LIVE FROM HUAWEI GLOBAL MOBILE BROADBAND FORUM 2011: Michele Gamberini, director of Wireless Networks at Telecom Italia, highlighted the quality of operator networks as a key factor in driving mobile broadband growth, stating that “there is demand for reliable, speedy and excellent quality services from smartphone and mobile broadband users.” Speaking in a presentation yesterday, he said: “we in Telecom Italia believe that quality of experience will play a key role in getting more out of mobile broadband.”

Delivering a high-quality service to customers will also be one of the key tools in enabling operators to generate revenue when offering content from over-the-top providers (such as YouTube), an issue which has previously been widely discussed by operators. Noting that “we have to recognise the traction they create in the market,” Gamberini said that the solution for operators is to “combine our innovation with their services.”

“We have to provide the whole quality of experience,” he argued.

While the introduction of new technologies means that operators in general have more complicated networks, mixing 2G, 3G and ‘4G’ technologies, it was also noted that the reduced latency and improved throughput of LTE networks mean that this will be “a key technology to enhance the quality perception of our customers.”

Alongside the introduction of new technologies, the need to support legacy infrastructure was also highlighted. “We today have still more than 80 percent of voice traffic carried by the GSM network. Meaning that we have to keep that network modernised and optimised, and keep investing in the 2G network,” he said.