The Way to Wi-Fi in a New Age of Roaming. How to Harness Wi-Fi Solutions to Realize the Next Phase of Mobile Communications

Transcription

1 The Way to Wi-Fi in a New Age of Roaming How to Harness Wi-Fi Solutions to Realize the Next Phase of Mobile Communications 1

2 Table of Contents Introduction...2 The New Age of Roaming...2 Why Wi-Fi?...3 A Must-Have for Mobile Service Providers...4 Two Critical Questions...5 A Comprehensive Approach to Wi-Fi Roaming...6 Wi-Fi Roaming Solution...7 Wi-Fi Clearing Solution...8 Bold New World of Wi-Fi Interoperability...9 1

3 Introduction In a hotel room in Singapore, a traveling business executive from Argentina who fears the cost of his mobile operator s international roaming rates turns on his laptop and begins making VoIP calls through Skype using a Wi-Fi connection, which he has arranged special payment for with the hotel. In the United States, at a rural house with poor mobile network coverage, a teenager uses her phone to begin texting her friends using her cable operator s broadband connection and an off-theshelf Wi-Fi router. Meanwhile, in Japan, a college student makes a video call to her parents with Apple FaceTime using her tablet s Wi-Fi connection. These scenarios illustrate two of the most important forces reshaping the mobile world: the diversity of today s roaming environment and the ubiquity of Wi-Fi. Roaming has changed from a concept based on geography to one based on type of access. In parallel, Wi-Fi has supplanted cellular networks as an easy, affordable way that most end users access data services. Consequently, addressing the challenge of the new roaming environment and the proliferation of Wi-Fi has become a business imperative for which today s mobile service providers, including operators, real-time communication providers, digital content providers and Wi-Fi providers, must embrace a strategy. In the next few years, the increasingly diverse roaming environment and the migration to Wi-Fi promise to fundamentally transform the way end users, brands and mobile service providers connect. The New Age of Roaming Historically, roaming has been defined as an end user leaving the coverage area of his or her home operator s network and accessing voice, messaging or data services through the coverage area of a visited operator network that has a pre-existing business relationship with the home operator. However, in the last few years, this definition has been upended by two developments. The first is end users insatiable demands for more connectivity through a variety of channels. The second is the proliferation of new technologies and formats to accommodate these demands in a mobile world where end users are always connected and always on. Reflecting these developments, social networks like Facebook and Twitter, real-time content providers such as Skype and Apple FaceTime, and Wi-Fi aggregators like Boingo and 2

4 ipass have entered the mobile mix, among countless others. Collectively, these mobile service providers offer a wide range of services optimized to reach end users through an increasing array of mobile-enabled devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and everything in between. As a result, roaming has evolved to mean much more than the exchange of traffic and billing records between mobile operators in two different geographic areas. Today s mobile ecosystem has become significantly more diverse, with a myriad of potential service providers and access methods from which end users can choose to meet their specific needs on their own terms. Roaming can now be said to include everything from using Wi-Fi on a plane or cruise ship, to making a video call with Apple FaceTime, to interacting with friends on Facebook, to enabling a phone or tablet as a hotspot to aggregate usage across several devices. In this way, the definition of roaming has broadened beyond a geographic sense to include this: An end user in possession of a mobile device using an alternative to his or her operator s traditional voice, messaging or data services for any number of reasons to meet that end user s needs for a customized, high-quality mobile experience. Just as the new roaming environment has evolved, so, too, have the expectations of end users, requiring mobile service providers to overcome mounting technical challenges to deliver on the promise of mobility a simple, interoperable end-user experience. End users are roaming away from the cellular network and are willing to pay for cheap, easy-toaccess real-time content applications, and mobile service providers are being bypassed and left out of a growing revenue stream. Consequently, mobile service providers must put in place a strategy to combat this revenue erosion, and they must do so now. The most practical solution that has emerged to address this challenge is Wi-Fi. Why Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi is rapidly becoming the answer to providing inexpensive, high-speed connectivity. Until recently, though, Wi-Fi was viewed skeptically by many in mobile. 3G and 4G networks were positioned as ready and waiting for what has now become the smartphone revolution, and the predominant opinion in the industry was that Wi-Fi would erode mobile revenues. 3

