Step by step guide – sounds promising, right? We like step by step guides, they make our lives simpler. So in the spirit of simple and beautiful world, let me present you with the step by step guide to achieving real life interoperability.

Step one – you organize SuperOp!.

Step two – you get all the engineers together to test interoperability.

Step three – testing takes place, mixed with some fun (makes people happier, so they tend to do better work). Step four – you step aside and admire the results. While on the step four, you realize that the world became a little bit more interoperable. Once you done with admiration, you start from the step one.

This is precisely what IMTC had being doing for the past 15 years, and plans to continue doing for the foreseeable future. Every year interoperability becomes a little bit better, calls are established faster and video quality is become closer and closer to the real life. You also understand that the is more and more work to do – new vendors coming in, new technologies come out of the crib and start craving for attention – therefore they should be included in the next circle.

If you just take a look at the SuperOp floor, all you see is a lot of busy people. Just by taking the look from outside, it is hard to comprehend what is going on, and why all this people (yes, engineers) are staring so intently into the myriad of computer screens and monitors. The tests are performed and results are stored in the form of the logs and notes.|
All the test result, success, failure or else strictly belong to the participants (lyrical, err – legal interlude: all the companies sign rules of engagement which strictly prohibits any public disclosure of particular test results).
So, how one can assess the level of successful interoperability if all results are kept private? Easy – this is why each SuperOp! ends with Super Connect.
What is SuperConnect? It is something which makes engineers proud. During the week, the tasting takes place, and interoperability is established for all the different systems brought to the testing room. Goal of the SuperConnect is to bring all the interoperable devices (by all means, as many as possible) into one big conference – and of course, admire the result on the big screen.
It is very easy to see if world is becoming more interoperable year after year by looking at some of the SuperConnect stats.
Here are some numbers for the SuperConnect 2011. Despite rough preparation cycle, it took less than 20 minutes from start until the finish (all devices connected) – I believe it was the fastest ever. Just so you understand the significance of this number – in the SuperOp! schedule we still allocate 3 hours to complete SuperConnect.
10 years ago, we us to start it in the morning, as 3 hours were not enough. In the SuperConnect 2011, 50 endpoints were connected, including Telepresence Systems. For the first time ever, the number of endpoints connecting over SIP was equal if not greater to the number of endpoints connected using H.323. For the first time ever, TIP was used in the SuperConnect network. For the first time ever, SuperConnect network included SBCs. Full SuperConnect video-conference was successfully streamed to the mobile device using packet switch streaming technologies. In parallel to all the video testing work, for the first time ever, VoLTE (Voice over LTE) testing was performed over live LTE network.

Did I manage to convince you that the world is a little bit more interoperable place now? I truly believe that it is, and I believe that all the companies and engineers who attended the event have every reason to be proud. Video is finally becoming just a routine (this is good!) and IMTC played and will continue to play the major role in empowering people to communicate any time, any place and on any device.
Are we done? Is it the time to rest on laurels? We are still very far from it.

There is a lot of work to be done, and this work will only be as successful as the companies’ participation in it. If your company is not a member, you should really ask yourself why. You have have to join in, as making the world more interoperable (and, therefore, better?) is a collective (and fun!) effort. The interoperable world awaits … You.