Next Generation Networks

NGN Interconnection

Already, Next Generation Networks are being deployed across the globe by operators eager to increase the breadth of their service offerings and minimise their operating costs. In some territories, progress is being aided by its status as a perceived enabler of business, NGN being defined by some governments and regional agencies as a key element in economic development and regeneration strategies.

As with previous network models, however, the successful early deployment of NGNs will be at least partially reliant on their ability to interlink not just with one another, but also existing PSTN access infrastructures. In addition to the usual commercial and technical considerations, NGN interconnection introduces some questions of its own, not least with regard to the applicability and extent of access rights and obligations and how these should be managed in a way that promotes enhanced competition without threatening market sustainability.

Political interest in the value of NGNs as an economic enabler must also be taken into account, not just in terms of how NGN services are regulated but also the measures that development agencies and others may choose to take in order to encourage accelerated network rollout.

With over fifteen years’ experience in the field of interconnection, InterConnect can assist both regulators and operators to define and implement successful interconnection regimes for NGNs, areas in which we can help including:

• Advising regulators on such changes to existing interconnection as may be required to promote an NGN-friendly yet sustainable telecommunications environment;
• Determining what types of NGN service provider should be covered by statutory interconnection rights and obligations;
• Assisting ISPs and other service providers negotiate robust and sustainable interconnection agreements with network operators in order to facilitate the delivery of their products to end users;
• Undertaking network audits to assess the technical suitability of existing and planned network elements for handling NGN traffic;

In all cases, our team of experts can deploy extensive practical knowledge based on experience to identify relevant examples of international best practice and suggest how these can best be applied to specific regulatory environments.