isafunctionalentitythatisresponsibleforbothcollectionofappropriate
publishedMRFinformationandsupplyingofappropriateMRFinformationtoconsumingentitiessuchastheAS.
MRBcanbeusedintwomodes:
Querymode:ASqueriestheMRBformediaandsetsupthecallusingtheresponseofMRB
InLineMode:ASsendsaSIPINVITEtotheMRB.TheMRBsetsupthecall
Breakoutgateway
ABreakoutGatewayControlFunction(BGCF)isaSIPproxywhichprocessesrequestsforroutingfromanS
CSCFwhentheSCSCFhasdeterminedthatthesessioncannotberoutedusingDNSorENUM/DNS.Itincludes
routingfunctionalitybasedontelephonenumbers.
PSTNgateways
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APSTN/CSgatewayinterfaceswithPSTNcircuitswitched(CS)networks.Forsignalling,CSnetworksuseISDN
UserPart(ISUP)(orBICC)overMessageTransferPart(MTP),whileIMSusesSIPoverIP.Formedia,CS
networksusePulsecodemodulation(PCM),whileIMSusesRealtimeTransportProtocol(RTP).
Asignallinggateway(SGW)interfaceswiththesignallingplaneoftheCS.Ittransformslowerlayer
protocolsasStreamControlTransmissionProtocol(SCTP,anIPprotocol)intoMessageTransferPart(MTP,
anSignallingSystem7(SS7)protocol),topassISDNUserPart(ISUP)fromtheMGCFtotheCSnetwork.
Amediagatewaycontrollerfunction(MGCF)isaSIPendpointthatdoescallcontrolprotocolconversion
betweenSIPandISUP/BICCandinterfaceswiththeSGWoverSCTP.Italsocontrolstheresourcesina
MediaGateway(MGW)acrossanH.248interface.
Amediagateway(MGW)interfaceswiththemediaplaneoftheCSnetwork,byconvertingbetweenRTP
andPCM.Itcanalsotranscodewhenthecodecsdon'tmatch(e.g.,IMSmightuseAMR,PSTNmightuse
G.711).
Mediaresources
MediaResourcesarethosecomponentsthatoperateonthemediaplaneandareunderthecontrolofIMScore
functions.Specifically,MediaServer(MS)andMediagateway(MGW)

NGNinterconnection
Therearetwotypesofnextgenerationnetworkinginterconnection:
Serviceorientedinterconnection(SoIx):ThephysicalandlogicallinkingofNGNdomainsthatallows
carriersandserviceproviderstoofferservicesoverNGN(i.e.,IMSandPES)platformswithcontrol,
signalling(i.e.,sessionbased),whichprovidesdefinedlevelsofinteroperability.Forinstance,thisisthecase
of"carriergrade"voiceand/ormultimediaservicesoverIPinterconnection."Definedlevelsof
interoperability"aredependentupontheserviceortheQoSortheSecurity,etc.
Connectivityorientedinterconnection(CoIx):Thephysicalandlogicallinkingofcarriersandservice
providersbasedonsimpleIPconnectivityirrespectiveofthelevelsofinteroperability.Forexample,anIP
interconnectionofthistypeisnotawareofthespecificendtoendserviceand,asaconsequence,service
specificnetworkperformance,QoSandsecurityrequirementsarenotnecessarilyassured.Thisdefinition
doesnotexcludethatsomeservicesmayprovideadefinedlevelofinteroperability.However,onlySoIx
fullysatisfiesNGNinteroperabilityrequirements.
AnNGNinterconnectionmodecanbedirectorindirect.Directinterconnectionreferstotheinterconnection
betweentwonetworkdomainswithoutanyintermediatenetworkdomain.Indirectinterconnectionatonelayer
referstotheinterconnectionbetweentwonetworkdomainswithoneormoreintermediatenetworkdomain(s)
actingastransitnetworks.Theintermediatenetworkdomain(s)provide(s)transitfunctionalitytothetwoother
networkdomains.Differentinterconnectionmodesmaybeusedforcarryingservicelayersignallingandmedia
traffic.

