Syniverse today announced that it has signed a multiyear agreement to provide LTE roaming and real-time monitoring services to Lebanon-based operator Alfa, managed by Orascom TMT. The services support an enhanced 4G LTE experience for roaming subscribers and those visiting Lebanon.
"4G LTE service has moved from a next-generation technology to a mobile-service standard, and our customers are expecting 4G LTE speed and capacity anywhere they go,” said Marwan Hayek, Chairman and CEO of Alfa. “LTE roaming is the normal evolution to cater to our customers’ needs with data roaming traffic over our 3G+ network, which increased by 221 percent in 2016 compared to a year earlier.”
Hayek added, “Alfa is once again taking the lead and is the first operator in Lebanon to provide LTE roaming to our users offering them, in collaboration with Syniverse, a smooth and consistent 4G service wherever they travel. We will start providing the service to Alfa’s top roaming destinations and gradually expand our footprint to offer the most comprehensive LTE roaming coverage.”
A crucial part of LTE roaming involves the deployment of an IPX network, and Diameter, the industry-standard signaling protocol for messages from mobile devices, and the management of proper routing and delivery of Diameter signaling messages. Syniverse is providing its IPX with Diameter Signaling Service to Alfa Telecom in Lebanon as part of its global, reliable and secure platform. Syniverse’s IPX provides a comprehensive solution for LTE roaming with a carrier-grade connection to the company’s all-IP network connects over 1,000 operators, including over 280 direct connections.
The LTE service, combined with real-time network monitoring, takes a holistic approach to roaming that enables operators to efficiently and proactively solve subscribers’ problems and tailor their individual experiences within a flexible, cloud-based framework.
“With LTE connections projected to exceed 3.6 billion by 2020 and with 40 percent of global connections forecast to run on LTE networks by 2020, it’s mission-critical that mobile operators gain global reach with their LTE networks,” said Nour Al Atassi, Regional Vice President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Syniverse. “As a pioneer in LTE roaming and provider of a completely private, global network through a secure, cloud-based platform, we’ll use our expertise to ensure that Alfa launches 4G roaming service to provide the highest level of LTE service to its customers.”
Syniverse’s agreement with Alfa in Lebanon continues a series of recent LTE accomplishments around the globe, including Cable & Wireless in the Seychelles, Warid Telecom in Pakistan, Ooredoo in Oman, Telin in Indonesia, LG Uplus in South Korea, and Saudi Telecom Company in Saudi Arabia.