Ericsson, Intel, and Microsoft demo 5G standalone network slicing capabilities on Windows laptop

Ericsson, along with partners Intel and Microsoft, has successfully demonstrated end-to-end 5G standalone network slicing capabilities on a Windows laptop, paving the way for new business opportunities for cellular-connected devices beyond smartphones.

The interoperability development test (IoDT) was conducted at the Ericsson Lab in Sweden, demonstrating the use of multiple network slices on cellular-connected laptops powered by Intel processors and running on Windows 11 operating system. The test showed the potential for consumer and enterprise use cases such as mobile gaming and collaboration applications.

The trial leveraged:

• User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP) - a capability that enables devices to automatically select between different slices according to which application they are using
• Ericsson’s Dynamic Network Slicing Selection
• Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core
• Ericsson’s RAN Slicing capabilities

For the unversed, network slicing is a technology used in 5G networks to divide a shared network infrastructure into multiple, isolated and independent logical networks. Each logical network, called a slice, is optimized for a specific service or application and can have its own quality of service, security, and management requirements.

By demonstrating a single Windows 11 device can make use of multiple slices, which are used according to the on-device usage profiles and network policies defined at the CSP level, Ericsson and its partners show the flexibility and range of potential use cases available using this technology.

"Laptop-type devices, in particular, are vital to enterprise productivity. The inclusion of Windows 11 laptops in the ranks of devices that can be used for commercializing 5G network slicing is a sign of the ecosystem maturing. Network slicing capabilities will benefit consumer and enterprise segments by defining specific Service Level Agreement per slice for existing and emerging Windows applications and use cases, such as real-time enterprise applications like Microsoft Teams and Office365, game/media streaming, and emerging AI and augmented reality/extended reality (AR/XR) applications," Ericsson said in a statement.