VENDOR VIEW LTE ROAMING
Five critical LTE roaming considerations
Mary Clark, senior vice president, roaming, Syniverse, looks at how disparate next- generation networks connect with each other and existing 2G/3G deployments, and how customers take the 4G experience outside the operator’s home network.
fering waypoints, milestones and travel times. In this diverse, ever-changing environment, roaming is a universal requirement to deliver on the global experience which mobile users have become accustomed. LTE represents a fundamental shift in the mobile ecosystem, and the challenges presented can be turned into success by operators that make the right decisions now. Because of the scale of changes brought by 4G, some industry thought leaders have suggested that operators need not concern themselves with LTE roaming until the ecosystem is more mature and devices are more readily available. However, operators must ensure that deci- sions regarding initial LTE deployments con- sider the long-term expectations of mobile users to connect seamlessly and roam anywhere. To prepare for LTE roaming, there are five critical considerations that operators must think about:
T
Understand the implications of the shift from SS7 to Diameter Today, interoperability between networks is a given, thanks in large part to the SS7 protocol. Most of the behind-the-scenes com- munication between operators required for seamless subscriber roaming experiences is based on SS7 infrastructure. While SS7 has served 3G well, it cannot fully support LTE’s flat, IP-based architecture. To meet the expectations of subscribers who are accustomed to always-on, seamless connec- tivity in the world of 3G, the mobile industry had to define a new global interconnectivity model
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he myriad of paths to 4G range from long and winding walking trails to high-speed bullet trains—all with dif-
for LTE, one as robust and dependable as SS7, yet scalable, more secure and faster, resulting in the choice of Diameter and SIP. In the infinitely complex world of LTE interoperability, the 3GPP in its Rel.8 for LTE has chosen Diameter for subscriber and au- thentication management procedures as well as for policy control and charging interfaces. Diameter is also used increasingly for inter- operator signalling network and roaming infrastructure. Evolving the ecosystem from SS7 to Diameter is a significant challenge for operators that requires an infrastructure that not only sup- ports these new breed of protocols but can also seamlessly interact between these two protocols, and an IP Packet Exchange, or IPX, is the most logical, efficient way to bridge the two. Created as a result of the GSMA’s IP Inter-
working (IPI) initiative, IPX is designed to carry and ensure secure, reliable, controlled interconnection between mobile operators using an IP-based protocols framework (e.g. Diameter, enhanced GTP and SIP).
Build a bridge between 3G and 4G “islands” with IPX The myriad of different paths operators will take to 4G highlights that 3G is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. As a result, any operator looking to deliver LTE to subscribers must understand the importance of having an infrastructure or “on ramp” that is backward and forward compatible across 4G and legacy environments. IPX serves as this “on-ramp,” capable of handling the required technical translations required for 3G and 4G networks to commu- nicate. By implementing an IPX backbone,
operators can smoothly bridge the existing gaps between 3G and LTE, without damaging the experience of 3G subscribers today or limiting their 4G potential moving forward. In addition to simplifying roaming and
interworking in the evolution to 4G, IPX delivers benefits today, such as increased efficiency because operators are able to run multiple services through one connection point. IPX also provides unprecedented ac- cess to network monitoring tools that allow operators to ensure a high quality of service for subscribers as they use the premium services that drive investments in LTE.
Using real-time intelligence to enhance the customer experience The wealth of network information available to operators that implement IPX solutions can be of significant value to improving the subscriber experience in a number of ways if leveraged in real time. Real-time intelligence (RTI) is mobile usage data collection combined with business intelligence analysis and proac- tive mitigation for various roaming scenarios. An operator-focused RTI service reveals a 360-degree view of the subscriber roam- ing experience, proactively identifying and solving problems before the user experience is affected. This type of solution then sends an alert notifying the operator’s business or operations team that a malfunction occurred and was resolved. This timely response allows operators
to prevent interrupted service and improve issue-resolution times, thereby ensuring a higher quality of experience that protects both their brands and subscriber retention. Additional brand protection is attained by
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