Interconnection-mobile networks

Does the interconnection from/to a mobile network raise any different issues to those raised by fixed networks? The simple answer is yes! Customers of mobile networks could be anywhere in the world when making or receiving a call on their mobile phone. The mobility of the customer and thus the required network to support the customers requirements raises issues which are not faced by fixed network operators. This paper discusses the resulting interconnection issues raised when interconnecting to a mobile network. The global nature and common platform of GSM networks has resulted in them being feature rich, with services often being developed and deployed much more rapidly than has been traditional with fixed networks. Furthermore, the common nature of the GSM platform means that services deployed tend to comply with international and not national standards. This requires innovative interconnect solutions as often regulatory requirements developed for fixed network competition reasons may, if indiscriminately transferred to mobile networks, hamper the development of the mobile network and the pan-European/global market in which they operate.