Rome, 30 August 2019: Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top ten global operators, announces the establishment of a 5G data roaming interconnection between TIM and Etisalat, paving the way for 5G roaming between Europe and the Middle East.

Thanks to its IPX and Diameter solutions’ advanced monitoring tools and proximity interconnections, Sparkle provides a high speed, low latency and resilient 5G data connectivity between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, allowing both TIM and Etisalat mobile customers to access 5G services while traveling abroad.

5G deployments are growing worldwide, with several global applications - in the multimedia, automotive, logistics and transport sectors - requiring interoperability between different networks. International 5G roaming will become crucial to provide seamless 5G services across countries and enable mobile users to access innovative communication services wherever they are in the world.

The data roaming interconnection with TIM and Etisalat sets the path for 5G roaming globally and is an important step forward for the mobile and carrier community in view of Expo 2020 Dubai, the universal exhibition that will take place in the UAE from October 2020 to April 2021.

“Sparkle confirms its leadership in the roaming sector with mobile solutions ensuring top quality and time to market,” said Mario Di Mauro, CEO Sparkle “5G will open a new wave of services and opportunities and our ambition is to be forerunners in helping mobile operators to satisfy customers’ needs providing the same service level they experience at home also when visiting another country.”