Network Slicing

Network slicing partitions a single physical network into multiple virtual networks, each tuned for specific performance, latency, or reliability requirements, all running on shared infrastructure. It depends on 5G standalone’s flexible, software-defined core, and is a key enabler of differentiated services — dedicated slices for enterprises, critical communications, or specific applications — and therefore a route to new operator revenue. In practice, slicing has advanced more slowly than early expectations, constrained by standalone deployment pace, operational complexity, and unproven demand. For operators, the question is which customers will pay for guaranteed, differentiated connectivity; for enterprises, whether a slice beats a private network. This channel tracks network slicing standards, deployments, and commercial models, with analysis of where slicing is delivering real services and where it remains a capability waiting for a market.

5G Network Slicing: Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson’s Secure Private Cloud Solution

5G NETWORK SLICING: DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AND ERICSSON’S SECURE PRIVATE CLOUD SOLUTION
Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson have developed a secure 5G network slicing that directly connects to a private cloud, addressing enterprise concerns over adopting edge use cases. The proof-of-concept has significant implications for the future of 5G technology, particularly around network slicing, with the potential to provide premium, revenue-generating services. However, security concerns persist, highlighting the need for careful management of network slices.

The Private Network Revolution

The Private Network Revolution
The private network revolution is transforming how businesses secure their operations and data by leveraging connectivity and emerging technologies. These dedicated private networks offer enhanced security, improved network performance, scalability, better control, and support for edge computing, network slicing, and IoT applications. As a result, businesses can embrace Industry 4.0, leading to increased efficiency and automation. While there are challenges to consider, such as cost, regulatory requirements, and integration with existing infrastructure, businesses are adopting these technologies and securing their future in the digital landscape.

Vodafone and ITN Collaborate for 5G Standalone-Enabled Coronation Broadcast

Vodafone and ITN Collaborate for 5G Standalone-Enabled Coronation Broadcast
Vodafone and ITN partner to enable the first UK broadcast using a public 5G Standalone (5G SA) network for the Coronation of King Charles III, showcasing the future of cellular connectivity.

Vodafone Launches UK’s First 5G SA Private Network Service

Private networks - TeckNexus
Vodafone introduces the UK's first 5G standalone (SA) mobile private networking (MPN) service, offering customizable network solutions and paving the way for specialized services.

Northeastern University Debuts AI-Powered Private 5G Network

5G
Northeastern University's Wireless Internet of Things Institute (WIoT) and Open6G R&D center unveil an AI-automated private 5G network, providing a customizable platform for wireless technology research and development beyond 5G.

Annual Global 5G Connections Surge by 76%, reaching 1.05 Billion

5G
5G Connections are projected to reach 1.9 Billion by 2023 and 5.9 Billion by 2027 and North American 5G connections are expected to reach 215 million by 2023.

Nokia and Singtel successfully trial 5G IP transport end-to-end network slicing

Turkcell and Ericsson showcase 5G network slicing success
Nokia and Singtel successfully trialed 5G IP transport end-to-end network slicing. Technology is designed to enhance the customer experience by delivering end-to-end service performance. When deployed, the solution will also enable Singtel to offer more innovative 5G services by leveraging virtual networks optimized for different applications or isolating enterprise customers’ secure slices from Internet traffic.

5G Coverage by drones and challenges | Vinod Kumar Shrimali

5G drone coverage and challenges - TeckNexus
A drone flying cell tower is a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a 5G base station, which can be deployed to provide coverage in remote or hard-to-reach areas. These flying cell towers can be rapidly deployed and offer several advantages over traditional stationary cell towers, including increased flexibility, faster deployment, and the ability to cover larger areas with fewer towers.

5G Monetization | 5G Magazine Feb 2023 Edition

5G Monetization | 5G Magazine Feb 2023 Edition
In order to maximize revenue and add more value, operators must expand their connectivity offerings beyond speed and customer experience; they need to expand their footprint into edge cloud platforms and AI-based solution stacks. Doing this will help them secure a larger share of the potential profits.

Monetizing 5G With A Telecom Marketplace | Gotransverse

Monetizing 5G with telecom marketplace - Gotransverse - 5G Magazine - TeckNexus
This article discusses the transformative potential of 5G technology in telecommunications and the rise of a 5G marketplace model. It highlights how 5G's high-speed, low-latency, and reliable capabilities can enhance Internet of Things applications, virtual reality, and mission-critical business communications. The article also explores how communication service providers can leverage 5G to offer value-based pricing and new services through network slicing and multi-access edge computing. The proposed 5G marketplace model allows users to compare and choose from various service offerings, similar to established B2C and B2B marketplaces. However, it also mentions the need for robust infrastructure, complex billing mechanisms, and industry acceptance for the successful implementation of this model.

4 Specific 5G Monetization Opportunities in 2023

Open RAN: A $42M Leap Forward in Wireless Technology Innovation
There are specific areas from which telcos will mine the revenue. But the key 5G monetization strategy for telcos would be to invest in all 5G standalone (SA) network aspects. It will bring different ecosystem partners together, help upgrade charging models, strategize usage of telecom APIs, and launch network slices to tap enterprise customer segments. All these would be driven by bringing high-level end-to-end automation and a solid orchestration platform to start services to consumers quickly.

