Ericsson, Telecoms Pioneer 5G ‘Network Slicing’

Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom (DT), and SK Telecom have successfully trialed ‘network slicing’, a concept that could prove to be an important feature of 5G network connectivity. And in so doing, they have also successfully demonstrated the first-ever intercontinental 5G network.

The test was conducted on February 14th, and entailed a repair worker using an augmented reality headset to communicate with colleagues while working abroad. It’s an illustration of the utility of network slicing, which allows the user of a 5G network in one country to temporarily get access to particular IT services – such as video and audio streaming for AR – from a different network in another region. The isolation of these network slices, which depends on agreements between the network operators concerned, allows for more efficient allocation of network resources, and, potentially, greater security for users, since the data they’re dealing with is restricted to a given network slice and can’t be accessed by individuals operating in other slices.

While the successful trial is clearly something of a breakthrough for the telecoms involved, it’s also another step deeper into 5G and IoT infrastructure for Ericsson, which has been eager to establish a leading position as a technology provider in this area and has fostered numerous partnerships to that end. The company will showcase this solution alongside DT and SK Telecom at this year’s Mobile World Congress, which runs from February 27th to March 2nd.

Sources: Ericsson, Huawei