NTT’s French subsidiary Transatel is rolling out its 5G IoT service for the industrial, IT and automotive sectors in the USA; it is already available in France, Belgium and Japan.

The plan is to extend the 5G IoT services to the rest of the world in the coming months.

The announcement follows the recent launch of NTT’s private 5G network as-a-service platform.

Starting this month, NTT is offering private and public 5G connectivity in the USA. This mobile broadband continuity of service will prove to be critical for many industries, as IIoT applications process an ever-growing volume of data. Public 5G service will be available through Transatel’s global cellular IoT connectivity platform.

“The Transatel SIM is already an integral part of the NTT enterprise focused private 5G, giving NTT P5G customers the benefit of having a single SIM serving both their private network needs while also enabling global roaming for enterprises requiring this feature beyond factories and campuses,” said Shahid Ahmed, NTT executive vice president.

The announcement allows continuous 5G coverage between private and public networks. In the past only 4G public coverage was available, thereby limiting the potential business benefit and use case development.

“We are excited to launch 5G IoT in the USA and abroad,” said Jacques Bonifay, CEO of Transatel. “NTT’s cellular networks hybridation capabilities demonstrate the strong synergies within the group.”

Field operations and distributed workforces will be the first to benefit from 5G broadband connectivity. SIM and eSIM compatible PCs, tablets and enterprise routers should now support data-intensive applications with reliability and fluidity.

“5G is a revolution for the IT industry as it offers significantly superior performances, security and user experience compared to wifi,” said Bonifay. “Very soon, most PCs and tablets sold on the market will be 5G ready, with cellular connectivity modules embedded.”

Industrial IoT and M2M use cases are also good candidates for 5G. Edge computing and artificial intelligence applications such as video content analysis, push-to-talk, and autonomous robots and vehicles require ever growing volumes of data. The higher bandwidth and lower latency of public and private 5G connectivity addresses these challenges while offering manufacturers transformation and innovation opportunities.

In addition to the enterprises, Transatel’s 5G will also be available to consumers worldwide through its Ubigi brand, which offers eSIM cellular connectivity for international travellers and connected cars. However, it will take a few more years before second-generation 5G makes the development of fully autonomous driving possible.

After France, Belgium, Japan and the USA, Transatel 5G IoT will soon be rolled-out in other countries. Already available in nearly 200 destinations, the cellular IoT connectivity platform is leveraged by many international manufacturers including Airbus and Stellantis.

“This flexibility and independence from operators allow us to meet our customers’ coverage and quality of service requirements, regardless of their industry, their device or business applications, anywhere in the world,” said Bonifay.

Transatel SIM and eSIM connect more than three million devices around the world, from PC and tablets to IoT sensors, industrial and agricultural robots, connected vehicles and aircraft.

Transatel is a global mobile virtual network operators and cellular connectivity provider for the industry, IT and automotive sectors. Pioneer in M2M communications, its global 3G, 4G, 5G and LTE-M connectivity platform enables IoT applications including sensors, trackers, mobile and enterprise edge devices, as well as connected vehicles and aircraft, worldwide. It was acquired by NTT in 2019.