Nokia, in partnership with A1 Austria and Microsoft, has successfully completed a pioneering 5G Edge Cloud network slicing trial. This groundbreaking project utilised Nokia’s 5G Edge slicing technology, integrated with Microsoft Azure’s managed Edge compute services, on A1’s operational commercial network in Vienna, Austria. This advancement allows A1 to offer enterprise Cloud applications to mobile users through a network that is not only high capacity and secure but also boasts low latency.
Throughout the trial, A1 showcased the capability for real-time HD video streaming, transmitting live video feeds from various mobile devices using the Multicasting.io streaming platform, which operates on the Azure Edge infrastructure. This technology is applicable across various sectors, including retail, media, utilities, healthcare, and transportation, providing mobile operators with new avenues for revenue generation.
Nokia’s 5G Edge slicing technology empowers operators to leverage both slicing and Edge Cloud capabilities, delivering tailored network slices for specific customer use cases and applications, based on criteria like network performance, quality, traffic routing, latency, and security.
A1 utilised this technology to segregate public internet and enterprise traffic, ensuring critical business communications remained local through the use of 4G and 5G core breakouts for enterprise Edge Cloud applications. The network slices spanned devices, RAN, transport, core, Edge, and Cloud applications, enhancing the enterprise user experience with low latency, high bandwidth, and superior network performance and security.
Nokia also offers a mobile broadband VPN service, which is sliced and scalable across selected business areas, such as campuses or city environments. This scalable 5G Edge slicing supports multiple enterprise VPN deployments using the same 4G or 5G network infrastructure and is compatible with all 4G and 5G devices, including those capable of UE Route Selection Policy (URSP), for various applications.
Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, highlighted the trial as a demonstration of Nokia’s leadership in network slicing and its commitment to assisting customers in unlocking further 5G monetisation opportunities. He emphasized that Edge Cloud network slicing offers the best of both worlds: network slicing and Edge Cloud applications that enhance the enterprise customer experience.
The trial involved the deployment of Azure managed Edge compute at A1’s data centre in Vienna, connected to the Azure region in Austria, showcasing a significant step towards the integration of enterprise private and public applications at both the operator and enterprise Edge.
Marcus Grausam, CEO of A1, expressed excitement about leading the industry with this innovative deployment, which enables A1 to provide secure, reliable, and high-performance enterprise VPN services integrated with Edge Cloud applications over their 4G LTE and 5G networks. He underscored the collaboration’s role in opening new business opportunities and demonstrating A1’s commitment to delivering innovative services to enterprise customers and realising the full potential of 5G technology.
Silvia Candiani, Vice President at Microsoft, noted the collaboration as a testament to Microsoft’s commitment to innovation and its role in redefining connectivity. This collaboration provides opportunities for industry leaders like A1 and Nokia to access the vast Microsoft ecosystem of enterprise developers and providers, driving new monetisation efforts.
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