As the telecom market continues to look to 5G as the next platform evolution in communications technologies, mobile operators are looking to sunset their legacy 2G and 3G networks.
There are a few key reasons for retiring legacy 2G and 3G networks. Retiring the radio access network (RAN) and network equipment needed to support 2G and 3G lowers the enormous OpEx costs associated with maintaining and managing these legacy communications technologies. In addition, this allows operators to reallocate the valuable spectrum that had been supporting the legacy network to instead support 5G.
However, this strategy brings with it some known challenges. The most common consequence when an operator shuts down their legacy networks is they are unable to support circuit-switched fallback, which allows roamers coming from home operators that do not support VoLTE or VoLTE roaming to visit their network. This issue causes a secondary problem, as well, in that an operator that shuts down their 3G networks instantly limits their ability to support their own subscribers when they decide to roam into a visited network that doesn’t support VoLTE roaming. As a result, many operators feel the necessity to maintain legacy equipment to support their outbound roaming subscribers.
We have a solution – a first-of-its-kind. Syniverse’s Evolved Mobility for Outbound allows an operator to completely shut down their old 2G and 3G networks to free up millions of dollars associated with maintaining this legacy infrastructure while simultaneously continuing to support their own subscribers as they roam into non-VoLTE enabled networks. Using this tool allows the operator to drive significant cost savings without degrading the customer experience for their own users roaming abroad. In the linked tech talk video, I take a couple of minutes to further explain Evolved Mobility for Outbound and describe some of the issues it resolves for operators looking to retire their legacy networks and accelerate their transition to 5G.
In case you missed it! Check our press release Syniverse Introduces Evolved Mobility for Outbound Roaming to Reduce OpEx for Mobile Operators Retiring 3G Networks
As Product Owner- Senior Director, Brian Beach oversees the Evolved Mobility product portfolio for VoLTE to 3G roaming as used by tier 1 US operators today. This addresses their 3G sunset concerns and provides a gentle pathway to true VoLTE roaming. Brian has a long breadth of experience in IMS services that reside on Syniverse’s IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange) network, including VoLTE (Voice over LTE), VoWiFi, Video over LTE and RCS (Rich Communications Services). He joined Syniverse as a member of the Research and Development team in 2005, when he began working with IMS and next-generation messaging, leading the technical aspects of the Fixed Mobile Convergence Alliance (FMCA) global presence and IMS trials. Mr. Beach later moved into the Product Management department where he spearheaded the company’s IMS Exchange product – a session aware P2P Hub for RCS and VoLTE interconnect. Over the last several years he has been focusing on roaming solutions to help operators address the oncoming legacy sunsets that will create a significant roaming gap between VoLTE and non-VoLTE operators. Mr. Beach holds a Master of Science in computer science from the University of Tennessee.
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