Pages

88

Deliverables

Released

2Q 2011

Product Code

RR-PMB-11

Price

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With the incredibly rapid increase of mobile data usage, bandwidth management has become one of the biggest issues for mobile broadband operators today. Policy solutions can help to manage network congestion and save CAPEX on network expansion. Policy management can also help to create new revenue-generating opportunities. The PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) is the key to implementing policy in a mobile broadband network. Although PCRFs have already been deployed for simple uses, particularly in North America and Western Europe, ABI Research sees significant growth in the PCRF business worldwide as operators try to manage their bandwidth problems and introduce more creative charging for data usage. The PCRF market will grow from approximately US $350 million in 2010 to almost US $1.6 billion by 2016. There are currently 40 to 50 PCRF vendors and this study analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each vendor. The study also provides a detailed background on the evolution of policy solutions and concludes with recommendations for network operators as well as equipment vendors.

What Questions Does This Report Answer?

• What is policy?
• How can policy be used to manage bandwidth congestion?
• How can policy be used to create new revenue opportunities?
• What are the relevant technical standards?
• Who are the policy vendors, and what are their products?

Who Needs This Report?

• Mobile network operators
• PCRF vendors