T-Mobile customers could experience fast 5G even outside the US

T-Mobile was one of the first carriers to roll out a standalone 5G network and has steadily improved its 5G speeds and availability. In fact, some reports say it’s one of the best-performing US carriers. While T-Mobile may have made some controversial decisions regarding its legacy plans, the Un-carrier now proudly boasts yet another achievement.

T-Mobile has announced that it has achieved the world’s first 5G standalone roaming connection in partnership with Indian carrier Jio. 5G standalone (SA) networks use a dedicated 5G architecture end-to-end and are usually faster and have lower latency than 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks, which rely on 4G core infrastructure.

With 5G standalone roaming between T-Mobile and Jio, a T-Mobile user from the US should experience a seamless transition to Jio’s 5G standalone network upon landing in India. Similarly, a Jio user from India should be able to seamlessly transfer to T-Mobile’s 5G SA network when they land in the US.

However, this partnership isn’t only about a better roaming experience for regular customers. The company is also exploring future possibilities arising from seamless interoperability between its 5G network and Jio’s 5G infrastructure. These include everything from improved consumer experiences to enterprise and AI applications that rely on fast, low-latency networks.

Impressive as it is that T-Mobile achieved the world’s first 5G standalone roaming connection, the actual user experience while roaming remains to be seen.