The majority of 5G services are currently delivered over Non-Standalone (NSA) architecture. By the end of May 2022, GSA identified 28 operators that have deployed or launched 5G Standalone (SA) in public networks. Similarly, 5G roaming agreements are still based on NSA architecture, leveraging 4G core assets for which roaming is already well-established.
5G is designed to connect consumers and IoT devices by using high data rates (up to 10 Gbps uplink), ultralow latency (<1m sec), increased reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability (99.999%), and more. This higher network performance and improved efficiency will enable new opportunities across all industry verticals, however 5G requires more sophisticated systems to manage new business rules and network parameters, as well as improved user experience. 5G roaming is not necessarily about faster connections, but also about extending connections to IoT devices overseas and other mMTC and uRLLC roaming applications, as well as supporting more advanced services and entertainment offerings for the consumers.
A selected number of operators are undergoing 5G SA roaming trial initiatives to formulate the interoperability requirements and gaining a competitive advantage in the process. The introduction of full 5G SA roaming services will enable operators to differentiate on connectivity and add additional value to their B2B offerings, unlocking new revenue streams. 5G will change mobile communications and will especially disrupt the IoT market. According to Juniper Research, 28% of 5G IoT device connections used by business-critical applications will be roaming in 2027.
In H1 2022, TOMIA successfully completed a Proof of Concept (PoC), in a controlled testing environment, on 5G Standalone (SA) steering with a tier-1 EU affiliate of a large mobile operator group. The main objective was to design, develop and test an approach for 5G SA active steering, where the Steering of Roaming (SoR) acts over the signaling message flow to control and decides about roamers’ registrations on foreign networks. The validations of the 5G flows and message protocols were a key part of this activity. TOMIA’s Intelligent Preferred Network (IPN) SoR service was upgraded to interpret and handle 5G SA network requests, according to 3GPP standards, to achieve successful steering registration, including redirecting devices from network A to B.
As the industry moves forward with additional deployments of 5G SA networks, the consolidation of technical standards, and more importantly, the return of travel post-COVID-19 as well as further investments by mobile operators’, we will witness operators bringing forth innovative offerings for their consumer base and increase their focus on the enterprise and IoT markets. The roaming value-added, billing and settlement services need to be upgraded to support operators’ ambitions in this new technological era. To help customers to be ready for the future, TOMIA has introduced its IPN 5G SA Active Steering service.
To learn more about TOMIA’s IPN 5G Active Steering service, please contact us at: marketing@tomiaglobal.com