Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier and Orange International Carriers have jointly announced the successful conclusion of a proof of concept (POC) project to enhance IPX services using blockchain technology. Their decision to partner on the initiative was first revealed at the ITW 2020 digital event in June.
The two carriers report that they have demonstrated that blockchain technology can facilitate the exchange of end-to-end key performance indicators (KPIs) between providers. By sharing KPI data, end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) will be possible, while improving forecast and incident management.
The use of blockchain would ensure transparency because every transaction would be directly visible. Privacy issues would also be eliminated due to encryption of stored and exchanged data. As a next step, the results of the POC will be presented to the GSMA.
Rolf Nafziger, senior vice president Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier, explains, “We are proud to have successfully completed this POC together with Orange. It validates the benefits of blockchain technology for optimising IPX services. We have long been a proponent of collaborative work and invite any like-minded industry organisation to contact us for cooperative projects.”
Emmanuel Rochas, CEO of Orange International Carriers adds, “The Orange-DT joint POC test results are very satisfying and they offer great promise for our industry. We now have proof that IPX service management can benefit from improved levels of efficiency and reliability using Blockchain. This is both timely and relevant because the forthcoming integration of 5G into mainstream telecoms services requires efficient, reliable data transfer, so these advances will bring confidence to operators and end-users alike.”
IPX is a critical roaming enabler, and the ability to provide end-to-end SLA’s across multiple IPX networks is a prerequisite for guaranteeing that mobile operators have the best quality network performance. Orange and Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier are expanding the collective reach of directly-connected mobile service providers via their IPX networks as well as through peering agreements and IPX PoP expansion.
In addition to the IPX blockchain POC, Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier and Orange International Carriers are developing new IPX products. DT has launched Premium IPX, which is a new innovation that, the company says, will deliver badly needed end-to-end SLAs and QoS, as well as improve KPIs.
Orange is also seizing the opportunity to create additional customer value and differentiate IPX offers with its fully adapted services. As 5G, Edge and other technologies progress, optimisations of today’s IPX system are essential for the telecommunications industry as a whole.
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