"This is definitely a step in the right direction.
But the ideal solution is to just have one RM lobby with one rating for team games and one rating for 1v1. Then there is no split - the problem at the moment is all the different lobbies and ladders. If you have everyone in one lobby, and everyone has the same rating ladder, then it becomes so much more easier to find games of your level to play in. There's no need to think about oh this guy has 1350 beginners rating what does that translate to on intermediate, or oh this guy has 1450 intermediate, is he good enough to play in my RM-TG game?
Then you can let people choose their starting rate on the ladders:
Option 1 - I am a brand new player or only have a little experience in AoE2 - start at 1200 1v1 1200 TG
Option 2 - I have some experience and skill in AoE2 - start at 1400 1v1 1400 TG
Option 3 - I am an experienced and skilled player and I understand the people at this rating are highly competent players- start at 1600 1v1 and 1600 TG
tl;dr: For RM - one lobby, one ladder for 1v1, one ladder for TG. Then let people sort the lobby by rating range.
Result?
More games
Lower waiting times
Easy to find games of your skill level"
Is it possible to force smurfs to start with 1600 rating, while new players (new IPs) can choose between 1200/1400/1600? That would solve the problem with the smurfs.