The Sultan natives can get creative
Telco Vodafone and equipment maker Ericsson have made Oman’s first successful test call over a Standalone 5G network. This heralds the introduction of 5G Standalone (5G SA) voice and data services for Vodafone subscribers in the Sultanate, the Times of Oman has reported. Few subscribers will realise the epic significance of this breakthrough because of 5G SA’s non-descript name but Oman’s first successful Voice over New Radio (VoNR) proof of concept call, over a standalone 5G network, is a massive advance in Vodafone and Ericsson’s quest to develop a powerful national standalone network for high-quality, seamless voice and data services.
The proof of concept was built with Ericsson dual-mode 5G Core and Ericsson IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS), and showed what could be achieved with mobile networks to improve speech quality across the country. It exemplified the power of Vodafone’s network to create 5G-specific voice and communication services for both consumers and enterprises. This vision of the future was created using an experimental terminal, which will subsequently be replaced by commercial terminals made by Vodafone’s partners.
The next job is explaining to the public that Standalone 5G networks are different from their non-standalone forebears, because they no longer need to piggy back on existing 4G networks and technology. Stelios Savvides, Vodafone’s Technology Director in Oman has the job of drawing attention to the difference, so that people realise the radical improvement created when 5G radios can be paired with a cloud-native 5G core network. Few members of the public will get excited about terms like ‘non-standalone’ but they understand the concepts of flexibility and speed and the power to fulfil any demands that customers make.
Savvides is looking forward to fulfilling their dreams: “As we continue to push boundaries as an innovation leader in Oman, this successful VoNR proof of concept call is a milestone in our mission to enhance our 5G capabilities and deliver superior user experiences,” said Savvides. “High-quality and seamless voice calling will soon become a must-have service for residents across Oman, as Vodafone becomes one of an extremely select group of operators around the world to deploy a standalone 5G network.”
These developments are important stepping stones to all manner of futuristic wonders, from real-time virtual reality and augmented reality to driverless cars. This technology will help us live longer thanks to advances in health care and will improve the quality of life in Oman. “Our collaboration with Ericsson can develop this proof of concept further and exploring a range of immersive applications across the country.”
Oman is embarking on a new phase of growth through Vision 2040 said Abdullah Al Balushi, Country Manager of Ericsson Oman. “Cellular technology is set to play a huge role in this journey and we aspire to help Oman realise the advanced digital economy mandated.”