Telco BT has demonstrated network slicing, which has long been planned as a key element in delivering the full-fat 5G network promised to subscribers.
The British networking giant said it demonstrated both consumer and enterprise applications enabled by network slicing at its Adastral Park research facility. The tests used a 5G Standalone (5G SA) network running on an Ericsson kit and a device based on the Qualcomm Mobile chipset.
Network slicing can be compared to network virtualization. This allows multiple networks, each with characteristics tailored to different applications, to operate on the same physical infrastructure.
For example, some applications require minimal latency, while others require reliable connections, and others simply benefit from having the maximum possible bandwidth. You can get it.
This was touted as a key feature of 5G, but like other features, 5G SA networks will emerge that overhaul the network core, rather than simply adding 5G radios to existing 4G infrastructure. It seems only.
By allocating parts of the 5G SA network to provide dynamic partitioning for specific use cases, bandwidth-intensive activities such as mobile gaming and video conferencing can be more easily BT says it will maintain excellent performance.
During the trial, we were able to establish network slices for gaming, enterprise, and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). eMBB basically means faster downloads.
According to BT, the enterprise slice and eMBB slice can be used simultaneously for 4K video streaming, which requires stable connectivity and low jitter, and the Samsung S23 Ultra device, which is based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Other enterprise use cases have been demonstrated in testing, the company said.
On the gaming side, the telco claims that in BT’s demonstration, it was able to sustain throughput in excess of the recommended 25 Mbps at 1080p resolution on Nvidia’s GeForce Now gaming service, as well as a gaming session in Fortnite using a Samsung S23 Ultra. I am.
Greg McCall, BT Group Chief Network Officer, said: “We are working hard to launch our own 5G SA network, but we are looking into how slicing can differentiate quality of service and improve performance for different segments. “Today’s successful demonstration of how we can guarantee this is an important milestone.”
The question arises as to when BT will offer these better services to customers within its operational network, but the company has been unable or unwilling to provide an answer.
“EE’s 5G SA network will likely launch at some point this year, and then in phases based on customer needs and regions where there is a lack of capacity,” said Paolo Pescatore, communications analyst at PP Foresight. It is expected that this will unfold.”
“Trials are great, but now it’s time to start implementing this great functionality into real commercial and production environments,” he said. Broader industry support is needed, including a wide range of devices, he added.
Gartner Vice President Analyst Bill Ray said it’s surprising it took the industry this long to get here, considering this is part of the 5G standard.
He issued a warning to the mobile industry when commercializing this technology. “I’ve talked to a number of network operators who are planning to sell parts of their 5G networks to businesses, but I haven’t yet spoken to any businesses who are planning to buy.” ®
