The pioneering agreement, signed at ITW 2014, will see the three founding carriers work together to define and implement a set of industry principles for improved technical reach and interoperability in roaming signalling and transport, SMS and IPX.
The companies will also partner for international voice services and develop solutions for voice minutes to be routed on the shortest possible path with the highest level of quality.
“This initiative is an answer for our industry to an increasingly complex ecosystem; driven by the IP convergence, which sees international and nomadic communication usages growing more than ever,” said Alexandre Pébereau, EVP international carriers at Orange.
Orange, Ooredoo and Airtel were all keen to stress the importance of developing robust global networks, with a specific focus on quality voice and data services for retail and mobile operations. Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, CEO of Ooredoo Global Services told Capacity at ITW 2014 that the formation of the new alliance is a win for mobile customers who will now benefit for an innovative approach to expand reach to new territories.
“The three telcos have highly complementary coverage areas and we will deliver reliable and seamless services across this combined footprint while avoiding intermediate carriers,” he said.
As part of the agreement, the operators will also strategise to tailor its collaboration towards combating fraud by sharing best practices and available tools between them.
“As international carriers, our contribution resides in the interconnection and interoperability we deliver for our customers,” added Pébereau.
“We decided to strengthen it together; to optimise network reach and QoS, fight fraud and eventually enhance the experience of end-users.”
All three operators told Capacity exclusively that the alliance is open to other global carriers around the world.
Orange, Ooredoo and Airtel said they have been developing sustainable operations separately based on delivering trusted and reliable carrier services for end users, and have decided to bring these capabilities together.
Al Kubaisi added that the alliance “will work together to find additional synergies that will be beneficial for all parties”.
The collaboration is predominately designed to develop better voice and data services for customers at home, at work and on the move, to ensure a seamless experience for the end user.
