It’s a tough time to be a network planner. There’s a major ground-shift underway as telco networks move to IP. There’s an incredible thirst for bandwidth, with apps like P2P and over-the-top video ready to swallow up every extra drop. And there’s competition coming from nearly every sector, meaning opex is watched very closely while new service revenues can’t come quickly enough.

The past few weeks, I’ve spent time talking with vendors and service providers about a number of next-generation network topics, including the transition to IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); the role of QOS and SLAs in next-generation carrier offerings; and more.

One theme seems consistent: service providers have to balance the ideal of the next-generation network vision with the reality of delivering revenue-generating services in the here and now.

On the IMS front, that means “quasi” or “light” IMS deployments that take the best parts of IMS – separating the network control and application layers; building networks based on open standards and interfaces – while not necessarily adhering to * all * aspects of the IMS framework. First to go: highly centralized HSS (home subscriber server) databases, which are great in theory but tough to deploy in reality. Just today, vendor Veraz announced its Multimedia Generation Network (MGN), which aims to take the best aspects of IMS but also recognize that legacy networks aren’t going away.

While service providers need to be pragmatic about their network futures, they also need to be realistic – and smart – about how they position their next generation service offerings.

Again, one theme seems to be coming through loud and clear: carriers need to change the way they talk about – and the media and customers think about – how they deliver network-based services.

In short, let the Web guys offer services for best-effort free services (which, of course, aren’t free at all but ride on carrier networks). Service providers must focus on building smart networks (the opposite of dumb pipes) that are based on the concepts of quality of service and service level agreements, and which take advantage of the IMS-style networks that are now being planned and built.

The challenge will be in altering how customers perceive network-based offerings. If you take today’s DSL service and either a) set a usage cap, or b) charge more for a platinum tier or power-boost level, customers – and the press and regulators – are going to be up in arms. But introduce these concepts and product feature and bundling strategies as you introduce new services – like FTTH and IPTV – and the transition to next-generation smart networks becomes much easier.

The key is introducing concepts like QOS SLAs as a boon to customers rather than a punishment. You can have all the bandwidth you’ll ever need, you just have to pay for it – AND, if you want a lesser, best-effort scenario, we have that too.

It’s a theme I predict will be repeated across many product and service sectors at NXTcomm next month: pragmatic network evolution and the market-savvy introduction of next-generation service concepts.

E-mail me at rkarpinski@telephonyonline.com.