Optus, Ericsson and Cradlepoint have partnered up to demonstrate the potential of dual network slicing for businesses using a live 5G production network. The trial showed how carriers can create different slices on the same network with varying performance characteristics and security rules tailored towards certain applications. The system set up in this demonstration included Cradlepoint 5G routers at the Wide Area Network edge as well as Ericsson’s 5G Core and Radio Access Network technologies, which allowed quality-of-service differentiation. This has enabled carriers to prioritize certain types of traffic such as CCTV footage, EFTPOS transactions, emergency services camera feed and more. This type of technology could be hugely beneficial when it comes to establishing 5G networks in businesses, bringing superior efficiency in managing different types of traffic compared to current 4G networks. It will also make it much easier for service providers to bundle their services together so that businesses can get access to better quality networks with faster speeds. Optus‘ Director of Mobile Network Services Emile Seregil expressed: “This is an example of how technology driven innovation in 5G can be applied to provide real business value now.” Cradlepoint’s Vice President for International Product Management Derek Peterson added: “The combination of Ericsson’s 5G core network technology and Cradlepoint’s WAN edge router platform has enabled us to use network slicing capabilities during the demonstration.”
Such demonstrations are indicative of how companies are beginning to explore ways to benefit from the power and speed offered by 5G networks. This new development paves the way for future collaborations between industry leaders in delivering high-performance wireless connectivity that meets specific needs in various industries. Organizations have already begun testing these applications in multiple areas such as health care, transportation, entertainment and smart cities sector which all require reliable high-speed connections with prioritization options. Businesses across all sectors stand to gain immensely from this new technology as they can have access to many different applications running over a single network thereby enhancing productivity while saving costs on infrastructure related expenses. The success of trials like this one will only further accelerate the growth trajectory of 5G networks globally while also encouraging more research into making even better innovations in networking technologies through cloud computing systems and improved hardware capabilities that meet enterprise needs.