Georgia Tech, Cingular Wireless, and Siemens Communications are kicking off a new research program in wireless applications. This initiative brings the students and faculty of Georgia Tech an opportunity to gain early, first-hand access to the latest telecommunications application architecture. Researchers will be working on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) platform. IMS is the next-generation standard in telecommunications network architecture, enabling a leap forward for voice, video, data, and multimedia applications. Telecommunications companies will soon use IMS technology to offer new services that subscribers can access from any location on a wide variety of devices.

The IMS program is a joint effort of the Georgia Tech Research Network Operations Center (GT-RNOC) of the Office of Information Technology and the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC). Over the summer, Siemens will install the IMS technology platform (valued at $2.6 million) in GEDC labs located in the Technology Square Research Building. The campus Wi-Fi infrastructure will be configured to enable access to the IMS platform for researchers. Georgia Tech will host a technology demonstration in October to demonstrate examples of IMS applications.

One of the first benefits of this unique joint partnership is the IMS Research Competition, starting in April 2006. The competition will give Georgia Tech students an opportunity to compete for $100,000 in prizes while creating multimedia applications on an emerging telecommunications platform. Competition participants will benefit from hands-on training in the use of the new technology and relevant, real-world experience in application research and development. Students will be able to sign up for a class in the College of Computing that provides them with specific training on IMS architecture and platform development. The course will be conducted by Dr. Russell Clark, a research scientist with the College of Computing and the Office of Information Technology.

The IMS Research Competition will kick off with a special event at the Technology Square Research Building, April 25, 2006, starting at 6 pm. Georgia Tech students and faculty are invited to attend this event to learn more about the technology and get details on entering the competition. The program will include key speakers, a Q&A session, and an open forum for one-on-one discussions as well as refreshments, promotional gifts, and musical entertainment.
The competition is open to all Georgia Tech undergraduate students enrolled in any field of study. Students who wish to enter the competition will submit a proposal during the fall semester and develop their entries during spring 2007. The competition awards will be presented in May 2007.

In addition to the competition, the IMS platform will be used by researchers and will remain in place to support future research and provide a platform for developing new wireless telecommunications services for the Georgia Tech campus. The applications that Georgia Tech students and researchers develop will potentially have a far-reaching impact, changing the way we live and work.

Cingular Research Agreement

The IMS Research Competition is another research activity made possible by a five-year research agreement between Georgia Tech and Cingular Wireless. Under this agreement, Cingular currently provides research communications services on the Georgia Tech cellular infrastructure. These services include voice calls, text messaging, and data applications, primarily using Cingular’s GPRS and Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) network.
The Cingular Research Agreement has enabled Georgia Tech to expand its wireless bus tracking system, develop a Wi-Fi computing service for moving vehicles, and collect data from cell phone and Wi-Fi device usage to feed wireless communication research.

More information

For more information on IMS and cellular communications research at Georgia Tech, contact Russ Clark (Russ.Clark@gatech.edu) or Matt Sanders (Matt.Sanders@oit.gatech.edu) and visit the Georgia Tech Research Network Operations Center at http://www.rnoc.gatech.edu/.

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