The missing link here is still call (or session) control. While it is possible to
implement an all-IP network and support any service an operator wants today, managing
these networks is an absolute nightmare.
Look at companies such as Skype and Vonage. They began using proprietary architectures
and session control, and quickly found out that these approaches did not
scale very well. They are now in trouble as they struggle to rebuild their networks in
response to tremendous growth they did not anticipate.
Add to the picture billing and partner management, and you can quickly have an absolute
nightmare on your hands. Let??™s looks at what is happening with wireless today.
I have spoken with numerous wireless carriers who are providing music downloads to
their subscribers. The service delivery is the least of their problems.
They found that their existing billing systems did not support this type of service,
and so they had to build a completely new billing mechanism to support music downloads.
This new billing system had to somehow be integrated with their existing billing
systems (many operators have shared with me that they have as many as 15 different
billing systems, all supporting different disparate services).
So while it is true that an operator can deliver any service it needs using an IP network,
it faces many challenges when it comes to managing that network, and maintaining
a secure, reliable network.
Pages:
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98