Network slicing enables differentiated services
Communication service providers (CSPs) know that nothing is predictable with network
traffic. The changing nature of network patterns is a challenge when providing the
always-on services that discerning clients demand.
To address these challenges, 5G network slicing combines the coverage of large, public
networks with the tailored attributes of a private 5G network. It works by partitioning and
provisioning a series of virtual networks within a physical infrastructure to optimize traffic
for specific use cases that may need high reliability, low latency, ultra-reliability or
specialized security.
For CSPs, network slicing enables differentiated services at scale to enterprises and
consumers, for a market that is growing exponentially. According to Ericsson, network
slicing is expected to generate $200 billion in revenue for CSPs by 2030. However, to
implement it, CSPs must develop tools that provide unprecedented and real-time
network visibility.
Ultimately, to better serve customers and maximize the returns on their investment,
CSPs need processes and technologies that allow them to identify and anticipate
service disruptions.
The Benefits and Challenges of Network Slicing
When discussing the benefits of network slicing in practice, let’s take an example of
broadcasting a major sporting event over a 5G SA network. With network slicing, the
CSP is dedicating a part of their network to the transmission of that event. Ensuring
bandwidth and latency Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are within the agreed upon
thresholds by carriers and broadcaster so the subscribers will receive the intended
resolution and clarity of the transmission. Just as with this example, the flexibility of
provisioning CSP network resources for the intended use case is very important. The
CSP can custom tune a network slice to meet the criteria for ultra-low latency, with low
bandwidth that might be needed for critical IoT sensors in a hospital or factory floor
environment. To a Cloud based AR gaming enterprise customer that needs high
bandwidth along with ultra-low latency to deliver the ultimate AR gaming sensation to
their customer base. And finally, security slices (SecaaS) can deliver highly secure 5G
virtual networks that proactively protect against cyber security threats, blocking them in
real time at the network level before they get to subscriber devices.
As Enterprises consider working with CSPs to leverage the benefits of 5G SA networks
and slicing, it is critical that slice level SLA visibility and network security is high on their
requirements list. Thus, driving the CSP to provide multi-tenant visibility by slice along
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with on premise and MEC level security solutions that address the Enterprise concerns
along with protecting the CSPs network infrastructure from bad actors.
There are significant challenges to wider adoption of network slicing. To elaborate,
going back to the revenue projections, the dollar amounts can only be realized if
operators can answer the question of whether they can meet their obligations and
provide the quality of service that they promise. Moreover, the transition to cloud-native
5G networks presents several observability challenges in the NVF’s supporting the
virtual slices.
The bottom line is that while many CSPs are talking about network slicing, few have
figured out how to evolve their business models to reflect these new services, but that is
slowly changing. To better operationalize network slicing, and to guarantee compliance
to SLAs, CSPs need to better understand the necessity to invest in observability
solutions that measure SLA metrics and performance at the packet level, such as:
continuous network and application latency and uplink/downlink by slice, data volume
by subscriber by application, throughput – all with a RAN to MEC to CORE viewpoint.
Ultimately, adoption depends on continuous visibility and observability of the network.
Looking Ahead: Continuous Network Visibility
As networks continue to expand, so too does the complexity of maintaining them. To be
successful at sustaining networks in the future during the evolution to 5G, it’s imperative
that CSPs invest in tools to meet and exceed the demands of end users. By investing in
network slicing, enterprises and CSPs alike can achieve greater network visibility while
adhering to SLA-specific requirements. That is achievable by leveraging data from
packet monitoring to ensure greater compliance. Delivering the seamless and reliable
services that customers expect requires a continuous, real-time view of networks to
automatically monitor for performance degradation issues while leveraging automation
technology to increase operational efficiency.