Mobile operators: Are your mobile data services on a slippery slope?

• 
• asheesh.gulati
• 
• July 18, 2012
• IN: Mobile networks
• 
• No Comments

There was an interesting Facebook discussion recently. A friend of mine was starting a daily commute from Bristol to London and wanted to hear which mobile broadband provider his friends recommended. To use his time effectively, he wanted to be able to work on the train and needed a reliable dongle that would always connect, stay connected (many tunnels on that route) and provide excellent data speeds. His question was not unusual, but the huge number of responses he received about which provider to AVOID was overwhelming. This brought to mind the results from the recent Nokia Siemens Networks Acquisition and Retention Study: Next to no one would recommend their current mobile broadband provider,, and 33% of heavy data users were likely to churn within a year.

Spikes in signaling can affect service performance
Mobile broadband performance changes from one minute to the next as the mobile world is in a constant state of flux. In the last three years there was a 300% increase in new applications. Operators have little control over the quality of a specific application, but may have to take action when the app catches on with a mass audience.  Recent results from a Nokia Siemens Networks Smart Labs study showed that mobile online poker can generate up to 4,000 extra signals per smartphone. When an app like this takes off, radio resources can be impacted, causing congestion and potential quality issues.

But it’s not just the apps that can generate spikes in signaling: by 2017 there will be 5 times more smartphones worldwide, all with different operating systems and signaling patterns. Nokia Siemens Networks can analyze these patterns and improve the network performance for smartphone users, helping to extend smartphone  battery life and enhance the user experience. But there is even more…

Avoid the slippery slope
Nokia Siemens Networks Mobile Broadband (MBB) Performance Services analyze and improve the accessibility, stability and speed of data services like online browsing, Voice over IP (VOIP) and video. This means users can get online without problems, and retain a stable connection, and online pages or applications load faster.

When the MBB analysis shows that many users have problems with video applications like YouTube or Netflix, streaming optimization can improve the performance. With operators in Asia, Nokia Siemens Networks has optimized video streaming, achieving a  245% improvement in data throughput, and thus helped to minimize video ‘buffering’.  You can imagine the impact on user perception and service adoption.

Nokia Siemens Networks’ latest innovation in data service optimization is the optimization of VoIP services. Why?  Voice still has a major stake in operator revenue, but VoIP solutions such as Skype and FaceTime are gaining popularity and putting operator voice revenue under pressure. With VoIP optimization, LTE operators can offer their own  VoIP service. If operators consider other options, they can keep voice in GSM and 3G technologies but this will cut spectrum management flexibility whilst new ‘over the top’ (OTT) VoIP providers take advantage of their 4G data plans. In this case operators can decide to partner with an OTT provider, and offer quality through VoIP optimization, in exchange of a revenue share.

Become the recommended mobile broadband provider
Three UK is one of the operators Nokia Siemens Networks has helped regain their number one position, reducing customer complaints by 57%.  For Telkomsel Indonesia Nokia Siemens Networks improved data throughput in a high revenue area by nearly 300%.

So, we have helped operators become the recommended mobile broadband provider for their subscribers.

This post is by Carlijn Adema from Nokia Siemens Networks’ Services team.

Please Note: Comment Moderation Maybe Active So There is No Need To Resubmit Your Comments