IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network peering is a key enabler that will help accelerate deployment of next-generation IMS-based networks. Today's early deployments of dispersed IMS networks require public switched telephone network (PSTN)lpublic land mobile network (PLMN) bridges for network interconnection between IMS islands. The PSTN/PLMN bridging arrangement is inefficient, however, in that it results in unnecessary settlements for the carriers. It further impedes the implementation of rich multimedia and Voice over IP (VolP)-related services that require end-to-end Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity. Last, it perpetuates the reliance on the existing PSTN/PLMN network for voice calls among subscribers served by different IMS-based carriers. This paper analyzes in detail the IMS peering challenges from the perspective of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling peering. It discusses issues related to the routing of SIP messages, and addressing, address resolution, and discovery of peering points for IMS signaling peering. It further establishes that a new routing algorithm is needed that will allow signaling peering points to dynamically discover the "best" transit network among others for reaching a destination. In closing, it presents a high-level IMS signaling routing process that includes, among other benefits, support for number portability as a key function for inter-carrier IMS peering.
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