KUWAIT: In an impressive leap forward reflecting its technology innovation in the MENA region, Zain Kuwait, has showcased its network’s capabilities for the rollout of 5G New Calling (5GNC), an emerging 5G network capability that paves the way for a new era of voice and video calling. The company recently participated in the GSMA’s New Calling Summit 2023 in Paris to demonstrate these capabilities and successful trial of the service, becoming the only operator from the region to be hosted by the industry body to showcase 5GNC to the global telecom community.

During the event, Zain showcased the readiness of its infrastructure for the commercial rollout of 5G NC in the near future. The telecom company has also collaborated with major industry leaders to publish a whitepaper that provides an overview of 5GNC and its use cases; the standardization progress to support it; proof of concepts and pre-commercial trials; and more. Zain is the only operator to represent the MENA region in this whitepaper, which can be viewed here.

5GNC enhances basic calls with all-new capabilities and works for both voice and video calls directly over the network without using data services. The advancement introduces ultra-HD, intelligent, and interactive calling features on the native call screen without the need for any additional or external apps.

Users can make voice or video calls using 5GNC and enjoy rich intelligence features not available in traditional calls, such as voice and video recognition, instant live translation in real-time during the call, inclusion of fun avatars and filters to video calls, and more.

5GNCreinvents phone calls, particularly for companies offering customer service hotlines. The service can be used to present visual options on the native call screen without the need for any external apps, giving customers the ease of interacting with menus to solve their inquiries faster and more efficiently. 5GNC also opens up new opportunities for enterprises to interact with their customers by allowing them to complete business transactions through calls.

5GNC is a network capability that will leverage the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), expanding mobile operator capabilities and stimulating groundbreaking innovations by opening up opportunities to developer communities to create and distribute new services and applications. Zain’s early adoption of the technology is a testament to its innovative pedigree.

In 2019, Zain led the market as the first operator to launch 5G services commercially, setting a precedent in the local and regional telecom industries. Since then, more successes have followed in adapting 5G technologies to overhaul the digital journeys of customers. Zain continues to invest in its 5G infrastructure heavily, achieving the highest speeds and best operational efficiency levels over its networks. The telecom firm seeks to meet the increasing demand for data, while exploring new ecosystems and revenue streams made possible by technology innovation, with the goal of serving the needs of consumers, businesses, and government agencies.

Recently, Zain was presented with the ‘Outstanding 5G Business Development’ award during SAMENA Council’s Leadership & Excellence (LEAD) Awards ceremony in Dubai, UAE. The event recognized Zain’s excellence in empowering and accelerating business development using the most advanced 5G applications. Zain continues to lead the market with this revolutionary technology to enable sustainable growth for Kuwait’s public and private sectors.