Ericsson, Telefonica demo end-to-end, 5G SA network slicing for diverse use cases

Ericsson and Telefonica have successfully demonstrated end-to-end, automated network slicing in 5G Standalone. The demo was carried out at the 5TONIC lab facility in Madrid, Spain.

Network slicing, including Dynamic Radio Resource Partitioning, is key to delivering advanced 5G use cases for consumers and enterprises in a fully automated way.

Commenting on this milestone, Jorge Navais, Global Account Manager of Telefónica in Ericsson, said, "Ericsson has achieved a key milestone by demonstrating the fully-automated deployment of end-to-end network slices (from RAN to Core) in cooperation with Telefónica, at 5TONIC lab. The deployed network slices will secure dedicated resources in the radio access network as well as in the Core for satisfying specific needs of selected use cases, enabling that Telefónica meets new customer demands on a zero-touch operation."

According to a press release by Ericsson, the proof-of-concept covered diverse use cases including a 360-video production in motion in collaboration with technology start-up YBVR, remote control of an automated guided vehicle (AGV), and gesture recognition in collaboration with Spanish SME Fivecomm.

The network slicing for enterprise demo, which was carried out on Android 12 and 13 Beta-powered smartphone devices, proved that the onboarding of a network slice, from core to radio, may be configured and deployed in less than 35 minutes thanks to the solution's automation capabilities.

Through its program called LIME, Telefonica is collaborating with Ericsson as a key partner to further develop network slicing as a technology that will bring to life a variety of new 5G applications and services. Telefonica, Ericsson and Google have also agreed to share their findings with the GSMA and the industry to accelerate the standardization of network slicing and its mass adoption.

"Bringing together the end-to-end ecosystem required for network slicing to thrive as a product is key for Telefonica and the rest of the telco industry. We are proud of being one of the first operators to demonstrate the benefits and differentiators of network slicing to our customers thanks to Radio Resource Partitioning and automation for full end-to-end slicing life cycle management," said Cayetano Carbajo, Director of Core & Transport in Telefonica CTIO.