Vodafone has announced a successful trial of multiple concurrent 5G Standalone network slices at this year’s Six Nations.
In what the company said was a UK first, Vodafone dedicated two portions of its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network to provide connectivity using network slicing at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium during the Wales vs Ireland match.
The technique enabled a social media watch-along to be hosted live from the match, with former Wales international Ellis Jenkins hosting a livestream on a reserved slice of the network.
Delivered in collaboration with technical partner Ericsson, the dedicated slice provided connectivity to fans in Vodafone’s hospitality area at the venue, with users able to live stream the match, browse the internet and share images seamlessly. Commenting on the event, Jenkins said, “I loved being able to livestream my reaction to the game to Wales fans across the world, made possible by a slice of Vodafone’s 5G network – a complete game changer for connectivity at live events.”
A second network slice enabled the WRU’s official picture agency to quickly upload images without being impacted by heavy network usage in the stadium, which was packed to near capacity.
Nick Gliddon, business director at Vodafone UK, said: “Network slicing allows us to work with our customers and adapt the network to suit their needs. This is a huge advantage of 5G Standalone – customers can define their own experience with a network which is built for them. As a result, businesses can expect to improve the efficiency of operations, help drive productivity gains and introduce new services to their customers that would not be possible otherwise.”
