The scheduled sunsetting of 2 and 3G is supercharging the shift towards VoLTE Roaming. No longer just an optional extra, it’s now business-critical for many MNOs. While the roll-out has been cautious since the August 2012 launch of the world’s first commercial VoLTE service in Texas by Metro PCS, there has been a noticeable gear shift over the past couple of years.
According to Ericsson, by the end of 2020, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services had been launched in over 220 networks in more than 100 countries. Ericsson also estimates that the number of subscriptions with VoLTE-enabled services will reach 6.9billion by the end of 2026. Should that be achieved, it would account for more than one in nine of all combined LTE and 5G subscriptions.
In March 2020, GSA reckoned there were 2,610 devices in its GAMBoD database that supported VoLTE technology – of which 85% are phones. And, as Ericsson points out in its latest Voice and communication services trends and outlook, there are already over 3,000 VoLTE-enabled device types already out there on the market.
This not only includes cell/mobile and fixed wireless access phones but also indoor and outdoor CPE (customer premises equipment) devices, tablet PCs and smartwatches.
Despite the emphatic nature of these kinds of figures, there are still considerable gaps in uptake.
What is VoLTE roaming?
VoLTE is an IP-optimised HD voice service for all-IP LTE (and, potentially, beyond) networks. Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Roaming provides the ability to extend IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) applications outside of a user’s serving area. Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Peering and Interconnect defines how two different network operators interwork in order to deliver end-to-end IMS services.
How we got here
As is sometimes the case with the roll-out of new technologies, initial teething problems can lead to broader complacency, and arguably that was the case with VoLTE. It initially proved to be quite complicated to implement, particularly for early adopters.
The roaming aspects took some time to work, and while voice roaming over 4G details were rapidly ironed out, the majority of operators have been slow to implement it. The reasons that are often cited include:
- Cost
- Complexity
- Too many reference architectures
- VoLTE networks not being easily interoperable
- Not clearly beneficial to their revenues.
As a result of these concerns, while most MNOs offer VoLTE services to their own customers in their home networks, few yet offer roaming services.
VoLTE Roaming has not been considered a priority for operators but technical and market reasons are about to change that picture dramatically.
Problems are on the horizon
Recent years have seen a huge increase in operators adopting the VoLTE service optimised specifically for IMS. However, they have largely avoided enabling the roaming facility for this service. In effect, they are denying their customers the experience they give them in their home networks and what they have come to expect. Billions of subscribers can’t use native VoLTE voice when roaming, despite the fact that it’s a minority of devices that aren’t VoLTE capable.
In practice, this means that instead of continuing to enjoy a high-definition native voice service while roaming, operators drop users back to legacy 3 and 2G voice. Over time, this is likely to create problems for operators as users who expect a better quality experience vote with their wallets at a time when margins on classical mobile services continue to be squeezed.
Another looming issue is that the legacy networks on which circuit-switched voice depend are soon going to be retired. Without a shift to VoLTE Roaming, customers will find it impossible to call home.
Already, VoLTE Roaming works well between the US and Canada, which raises the question of why it’s not yet fully implemented between other countries. The infrastructure is there to deliver the service that customers are likely to come to expect.
The time to act is NOW
The bottom line is that almost everyone now has a VoLTE-enabled device of some kind but can’t use those VoLTE services abroad. Why hasn’t the ecosystem adapted to embrace this? What an oversight, indeed; but surely, it’s an oversight that now must be rectified. If MNOs are serious about supporting customers and protecting their own market position going forward they need to start planning about how their shift to VoLTE Roaming is going to be rolled out.
Learn More
At Enghouse, we recognise the challenges that MNOs may face as well as the imperative that now exists for them to move rapidly.
Our whitepaper provides more details about the current state of play and what you need to consider:
Why is VoLTE Roaming Now Becoming Inevitable? – Download it NOW
