Sicap’s VoLTE Device Entitlement Server automates handset configuration and accelerates service uptake

This new solution will be on show at the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (February 26 – March 1). According to Sicap it can enable operators to enter into the VoLTE mass market saving on deployment costs and testing efforts.

Sicap has announced that its Device Management Centre (DMC), in use by more than 70 global mobile operators, has been enhanced with fully standard-compliant voice over LTE (VoLTE), Video over LTE (ViLTE), Voice over Wi-Fi and Rich Communications Suite (RCS) Device Entitlement Server (DES) functionalities. This updated solution now provides verified VoLTE Device Entitlement compatibility for all the mainstream mobile device operating systems and can detect all the VoLTE handsets in the market.

Most operators have launched the LTE high-bandwidth mobile broadband services, but only one out of five have launched the Voice of LTE service. With its undisputed end-user benefits such as a fast call setup time of 2-3 seconds, considerably higher audio quality and improved and richer usability, VoLTE has been an untapped customer experience opportunity for operators up to now.

Now a total of 643 operators in 200 countries are providing LTE mobile data services to customers with a total reach of 74% of the world’s population. However, only 127 operators in 63 countries offer Voice and Video over LTE services while Voice over Wi-Fi is operational in 33 countries, provided by 57 operators. According to the GSMA, currently 1,218 different types of mobile device models provide support for this technology.

A major obstacle for the proliferation of VoLTE services has been the lack of automated device configuration. Without this device configuration, the handsets cannot connect correctly to the operators’ VoLTE services.

Those operators who launched VoLTE have had to perform extensive network configuration and testing projects to tune up their networks to support a limited selection of handset models. In addition, the networks have had to be “hard-coded” to support specific operating system software versions of those handsets. Reconfiguration and testing was required in the case of handset operating system updates.

Sicap’s VoLTE Device Entitlement Server solves this problem by introducing a device and subscriber authentication, device detection and configuration functionality. It detects the VoLTE handset models in the network in real-time and automatically configures them over the air with the correct VoLTE settings.

“It is about time to bring the amazing VoLTE user-experience to the attention of all mobile users and let operators finally cash into the investments made on the technology,” says Magnus Moller-Petersen, EVP Sales and Marketing at Sicap “Sicap’s automatic VoLTE device configuration removes the last deployment bottleneck, radically reducing time-to-market and the implementation and testing costs,” he concludes.

The newly released VoLTE Device Entitlement solution will be showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February 26^th – March 1^st in Barcelona in Spain. Other Sicap solutions such as artificial intelligence-based churn prediction, device and SIM management, enterprise mobility management, TargetMe, the customer insight and engagement solution and Sicap’s mobile security solutions including Equipment Identity Register (EIR) and Safer, the homeland security enabler will also be demonstrated at Sicap’s booth at Stand 7K61 in Hall 7 during the exhibition.