Page 118 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2022

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

There are two options for global operators
seeking to arrange IoT connectivity for their
clients:
• either permanent roaming, so a foreign
SIM and foreign number will be use
permanently in a given country
• local profile, means that the SIM card
comprises of the operator data related
to a subscription, including IMSI with the
operator’s credentials and any operator
or third-party SIM based applications
that would have otherwise been stored
on a traditional SIM card.

This paper only discusses regulation
of permanent roaming in MENA region.
In Egypt and Jordan, use of permanent
roaming requires signing an agreement
between the national mobile operator and
the foreign operator who owns the SIM The provision of IoT services using permanent roaming is not prohibited in all countries studied
card installed in the IoT device. In Egypt except Oman, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia (Cullen International)
such agreements must be approved by the
NRA. growing sector worldwide and carries out communicate with each other regardless
benchmarking analyses of the national of location, country of installation and
Although it is possible to use roaming initiatives on IoT/M2M regulations, policies distance between them.
for the provision of an IoT service using and strategies. Particular emphasis has
roaming, the provider of the IoT service been given in this initial phase on the The global IoT connectivity solution is a key
is still subject to the IoT service provision connectivity between these devices across element of its success. It can be achieved
requirements. national borders. The deployment of IoTs either by permanent roaming or local SIM
depends on the cross-border connectivity. profiles and by using foreign numbers in
Cullen International closely monitors The expansion of IoTs has a transnational the countries of the benchmark or national
the developments in this extremely fast- character evolving their ability to numbers outside the countries.

118 JULY-AUGUST 2022