By Susan J. Campbell
The communication definition is rapidly changing with the increased use of SMS, video, MMS and social networking. It is vital that users have access to a better way to support highly mobile, multimedia lifestyles. All-IP networks are based on IMS architecture and provide the answer for more captivating conversations. Service providers can leverage unprecedented opportunity to reinvent communications for richer and totally new conversations.
Today’s communication technology restraints are served by IMS as it helps to create the conversation that is intuitive, convenient and always available. It also helps to enhance the conversation by allowing users to see when and how others are available. Conversations are also enhanced through the sharing of high fidelity voice, HD voice, and IM as a single service across any device, network, app, and screen. This approach puts the users back in control and provides a unified inbox and universal access to contact lists.
A recent Alcatel-Lucent white paper, The New Conversation Experience: It's Time to Reinvent Communications, focused on how new conversation experiences are invigorating lives. This reinvention is needed to bring communications together in such a way that it will both complement and enhance the lifestyle of the user.
Alcatel-Lucent believes there is a great opportunity to harmonize the communications experience across existing islands and silos and create seamless and intuitive conversations. The harmonizing approach focuses on the power of network intelligence, placing the service provider at the center of the new conversation experience. By delivering new unifying value, the service provider will be able to drive customer loyalty and position itself firmly in the market to compete with pure Internet players.
A new conversation experience demands engaging and fulfilling conversations that are enjoyable for everyone involved. This requires adding nuanced personalization, enhanced privacy, contextual awareness, greater usability and immersiveness, as well as unified access to all information and contacts related to conversations.
Connections should be enabled from any screen on any network and social networking interactions should be enriched through secure conversations taking place face-to-face without exposing contact information. Sharing should also be enabled through these communications, based on the user’s parameters. And, all conversations should be available for organized control by the user, making it easy to prioritize important messages so users will reconnect more often and spend more time using the network operator’s services.
The bottom line is IMS is designed to be ideally suited to ensure the delivery of unencumbered conversation experiences all users wish they had. As a leader in IMS technology, Alcatel-Lucent is driving this initiative, working to support the tremendous surge in IMS trials, customers and live deployments throughout the world.
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