digium

IMS (Internet Multimedia Subsystem) was all the buzz last year at Spring VON 2005. It continues to garner the attention of service providers especially fixed-line and cable operators this year at Spring VON 2006. However, there is one key change - vendors and carriers are starting to talk about integrating web services as service applications delivered over the IMS services framework.

With numerous meetings with many business partners and VCs, there was not much time for viewing the exhibits at VON. From what little time I had on the show floor, I did notice a few key changes: 1) many of the low-cost PBX vendors typically packaging open-source Asterisk are gone and replaced with a much bigger Digium/Asterisk Pavilion, 2) enhanced VoIP user terminals such as ATAs are now products than can be shipped in volume rather than demonstration units, and 3) less exhibitors are giving away freebies like useless blinking ice-cubes :-(.