Smart tests faster overseas roaming with Ericsson

• Ericsson’s Merle Haslam conducting the demo in the US.

Smart Communications has tested a technology designed to make mobile data roaming faster for Filipinos abroad by processing internet traffic closer to where subscribers are located instead of routing it back to the Philippines.

The PLDT wireless subsidiary said it successfully completed a live pilot of Ericsson On-Demand’s Roaming Breakout service, which uses local breakout or LBO technology to reduce the distance traveled by roaming data.

The pilot was conducted simultaneously in the United States and the Philippines and covered services commonly used by travelers, including internet browsing, video streaming and video calls.

During the test, subscriber data traffic was routed through a Google point of presence in Virginia instead of being sent back to the Philippines before reaching its destination.

Smart said speed tests during the pilot showed download speeds of up to five times faster on the LBO-enabled setup, along with lower latency and smoother 4K video streaming compared with traditional home-routed roaming.

The companies also tested Messenger video calls involving users in the United States, the Philippines and Sweden. According to Smart, the LBO-enabled smartphone provided a smoother call experience compared with the device using home-routed traffic.

In traditional roaming arrangements, a subscriber traveling overseas may connect to a foreign mobile network, but some of the user’s data traffic is still routed through the subscriber’s home network. This longer route can increase latency and affect the responsiveness of internet-based services.

Local breakout changes this by allowing roaming data to exit closer to the subscriber’s current location. Smart said the setup could provide an experience closer to using a local SIM or travel eSIM while allowing customers to continue using their Smart service abroad.

“As customer expectations evolve, we continue to actively explore technologies that can transform how our subscribers stay connected while traveling abroad. This successful pilot with Ericsson gives us valuable insights into how next-generation roaming capabilities can help deliver a leveled-up experience for Filipinos wherever their journeys may take them,” said Roderick S. Santiago, head of Network Strategy and Architecture at PLDT and Smart.

“By enabling a better roaming experience, LBO can also help us uphold the network quality and reliability that Smart subscribers have come to expect, not only in the Philippines but even when they are overseas,” he added.

Ericsson said the pilot used its software-as-a-service core built for Google Cloud to create network functions closer to roaming subscribers.

“This successful pilot demonstrates how our SaaS Core built for Google Cloud, with its ease of creating core networks anywhere in the world, can help transform the roaming experience for mobile subscribers,” said Bipin Melvin, Ericsson vice president and head of Cloud Software and Services for Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and the Pacific Islands.

“By enabling data traffic to break out closer to where travelers are located, Ericsson On-Demand’s Roaming Breakout service can significantly reduce latency and improve performance,” he added.

Smart did not announce a commercial rollout date for the service. The pilot, however, gives the company a way to assess how local breakout technology could be deployed to improve data performance for subscribers using roaming services overseas.