Network outages cost mobile operators $15 billion per year

Network outages are exceptionally costly for telecommunications providers, especially now that so many individuals and businesses expect ubiquitous, high-quality coverage and capacity for mobile devices. With yearly outage-related costs already totaling more than $10 billion and mobile data usage on the rise, telecoms have an acute need for IT solutions that ensure the continuous operation of their networks and services.

Mobile operators lose up to $15 billion per year because of network outages
Each year, a typical mobile operator experiences five outages or service deteriorations, or one every other month. Taken together, these incidents account for $15 billion in losses, despite operators’ earnest efforts to address problems.

Most telecoms spend between 1.5 and 5 percent of their annual revenue fixing network issues. The primary causes of outages are congestion, physical link failures, overloading and network equipment failure. Malicious attacks were identified as only a minor cause of outages, according to operators that responded to a recent survey. However, it’s possible that telecoms are enduring a high number of attacks but do not currently have the detection capabilities and security tools to fully catalog and address them.

More specifically, it can be difficult to distinguish harmless traffic from real threats. Accordingly, some telecoms may not be fully prepared for attacks and, more broadly, do not know the extent to which they contribute to outages. While there are a number of outages each year, attack-related or otherwise, that are likely unavoidable, telecoms need IT solutions that ensure that operations can withstand malicious, accidental and technical incidents

Reboot to restore software provides comprehensive protection against malware infection, misconfigurations and system crashes, facilitating continuous network uptime. Endpoints at carrier retail outlets, as well as workstations in data centers, can benefit from how this solution guarantees operating system recovery upon restart. At the same time, customizable configurations and workstation task scheduling make it easier to address a wide range of IT functions.

On the whole, providers do a good job of ensuring that networks stay up and running, but the flip​ side of their success is that when an outage does happen, it is all the more notable. A recent wave of incidents affecting St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Kansas City, Mo., caused trouble for many subscribers to one U.S. telecom. These particular outages appeared tied to a routine maintenance issue that got out of hand, demonstrating the value of having backup infrastructure in place.