Charging
Offlinechargingisappliedtouserswhopayfortheirservicesperiodically(e.g.,attheendofthemonth).Online
charging,alsoknownascreditbasedcharging,isusedforprepaidservices,orrealtimecreditcontrolofpostpaid
services.Bothmaybeappliedtothesamesession.
ChargingfunctionaddressesareaddressesdistributedtoeachIMSentitiesandprovideacommonlocationfor
eachentitytosendcharginginformation.chargingdatafunction(CDF)addressesareusedforofflinebillingand
OnlineChargingFunction(OCF)foronlinebilling.
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OfflineCharging:AlltheSIPnetworkentities(PCSCF,ICSCF,SCSCF,BGCF,MRFC,MGCF,AS)
involvedinthesessionusetheDiameterRfinterfacetosendaccountinginformationtoaCDFlocatedinthe
samedomain.TheCDFwillcollectallthisinformation,andbuildacalldetailrecord(CDR),whichissent
tothebillingsystem(BS)ofthedomain.
EachsessioncarriesanIMSChargingIdentifier(ICID)asauniqueidentifiergeneratedbythefirstIMS
entityinvolvedinaSIPtransactionandusedforthecorrelationwithCDRs.InterOperatorIdentifier(IOI)is
agloballyuniqueidentifiersharedbetweensendingandreceivingnetworks.Eachdomainhasitsown
chargingnetwork.Billingsystemsindifferentdomainswillalsoexchangeinformation,sothatroaming
chargescanbeapplied.
Onlinecharging:TheSCSCFtalkstoaIMSgatewayfunction(IMSGWF)whichlookslikearegularSIP
applicationserver.TheIMSGWFcansignaltheSCSCFtoterminatethesessionwhentheuserrunsoutof
creditsduringasession.TheASandMRFCusetheDiameterRointerfacetowardsanOCF.
Whenimmediateeventcharging(IEC)isused,anumberofcreditunitsisimmediatelydeductedfrom
theuser'saccountbytheECFandtheMRFCorASisthenauthorizedtoprovidetheservice.The
serviceisnotauthorizedwhennotenoughcreditunitsareavailable.
Wheneventchargingwithunitreservation(ECUR)isused,theECF(eventchargingfunction)first
reservesanumberofcreditunitsintheuser'saccountandthenauthorizestheMRFCortheAS.After
theserviceisover,thenumberofspentcreditunitsisreportedanddeductedfromtheaccountthe
reservedcreditunitsarethencleared.

IMSBasedPESArchitecture
IMSbasedPES(PSTNEmulationSystem)providesIPnetworksservicestoanalogdevices.IMSbasedPES
allowsnonIMSdevicestoappeartoIMSasnormalSIPusers.Analogterminalusingstandardanaloginterfaces
canconnecttoIMSbasedPESintwoways
ViaAMGW(AccessMediaGateway)thatislinkedandcontrolledbyAGCF.AGCFisplacedwithinthe
OperatorsnetworkandcontrolsmultipleAMGW.AMGWandAGCFcommunicateusingH.248.1
(Megaco)overtheP1referencepoint.POTSphoneconnecttoAMGWoverthezinterface.Thesignalling
isconvertedtoH.248intheAMGWandpassedtoAGCF.AGCFinterpretstheH.248signalandother
inputsfromtheAMGWtoformatH.248messagesintoappropriateSIPmessages.AGCFpresentsitselfas
PCSCFtotheSCSCFandpassesgeneratedSIPmessagestoSCSCFortoIPborderviaIBCF
(InterconnectionBorderControlFunction).ServicepresentedtoSCSCFinSIPmessagestriggerPESAS.
AGCFhasalsocertainserviceindependentlogic,forexampleonreceiptofoffhookeventfromAMGW,
theAGCFrequeststheAMGWtoplaydialtone.
ViaVGW(VoIPGateway)orSIPGateway/Adapteroncustomerpremises.POTSphonesviaVOIP
GatewayconnecttoPCSCFdirectly.OperatorsmostlyusesessionbordercontrollersbetweenVoIP
gatewaysandPCSCFsforsecurityandtohidenetworktopology.VoIPgatewaylinktoIMSusingSIPover
Gmreferencepoint.TheconversionfromPOTSserviceoverthezinterfacetoSIPoccursinthecustomer
premisesVoIPgateway.POTSsignalingisconvertedtoSIPandpassedontoPCSCF.VGWactsasSIP
useragentandappearstoPCSCFasSIPterminal.
BothAMGWandVGWareunawareoftheservices.TheyonlyrelaycallcontrolsignallingtoandfromthePSTN
terminal.SessioncontrolandhandlingisdonebyIMScomponents.

