Network slicing momentum builds as standalone 5G advances

Several recent announcements by communications service providers (CSPs) show the growing momentum behind commercial 5G network slicing, amid a rise in standalone (SA) 5G device availability and the rollout of SA 5G network trials and deployments. 5G may not provide a single killer application, but network slicing promises to create new network-as-a-service opportunities and vertical enterprise solutions. However, commercially viable network slicing services depend on 5G SA networks, which unlike non-standalone 5G networks incorporate an end-to-end slice identifier that plays an important role in ensuring service levels, security and flexibility. Now both 5G SA networks and devices are becoming increasingly widespread, which in turn promises to drive the development of services based on network slicing.

A new report from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) identifies 94 operators in 48 countries/territories worldwide that have been trialing, planning or deploying public 5G SA networks. At least 19 operators in 15 countries/territories are understood to have launched public 5G SA networks. When it comes to private mobile networks, the GSA has identified 626 organizations that are deploying LTE or 5G networks or that hold a suitable license to do so. Of those, 151 are known to be using 5G networks, of which 27 are working with 5G SA, according to the GSA. Meanwhile a Heavy Reading survey for Exfo found that 49% of mobile network operators in North America and Europe plan to deploy 5G SA within the next year, with an additional 39% following suit within one to two years. Their aim is to offer new services more quickly, including those based on network slices.

At the same time new SA 5G devices are making their way into the market, including those specifically for enterprise use. Today just over 58% of 5G devices have 5G SA support, according to the GSA. Currently, smartphones represent 63.2 % of all commercially available devices, but this is set to change. When looking at announced 5G devices with 5G SA support the percentage of phones drops to 50.3%, says the GSA, making way for industrial CPE, routers, gateways and modems, as well as modules and fixed wireless access (FWA) CPE. Google is among the companies equipping devices for network slicing and recently announced its Android operating system will support 5G enterprise network slicing. The Android enterprise network slicing feature will enable data from work apps to be routed over an enterprise network slice, when using devices provisioned with a work profile. Google is also busy on device certification – for example, working to deliver what Rogers Wireless Canada claims is the first 5G standalone device certification in Canada. Rogers Wireless also collaborated with Ericsson on the rollout of its national standalone 5G core. Multiple slices on a sole device

Some of the earliest 5G SA launches have been in China, where China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom are all understood to have rolled out 5G standalone networks. T-Mobile in the US was also amongst the frontrunners when it claimed last year that it was the first CSP in the world to launch a commercial nationwide standalone 5G network. The number of deployments in 5G SA are increasing in other regions too – as are network slicing trials. In Taiwan, Far EasTone (FET) and Ericsson have successfully tested an Android 12 device connected to multiple 5G network slices, which they claim is a world first. Meanwhile Vodafone Germany is stepping up its investment in SA 5G. Of the 35 million people it says can already access its 5G network at home, 10 million are able to do so via a “real-time” SA 5G network. The operator has said its ongoing SA 5G deployment means its entire 5G network will become a ‘real-time’ (i.e. SA 5G) network by 2023. Also in Germany, Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson have undertaken a 5G end-to-end network slicing trial to demonstrate a “performance on demand” model for video streaming. In particular, the CSP underscores the importance of creating a flexible platform that can deliver network-as-a-service. “We will continue to explore 5G standalone’s potential as we seek to build a flexible platform-based ecosystem with customer-centric, network-as-a-service models,” said Alex Choi, SVP Technology Strategy & Innovation, Deutsche Telekom.