Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier launches new PoP in Dallas, for 5G SA roaming
Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier has launched a new Point-of-Presence (PoP) in Dallas, Texas specifically designed for 5G SA roaming enablement. The newly established Dallas PoP complements the already existing Germany-based PoPs in Bamberg and Frankfurt and will address the roaming needs of North and Latin American customers. It enables Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier to offer its full 5G security roaming portfolio in the region, including the new Group-hosted Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) solutions for 5G SA roaming.
5G SA Roaming refers to roaming services provided on 5G Standalone (SA) networks, which are built entirely on 5G infrastructure. This is different from 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) networks, which rely on existing 4G LTE infrastructure to deliver 5G services.
The group-hosted SEPP for Family & Friends service was introduced earlier this year as a one-stop shop for 5G security designed for operators already enabling 5G SA roaming. The new roaming environment ensures innovative connectivity through 3GPP’s SEPP in various configurations. They include outsourced SEPP solutions, hosted SEPP maintenance services, and composite scenarios that can be tailored to each operator’s roaming security preferences and needs.
The ’Family’ part of the service is dedicated to Deutsche Telekom’s own national operators and provides them with a ‘no-man-in-the-middle’ guarantee. The ‘Friends’ part of the service is dedicated to securely connecting already established operator partners with the same guarantees enjoyed by the ‘Family’ operators, at a favorable price.
“We’re proud to now also offer our full set of roaming security solutions in the Americas, and invite all security driven operators who are not yet in our Group Hosted SEPP Family & Friends program to jointly build a secure roaming ecosystem for our industry,” said Nicholas Nikrouyan, Vice President, Voice & Mobile Solutions at Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier. “Our new Dallas PoP is based on a highly redundant cloud platform and plays a pivotal role in efficient data exchange and routing, enhancing the overall performance and security of our 5G SA roaming services.”
Key Features of 5G SA Roaming:
- Improved Latency: Standalone networks reduce latency significantly, enabling smoother experiences for applications like gaming and video conferencing while roaming.
- Higher Speeds: With dedicated 5G architecture, speeds are consistently higher compared to 5G NSA.
- Network Slicing: 5G SA supports network slicing, allowing service providers to allocate specific parts of their network for certain applications or industries even while users are roaming.
- Advanced Connectivity: Enhanced IoT and mission-critical communications are supported globally without dependency on 4G infrastructure.
- Enhanced Security: 5G SA provides better encryption and authentication mechanisms, crucial for enterprise-level applications during roaming.
Challenges of 5G SA Roaming:
- Limited Deployment: Many carriers are still in the process of rolling out 5G SA networks globally.
- Compatibility Issues: Devices and carriers need to support 5G SA roaming agreements.
- Higher Costs: Initial setup and inter-operator testing might lead to higher costs for service providers.