5 Today, however, a growing number of mobile service providers are tapping the advantages of Wi-Fi to shift data traffic off congested cellular networks straining under the burden of bandwidth-intensive content like streaming video. Even with the rollout of new 4G networks, the benefits of Wi-Fi are extremely compelling. For end users, Wi-Fi provides an enhanced experience with faster download speeds and lower usage costs that do not count against monthly usage limits. For mobile network operators, Wi-Fi eases network strains and decreases costs to boost customer loyalty and protect brands by delivering access in tough-to-penetrate buildings and high-data traffic areas like stadiums. In addition to these benefits, today there s a newfound respect for Wi-Fi in the mobile industry that is a result of two trends: The surge in data and data-heavy applications coming to market and the resulting data tsunami - The amount of global data traffic from smartphones, tablets and other wireless devices is expected to increase 18-fold from 2011 to 2016, according to Cisco. This is being driven by such devices as the iphone, which uses 24 times as much bandwidth as a feature phone, and the ipad, which takes up 122 times as much, according to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Within this same time period, the amount of global data traffic from Wi-Fi offload is expected to increase 16- fold, according to igr. In tandem with these predictions, it s predicted that by 2016 more than 9 million service-provider Wi-Fi access points will be in operation, a 10-fold increase over 2011 levels, according to Dell Oro Group. And considering the rise in data-heavy applications such as FaceTime, which work best through Wi-Fi, it s clear that Wi-Fi will become a necessity for handling this imminent data tsunami. The explosion in the number of Wi-Fi-enabled devices - The number of Wi-Fi-enabled devices produced will more than double over the next few years, with 2.1 billion chipsets produced in 2015 alone, according to RCR Wireless. These smartphones and tablet computers are designed to perform better on Wi-Fi, and with Wi-Fi capability already built in, many of these devices automatically try to move over to Wi-Fi networks whenever they are available. Moreover, since a number of end users favorite gadgets are coming in Wi-Fi-only versions, end users will increasingly turn to Wi-Fi connectivity. A Must-Have for Mobile Service Providers Following Wi-Fi s phenomenal growth as part of the evolved roaming landscape, two realities have emerged for today s mobile service providers: 4 4

6 1. End users increasingly want seamless discovery and automatic connection for Wi-Fi access. 2. Mobile service providers are missing a revenue opportunity when end users roam and use a third party for Wi-Fi access, or when quality cellular network coverage is cost-prohibitive. In short, Wi-Fi has become a must-have, and mobile service providers need to have a fullscale roaming strategy that provides the same level of ease, quality, coverage and overall experience with their Wi-Fi services as they do with their voice, messaging and data roaming services. However, several big challenges stand in the way of a seamless Wi-Fi roaming experience. For end users, today s networks can be cumbersome to use, requiring them to seek out a network, remember their credentials and manually sign in. As a result, without an easier method for the automatic identification of users, Wi-Fi use could suffer since fewer users may be inclined to take the active step of connecting. In addition, for mobile service providers, there are technology conflicts with combining Wi-Fi networks to expand and optimize coverage. Further, there is a lack of industry-wide standards for using Wi-Fi for such processes as clearing and settlement. Two Critical Questions Putting today s market realities and challenges together, the must-have for Wi-Fi presents two paramount questions for mobile service providers to answer: 1. How can I keep end users on my network in a way that can be monetized? 2. How can I provide interoperability with Wi-Fi networks, clearing and settlement, and other value-added services while ensuring the same level of customer care? New advancements in technology and the development of new services are now enabling mobile service providers to answer these questions. Software solutions now enable the bridging of different hubs and networks to allow mobile service providers to provide a wide area of Wi-Fi access. At the same time, new software enables end-user mobile devices to seamlessly detect Wi-Fi zones and automatically connect. The result is that mobile service providers can technologically equip their end users for a cohesive, easy connection to mobile service providers extensive and proprietary Wi-Fi networks. In parallel with these technological advancements, mobile service providers have developed new services that have made progress toward establishing standards for billing transactions using Wi-Fi. The Wireless Broadband Alliance and the Global System for Mobile Use Association have worked with mobile service providers to begin devising new standards for 5 5

7 the exchange of billing data. This work has provided a foundation on which standards, processes and interfaces can be used to deliver more consistent and efficient clearing and settlement. Consequently, with more standardized procedures in place, mobile service providers can empower end users to conduct a wider range of business transactions through Wi-Fi more easily and reliably. As a result of these new technologies and services, mobile service providers have been able to take great strides toward answering the questions of how to keep end users on their networks in a way that can be monetized, and how to provide interoperability with Wi-Fi networks, clearing and settlement, and other value-added services while ensuring the same level of customer care. Syniverse, building on its history as both a pioneer in enabling voice roaming and an innovator in delivering Wi-Fi services, is also leading the way in helping mobile service providers answer these questions. Taking today s new technological advancements and services for Wi-Fi further, Syniverse has developed one of the industry s first comprehensive solutions for addressing the technical and usability challenges of roaming while at the same time unlocking the value of the tremendous Wi-Fi opportunity. A Comprehensive Approach to Wi-Fi Roaming Syniverse s Wi-Fi services enable mobile service providers to take a comprehensive approach to offering Wi-Fi voice, messaging and data services through the delivery of these capabilities: Interoperability between disparate hubs and networks. A wide geographic reach through an aggregated network of Wi-Fi providers. Seamless discovery of hotspots. Automatic connection to nearby hotspots. Complete billing and clearing services compliant with the latest emerging industry standards. The services consist of two components designed to address the most critical needs in delivering Wi-Fi roaming services: Wi-Fi Roaming Solution and Wi-Fi Clearing Solution. Together, these two services enable mobile service providers to tap these benefits: 6 6

