IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology, which merges the Internet with interactive telecommunications, represents the here and now for today’s packet-switched networks. Consequently, anyone working with or around these converging fields needs to possess a fundamental understanding of IMS and how this technology is poised to change the way new applications are designed and deployed. IMS: A New Model for Blending Applications goes beyond most references in this field. Rather than offer the usual explanation of the standard itself, the authors address how IMS-based services might be deployed in an operator’s network. Leveraging the inside knowledge gained from years of working at the forefront of IMS research, the authors delineate the application layers and the applications that can be implemented using an IMS network. For those unfamiliar with IMS, they provide an overview of its key components and the signaling standards used for the implementation of an end-to-end IMS service. Significant concepts are conveyed through real-life vignettes that describe how end users might actually use interactive IMS applications in the course of their day. This approach mimics the way an operator’s marketing organization might go about building a business case for IMS application deployment. While technical enough to meet the needs of engineers, this approach will greatly assist marketing, sales, and managerial professionals with gaining a basic understanding of IMS, as well as a sense of the numerous applications driving the field forward.