VoLTE dropped call rates can be 4-5 times the rate of 2G and 3G calls, casting a shadow over the cellular industry’s 4G wireless broadband standard, customer experience software provider Amdocs highlights in new market research research based on analysis of more than 25 million voice and data connections from 80 different network operators around the world in the past 12 months.
In its State of the RAN 2016 report, Amdocs found evidence that deploying VoLTE to upgrade 2G and 3G voice networks can initially result in a less stable network environment, potentially leading to higher VoLTE dropped call rates, requiring carriers to ¨aggressively¨ fine-tune their systems.
4G LTE rollouts have been accelerating as leading telecom carriers around the world race to keep pace with burgeoning mobile data usage, which is growing some 60% year-over-year worldwide. Commercial LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) deployments reached 100 across 49 countries, 4G Americas reported this past November.
Behind VoLTE Dropped Call Rates
Mobile carriers need to consider the need to optimize their radio access networks (RANs) in order to adequately address the initial instability that may well result from introducing new broadband services technology, such as VoLTE, according to Amdocs.
The research results also indicate that mobile service providers need to offload more cellular traffic onto Wi-Fi networks in order to boost operational efficiency and reduce cost.
Other key takeaways from the Amdocs study include:
- Seventy-five percent of network traffic in cities is in-building: In times of network congestion, indoor users face up to a 25 percent increase in network issues compared to outdoor users. By understanding and visualizing the real-world patterns of demand, coverage and congestion, operators could effectively target network optimization efforts at these problem areas to deliver a consistent, quality of network experience.
- Music and sport events create their own mobile ecosystems: SMS is still the killer app with an average of 70 percent of attendees at a concert or sporting event sending at least one text message during it, which causes spikes in network usage. Therefore, there is a need to manage network capacity during an event, with network cells around an event’s location carrying approximately 50 percent more traffic than the cells inside a stadium for example. This indicates there is considerable communication with fellow event attendees while going to the venue through email, text and social media. Meanwhile, it was also seen that international roamers upload almost 50 percent more data while at events than non-roamers.
- International roamers suffer poorer network experience: Despite the fact that international roamers can offer operators greater revenues than a corresponding locally-based subscriber, their network experience can be up to 25 percent worse. There is an opportunity for operators to realize greater monetization of services by isolating profitable international roamers, understanding their distinct usage patterns, and optimizing the network to better target them.
“The Amdocs State of the RAN research reinforces the sheer strain mobile networks are under,” commented Amdocs’ head of network marketing Ann Hatchell. “In The New World of Customer Experience, service providers need to deliver a first-class network experience when and where it matters most.”
