{"id":3591,"date":"2026-05-08T15:12:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T14:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/?p=3591"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:00:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:00:41","slug":"breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the Ice in Anchorage: RIG #99, Hosted by GCI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From May 5\u20138, 2025, GSMA North America gathered in Anchorage, Alaska for the RIG #99 meeting, graciously hosted by GCI. Against the backdrop of one of America’s most unique and connected frontier markets, industry leaders, operators, and technology experts came together for four days of working group sessions on the issues and updates shaping North American telecommunications.

A special thank you to GCI for their outstanding hospitality in hosting this event. GCI brought both local expertise and genuine warmth to making RIG #99 a memorable and productive gathering.


Working Groups in Session<\/strong>

RIG #99 convened a full slate of working group meetings throughout the week. The North America Services, Networks Working Groups, Verticals (NAVA) each met alongside the North American WEE Terminals, and WAS\/IDS Working Groups. Each group tackled its respective priorities with a focus on the 5G SA theme.


Spotlight: 5G SA Deployment Workshop \u2014 May 5<\/strong>

Kicking off the week on May 5, the 5G SA Deployment Workshop set an ambitious tone for RIG #99. Open to both members and non-members, the workshop drew a strong turnout of industry leaders, technology experts, and regulatory voices eager to examine where 5G Standalone truly stands and where it’s headed.

The afternoon opened with a scene-setting discussion on why 5G SA matters: not simply as a generational upgrade, but as a architectural shift that unlocks the full promise of 5G. From there, the agenda moved through a carefully sequenced series of presentations covering the full arc of the 5G SA journey.

An early session provided a global snapshot of 5G SA deployment status, examining market trends and monetization opportunities across regions. This was followed by an operator-perspective presentation that brought candor to the conversation, addressing the real-world deployment challenges that technical roadmaps don’t always capture.

The workshop then turned to the architecture itself; deploying a cloud-native 5G core, integrating with existing EPC infrastructure, and ensuring operational readiness for teams navigating the transition. A subsequent session tackled one of the most operationally complex aspects of the journey: migrating from Non-Standalone (NSA) to Standalone (SA) architectures, including deployment strategies, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), spectrum refarming, and hard-won operational lessons from those who have already made the move.

Participants dug into the operational challenges of SA migration in detail. Two focused discussions addressed device readiness, systems provisioning, and subscriber management alongside SIM strategy as networks evolve toward 5G SA. These sessions reflected the industry’s recognition that successful SA deployment is as much a back-office and device ecosystem challenge as it is a radio or core challenge.

The final hour of presentations covered RAN evolution for 5G SA: network upgrades, optimization, and deployment considerations as well as the tangible benefits that 5G SA delivers at scale: network efficiency gains, performance improvements, and impact across the full subscriber base. The workshop closed with a forward-looking discussion on charging and billing in 5G SA networks, highlighting the new operational requirements that billing systems must accommodate as network slicing and differentiated services become a commercial reality.

The formal sessions were followed by a networking reception, giving attendees the opportunity to continue conversations in a more relaxed setting.



WEE Working Group Meets In-Person at UAA<\/strong>

A meaningful highlight of RIG #99 was the North American WEE Working Group convening in person at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The UAA setting provided both a fitting and inspiring backdrop for the group’s work, given Alaska’s unique geography and the outsized role that resilient, accurate communications play in serving communities across the state.

The Univeristy environment allowed the working group to engage with the local academic community and discuss their potential education needs; fostering the kind of candid, collaborative discussion that supports new talent entering the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

GSMA North America extends its deepest appreciation to GCI for hosting RIG #99 with such care and commitment, and to the University of Alaska Anchorage for providing an excellent venue. Thanks also to all the speakers, working group participants, and attendees who traveled to Anchorage to be part of this important dialogue.

We look forward to continuing the work at RIG #100 at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus on October 26 – October 30.


<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From May 5\u20138, 2025, GSMA North America gathered in Anchorage, Alaska for the RIG #99 meeting, graciously hosted by GCI. Against the backdrop of one of America’s most unique and connected frontier markets, industry leaders, operators, and technology experts came together for four days of working group sessions on the issues and updates shaping North […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"algolia_discover_type":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nBreaking the Ice in Anchorage: RIG #99, Hosted by GCI - GSMA North America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Breaking the Ice in Anchorage: RIG #99, Hosted by GCI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From May 5\u20138, 2025, GSMA North America gathered in Anchorage, Alaska for the RIG #99 meeting, graciously hosted by GCI. Against the backdrop of one of America’s most unique and connected frontier markets, industry leaders, operators, and technology experts came together for four days of working group sessions on the issues and updates shaping North […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GSMA North America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-08T14:12:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T14:00:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GSMA_logo_colour_web_small.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"lcash@gsma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"lcash@gsma.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Breaking the Ice in Anchorage: RIG #99, Hosted by GCI - GSMA North America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Breaking the Ice in Anchorage: RIG #99, Hosted by GCI","og_description":"From May 5\u20138, 2025, GSMA North America gathered in Anchorage, Alaska for the RIG #99 meeting, graciously hosted by GCI. Against the backdrop of one of America’s most unique and connected frontier markets, industry leaders, operators, and technology experts came together for four days of working group sessions on the issues and updates shaping North […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/","og_site_name":"GSMA North America","article_published_time":"2026-05-08T14:12:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-15T14:00:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GSMA_logo_colour_web_small.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"lcash@gsma.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"lcash@gsma.com","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/","name":"Breaking the Ice in Anchorage: RIG #99, Hosted by GCI - GSMA North America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-08T14:12:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-15T14:00:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/#\/schema\/person\/ffb3e38b7bf84fa60ce054323cb11359"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/2026\/05\/08\/breaking-the-ice-in-anchorage-rig-99-hosted-by-gci\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Breaking the Ice in Anchorage: RIG #99, Hosted by GCI"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/","name":"GSMA North America","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/#\/schema\/person\/ffb3e38b7bf84fa60ce054323cb11359","name":"lcash@gsma.com","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/14bd206cd2d84dc1ddb2cb0466560d24?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/14bd206cd2d84dc1ddb2cb0466560d24?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"lcash@gsma.com"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","featured_image_url":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7pD8S-VV","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3591"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3591"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3599,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3591\/revisions\/3599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3591"},{"taxonomy":"algolia_discover_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/algolia_discover_type?post=3591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}