The number of mobile broadband devices sold globally on shared data
plans is likely to grow an average of 89 percent a year from 2011 to 2015,
reaching nearly 187 million units.

Smartphones, USB cards and tablets will comprise 89 percent of these
devices.

Infonetics Research estimates that 2.4 percent of mobile broadband
devices sold globally in 2011 will be on shared data plans. By 2015, the figure
will jump to 15.4 percent. These plans will first gain traction in markets with
advanced 3G competition, such as North America, Western Europe, Japan, South
Korea and Australia.

“Smartphones and tablets are already highly desirable devices, and
shared data plans will further accelerate demand and adoption as the costs of
dual ownership decline,” said Richard Webb, directing analyst, microwave
and small cells.

Shared data plans will become an integral weapon in the operator arsenal
of packages designed to attract new subscribers and reduce churn.

The growth of shared data plans requires a customer-centric approach,
which adds network complexity and “entails a radical change from the way
in which customers have been managed to this point. Network intelligence from
policy management, subscriber data management and Diameter routing are key to
managing and monetizing shared data plan growth.

Shared data plans – whether across multiple devices for an individual
or across multiple subscribers – demand that operators rethink their
operational systems. Service providers cannot offer must-haves like parental
controls, time-of-day management and application-based rules without advanced
policies and subscriber intelligence.

The increased behind-the-scenes traffic that shared data plans will
generate will drive demand for Diameter routing equipment. Policy- and
charging-related information traverses networks via the Diameter protocol.
Operators will turn to Diameter routing agents (DRAs) to better manage the
onslaught of Diameter messages exchanged among network elements.

“Shared data plans are the logical progression from shared voice
and text message plans, but are exponentially more difficult to
administer,” said Doug Suriano, chief technology officer and vice
president of engineering at Tekelec.

The operator’s goal to provide a seamless and high-quality experience
across all subscribers and devices requires new levels of network scalability
and flexibility across multiple types of equipment.

By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]