World’s First End-to-End 5G Data Transmission in Two Network Slices

Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Nokia and Qualcomm accomplished the world’s first end-to-end data transmission in two network slices on a multi-vendor platform. This platform integrates Standalone 5G New Radio from Ericsson and a 5G Core from Nokia on a 5G standalone architecture.

The accomplishment in a lab environment validates the feasibility of 5G Network Slicing for customized enterprise solutions, DT said in a statement. Network Slicing is a key architectural feature in 5G. It involves the virtual splitting of network resources and paths into so-called Network Slices. Different service characteristics and quality parameters can then be provided per slice according to customer needs.

“Full 5G Network Slicing promises to bring a whole new level of service experience for our enterprise customers. Customers should be able to provision slices for a variety of use cases with different service level needs and performance requirements,“ says Alex Jinsung Choi, SVP Strategy & Technology Innovation, Deutsche Telekom. “We are excited to achieve this technical validation of end-to-end multi-vendor slicing with our innovation partners. As a next phase, we will focus on realizing the full automation of slices as a key step to unlock the true value of 5G for enterprise customers.“

The data calls were transmitted using a 5G smartphone form factor test device. It is powered by a Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System which enables data transmission over two network slices. The set-up includes an integrated 5G NR Standalone RAN from Ericsson and the 5G Core from Nokia. Both, RAN and Core, were deployed at Deutsche Telekom’s infrastructure in Germany.