Interfacesdescription

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TISPANIMSarchitecturewithinterfaces

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Interface
IMSentities
name

Description
UsedbyMRFCtofetchdocuments(e.g.
scripts,announcementfiles,andother
resources)fromanAS.Alsousedfor
mediacontrolrelatedcommands.

Protocol

Cr

MRFC,AS

Cx

UsedtosendsubscriberdatatotheS
(ICSCF,S CSCFincludingfiltercriteriaandtheir
Diameter
CSCF),HSS priority.AlsousedtofurnishCDFand/or
OCFaddresses.

Dh

UsedbyAStofindtheHSSholdingthe
AS(SIPAS,
userprofileinformationinamultiHSS
OSA,IM
environment.DH_SLF_QUERY
SSF)<>
indicatesanIMPUandDX_SLF_RESP
SLF
returntheHSSname.

Dx

UsedbyICSCForSCSCFtofinda
(ICSCFor correctHSSinamultiHSSenvironment.
SCSCF)<> DX_SLF_QUERYindicatesanIMPU
Diameter
SLF
andDX_SLF_RESPreturntheHSS
name.

Gm

UsedtoexchangemessagesbetweenSIP
UE,PCSCF userequipment(UE)orVoipgatewayand SIP
PCSCF

Technical
specification

TCP/SCTPchannels

TS29.229,
TS29.212

Diameter

TS29.229,
TS29.212

Go

PDF,GGSN

AllowsoperatorstocontrolQoSinauser
planeandexchangechargingcorrelation COPS(Rel5),diameter
informationbetweenIMSandGPRS
(Rel6+)
network

Gq

PCSCF,
PDF

Usedtoexchangepolicydecisions
relatedinformationbetweenPCSCFand Diameter
PDF

Gx

Usedtoexchangepolicydecisions
PCEF,PCRF relatedinformationbetweenPCEFand
PCRF

Diameter

TS29.211,
TS29.212

Gy

Usedforonlineflowbasedbearer
charging.FunctionallyequivalenttoRo
interface

Diameter

TS23.203,
TS32.299

PCEF,OCS

ReferencepointbetweenSCSCFand
AS.Mainfunctionsareto:

ISC

SCSCF<>
AS

Ici

IBCFs

NotifytheASoftheregistered
IMPU,registrationstateandUE
capabilities
SIP
SupplytheASwithinformationto
allowittoexecutemultiple
services
Conveychargingfunction
addresses
Usedtoexchangemessagesbetweenan
IBCFandanotherIBCFbelongingtoa

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differentIMSnetwork.
Izi

TrGWs

Usedtoforwardmediastreamsfroma
TrGWtoanotherTrGWbelongingtoa
differentIMSnetwork.

RTP

Mainfunctionsareto:
ForwardSIPrequestswhichare
destinedtoapublicserviceidentity
hostedbytheAS
Originateasessiononbehalfofa
userorpublicserviceidentity,if
SIP
theAShasnoknowledgeofaS
CSCFassignedtothatuseror
publicserviceidentity
Conveychargingfunction
addresses

Ma

ICSCF<>
AS

Mg

MGCF>
I,SCSCF

ISUPsignallingtoSIPsignallingand
forwardsSIPsignallingtoICSCF

SIP

Mi

SCSCF>
BGCF

UsedtoexchangemessagesbetweenS
CSCFandBGCF

SIP

BGCF>
MGCF

Usedfortheinterworkingwiththe
PSTN/CSdomain,whentheBGCFhas
determinedthatabreakoutshouldoccur
inthesameIMSnetworktosendSIP
messagefromBGCFtoMGCF

SIP

Mk

BGCF>
BGCF

Usedfortheinterworkingwiththe
PSTN/CSdomain,whentheBGCFhas
determinedthatabreakoutshouldoccur
inanotherIMSnetworktosendSIP
messagefromBGCFtotheBGCFinthe
othernetwork

SIP

Mm

ICSCF,S
CSCF,
externalIP
network

Usedforexchangingmessagesbetween
IMSandexternalIPnetworks

SIP

Mn

MGCF,IM
MGW

Allowscontrolofuserplaneresources

H.248

Mp

MRFC,
MRFP

AllowsanMRFCtocontrolmediastream
H.248
resourcesprovidedbyanMRFP.

