Proximus Group affiliate BICS has successfully set up the first-ever intercontinental 5G Standalone (SA) roaming connection between two live networks in Europe and the Middle East.
The connection was the first of its kind to be completed in a non-lab environment and demonstrated successful roaming between Belgian mobile operator Proximus’ 5G SA network and the Middle-East-based digital solutions and telecommunications provider stc Kuwait’s 5G SA network. It marks a landmark moment for the readiness of international 5G SA services and use cases.
Connectivity between the visited and home network was set up via secured gateways (SEPP) - a next-level security protocol mandated by roaming regulators GSMA, and which can be hosted on BICS’ IPX network - for faster and more efficient implementation and management.
This success is the latest in a string of firsts for BICS as it continues to lead the way in 5G adoption. Last year it announced the first successful 5G lab trial, as well as borderless 5G connectivity to its IoT SIM card solution. As mobile network operators face the challenge of complex 5G roaming agreements and technologies, BICS is simplifying their path to 5G connectivity allowing them to benefit from one connection, one invoice and full managed service modules to reduce overhead on existing teams
Mikaël Schachne, VP Telco Market at BICS
Until now, operators around the world have only been delivering 5G Non-standalone (NSA) roaming that routes traffic through 4G/LTE core. This is the first time anyone has ever carried out a successful live connection across borders using 5G Standalone. By establishing 5G SA roaming, we’ve broken down the barriers to bring the power of this technology to international communications. This is an important step for the industry, and accelerates the benefits of 5G to potential consumers and enterprises around the world.
Mohammed N. Al-Nusif, Chief Executive Officer of solutions by stc
, said, “While this breakthrough is significant for the industry as a whole, it is also great news for stc’s customers. This new roaming connection with BICS and Proximus means it is now the first to offer 5G roaming spanning the widest coverage area across the world. It’s going to bring stc customers exceptional connectivity at high-data speeds and offer them the same 4G and 5G data plans at no additional costs when abroad.
