“While very little GPRS data revenue will be derived directly from roaming,” says lead author Katrina Bond, “it is critical for attracting early adopters, particularly business people whose main reason for wanting GPRS services is to access email and corporate applications when travelling.”
The problem, according to Analysys, is that current roaming services over GSM networks are not equipped to cope with the more complicated access and billing requirements which will come with GPRS roaming. Subsequently, mobile operators will have to seek out an alternative connection model. The likely front runners are via the Internet or a GPRS roaming exchange (GRX) as a hub for routing GPRS data along private IP connections.
Some operators , such as Orange, have expressed their intention to use a GRX hub. Others are still contemplating possible models. Analysys believes that the GRX model will dominate for GPRS roaming due to the high quality of service and security it provides and for the level of control it affords operators over the services their customers can access.
