IO.30 Accreditation Programme: A new industry mark of approval
The Telecoms Vendor products and services sector for wholesale roaming has grown and diversified in recent years. While there are many companies Mobile Operators are familiar with, there are also several new Vendors which have emerged which now offer Wholesale Roaming related services.
Some vendors offer a full end-to-end product set for Roaming and many offer specialist services. The vendors are globally situated and serve the entire community of MNOs.
The Executive Board of IO decided in November 2022 to introduce an accreditation programme to reassure Mobile Operators that vendors meet basic requirements. Furthermore, that they are qualified to present and share perspectives on Wholesale Roaming in IO Labs, Plenaries and Boards when asked to do so.
IO has consulted on the programme with many Mobile Operators in recent years, gathering key requirements Mobile Operators have and listening to their concerns and challenges.
The programme consists of 3 essential elements:
- A mechanism for Vendors to be assessed by completing a form where they must advise on over 20 KPIs and submit information about their companies. There is no self-assessment mechanism.
- The then inspection of the KPI feedback and documentation resulting in a pass or fail.
- The awarding of a Mark and listing which shows which vendors are accredited by IO.
Vendors being accredited must meet a series of over 20+ KPIs including an ethics policy, endorsements by clients and several operational expectations required by the IO community. The Accreditation Programme also provides an extensive list of benefits to Vendors who pass the accreditation.
IO.30 will be the start of a detailed auditing programme of market solutions requested by the IO community to ensure MNOs are investing in solutions which deliver value and support their development goals.
Director General of IO Jason Bryan said of the Accreditation: “The Board sought an accreditation programme which required vendors to provide a deeper understanding of their business direction and outlook. A self-certification scheme was not the right fit here, the aim of the programme is to ensure Vendors meets the specific requirements the IO community has set. The board is confident that IO.30 will ensure great working relationships between the Vendor community and IO.”
For more information about the accreditation programme please visit the dedicated webpage on the IO website from where you can read more about the programme and apply.
About IO
Innovative Operators (IO) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the MNO and MVNO community to work on the challenges and opportunities coming from the Wholesale Roaming sector of telecoms. Starting in 2021, IO has an established community of over 100 Member operators in over 80 countries who work in Labs to workshop how they can optimise their Wholesale roaming businesses. IO has established Roaming Development Goals as a means of framing its objective, to explore how roaming can be developed, bring quality and to ensure availability of roaming services globally. The focus of IO is on education, collaboration and pragmatic solutions which help optimise roaming development.
