NG MMSC Interworking IMS Legacy MMS via MSRP
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current telecommunications networks face challenges in seamlessly integrating multimedia message service (MMS) across both legacy and Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) devices, requiring efficient interworking solutions to manage diverse protocols and billing systems while ensuring interoperability and scalability.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a Next Generation Multimedia Message Service Center (NG MMSC) that establishes SIP sessions, encapsulates MMS messages in MSRP, and queries databases to determine device types, enabling transmission via appropriate protocols (SIP or legacy MMS) and facilitating billing through CDR generation, thereby providing interoperability between IMS and legacy devices without requiring extensive network upgrades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a unified MMS protocol is implemented across all devices, then interoperability is improved, but device complexity increases due to supporting multiple protocol modes
Solution Approach 1:
The NG MMSC acts as an intermediary that receives MMS messages from both IMS and legacy devices, automatically detecting the device type and routing messages through appropriate protocol paths. This mediator approach allows interoperability without requiring end devices to support multiple protocol modes, as the complexity is centralized in the NG MMSC rather than distributed across all devices
2Adaptability or versatility
If extensive network upgrades are implemented to support IMS devices, then service capability is improved, but network cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the network upgrade requirement into two distinct paths: one for IMS devices using SIP/MSRP protocols and another for legacy devices using traditional MMS protocols. The NG MMSC handles both paths independently, allowing operators to upgrade only the necessary components rather than entire networks, thereby reducing overall upgrade costs while maintaining service capability for both device types
Solution Approach 2:
The NG MMSC is designed with multi-functionality to handle both IMS and legacy MMS protocols through a single platform. This universal component can detect device types, route messages appropriately, and generate billing records for both protocol types, eliminating the need for separate specialized systems and reducing network upgrade costs
3Measurement precision
If separate billing systems are maintained for IMS and legacy devices, then billing accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The NG MMSC merges the billing functions for both IMS and legacy devices into a single integrated system. It maintains separate billing records for each device type while using a unified interface to the billing system, thereby achieving billing accuracy through proper differentiation while reducing overall system complexity through consolidation rather than maintaining parallel separate systems
Data Source
AI summary
Providing a multimedia message service (MMS) in an Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network is described herein. A method can include establishing a first session initiation protocol (SIP) session between a source IMS device and a next generation multimedia message service center (NG MMSC), encapsulating, at the source IMS device, an MMS message in a message session relay protocol (MSRP) message, transmitting the MSRP message from the IMS device to the NG MMSC; and storing the MMS message at the NG MMSC for further delivery to the destination device. Proving the multimedia message service can further include transmitting the MMS message to a destination legacy device via legacy MMS protocols or transmitting the MMS message to a destination IMS device via MSRP. Furthermore, providing the multimedia message service can include receiving a legacy MMS message and delivering the MMS message to a destination IMS device via MSRP.