Syniverse, IBM pilot blockchain-based mobile roaming solution with Orange and MTS

Syniverse, a telecom services provider, and tech giant IBM have successfully trialed a blockchain-based mobile roaming solution with two international telecommunication companies, Orange and Mobile TeleSystems (MTS).

Built on the IBM Blockchain platform, the solution aims to instantly validate new wholesale billing and charging processes for clearing and settlement services. It is designed to enable “smart contracts” to be coordinated and executed between mobile operators.

Blockchain technology can significantly improve the processing of roaming charges by providing each network participant with the same verifiable proof of events, billable usage or executed transactions.

The companies said that blockchain technology’s smart-contracts capability, which helps determine the rules and processes governing each transaction between parties, will help improve customer efficiencies and reduce the friction of doing business, such as for dispute management.

“Together with Syniverse, we’ve designed a blockchain platform solution that has potential to change the clearing and roaming business processes and enable mobile operators to improve collaboration within business networks and get value from data, which is becoming more vital than ever in today’s quickly evolving technology landscape,” said Utpal Mangla, Vice President & Partner for Blockchain, IBM Telecommunications Services.

In its trial, Orange found that the solution will enhance operational efficiency, particularly for call event creation and data exchange, based on the specific steps included in the pilot.

MTS Russia, on the other hand, observed valuable efficiency gains in clearing and settlement for roaming, underpinned by increased operational efficiency, auditability, and smart-contract management. It also said that the solution provided the capability to directly create, validate, and view all agreements with partners using smart contracts.

Dennis Meurs, Vice President and General Manager, Transaction and Clearing Services, Syniverse, said that with the proliferation of interconnected networks and emerging online technologies, the future of clearing and settlement will depend on the ability to “securely clear and monetize any type of connected transaction, whether it’s for roaming, the internet of things, or any other process.”

“In collaboration with IBM, we’ve integrated the power of blockchain to design a pilot that addresses several business challenges, and a solution that builds on Syniverse’s 30-year-plus history of solving clearing and settlement challenges in the mobile ecosystem,” Meurs added.