After a long winter, the sun is shining and summer is finally gracing our shores. We’ve worked year round for those two weeks in the sun for relaxation, adventure and whatever takes our fancy.  In today’s ‘always on’ world, however, one thing we don’t leave behind as we take to the beaches is our mobile communications device.

The devices we take on holiday are smarter, the services on them more complex and the way we can now use our mobiles and share holiday experiences is also changing rapidly. It is not uncommon for users to update their social media accounts with pictures and videos of the great time they are having on holiday. In terms of network performance, this is a step change from the simpler voice and messaging services previously serviced.

Roaming legislation
This summer saw the introduction of new EU Roaming legislation, and much has been written about the way that this can help prevent bill shock for holiday-makers who use their phones abroad. Although bill shock is a big issue, there is another glaring issue that doesn’t seem to attract the headlines, and that is around the quality of service and experience that end users receive while using their phones abroad.

It seems that many of us have become accustomed to poor audio quality, slow mobile web and failed messages, and this is not how it should be. Operators need to ensure that all the services they offer are available and operating as expected in all areas visited by their customers when abroad. This is going to become a pivotal differentiator in the industry, as more and more of us will want to use our phones while roaming.

Consumers are becoming far more savvy when it comes to their mobile phones; services that are unavailable, slow web browsing, delayed calls and failed photo messages will no longer be accepted. If users are going to pay a premium for a service, they should be able to use it to its full potential.

Integral tool
The active testing and measurement of mobile networks that emulate roaming subscribers is an integral tool in ensuring that the service users pay for is delivered to the same standard as they receive at home. Operators can use this technology to effectively validate applications such as video and internet browsing. The move by Apple into the video-calling market with FaceTime is bound to cause a spike in wireless activity from holiday-makers, with a potentially huge impact on backhaul.

Operators also need to incorporate a managed service to support the testing of critical revenue streams such as web applications, downloads and content verification. This will provide them with improved reporting, dashboards and diagnostics, improving the quality of its networks, while reducing CapEx, staffing costs and time-to-market delays.

The situation is complex enough today, but operators also need to have a planned road-map to 4G/LTE in place to ensure the future-proofing of their networks. The key message here is that customer churn is high, and if operators want to reduce this, they need to provide the best service, as well as the best price.

Test and measurement solutions provide up-to-date information about faults that can be quickly and remotely resolved; saving on costs associated with downtime and lost revenue. As networks upgrade and consumers expect things faster and at a better quality, this is only going to become a bigger challenge, making the argument for test and measurement even greater.

Manuel Mato is regional vice president, EMEA, at JDSU