IMS equipment market hits half-billion-dollar mark

CALIFORNIA, USA: On an annual basis (a better gauge in a characteristically lumpy market), IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) equipment spending grew 24.4 percent in 2010 to $503.6 million, finds market research firm Infonetics Research.

In 2010, the IMS market was strongest in Asia Pacific, particularly China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, adds the analyst firm.

Fixed-line network deployments, including those by mobile operators, drove the IMS equipment market in 2010, while equipment spending for mobile services (PoC over IMS, mobile IM, RCS) was minimal.

“However, activity for mobile IMS-based services will increase in 2011, as we see the launch of mobile video calling from operators such as SK Telecom and Rich Communication Suite from Vodafone, in addition to select operators such as Verizon Wireless gearing for VoLTE deployments in early 2012,” expects Diane Myers, directing analyst, VoIP and IMS, Infonetics Research.

The fourth quarter historically is the strongest for IMS equipment, and 4Q10 was no exception, with a 41 percent increase in worldwide revenue over 3Q10.

The top IMS equipment vendors - Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Siemens Networks - continue to battle it out, with Alcatel-Lucent scoring big in 4Q10, garnering roughly a quarter of worldwide CSCF revenue, adds the firm.