We have been hearing about this a lot lately. The 5G Service that we supposedly have is not “pure” 5G. So, what does that mean? It means that the 5G service that we see on our phones is 5G from the radio cell site to our phones only, but the backend control systems (core networks) are still based on 4G (LTE) technology. This setup is referred to as Non-Standalone (NSA).
I call it half-baked. Not quite ready, but still edible.
According to the statistics, around a third of all the Mobile Operators worldwide have deployed 5G radio networks, of which less than 20 percent have deployed a 5G Core Network. So, of the few Mobile Operators, who have deployed 5G, most are still running their 5G radio networks on 4G Core Networks (NSA). In other words, only 1 in 6 Mobile Operators can actually take full advantage of the features, that the real 5G mobile cellular technology was intended to offer.
From Zero to 5 in 40…
We have become accustomed to ushering in a new mobile cellular generation every decade till now, starting with 1G in the 1980s. Fast forward to 2024 and 5G has long been ready for use. With every new generation, we have received faster mobile internet access and many new services and applications.
It is no different with 5G. 5G Technology is promising faster internet speeds with next-gen electronics for a better user experience accompanied with new types of applications we don’t even know yet. It is very well-suited to manage the increased data loads generated by IoT devices at high speed and high density and is expected to impact nearly every industry, improving efficiency in transportation, agriculture, healthcare, events and beyond.
The technology is moving forward fast. Do we need more speed as consumers?
Despite the promise of this great new technology, it seems apparent, that the Mobile Operators just can’t keep up with the investments, that are required to launch a new generation every decade. As we know, Mobile Operators provide services to consumers and enterprises worldwide. To invest in a new technology, there needs to be a business case, but if consumers and enterprises are not in yet in need of what the technology can offer, then there will be no use cases and therefore no business case to invest in.
Sign of the times
This is not a problem per se. Typically, when innovative developers start playing around with a new technology, they will start developing and releasing new solutions running on this technology. This happened with 4G in the 2010’s.
There will be some very cool consumer applications running on 5G Standalone I am sure. The technological advantages of 5G Standalone are increasingly emerging in IoT/M2M Solutions as well. But it will just take some time.
Roaming Services follow Domestic Services
So, as gradually more Mobile Operators start deploying their 5G Standalone Core Networks and offer the real, pure 5G, domestically in their home markets, they will subsequently start to launch and offer 5G Standalone Roaming to their customers. That’s when our consumer devices and IoT devices alike will start to benefit from this new technology whilst roaming as well.
Enter Comfone’s Wholesale Roaming Services Enabler – the Key2roam Platform
Comfone is already preparing Mobile Operators for testing and launching of 5G SA Roaming relations.
We are currently conducting 5G Standalone Roaming tests between a Mobile Operator from Singapore and a Mobile Operator from India, facilitated by our Pre-Production 5G SEPP Environment, with the objective of launching this roaming relation when fully tested.
Interoperability Challenges
Network vendors have built their 5G Standalone Network Functions in accordance with their interpretation of the 3GPP specifications of a particular 3GPP release version. Having different interpretations, different 3GPP Release versions and different network vendors all leads to interoperability issues between the two testing parties.
So far progress with 5G Standalone Roaming is slow because domestic launches are few and far between and because of these interoperability issues.
But that’s ok. Good things take time, and the momentum is gradually increasing. After all, we are at the beginning of a new era in roaming.
Are you ready for 5G SA Roaming?
Since the inception of roaming, back in the 1990s, Comfone has followed the technology advancements by developing and providing innovative and trusted wholesale roaming services and solutions to the entire Mobile Operator community.
If you are ready to start working on 5G SA Roaming, be sure to reach out to us at Comfone. We have a full end-to-end service framework for Mobile Operators to test and launch 5G SA Roaming relations, including the 5G Signalling Service and our ready 5G SA ready BCE service called Phoenix.
