Rogers Communications, one of the largest telecoms in North America, has launched what it claims is the first commercial 5G standalone (SA) network in Canada.
Rogers also claims it is one of the first global SA networks after the company completed the rollout of Canada’s first 5G core and the country’s first 5G standalone device certification.
Rogers 5G SA core network enables more advanced wireless capabilities such as ultra-low latency, network slicing and mobile edge computing. The network is designed to scale and support the growth of internet of things (IoT) devices in the coming years.
5G Core and 5G RAN slicing allows Rogers to deliver new services such as dedicated private networks, public safety applications and access to edge compute for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) consumer applications.
What is 5G SA?
Non-standalone (NSA) 5G technology, which has been the bulk of the 5G networks deployed worldwide, uses 4G infrastructure already in place and piggybacks on the 5G signal through this equipment. Because 4G infrastructure has been deployed globally, the non-standalone equipment is more plentiful than standalone 5G equipment currently installed worldwide. However, standalone infrastructure is growing in deployment.
Standalone 5G uses new infrastructure put in place specifically to run 5G networks allowing smart devices and other potential use cases to take advantage of the high download speed, high bandwidth and low latency that the technology affords.
Who can use it?
Wireless users that have 5G SA capable devices, such as the Google Pixel 6 and the Google Pixel 6 Pro, can connect to the 5G SA network. And more devices will be available soon as the technology becomes more ubiquitous in the world.
These users can automatically connect to the 5G SA service where it has been rolled out and Rogers will be onboarding other major devices later in the year.
