Ericsson, DT and Samsung Complete First 5G Network Slicing Trial

Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom, and Samsung have successfully completed the world’s first 5G end-to-end (E2E) network slicing trial. It was carried out at Deutsche Telekom’s Bonn lab on a Samsung S21 commercial device tethered to a VR headset.

This customer-focused innovation shows the benefits of network slicing optimized for cloud VR game streaming. The trial used a commercial-grade 5G standalone (SA) infrastructure provided by Ericsson, including Radio Access Network (RAN), 5G Cloud Core, slice orchestration and ordering automation. The test was carried out for a cloud VR streaming game use case with two independent E2E network slices consisting of a default mobile broadband slice and a cloud VR gaming-optimized slice.

The gaming slice was designed and configured to enable higher throughput and stable low latency, while also providing resource isolation between the two slices. The trial case demonstrated a superior experience on the gaming slice even under congested network conditions. The trial also saw the successful achievement of another important world-first milestone, namely  the introduction of a 5G UE slicing policy feature that allows a device to steer applications and services with specific requirements to a defined slice. This means customers can experience great service quality by serving applications with the right network slice.

“5G SA Network Slicing sets a foundation for the creation of new service offerings to consumer and enterprise customers. As an experienced focused company, it is essential that we demonstrate the value of 5G slicing for our customers lives. As a world’s first, our unique collaboration with Ericsson and Samsung to provide slices to commercial devices shines a light on how we can bring these benefits to our customers,“ said Claudia Nemat, Board Member for Technology & Innovation at Deutsche Telekom.

“Network slicing is a key enabler for the monetization of 5G. New digital services to consumers and enterprises become a reality because the technology makes it possible to create fit-for-purpose software for defined virtual networks with defined characteristics. To bring these services to the market, it is vital for operators to start from within their own business and to collaborate with customers, as well as relevant ecosystem players to demonstrate value creation and technical readiness,“ said Erik Ekudden, Group CTO at Ericsson.