Smart first in PH to prove end-to-end network slicing functionality

PLDT's wireless arm Smart Communications announced its new achievement: deploying a fully functional, end-to-end network slicing Proof of Concept (PoC) on its 5G stand-alone network, claimed to be the first in the country. 

Smart Communications

Smart's 5G network slicing

In a statement, Smart said it was completed at the PLDT-Smart Technology Laboratory (Technolab) in Makati City this month.

As the first in the local market, the PLDT Group joins the first few global operators who have implemented 5G standard network slicing with a "slice controller" for each part of the network.

This is a very exciting opportunity for us to develop new capabilities that will enable us to offer differentiated services or services with varying levels of quality, said Arvin Siena, VP/Head of Technology Strategy and Transformation Office in Smart.

PLDT and Smart join European and Asian telco carriers in exploring network slicing as they ramp up 5G upgrades.

Smart said that the technology could deliver "premium services" as this assures bandwidth and latency. Businesses can also maximize this technology by tapping a "slice" in PLDT and Smart’s network to serve as their own private network.

This means we can partition the network for specific purposes. For example, we will be able to support drone services (high bandwidth and low delay), Massive IoT (low bandwidth and could be non-delay sensitive), eHealth or remote surgery (high bandwidth and sensitive to delay) in the near future, and more, in our common infrastructure. Without slicing, we would need to build different networks for each of these services. Slicing is an enabler for us. We have tested it in our Lab and we have proven that it works. This will give way to more innovative services, Siena said.

Network slicing will also allow the group to support the automation of vertical industries such as manufacturing, automotive, and utilities, and make them compliant with Industry 4.0, and later to 5.0, as well as provide a better experience to individual consumers, especially for today’s bandwidth-heavy and video-intensive digital lifestyle.