8 Provide an additional revenue stream. Monetize Wi-Fi networks from roamers who use Wi-Fi while abroad. Realize new data roaming revenues. Enable value-added services that promote a seamless quality of experience in the Wi-Fi network. Increase end-user satisfaction through cost-effective Wi-Fi coverage and higher-quality experiences, reducing churn. Alleviate strains on radio access network by offloading traffic onto Wi-Fi networks. Require no capital expenditures or investments in core network equipment. Wi-Fi Roaming Solution Wi-Fi Roaming Solution, in addition to providing the overall foundation for Syniverse s Wi-Fi services, offers three distinct care capabilities for Wi-Fi: AAA Broker Services - An AAA broker centralizes the collection and accumulation of the access and accounting records, managing routing, interservice provider relationships, protocol interoperability, attributes, tunnels and retries. Through a single relationship with Syniverse, operators can use Syniverse AAA Broker Services to obtain connectivity to all participating AAA roaming partners, which simplifies routing and provides security management for AAA messaging across operators. 7 7

9 Data Billing Support Services - Syniverse Data Billing Support Services collect data events from multiple network elements, mediate data events from diverse inputs, provide wholesale rating and facilitate retail rating, and translate data events into standard or proprietary billing formats for delivery to billing systems. The AAA Broker Services feed the accounting records to Data Billing Support Services, where the records are rated based on roaming agreement rates and terms. Records also can be converted into standard or proprietary billing formats for delivery to retail billing systems. Customer Care and Online Analytical Tools - This functionality provides an online window into near real-time roaming data used for customer service. The AAA Broker feeds accounting messages to the system, enabling roamer management, customer service and network troubleshooting. Through the customer care tool, operators may select a view to determine how many of their customers are roaming in a particular service location and then drill down into a particular end user s transaction information. End-user information is available by a network access identifier as well as by serving location, and if a particular end user is having connection issues, a customer service representative can troubleshoot the problem by simply requesting transaction data for that user. Wi-Fi Clearing Solution Wi-Fi Clearing Solution, the third part of Syniverse s Wi-Fi services, solves the Wi-Fi data clearing and financial clearing process challenges necessary for end-to-end interoperator settlement between all types of wireless local area network (WLAN) providers. Based on joint interfaces and standards, Wi-Fi Clearing Solution is designed with a common technical framework for WLAN interoperability that Syniverse worked closely with the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) to create. As demand for Wi-Fi has increased, the WBA developed the Wireless Roaming Intermediary Exchange (WRIX) to create standards for the exchange of billing data as well as a business model for WLAN roaming, and the GSMA extended its Transferred Account Procedure (TAP) standards to accommodate the presence of WLAN and Wi-Fi. Designed with this industry-standard framework, Wi-Fi Clearing Solution delivers the following benefits: Validates data according to WRIX WBA and GSMA TAP standards, including duplicate call checking. Provides full compliance with the standards, processes and interfaces set by the WBA and the GSMA for Wi-Fi clearing. Includes monitoring and full support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 8 8

10 Offers a dedicated platform to provide high-quality, flexible WLAN clearing services. Comes with an optional dedicated billing usage detail record (UDR) creation service based on an operator s own format. Leverages Syniverse s extensive track record serving both mobile and fixed-line telecommunication operators and remains up to date with regulation, development and other industry issues. Bold New World of Wi-Fi Interoperability In a few years, connecting to Wi-Fi promises to be completely different from what end users are now accustomed. Wi-Fi hotspots will behave much like mobile networks do today, in the sense that a seamless, automatic connection will be the standard. For end users, it will be a world of difference because they will be connected and able to quickly and reliably access all of their applications at all times, so their home experience will be with them wherever they go. They will not be able to tell Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G networks apart, they will have incredible download speeds wherever they go, and their roaming interactions will be integrated invisibly. However, for mobile service providers, the critical element in this bold new world of Wi-Fi interoperability is ensuring that end users don t perceive a difference or have to take any extra steps to continue the seamless, ubiquitous, high-quality experience they receive with voice, messaging and data roaming. Thus, confronting the challenge and the opportunity of the evolved roaming environment and the rapid adoption of Wi-Fi has become a business imperative for which today s mobile service providers must have a strategy to succeed well in the future. 9 9

11 Building on its history as both a pioneer in enabling voice roaming and an innovator in delivering Wi-Fi services, Syniverse is leading the way in offering mobile service providers a solution to this must-have frontier. Syniverse s Wi-Fi services offer one of the industry s first comprehensive solutions for addressing the technical and usability challenges of roaming while at the same time unlocking the value of the Wi-Fi opportunity. Wi-Fi Roaming Solution and Wi-Fi Clearing Solution enable mobile service providers to take a comprehensive approach to offering Wi-Fi services with a suite that provides network interoperability, expanded reach, billing and clearing, and, most importantly, seamless connectivity for end users. Critically, Syniverse s Wi-Fi services provide a new revenue stream and an answer to mobile service providers lost opportunity when end users roam by using a third party for Wi-Fi access or by using a third party instead of a local Wi-Fi resource when they don t have quality cellular network coverage. These services continue to exemplify Syniverse s continuous commitment to deliver on the promise of mobility -- simple, ubiquitous access to service anytime, anywhere. For more information on Syniverse s Wi-Fi services, visit Syniverse Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved under U.S. and international copyright laws