Telenor Global Services and Vodafone’s wholesale arm have announced an IPX interconnect and 4G LTE peering agreement.
The agreement means that both companies can expand their LTE/4G footprint and reinforces the importance of mobile operators within the IPX ecosystem.
TGS Chief Executive Bjorn Iversen said the agreement meant that mobile operators would be able to easily expand their global business by accessing IP services via a single private secure IP interconnection.
Iversen added: “Mobile operators deploying new and innovative services such as LTE/4G, will have access to a significant global reach through this direct interconnect, which will be key for them to deliver the bandwidth-intensive services that their subscribers expect in the decade ahead.”
Vodafone’s wholesale unit, Vodafone Carrier Services, was formed 12 months ago, and combined the carrier services of Vodafone’s operating companies and Cable & Wireless Worldwide into one integrated global carrier business.
CEO Brian Fitzpatrick said: “Mobile subscribers increasingly want a seamless global roaming experience and this deal Telenor Global Services will help to ensure that we meet those expectations.”
As LTE adoption spreads around the world, the challenges of international LTE roaming will become more important, and many operators have been actively signing peering and roaming agreements with each other.
In September, for example, Belgacom launched an intercontinental 4G LTE roaming connection over IPX between operators in Europe, Asia and North America, while in March Etisalat signed an LTE peering agreement with iBasis.