Telia, T-Mobile and SoftBank Corp join forces with Ericsson, Microsoft and Thales to demo always-on 5G
Three network operators and three vendors have teamed up to demo Windows 11 laptops switching between 5G networks to maintain the best connectivity. Normally the user has to choose a specific network manually and enter a PIN to authenticate their access. This process is repeated every time the laptop is restarted.
This trial of Ericsson’s Virtual Cellular Network (EVCN) switches automatically and seamlessly between networks as the user moves between locations, which can include moving to another country. The idea is to boost productivity for employees, many of whom have hybrid working arrangements, and simplify the management of the always-on connectivity for enterprises.
EVCN will be demonstrated jointly by Microsoft, SoftBank, T-Mobile, Telia and Thales in the Ericsson Hall at MWC.
Trial across three continents
In this trial, Ericsson’s employees use Windows 11 PCs switched between networks operated by Telia, T-Mobile and SoftBank as they travelled between Stockholm, New York, Seattle and Tokyo.
Microsoft’s Intune mobile device manager was used to bulk activate embedded Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) profile groups with local 5G connectivity provisioned according to the employee demographic and data usage.
For enterprises that adopt the solution, EVCN automatically manages and controls the ordering, downloading and activation of multiple eSIM profiles. The
Ian LeGrow, Microsoft Corporate Vice-President of Core OS Innovation, commented, “Network and device provisioning, connectivity optimization, and policy-based management are all enabled through this service. This will deliver a more productive and connected experience across applications, corporate systems, and resources that employees need.”
Magnus Leonhardt, Head of Strategy and Innovation at Telia Sweden’s B2B business, explains, “We see an increasing customer need to reduce internal infrastructure complexity. Standardized 5G technology offers unmatched quality of service with holistic connectivity, supporting new working needs at the office, home and on the move.”
In some ways, this is a cellular equivalent of and complementary to OpenRoaming for Wi-Fi. The standard was developed by the Wireless Broadband Alliance to make connection to public Wi-Fi automatic. If the user has the right identity on their device, they don’t need to select the service set identifiers (SSIDs), or input an email address and other personal data. Wi-Fi often provides better indoor coverage than 5G.