Ericsson and Ooredoo Kuwait highlighted an important but often overlooked element in standalone (SA) 5G deployments: the billing system.

The companies just announced Ooredoo Kuwait is deploying Ericsson’s charging system for its SA 5G network, an overhaul of the operator’s current billing system enabling it to differentiate its connectivity business models and improve efficiency.

Ericsson separately explained its Charging product is a convergent online system providing a “low-risk but effective route to capture and secure revenue streams” in digital services, 5G and IoT, along with traditional telecoms offerings.

The deployment for Ooredoo Kuwait is hosted on Ericsson’s Cloud Native Infrastructure, which the vendor pitched as a futureproof set-up enabling the operator to develop new digital billing capabilities.

Ericsson stated the fresh options available to Ooredoo Kuwait could include “configurable packages, offers or discounts for its subscribers”.

The system would also enable Ooredoo Kuwait to bill for “innovative services and differentiated 5G use cases”.

Ooredoo Kuwait CTO Issa Haider said the arrangement is a “pivotal step” in the operator’s digital transformation.