Brussels – Belgium:– Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS), Thailand’s biggest mobile operator, announces Asia’s first ever 5G Standalone (SA) roaming connection to stc Kuwait, a world-class digital leader providing innovative services and platforms to customers, and enabling digital transformation in the Middle East. The achievement is the result of a partnership with international connectivity provider BICS, the first of its kind to offer a direct connection with AIS SEPP (Secure Edge Protection Proxy) and a full service 5G SA Service Hub to stc Kuwait.

The successful connection enabled AIS and stc Kuwait to deliver an international 5G roaming connection carrying data, texts, and calls using a 5G mobile core network. Until now, 5G connections in the region used non-standalone (NSA) 5G technology and were routed as 4G/LTE traffic in core networks. This meant previous connections did not offer network slicing and real-time-critical communication, or scalability, and therefore didn’t support 5G innovation use cases. 

This is the latest in a string of 5G Standalone firsts from BICS. The company completed the first-ever connection of its kind in a lab environment back in 2021, and quickly followed it up with the first-ever global 5G SA roaming connection between the Middle East and Europe last year. This new first has allowed BICS to push 5G SA boundaries further, testing its new 5G Standalone Service Hub model; opening the doors for operators to innovate and scale their roaming agreements.

“As 5G gains momentum across Asia, AIS continues to push the technology forward with a breakthrough roaming connection for the region,” says Saran Phaloprakarn, Head of Mobile and Consumer Products Department at AIS. “For 5G to work for businesses and consumers, it needs to be scalable, and it needs to be secure. This successful roaming connection takes a huge step forward in both regards, and ushers in the next generation of 5G for our customers and the wider industry.” 

Mohammed N. Al-Nusif, Chief Executive Officer of solutions by stc added: “We are proud to yet again be part of a breakthrough moment that is another step in the right direction in establishing round-the-world 5G connectivity for our subscribers. stc believes in the benefits that Standalone 5G will bring, and through our partnership with BICS, we’re excited to be at the forefront, offering our customers opportunities for innovation.”

This latest successful roaming connection sees BICS offer more than the standard requirements, with an additional security layer on top of the SEPP protection established by operators. All traffic is sent from the operators’ SEPPs through BICS’ new 5G SA Service Hub. So, while the operators already have the security protection of the SEPP firewall, BICS adds data analytics, business intelligence, quality monitoring, and a powerful layer of fraud protection for the 5G roaming traffic exchanged between the operators around the world, meaning they can scale with ease.

“5G is the biggest overhaul of mobile technology in generations, offering a range of benefits to users and enterprises. But the real potential of 5G will only be realized through the global adoption of 5G Standalone,” says Mikaël Schachne, VP Telco at BICS. “At BICS we believe in the power of communications, which is why we are committed to building the foundations that will accelerate the rollout of 5G SA roaming around the world. The more we work together to cement these foundations and make 5G SA roaming a reality, the quicker operators like AIS and stc Kuwait, and enterprises and end-users alike, can unlock its potential.”

“This latest achievement brings global 5G SA even closer to reality, arming operators not only with the technical readiness, but an array of secure, quality assurance services to protect consumers and operators’ future revenues in the 5G era.”

 -Ends-

About BICS

As a leading communications platform company, BICS is connecting the world by creating reliable and secure mobile experiences anytime, anywhere. We are a global voice carrier and the leading provider of mobile data services worldwide. Our solutions are essential for supporting the modern lifestyle of today’s device-hungry consumer – from global mobile connectivity, seamless roaming experiences, fraud prevention and authentication, to global messaging and the Internet of Things. We are headquartered in Brussels, with a strong presence in Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Middle East.

For more information visit www.bics.com

About AIS Thailand

Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS) is the 5G Digital Service Provider with the most spectra to provide service, totalling 1460MHz (including spectra from partnership with NT, pending NBTC approval). The company has 45.3 million subscribers as of June 2023. AIS powers Thailand with 5G technology through 4 core businesses: mobile phones, high-speed home broadband through AIS Fibre, Enterprise Services and Digital Services in 5 aspects of video, Cloud, digital payments, the Internet of Things (IoT) and services provided jointly with partners, including new sectors. In realizing the vision of becoming a Cognitive Tech-Co, AIS will leverage its potential to support a robust digital infrastructure for the country, boost the industrial sector’s competitive potential and upgrade quality of life for all Thais.

Find us at www.ais.th 

About stc Kuwait

Kuwait Telecommunications Company (stc) is a Kuwaiti shareholding company incorporated pursuant to Amiri Decree No. 187 on 22 July, 2008, to operate and manage the third GSM mobile network in Kuwait as per Law No. 2 of 2007. Accordingly, stc launched its operations in December 2008 and was listed on Boursa Kuwait in December 2014. It is a world-class digital leader providing innovative services and platforms to customers and enabling the digital transformation in Kuwait, and is a subsidiary of stc Group. stc has rapidly reached a leadership stance in the market through its customer and employee centric strategy.

stc offers an innovative range of world-class products, services and solutions with high quality, that cater to the customers’ needs and demands, both for individuals and enterprises (solutions by stc). In 2019, stc acquired 100% of the share capital of the Internet Service Provider, Qualitynet General Trading and Contracting Company (solutions by stc) in Kuwait. Further enhancing its digital capabilities, in 2022 stc acquired the entire share capital of e-portal Holding Company and its subsidiaries, one of the most prominent ICT providers in Kuwait.

In 2021, stc obtained the approval from the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority’s (CITRA) to launch the first-of-its-kind mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) license to launch Virgin Mobile Kuwait in partnership with Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa.

stc offers high internet speeds due to the implementation of the most advanced 5G network and deployment of the largest network nationwide. In 2021, stc was the first operator in Kuwait to launch the latest 5G Standalone technology dubbed ‘FULL 5G’ that brings the 5G experience to a new level with better speeds, lower latency, and improved coverage.

stc's CSR program focuses on outreaching to the local community with a primary focus on health, environment, entrepreneurship, sports, and education through contributing and supporting various community-driven initiatives.

Press Contact:
Marcus Hedenberg
marcus.hedenberg@babelpr.com