Nokia adds extreme automation capabilities to 4G/5G network slicing

The new automation capabilities are said to be an extension of Nokia's 4G/5G end-to-end network slicing solution and slice orchestration functionality announced earlier this year and comply with the 3GPP and IETF slicing specification.

Nokia announced Thursday that it has become the first vendor to provide the world's first automated 4G and 5G network slicing across all domains including Radio Access Network (RAN), transport and core.

The company introduced new network management, controller and orchestration capabilities to its solution which Nokia claims will enable mobile operators cost-effectively deliver and assure network slicing services within minutes instead of hours or days.

"Operators can create different customer policies and group profiles for slices with different network performance, quality, routing and security capabilities. This enables them to provide new slicing services for small, medium or large enterprises, private wireless, Internet of Things, fixed wireless access, content and applications," the Finnish telecom company said in a press release.

The new slicing management solution consists of radio, transport and core domain controllers and assurance tools that simplify operations by abstracting the complexity of network functions for the services layer.

The new automation capabilities are said to be an extension of Nokia's 4G/5G end-to-end network slicing solution and slice orchestration functionality announced earlier this year and comply with the 3GPP and IETF slicing specification. They include software packages for Nokia's existing NetAct and SON/Self-Organizing Networks (radio) and Network Services Platform/NSP (transport and core) operations and assurance products.

The new solutions are planned to deliver by the end of 2020.

Nokia is the first vendor to provide slicing in LTE and 5G networks in a multivendor network environment. By adding extreme automation capabilities, we are offering operators a single, modular solution that helps them deliver a new wealth of services at unprecedented speeds.

Sasa Nijemcevic, Head of Network Automation for Nokia's IP/Optical Networks business