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for a particular device, you need not start from scratch with different protocols, a different authorization method, or a different service API. IMS provides a flexible, inexpensive, and streamlined way of introducing services anytime, anywhere. IMS does add some complexity at the network implementation level, but it simplifies and accelerates the development and delivery of services. Some carriers, however, might consider IMS too technically complicated or inappropriate for their needs, and may try to customize it for their specific purposes or wait for a new platform to emerge in the industry. But again, these approaches take time and might delay the introduction of new services, which, in turn, may diminish your ability to gain early market share. This is a calculation that each provider must make based on its specific marketplace and the strength of the competition.

IMS or not, one of the best ways to get things right from the start is to select the most effective, efficient, and easy-to-use development, deployment, and multi-play service monitoring and troubleshooting tools. Here are some capabilities that the best tools will provide:

End-to-end service monitoring - Some test vendors offer element and node-based tools that generate a lot of fairly isolated data, but do not provide a wide-angle view that looks at a service from one end to the other. The most effective solutions pull together information from the core, the access networks, the edge, and all service components, even when the environments of each are not based on the same service delivery platforms and technologies. By pooling and correlating this disparate data, an end-to-end view emerges. The solution should also have quick and easy-to-use drill down capabilities for troubleshooting.