As we’ve discussed in previous posts, 5G promises to let communications service providers (CSPs) ‘slice’ the network to accommodate a wide range of applications with very different reliability, quality of service, security, latency, and throughput requirements. To accommodate such services, CSPs will create individual network slices on a multi-tenant, multi-operator network platform. Slices will be orchestrated and assured end to end through automated closed control loops using intent-based management, analytics and policy. CSPs will support on-demand network slicing on a per-customer or per-application basis.

To support CSPs, the Affirmed Virtual Slice Selection Function (vSSF) makes it easy to build network slices across any network. vSSF, inserts into existing networks without requiring configuration changes, and delivers a centralized “one-touch” function for allocating resources by a variety of attributes (device type, service type, customer ID, location, time-of-day, and more) to meet the needs of specific services.  The vSSF is the industry’s first solution to provide network slicing over legacy, virtualized, and multi-vendor 5G network environments.

With regard to 5G challenges, including network slicing, TM Forum Network Functions Virtualization /IT transformation conducted a survey of sixty-one telecom professionals at fifty-two companies, including CSPs and suppliers. The resulting report, Trends Analysis report 5G: Is platform the killer use case? confirms the widespread belief that for CSPs to find the best way forward, the key factors are 5G, network functions virtualization (NFV), and software-defined business models for networking and cloud-based platforms.

The study shows when it comes to network slicing, sixty percent of respondents see end-to-end management as their biggest issue. The study also showed:

• A top concern of a third of the CSPs and suppliers is the availability of operating and business support systems (OSS/BSS) that can accommodate a wide range of innovative business models with multiple parties, using a variety of pricing strategies.
• Twenty-nine percent of CSPs and twenty-six percent of suppliers are worried about organizational issues. Telco operations teams are typically arranged vertically around specific product groups, which is inadequate for platform-based network slicing models.
• About fifteen percent of CSPs and eleven percent of suppliers are concerned about a lack of edge-computing resources for 5G network slicing, believing that there is not enough computing power at the edge today to analyze network usage patterns and ensure quality of service.

With Affirmed’s “5G Ready” solutions supporting network slicing today, mobile operators can dramatically improve the profitability of their existing services now. By combining the vSSF with innovations such as the Affirmed Service Automation Platform, operators can rapidly deploy network slices and new revenue-generating services in order to reduce time-to-market and operational costs by as much as 90%. Adding the Affirmed Virtual Probe, operators receive real-time analytics on individual slices and services, enabling them to improve service quality, reduce network support costs and identify new service opportunities.

Affirmed Networks delivers the world’s only fully virtualized, cloud-native, 5G-ready mobile core solution. Learn more about our network slicing solutions.