Commercial 5G Network Slicing is Here

5G network tower

As more and more companies look towards opportunities to integrate 5G into their businesses, having the right network is more important than ever. Luckily, with the ushering in of the latest generation in wireless comes a solution. Ericsson is bringing businesses 5G network slicing products for radio access networks (RANs) that use dynamic partitioning capable of delivering scheduling in 1 millisecond.

The 5G RAN Slicing will work with core, edge, RAN, and transport networks to deliver specific end-to-end 5G networks to enterprises. As companies continue to look for ways to generate revenue from 5G still in its early stages, Ericsson is hoping that 5G network slicing will provide an avenue to do so in a variety of industries. Among them are the automotive, healthcare, and industrial sectors. The Swedish telecom giant has already begun using 5G networks slicing for cloud gaming, video-assisted remote surgeries, streaming sporting events, and smart city applications. 

“Ericsson 5G RAN Slicing dynamically optimizes radio resources. What makes our solution distinct is that it boosts end-to-end management and orchestration support for fast and efficient service delivery,” said the Head of Product Area Networks for Ericsson, Per Narvinger. Ericsson has yet to list which operators plan to use its 5G network slicing solutions, but there are many interested in what they will bring to the table. 

While Ericsson is pushing forward, it faces competition from others. Nokia announced in October 2020 that it has plans to unleash network slicing solutions for both 4G and 5G networks. The goal for Nokia is to create solutions that allow for shorter times for other operators to create and deliver wireless solutions or modify network slices themselves. Both Ericsson and Nokia will face further competition still as DISH Wireless continues to grow into the 5G landscape.

Many expected DISH Wireless to create a 5G network, focus on gaining subscribers and bolstering its numbers higher than those it purchased when it acquired Boost Mobile in the summer of 2020, but the soon-to-be fourth major wireless provider in America has much larger ambitions. DISH Wireless is expecting a huge opportunity in the fixed wireless space with 5G as the backbone to faster speeds and a reduction in latency issues. As these improvements continue to take wireless to higher levels, DISH Wireless is preparing a network built with solutions through network slicing and dynamic pricing.

The idea is similar to what we see here with Ericsson and Nokia but will come from a wireless provider rather than a vendor to sell direct solutions to enterprises looking for specific end-to-end network solutions, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) seeking spectrum, and even home solutions for remote/underserved markets in need of high-speed broadband. Through its dynamic pricing model, DISH Wireless will be capable of providing up-to-the-minute pricing for fair market valuations available to all of its subscribers. DISH Wireless is building its 5G network from the ground up with these features and many more as it continues to push to cover 75% of American consumers by June 2025 to avoid a penalty from the U.S. government reaching over $2 billion.

Source: Fierce Wireless