BT and Huawei Start UK Research into Future 5G Network Slicing

National UK telecoms operator BT and Chinese technology firm Huawei have today announced the start of new research into how “network slicing“, which allows specific “slices” within an IP-based network to be ring-fenced for particular activities, can be used to support future 5G Mobile services.

Using this approach individual services could “remain unaffected by bandwidth demands on the network as a whole,” with specific policies then able to be applied to the traffic being carried over that “slice.” This seems to be a form of network Traffic Management, which could for example be used to give TV broadcasters reliable 5G performance during a busy live music event.

Apparently new 5G slices could also be “spun up in an agile way according to customer needs“. Using the above scenario, in the event of an emergency in the crowd a new slice could be created that is dedicated to the safety control teams (e.g. allowing them to command a drone and gain an aerial view of the incident).

Howard Watson, BT’s CEO of Technology, Service & Operations, said:

“Customers are increasingly demanding converged networks that deliver a mix of flexibility, reliability and optimisation. It’s our role to ensure that our fixed and mobile networks deliver the best possible experience for customers regardless of the demands placed on them.

That’s why we’re excited about the possibilities of this stream of research with Huawei, and the added flexibility network slicing may offer, allowing us to better serve specific customer needs as we move towards a 5G world.”

Yang Chaobin, President of Huawei’s 5G Product Line, said:

“There are two different ways to realize the digitalization of society, the first one is to have dedicated infrastructure for different requirements, the second one is to have a common infrastructure serving different vertical industries, I believe the latter, which uses network slicing, will be critical to effective delivery of services and improved efficiency.”

Apparently the new approach, which represents the first area of specific research activity for the joint team since last year’s deal (here), is due to be showcased at the 2017 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, on the Huawei stand. Further details and some videos can be found on this page.

BT also has a similar 5G related research and development partnership with Nokia (here), although the first commercial 5G Mobile services aren’t expected to start rolling out in the United Kingdom until 2020. This assumes that the major Mobile Network Operators (O2, Three UK, Vodafone and BT /EE) don’t get into yet another delay creating squabble over spectrum access, costs and ownership as so often seems to be the custom.