LTE needs IPX to be a truly global success. When domestic LTE deployments are supported by global IPX-enabled networks, it changes what is possible in the mobile market.
Today, we’ve seen the development of LTE networks on a local level but for 4G services to mature and realise their full potential LTE needs to be supported with robust, reliable and intelligent IPX-enabled networks.
There will be 450 commercial LTE networks deployed by the end of 2015, according to The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). Close to 50% of subscribers in Q4 2014 were in Asia-Pacific with North America and Europe trailing close behind.
The opportunity for IPX providers is to support LTE’s phenomenal growth around the world. IPX is playing a central role in maturation of LTE and enabling the monetisation of LTE services. For IPX providers it means new demand for high-performance applications and communications services and a true driver for an all-IP ecosystem.
As LTE network deployments are diverse and widely distributed and 4G subscriber adoption continues to grow, IPX providers have a tremendous opportunity to support the development of LTE.
IPX is enabling LTE to realise its full potential for mobile network operators and delivering a truly global service. Here are five ways I see IPX supporting LTE’s global success:
- Eliminating LTE Islands – Growth in global LTE subscribers requires that they can connect and call other subscribers with global networks that can match or exceed what is available in the local market. IPX can deliver greater interconnectivity from LTE network to LTE network.
- Support New Services – Operators need to monetise their LTE networks and development of HD voice, VoLTE, video streaming and LTE roaming are dependent on networks that can deliver performance around the globe. New visibility and quality control from end-to-end perspective on IPX can make this possible.
- Offering a Ubiquitous Quality of Service – Subscribers want services without limits and do not want to see the quality of their applications diminished when roaming on other networks. IPX can be a differentiator for the LTE network operator and a way to demonstrate performance to customers. IPX in this case could provide a means for connecting LTE networks to non-LTE networks to enable seamless service for the subscribers from LTE networks to off-net terminations.
- Driving Efficiencies on IP – IPX and LTE can deliver an all-IP environment that is flexible, scalable and ready to support a multiservice environment. It means that they look to decommissioning their TDM networks in the future and delivering multiple services from a single network.
- Removing Barriers for Innovation – The 4G services of the future need networks that are high-performance from end-to-end. IPX and LTE will offer developers a platform that is consistent and globally connected that they can use to create new and demanding applications and services.
Both technologies have developed in parallel since the mid-2000s but it’s in 2015 that they have become critical to each other’s success. It is not a ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario. LTE and IPX are seeing their futures intertwined and become dependent on each other to support 4G services on a global scale. Any operator that is planning on deploying LTE, or already has, should think about how it will incorporate IPX-enabled networking into its 4G roadmap.