The Competitive Carriers Association’s LTE Roaming Hub has reached a new milestone, serving 65 million subscribers across 25 countries.
Developed by Transaction Network Services (TNS), the Hub was launched four years ago to help competitive wireless carriers work together more easily to deliver broader footprints for their customers. The Hub provides a single point of interconnection to the CCA community for negotiation, execution, implementation, and operation of roaming agreements for LTE and data services. Other services covered by the Hub include WiFi access and interoperability with 3G roaming fallback.
As noted by CCA CEO Steven Berry in April, the Hub includes more than a dozen carriers, with big names like T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular on the roster. TNS indicated coverage through the Hub now extends from the United States to Mexico, the Caribbean, Russia, Belgium, Taiwan, Armenia, Iceland, and Bolivia, among others.
“I am delighted the CCA LTE Roaming Hub, powered by TNS, continues to grow and provide competitive carriers with a highly effective way of providing LTE-quality outbound roaming services to their subscribers. Just as important, members of the Hub can also receive inbound roaming revenues, giving them a strategic opportunity to effectively compete with the largest carriers,” Berry commented. “As LTE and next generation solutions grow in popularity among subscribers, it’s essential that the wireless carrier community has access to the technology necessary to ensure they can remain competitive. We’re delighted that the CCA LTE Roaming Hub has reached this milestone, and we look forward to continuing to work with TNS for many years to come.”
The boost in roaming agreements among smaller stateside carriers comes as European Union countries move ahead with measures meant to eliminate roaming charges for subscribers. Juniper Research recently forecast those changes, coupled with “Roam Like at Home” offerings across Europe, North America, and Asian markets will drive an 11 percent drop in international roaming revenues this year.
“While we expect roaming tariffs outside Europe to continue to be unregulated and to be significantly higher, operator focus will need to shift to innovative bundles and tailored pricing to preserve or grow revenues from travelers and immigrant workers,” research author Nitin Bhas said.
More on Juniper’s study here.
Filed Under: Carriers
