US telco Verizon has achieved demonstration by establishing connections and passing data over multiple network slices within a fully commercial 5G environment. Verizon says this achievement highlights the potential of network slicing, which enables customers to route their traffic through virtual end-to-end networks customized to suit specific application requirements while optimizing overall network performance to support a wide range of services.
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The capability to implement network slicing is made possible by Verizon's new cloud-native, containerized, virtualized standalone 5G core. By leveraging this advanced infrastructure, Verizon aims to offer unparalleled levels of service agility, flexibility, and automated scalability to meet the evolving needs of its customers.
Verizon Network Slicing Setup
In this recent demonstration, Verizon successfully registered a 5G smartphone to multiple network slices and effectively transmitted data across the entire network.
According to the statement, the demonstration utilized commercially available smartphones, both virtualized and non-virtualized Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment deployed in real-world scenarios, and Verizon's multi-vendor 5G standalone core.
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End-to-End Network Performance
This comprehensive test validated the seamless interaction between the device's chipset, operating system, application, radio network base station, and core network, showcasing a complete end-to-end data transfer process on a virtual network slice.
Verizon plans to make network slicing available with the evolution of its 5G standalone core. To take full advantage of this network-slicing functionality, customers will require 5G network-slicing capable devices.
Network slicing is a unique 5G capability that leverages virtualized network infrastructure to dynamically match network performance characteristics with specific application requirements.
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Diverse Use Cases: From IoT to Gaming
Different use cases ranging from massive deployments of Internet of Things (IoT) devices with minimal network resource requirements to data-intensive smartphone applications and complex solutions such as gaming, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), and mixed reality, demand substantial computing power and ultra-low latency at the network edge - each of these use cases benefits from different combinations of network capabilities.
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Dynamic Allocation and Scalability: Integration of AI and ML
Verizon says its cloud-native virtualized applications within the 5G standalone core, combined with built-in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), enable the dynamic allocation of resources through network slicing. This allows for automated configuration changes, including real-time scaling of network function capacity, to deliver the right service levels and network resources necessary for each specific use case.
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Network Slicing Example:
For example Verizon shared that a utility company's smart readers, which consume minimal bandwidth and are not latency-sensitive, would require fewer network resources.
On the other hand, a mobile gaming application with multiplayer functionality would necessitate specific upload and download speeds and low latency to provide an immersive experience for players on mobile devices.
Through network slicing, Verizon can better align network performance with the distinct requirements of various applications, ensuring optimal service delivery.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Verizon's successful achievement of data transfer over multiple network slices in a commercial 5G environment marks a significant step forward in realising the full potential of network slicing. This achievement paves the way for advanced network customization, ensuring that customers receive tailored and efficient service levels for their specific applications.