Mj

Mr
Mr'

SCSCF,
MRFC
AS,MRFC

ApplicationserversendsSIP
messagetoMRFCtoplay
toneandannouncement.This
SIPmessagecontains
UsedtoexchangeinformationbetweenS sufficientinformationtoplay
CSCFandMRFC
toneandannouncementor
SIP
Usedtoexchangesessioncontrols
provideinformationto
betweenASandMRFC
MRFC,sothatitcanask
moreinformationfrom

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applicationserverthroughCr
Interface.
Mw

PCSCF,I
Usedtoexchangemessagesbetween
CSCF,S
CSCFs.AGCFappearsasaPCSCFto
CSCF,AGCF theotherCSCFs

SIP

Mx

Usedfortheinterworkingwithanother
IMSnetwork,whentheBGCFhas
BGCF/CSCF, determinedthatabreakoutshouldoccur
IBCF
intheotherIMSnetworktosendSIP
messagefromBGCFtotheIBCFinthe
othernetwork

SIP

P1

AGCF,A
MGW

UsedforcallcontrolservicesbyAGCF
tocontrolH.248AMGWandresidential H.248
gateways

P2

AGCF,CSCF

ReferencepointbetweenAGCFand
CSCF.
UsedbytheAStorequestthatmedia
resourcesbeassignedtoacallwhen
usingMRBinlinemodeorinquery
mode

SIP

SIP,inquerymode(not
specified)

Rc

MRB,AS

Rf

PCSCF,I
CSCF,S
CSCF,
BGCF,
MRFC,
MGCF,AS

Usedtoexchangeofflinecharging
informationwithCDF

Diameter

TS32.299

Ro

AS,MRFC,
SCSCF

Usedtoexchangeonlinecharging
informationwithOCF

Diameter

TS32.299

Usedtoexchangepolicyandcharging
relatedinformationbetweenPCSCFand
PCRF
Diameter

TS29.214

Rx

PCSCF,
PCRF

ReplacementfortheGqreferencepoint.

Sh

UsedtoexchangeUserProfile
information(e.g.,userrelateddata,group
lists,userservicerelatedinformationor
userlocationinformationorcharging
AS(SIPAS,
functionaddresses(usedwhentheAShas
OSASCS),
Diameter
notreceivedthethirdpartyREGISTER
HSS
forauser))betweenanAS(SIPASor
OSASCS)andHSS.AlsoallowASto
activate/deactivatefiltercriteriastoredin
theHSSonapersubscriberbasis

Si

TransportsCAMELsubscription
information,includingtriggersforuseby
IMSSF,HSS
MAP
CAMELbasedapplicationservices
information.
UsedbyMRFCtofetchdocuments

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Sr

MRFC,AS

(scriptsandotherresources)fromanAS

HTTP

Ut

UEandSIP
AS(SIPAS,
Facilitatesthemanagementofsubscriber
OSASCS,
informationrelatedtoservicesand
HTTP(s),XCAP
IMSSF)PES
settings
ASand
AGCF

POTS,
Analog
phonesand
VoIP
gateways

ConversionofPOTSservicestoSIP
messages

Sessionhandling
OneofthemostimportantfeaturesofIMS,thatofallowingforaSIPapplicationtobedynamicallyand
differentially(basedontheuser'sprofile)triggered,isimplementedasafilterandredirectsignallingmechanismin
theSCSCF.
TheSCSCFmightapplyfiltercriteriatodeterminetheneedtoforwardSIPrequeststoAS.Itisimportanttonote
thatservicesfortheoriginatingpartywillbeappliedintheoriginatingnetwork,whiletheservicesforthe
terminatingpartywillbeappliedintheterminatingnetwork,allintherespectiveSCSCFs.

Initialfiltercriteria
Aninitialfiltercriteria(iFC)isanXMLbasedformatusedfordescribingcontrollogic.iFCsrepresenta
provisionedsubscriptionofausertoanapplication.TheyarestoredintheHSSaspartoftheIMSSubscription
ProfileandaredownloadedtotheSCSCFuponuserregistration(forregisteredusers)oronprocessingdemand
(forservices,actingasunregisteredusers).iFCsarevalidthroughouttheregistrationlifetimeoruntiltheUser
Profileischanged.[5]
TheiFCiscomposedof:
Prioritydeterminestheorderofcheckingthetrigger.
Triggerpointlogicalcondition(s)whichisverifiedagainstinitialdialogcreatingSIPrequestsorstand
aloneSIPrequests.
ApplicationserverURIspecifiestheapplicationservertobeforwardedtowhenthetriggerpointmatches.
TherearetwotypesofiFCs:
SharedWhenprovisioning,onlyareferencenumber(thesharediFCnumber)isassignedtothesubscriber.
Duringregistration,onlythenumberissenttotheCSCF,nottheentireXMLdescription.Thecomplete
XMLwillhavepreviouslybeenstoredontheCSCF.
Nonsharedwhenprovisioning,theentireXMLdescriptionoftheiFCisassignedtothesubscriber.During
registration,theentireXMLdescriptionissenttotheCSCF.

