At the occasion of the Mobile World Congress 2022, Transatel (subsidiary of NTT Ltd.) unveils a major evolution of its SIM technology that enables any devices to securely connect to both private networks and public cellular networks across the globe. A brand-new feature that becomes critical given the massive adoptions of private 5G in factories and campuses expected in the next few years. A technology breakthrough that was recently recognized as the “Most ambitious project” by the IoT Awards at IoT Solutions and M2M Congress in Paris.

Smart manufacturing is on the rise so as private mobile networks

Recent report from NTT and the Economist[1] shows that over half of the companies surveyed plan to deploy a private 5G network within the next 6-24 months. A trend fueled by the rapid adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, machine-to-machine communications and the Internet of Things (IoT); All increasingly data-driven application flourishing in sectors such as industrial manufacturing, logistics, automotive and healthcare to name a few. Private 5G networks can provide coverage in strategic locations, both indoors or outdoors, such as at manufacturing plants or ports and offer substantial benefits in terms of speed, productivity and security compared with Wi-Fi. It is then no surprise that 4G and 5G private networks markets will respectively reach $66.88 billion and $47.5 billion for a total exceeding $109 billion in 2030, according to ABI Research[2].

Industries need secure and reliable connectivity beyond their own private networks

By design, private cellular networks are not interconnected to mobile operators’ public radio networks which may limit their full potential. Today, organizations expect full control over their connectivity and independence from mobile carriers. They look for secure, fail-safe, globally scalable solutions that can enable any mobility use case beyond borders, at a reasonable cost. According to OMDIA’s latest Private LTE and 5G Network Enterprise Survey Insight[3], 75% of enterprises want hybrid public-private 5G solutions.

Options to expand a private cellular network beyond its perimeter exist but they imply multiple roaming agreements and the creation of multiple interconnections with public networks. Such an approach tends to quickly become costly and time-consuming and complexifies projects implementation while putting the network security at risk.

Based on its proven cellular technology expertise, Transatel developed a unique set of APIs enabling its SIM to seamlessly switch between private and public cellular networks, worldwide.

“We have developed a natively secure solution, enabling our SIM to seamlessly switch between private and any public cellular networks. Our clients can now choose how and when their SIM switch from their own private to public networks. This automatic or manual network switch set up can be based on SIM location, NFC detection, vocal command, use of a specific application on the connected device or even depending on the hour of the day.”says Romain Durand, R&D and Innovation programs Director at Transatel.

With this innovative solution, Transatel addresses a native limitation of Private cellular networks as well as basic needs of SIM providers. From factories to campuses, harbors and airports, this breakthrough feature will ensure critical operations continuity as moving devices such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots, ACPCs (Always Connected PCs) or push to talk applications for field personnel require uninterrupted connectivity, even at the edge where the private network may be unavailable or out of reach.

By offering a single interconnection between private networks and its core network infrastructure and thus providing extended global coverage across 200+ destinations, Transatel Private LTE/5G Networks Extension solution removes complexity and frees private network owners from establishing complex roaming agreements with numerous national mobile carriers,” adds Christian Regnier, co-founder and chairman of EUWENA (European Users Wireless Enterprise Network Association), and founder and chairman of PRIVINNET.

To learn more about Transatel Private networks Extension solution, please visit https://www.transatel.com/iot/private-cellular-networks/.