Five reasons private mobile network security will ascend the CISO priority list in 2023 | OneLayer

Five reasons private mobile network security will ascend the CISO priority list in 2023 - OneLayer | TeckNexus
While private mobile networks create new security considerations for enterprise security leaders, proactive measures can be taken to mitigate these risks and stay a step ahead. In this article, we provide the following areas to focus on in 2023 as private mobile network security earns a spot on the CISO priority list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is network slicing in simple terms?
It’s the ability to carve a single physical 5G network into multiple virtual, independently configured slices, each with its own guaranteed performance characteristics for speed, latency, and reliability, so an operator can sell different service tiers off the same infrastructure rather than building separate networks for each use case. Each slice behaves, from the customer’s perspective, like a dedicated network tailored to their specific needs, even though it’s actually running on shared physical infrastructure alongside other slices serving completely different customers simultaneously. This is conceptually similar to how a single physical server can run multiple virtual machines that each behave like an independent computer, applied instead to network connectivity.
Is network slicing actually commercially available, or still experimental?
It has moved from pilot to early commercial deployment. Major carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon, Reliance Jio, and Singtel have launched commercial slicing-based offers for specific use cases, and telecom operators are described as the primary enablers of slicing technology, expected to hold roughly 62 percent of the market in 2026. That said, the industry consistently describes network slicing as being in the early stages of commercialization, meaning successful pilots are still being converted into broader, more scalable commercial offerings rather than slicing having become a fully mature, universally available product.
What’s a real-world example of network slicing in use?
Singtel partnered with Tencent Games to launch a dedicated low-latency network slice for cloud gaming in Singapore, described as the first nationwide gaming-specific network slice in the world, letting users play without downloading games or needing high-end hardware. Verizon Business launched a dedicated fixed wireless access slice for enterprise customers with guaranteed performance, extending slicing beyond mobile use cases into business broadband. Nokia and the UAE operator du were reportedly first in the industry to deploy autonomous network slicing, which automates the creation and management of slices rather than requiring extensive manual configuration.
Why does network slicing require 5G Standalone (SA)?
True dynamic, end-to-end network slicing depends on a 5G core built independently of 4G, known as 5G Standalone or SA architecture, since SA provides the flexibility and granular control needed to create, manage, and guarantee performance across multiple isolated virtual networks simultaneously. Non-standalone 5G, which still relies on a 4G core for certain control functions, can support some slicing-like capabilities but generally not with the same flexibility, automation, or end-to-end performance guarantees that SA enables. This is one of the main reasons operators have prioritized SA core upgrades specifically as a foundation for unlocking more advanced monetization opportunities like network slicing.
How big is the network slicing market expected to get?
Forecasts vary considerably depending on the specific market research firm, but most analyses put network slicing’s growth rate above 40 percent annually through the late 2020s, driven primarily by telecom operators monetizing differentiated connectivity for industries like healthcare, automotive, gaming, and manufacturing. Asia Pacific is generally described as leading global adoption given its large population base and diverse industrial use cases, while North America is often projected as the fastest-growing region given strong infrastructure investment. These projections should be treated with appropriate caution though, since the underlying market remains in an early commercialization phase.
Who actually manages and creates network slices in practice?
In practice, network slices are created and managed through orchestration software that translates a specific business requirement, such as guaranteed low latency for a particular customer’s application, into the actual technical configuration needed to deliver it across the relevant network infrastructure. This orchestration layer handles tasks like allocating the right combination of radio, transport, and core network resources to a given slice, monitoring whether it’s actually delivering its promised performance, and adjusting resource allocation dynamically as conditions change. More advanced, automated approaches, sometimes called autonomous network slicing, aim to handle much of this process automatically rather than requiring extensive manual configuration by network engineers each time.
What technical challenges have slowed broader network slicing adoption?
Several technical challenges have slowed broader adoption beyond the foundational requirement of upgrading to 5G Standalone infrastructure. Ensuring consistent performance guarantees across a slice that may span multiple different network domains, from radio access through transport and core, requires sophisticated end-to-end orchestration and assurance capabilities that have taken time to mature. Interoperability across different vendors’ equipment adds further complexity for operators running multi-vendor networks. There’s also a more fundamental business challenge: defining a manageable, scalable set of standard slice types that cover most customer needs, rather than requiring a fully custom-built slice for every individual customer, which would be operationally impractical at scale.
How is network slicing different from older approaches like VPNs or dedicated lines?
Older approaches like traditional VPNs or dedicated leased lines could provide a degree of network differentiation and security for specific customers, but they generally required separate, often physically distinct infrastructure or fixed, manually provisioned configurations that were slow and expensive to set up and change. Network slicing achieves a broadly similar goal, providing differentiated, somewhat isolated connectivity for a specific customer, but does so dynamically and through software, on top of shared underlying 5G infrastructure, without requiring separate physical infrastructure for each customer. This makes slicing considerably faster and cheaper to provision than traditional dedicated infrastructure approaches, while still providing meaningful performance guarantees and isolation.
Private Network Leadership Awrads 2026

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