SecurityaspectsofearlyIMSandnon3GPPsystems

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ItisenvisagedthatsecuritydefinedinTS33.203maynotbeavailableforawhileespeciallybecauseofthelackof
USIM/ISIMinterfacesandprevalenceofdevicesthatsupportIPv4.Forthissituation,toprovidesomeprotection
againstthemostsignificantthreats,3GPPdefinessomesecuritymechanisms,whichareinformallyknownas
"earlyIMSsecurity,"inTR33.978.Thismechanismreliesontheauthenticationperformedduringthenetwork
attachmentprocedures,whichbindsbetweentheuser'sprofileanditsIPaddress.Thismechanismisalsoweak
becausethesignalingisnotprotectedontheusernetworkinterface.
CableLabsinPacketCable2.0,whichadoptedalsotheIMSarchitecturebuthasnoUSIM/ISIMcapabilitiesintheir
terminals,publisheddeltastothe3GPPspecificationswheretheDigestMD5isavalidauthenticationoption.Later
on,TISPANalsodidasimilareffortgiventheirfixednetworksscopes,althoughtheproceduresaredifferent.To
compensateforthelackofIPseccapabilities,TLShasbeenaddedasanoptionforsecuringtheGminterface.Later
3GPPReleaseshaveincludedtheDigestMD5method,towardsaCommonIMSplatform,yetinitsownandagain
differentapproach.Althoughall3variantsofDigestMD5authenticationhavethesamefunctionalityandarethe
samefromtheIMSterminal'sperspective,theimplementationsontheCxinterfacebetweentheSCSCFandthe
HSSaredifferent.

Seealso
4G
LTE
UMB
Mobilebroadband
Softswitch
VoiceoverIP
MobileVoIP
SIMPLE
Peertopeervideosharing
Videoshare
Imageshare
IPconnectivityaccessnetwork
TextoverIP
Multimediatelephony(MMTel)
Voicecallcontinuity
Pushtotalk
IMPS
RichCommunicationSuite
Servicecapabilityinteractionmanager
ExtensionstotheSIPfortheIPmultimediasubsystem

References
1.TechnicalSpecificationGroupServicesandSystemAspects(2006),IPMultimediaSubsystem(IMS),Stage2,TS23.228,
3rdGenerationPartnershipProject
2.AlexanderHarrowell,StaffWriter(October2006),APointlessMultimediaSubsystem?,MobileCommunications
International,archivedfromtheoriginalonSeptember2010
3."3GPPReleaseDescriptions".3GPP.
4.3GPP,23.228."3GPPStage2Specifications".
5.3GPP,29.228."3GPPStage2Specifications".

Externallinks
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AdecentIMStutorial(http://www.rennes.enstbretagne.fr/~gbertran/files/IMS_an_overview.pdf)
IMSmultipagetutorial(http://www.radioelectronics.com/info/telecommunications_networks/imsipmulti
mediasubsystem/tutorialbasics.php)
IMSCallFlows(http://www.eventhelix.com/ims/)

Books
Camarillo,GonzaloGarcaMartn,MiguelA.(2007).The3GIPmultimediasubsystem(IMS):Mergingthe
InternetandtheCellularWorlds(2ed.).Chichester[u.a.]:Wiley.ISBN0470018186.
Poikselk,Miikka(2007).TheIMS:IPmultimediaconceptsandservices(2ed.).Chichester[u.a.]:Wiley.
ISBN0470019069.
SyedA.Ahson,MohammedIlyas,ed.(2009).IPmultimediasubsystem(IMS)handbook.BocaRaton:CRC
Press.ISBN1420064592.
Wuthnow,MarkStafford,MatthewShih,Jerry(2010).IMS:ANewModelforBlendingApplications.
BocaRaton:CRCPress.ISBN1420092855.
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