Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom, and Samsung have successfully completed the world’s first 5G end-to-end (E2E) network slicing trial, which 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.

Through 5G E2E network slicing, different service characteristics and quality parameters can be provided to each slice and adapted to customer needs with full isolation between slices. By creating multiple virtual networks on a single physical network infrastructure, service providers can develop new, differentiated services and business models without having to compromise on quality.

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 (UE route selection policy, or URSP) 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.

Claudia Nemat, Board Member, Technology & Innovation, Deutsche Telekom, says: “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.”  

Erik Ekudden, Group CTO at Ericsson says: “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. We are very proud to closely collaborate with Deutsche Telekom as one of the globally leading operators, and with Samsung, to bring the value of network slicing to the market.” 

Additional info about the demo 5G network slicing

This demo allowed the partners to explore multiple capabilities of 5G E2E network slicing. These included the verification of stable latency and guaranteed throughput in a congested network; the automated creation of different slices with infrastructure resource isolation and service differentiation using Ericsson 5G RAN slicing solution; and Business Support System (BSS) integration for automated slice and user profile provisioning through E2E slice orchestration.

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