These days, “Mobile Data” is fast becoming a hot topic globally. This could be attributed to the proliferation of smart devices, smart networks and a smart subscriber base that is looking for change. Today, Mobile Data occupies the highest mindshare in the operator community. As smartphone penetration continues to grow, average mobile users will consume over eight times as much social media and 14 times more megabytes of applications by 2016, according to a new report from Informa.
The profitability of telecom service providers’ data operations depends on how they act in response to the explosive growth in mobile broadband traffic. Notwithstanding the fact that the mobile data market is on a steep growth trajectory, operators need to ready themselves now for even further growth. This is urging operators to change the rules of the game as they realize that standard run-of-the-mill plans and packages are history and they must innovate to create value for every cent that the subscriber spends on their network.
According to TRAI, a third of the mobile users in India access data services including the Internet using their mobile phones. This is indeed a very interesting finding. Though many operators have already invested in advanced and standalone solutions to address the high growth they have experienced on mobile data, they continue to enhance the fat pipes and add peripheral solutions such as optimization and acceleration to manage their networks gracefully. However, the outcome of this exercise has not been as impactful as envisaged and the challenges remain the same – how to Manage, Optimize and Monetize. I call it the MOM challenge for the mobile operator.
“Manage” challenges would mean deploying an intelligent policy and charging control solution that would assure proper allocation of network resources, based on subscribers’ needs and what the network can deliver.
“Optimize” challenges centre on addressing the need for faster access speeds and consistent service quality, letting subscribers enjoy an optimized mobile Internet experience.
“Monetize” challenges primarily hover around restricting excessive usage by a few users whilst driving mass adoption, flexibility to create tariff plans based on speed, services, traffic, time, device type, applications, thus moving away from conventionally unmetered flat pricing propositions.
It’s not that mobile operators have not attempted to address the above challenges. They have, in fact, gone ahead and deployed specialized and niche solutions to manage data traffic. These solution modules are typically deployed by the operators from independent best-of-breed vendors whose focus is on addressing individual problems, and they do a great job in overcoming the challenges given to them. However, things fail when these individual vendors are required to work together and collectively offer a seamless experience for operators and their subscribers. Subscribers complain about the suboptimal usage experience and sluggish speeds. Further, operators are saddled with higher capex and opex as they need to manage multiple vendors, solutions and equipment. The onus thus falls on the operator to envision a comprehensive blueprint at the forefront and then orchestrate the phased implementation of the complete infrastructure to manage the growing MOM challenge. Larger operators with deeper pockets and stronger technical and project management skills may manage to pull off such a feat and meet the data demands in time; however, others face a daunting task.
Given this fact, today operators are looking at solutions that can seriously address their end-to-end needs to tackle the MOM challenge from a single vendor, wherein they are looking at an integrated, consistent, unified and robust solution for data pipe management that delivers a hassle-free and smooth experience to them and their subscribers.
The solution that addresses the MOM challenge in its simplest form would include:
• An “Optimize” module addressing user expectations for an enhanced Internet experience.
• DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) / PCEF (Policy and Charging Enforcement Function) and PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) modules, which would address the “Manage” and “Monetize” challenges faced by the operator.
It’s imperative for solution providers to keep in mind the need to optimize the operator’s spend on these modules and thereby generate a faster ROI. An integrated solution would surely reduce operator capex and opex, while at the same time offering the flexibility to create differentiators in competitive markets in a timely manner. Furthermore, given the exponential growth already experienced in mobile data, and the growth expected in the future, the solution offering should be scalable over time across capacity and functional dimensions with minimal disruption to service. Hence, operators can greatly benefit from a mobile data platform package that starts out small and scales effectively over time. More operators are now convinced that a single integrated solution to address the MOM challenge will be the way forward in building, managing and evolving their mobile data infrastructure.
