Ajit Jaokar has posted an interesting mash-up concept that mixes Facebook with IMS. The whole concept is sound because it places social-connectivity (i.e. Facebook “power”) at the centre of the universe and then utilises IMS to spawn communications connectivity from the social hub.

We should, in this case, think of Facebook as the primary platform, which it clearly is (i.e. with Facebook Applications) enabling links to IMS, another “platform”. However, in the IMS view of the world, applications (i.e. Facebook) “hang off” the IMS architecture (in order to add the IMS control plane to the application space).

The big question is that in order for such Web 2.0/IMS mash-ups to flourish, are operators going to give the degree of openness to allow such things to happen? This seems the crux of the matter. I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

In this example, I would argue that 99% of the value in this mash-up is in the Facebook platform, not IMS. Operators have a hard time thinking of APIs as mechanisms to add and access value, instead of mechanisms to control services. Until they get over this old way of thinking, the potential for IMS as a driver for Mobile 2.0 in the same way we’ve seen the tipping point of Web 2.0, will never transpire. That’s sad, because IMS could enable some really cool services other than the crappy ones they’ve designed-by-committee thus far, like the failed push-to-X services.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Facebook, IMS, Web 2.0, mash-ups, Mobile 2.0, push-to-X