In this video, we describe 5G Standalone and why Celona supports it, versus 5G NSA (Non-Standalone).
While Android devices just require you to select one of the 5G options, Apple iOS has an additional requirement to set the “5G Standalone” mode, which is NOT set by default. Go to Settings > Cellular to enable 5G Standalone.
Without the 5G Standalone setting, your client device will get bars on the Celona private 5G network but will not be able to pass traffic (e.g. web browser traffic). Whether onboarding an eSIM or physical SIM, setting 5G Standalone is required to fully connect to a Celona Private 5G network.
On the Apple iPhone, it is “only” 5 manual clicks to set 5G Standalone mode. This may be acceptable for an IT organization that is onboarding the devices ahead of time for users, or have users that can knowledgably navigate Apple iOS settings.
However, there may be use cases, especially at high device scale, in which IT organizations do not have the capability or time to onboard devices. Some organizations purchase devices with Apple Business Manager integration with their MDM (Mobile Device Management) system, in which iPhones and iPads are not registered until being powered on and onboarded to WiFi (or public cellular). For these organizations, an Apple iOS XML configuration file can be pushed to devices to automatically set the 5G Standalone setting. This code sets the Enable NR Standalone parameter which corresponds to the 5G Standalone setting.
By having this profile installed in iOS, the Celona SIM can have the 5G Standalone setting automatically set. More information on syntax can be found here.