Ericsson Turkey's efforts to build an IMS-based application portfolio are starting to pay off. Done, Ericsson's partner in Turkey, has recently finalized an IMS-based smart-home solution, developed in cooperation with the local Ericsson IMS Expert Center.

Muge Gokcek, partnering account manager at Ericsson Turkey, says her team has put a lot of work into building an IMS-based application portfolio, and the smart-home solution (SHS) is the first result.

"This application is not a minor thing. It is the first of its kind in Ericsson's portfolio and the result of a huge and complex project. It is a major success for our partner Done, as well as for us."

The IMS application partnering program at Ericsson Turkey started three years ago and Done has been part of it since the beginning, working on the solution, which is the first ready-to-use application produced by the program.

Ruhsar Soganci is the manager for the smart-home project at Done. She defines "smart homes" as homes that are equipped with devices that can be controlled remotely, from outside the home as well as from inside. Done's solution, which connects to the home via Ericsson's Connected Home Gateway (HIGA), enables different forms of remote control and can be configured by the user. For instance, it allows the home owner to turn equipment on or off. But it also allows for more sophisticated forms of control, such as automatically turning off the gas supply and electricity when fires are detected by video cameras installed in the home.

"Smart-home solutions can have safety features, which are particularly important for elderly and disabled people, and, at the same time, improve the quality of life for younger people, facilitating a new and more modern lifestyle," Soganci says. "We believe that IMS will be very popular in 3G-enabled countries. IMS technology provides an access-independent framework for delivering IP-based multimedia services and makes the work of developers much easier."

Fatih Eyup Nar has been involved in the Done project since he joined Ericsson Turkey as IMS solution architect in 2007. He says the company's Expert Center has all necessary IMS infrastructure in the building, and is connected to Turkish operator Turkcell's 3G network, and has access to SUN's GlassFish application server.

Sibel Bahadır, Füsun Er, Ruhsar Soğancı, Fatih Eyüp Nar, Müge Gökçek

"Based on the resources of our Expert Center, we help our partners in every way we can, offering training, testing, interoperability certification, and consultancy. The purpose is to provide our customers with new and innovative services, or enhanced versions of existing services, based on IMS, to generate new revenues. Done's smart-home solution is an excellent example of what we want to achieve."

Done's solution has been awarded a grant from The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) and the European Commission has used the solution as a good example of how to use local funds.

Sibel Bahadir, business developer at Ericsson Turkey, has been active in the IMS partnering program since its start, and has supported Done throughout the project. "When we started the partnership program, we defined a few key working areas. One was 'new ways of family life management,' to which Done's solution belongs. We are very pleased with what Done has accomplished, and we are proud of having been a part of it."