Global roaming and interconnect are critical areas for many carriers, who often have significant revenues at stake. In addition, reputation and quality issues can be very important, with poor voice or data quality and call drop-outs potentially leading to loss of revenue and customers.
In Beijing, thousands of phone calls are being placed between carrier networks and to and from other countries, constantly checking call quality and network performance. Sublime IP provides a comprehensive range of managed services to the telecommunications industry to help facilitate this, specialising in provision of data centre space featuring redundant power, reliable Internet connectivity and high-level security. Going beyond the services offered by a pure data centre operator, Sublime IP also does whatever it takes to obtain suitable carrier services for testing purposes.
Managing Director Justin Sullivan explains: “Each step of the provisioning process can entail complexities, such as importing specialist radio frequency devices and computer equipment for monitoring purposes. In a market like China, obtaining carrier services locally also presents a challenge, for which the firm has gradually built up a complex network of partner individuals, businesses and banking relationships over the past several years. This enables clients from outside of China to quickly obtain local services [such as SIM cards or traditional fixed telephone lines] from rapidly growing network operators such as China Mobile and China Unicom as well as the incumbent, China Telecom”.
China is not only a rapidly growing market but already represents one of the biggest markets for telecommunications services, with China Mobile established as the world's largest telecom operator by number of subscribers.
Significant market consolidation is under way with the merger between China Unicom and Hong Kong-based China Netcom expected to be completed this October. Independent tests of network quality are important to carriers and industry observers and can also provide significant “bragging rights” to a carrier who can claim to be “most reliable” or “fastest”.
“China is clearly a market of interest to us and we are excited to be involved in such a dynamic marketplace,”
