Vi Successfully Demonstrates Network Slicing

MUMBAI:
Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) today announced that it used Nokia’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G core to successfully demonstrate secure network slicing. The trial was conducted in Gandhinagar in the state of Gujarat in western India where Vi is conducting 5G trials on Govt. allocated 5G spectrum.

Deployment of network slicing will enable Vi to quickly add new revenue streams while delivering innovative 5G use cases to the users and to enterprises. 
Two network slices were created as part of the demonstration. While the first slice was for general data traffic, a second slice was established for highspeed and extremely low latency.

Without the second slice, virtual reality content achieved a lower resolution delivering an average user experience. Using Nokia’s solution, with security built in from the earliest product design phase, Vi showcased that network slicing significantly improved the user experience by allowing viewers to enjoy the high-resolution VR content. 

Network slicing allows service providers to create multiple virtual networks over the same physical network. These virtual networks can be configured based on different parameters, including network performance, speed, bandwidth and latency to offer differentiated services. This allows service providers to cost-effectively address the requirements of diverse customers by creating network slices in line with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) within minutes.  

Jagbir Singh, CTO at Vodafone Idea Limited, said: “Network slicing opens up new and exciting opportunities and will allow our enterprise customers to gain new competencies and efficiencies from 5G-powered use cases, like Virtual Reality, Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others. As we prepare for 5G for a better tomorrow for consumers and enteprises, we are happy to partner with our longstanding partner, Nokia, to trial network slicing capabilities and look forward to working with them on 5G deployment.” Vi will be demonstrating Network Slicing use case on 5G at India Mobile Congress 2021.