Syniverse Launches Evolved Mobility for Messaging to Maintain Legacy SMS Capabilities for Roaming

Diameter-based SMS interworking solution enables VoLTE roaming agreements during 5G transition

TAMPA, Fla. — June 25, 2024 — Syniverse, the world's most connected company^®, has launched Evolved Mobility for Messaging. This innovative solution empowers mobile network operators (MNOs) to ensure reliable SMS message delivery for inbound roamers that utilize different messaging protocol standards.

Evolved Mobility for Messaging addresses the challenges MNOs face while decommissioning their 2G and 3G infrastructure and by greenfield operators that never implemented SS7 fallback capabilities for SMS delivery. It enables support for SMS over the Diameter protocol while interworking with legacy SS7 networks, allowing these MNOs to navigate the transition toward VoLTE and 5G connectivity without sacrificing SMS roaming or associated revenue streams.

Of approximately 175 VoLTE roaming-enabled carriers worldwide, nearly 60% require the visited operator to support SS7 fallback for SMS, making roaming partnerships difficult to establish. According to the GSMA, roughly a third of all mobile connections are still being made over 2G or 3G networks—and that number is not projected to fall below 10% in the next five years, underscoring the importance of maintaining legacy technology.

"If MNOs cannot support SS7 fallback for SMS messaging, they're unable to deliver their roaming subscribers' messages and forego invaluable revenue streams that can help recoup their considerable investment in the 5G rollout," said John Wick, Chief Product Officer of Syniverse. "Evolved Mobility for Messaging fills those gaps by enabling reliable SMS services for roamers, expanding operators' roaming footprint with more than 100 new VoLTE partnerships, and giving them a significant competitive advantage in the roaming market while they navigate the years-long transition to 5G."

Evolved Mobility for Messaging mediates signaling between Diameter and SS7 protocols. It behaves as a Diameter short message service center (SMSC) toward the visited network and performs like 3G GSM roaming toward the home network. As an interworking function, it also mediates Diameter signaling to indicate to the visited network that the home supports Diameter-based messaging whether that home operator supports Diameter or not.

Additionally, the fully non-GSM-based solution can generate call detail records (CDRs) and capture all necessary billing information for clearing purposes. Evolved Mobility for Messaging CDR generation is important not only for interworked operators but even for those home operators that support Diameter-based SMS, as many of the visited operator’s MMEs currently do not generate CDRs for SMS over Diameter. As a cloud-based deployment, it can be quickly implemented with no changes needed by the home or visited network and can be scaled to handle increased traffic volumes while maintaining consistent service levels.

Evolved Mobility for Messaging is an addition to Syniverse's existing Evolved Mobility innovations, which unburden MNOs from their 2G or 3G obligations amid the 5G network transition. Evolved Mobility for Outbound allows 4G and 5G devices to roam on non-VoLTE networks, while Evolved Mobility for Inbound enables devices to roam on 4G or 5G networks from non-VoLTE home networks.

For more information on how Syniverse's Evolved Mobility solutions can help you overcome the greatest challenges associated with the retirement of your legacy networks, visit https://www.syniverse.com.

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