Border roaming can be an expensive issue for mobile phone operators. It can cause unnecessary roaming charges from partners and dissatisfaction from customers. In some cases the issue has caused extensive damage to operator's reputations.
Border roaming has recently been receiving a lot of attention in the press. This has particularly been seen on the USA / Canada border and on the Portuguese / Spanish border.
What is border roaming?
Border roaming is a term that can be used to cover a number of issues. Generally there are three main scenarios to be aware of:
• Accidental / unintended roaming
• Retained returning surface travellers
• National roaming
Accidental Roaming
This scenario is the one that you tend to hear the most about. This is because it is the one that generates the most end user publicity.
This occurs when a subscriber suddenly finds himself roaming, even though he has never left his home country. In some extreme cases you may find someone simply moves from their kitchen into their living room and suddenly switches to roaming, perhaps even without realising it.
Of course the problem arises when the subscriber gets the bill. He then complains, taking up expensive CSR time and perhaps creating bad publicity for the operator. In one small European country the CEO of an operator was obliged to appear on national television to explain the problem.
The problem can also lead to payment disputes with roaming partners and pressure for unwelcome regulatory action.
Retained Returning Surface Travellers
When roamers return to their home country via road or rail, they may be "retained" for some time by the roaming network that they have attached to whilst abroad.
The problems can be very similar to those experienced in the accidental roaming scenario. However this "returning" scenario can affect everyone travelling through the border, not simply people that live near the border. The typical returning roamer is therefore much less likely to be aware of the problem.
The problem is particularly acute for data users.
National Roaming
Often regionally based operators in a single country will need to enter into national roaming agreements with other operators in order to provide their customers with the coverage that they expect and require. Usually the subscriber is not charged any extra for "roaming" on the other national network. This means that every time the subscriber is "retained" by the roaming network, when coverage is available from the home network, there is a direct and unnecessary cost to the home network.
Management Methods
Operators have tried a number of methods to mitigate the effects of border roaming problems. These include:
• Subscriber education
• Welcome SMS
• Handset timer settings
• Steering platform extension
• Profiling
• "Billing" solution
Subscriber Education
One of the simplest approaches to the problem is to try and educate your subscribers about the issue of border roaming. Simply, you can tell them to be careful when in border areas. You can also tell them how to force a network re-scan when they believe that they are in home network coverage.
Some argue that, if this is done, customers have less reason to complain if they get unexpected roaming charges. However many find that, in practise, these messages get lost and have a minimal effect on customer behaviour or expectation. The messages may even trigger negative word of mouth if the customers do not appreciate that this is an issue with every roaming network, not just the one that they subscribe to.
Welcome SMS Messages
Perhaps the "next level up" in responses, is to send customers a welcome SMS message. To do this effectively, the Welcome SMS platform would need to check whether the subscriber had been acquired by a neighbouring network and then send a special message.
This approach addresses the accidental roaming scenario. You could argue that, in this case, subscribers have been specifically warned that they are roaming and that they therefore have even less reason for complaint. However SMS messages can be delayed and may well arrive too late. They can also be simply ignored as "just another piece of SPAM".
Adjusting Handset Timer Settings
The handset has a timer which prompts a regular re-scan. Typically this is set at 30 minutes. Of course a lot of roaming calls and data can be used in 30 minutes, so the operator could reduce this figure to, for example, 5 minutes.
This will certainly reduce the exposure to border roaming issues. However it may not have that significant an effect on accidental roaming as most problems are likely to occur when the roamer first crosses the border, i.e. in the first moments. More seriously, a shorter rescan time is going to drain the handset's battery much more quickly. This will reduce customer satisfaction. It will also reduce the number of calls that the customer can both make and receive.
Network Based Steering Extension
You could use your steering platform to try and delay the attachment to a roaming partner or to attempt to force a re-scan. Simplistically this means using the steering platform to issue a reject message when the first request comes through for connection to a network known to be bordering the home network. This is essentially a delaying tactic that hopes that the home network can be re-acquired.
This is easy to implement if you have a suitable network based steering platform in place already. However it will only address the accidental roaming case. Whilst the steering platform is issuing multiple re-attach messages, the subscriber is denied service. It also may not actually prompt a re-scan and repeated use may lock out the handset
The use of the cancel location command can also result in denial of service or poor performance e.g. inbound calls may not be able to reach the subscriber.
This non-standard use may degrade the performance of the steering platform and lead to non-preferred network attachments (or breach GSMA guidelines on steering). Of course this approach will be vulnerable to anti steering action e.g. based on GLR systems.
Customer Profiling
The operator can also examine various meaningful subscriber characteristics to produce a profile that would predict their likelihood of suffering from border roaming. This might include looking at their home address, their roaming history and any complaints that they might have made about roaming billing.
This can then been used to modify the application of measures such as welcome SMS, handset timing modification, and network based steering extension.
Billing Solution
Operators could, especially if they are part of a group spanning both sides of a border, decide to essentially abolish roaming charges. This certainly solves the customer relations issue. It also generates some positive publicity for the operators involved. However it could cost a great deal of money to implement in foregone roaming charges to people who were not suffering from border roaming.
This approach was mentioned in the press as a solution for the Portuguese / Spanish border issue.
Next Generation Solutions
More recently my own company, Evolved Intelligence, has introduced a more direct control system for roaming network connection. Ultimately this will allow operators to ensure that, if the home network is available to a subscriber, he will always be connected to it. This does not solve all cases but will, we believe, dramatically reduce the financial impact of border roaming on the operator.
Robin Burton is at Evolved Intelligence
There is more information on mobile phone technology and business available on the Evolved Intelligence website. Go to http://www.evolved-intelligence.com/news-and-resources/briefingnotes.aspx
Articles can also be found at: http://www.evolved-intelligence.com/news-and-resources/articles.aspx
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