Network slicing is one of the most commercially significant capabilities that eRedCap devices gain by operating on 5G Standalone infrastructure. It is unavailable on 4G LTE networks regardless of device capability, and it has direct relevance for critical IoT applications.
What Network Slicing Is
Network slicing allows a single physical 5G network to be partitioned into multiple virtual networks – slices – each with different Quality of Service (QoS) characteristics. A utility operator can request a dedicated slice for their smart meter communications, with assured capacity, guaranteed low latency, and traffic isolation from consumer mobile data. A logistics operator can have a fleet management slice with different characteristics. All from the same physical infrastructure.
GSMA and Network Slicing Standards
The GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative exposes 5G Core network capabilities – including network slicing and Quality on Demand APIs – to enterprise application developers. This means an eRedCap-based IoT application can programmatically request specific QoS for its traffic through a standardised API, rather than requiring bilateral custom agreements with each operator.
Critical Infrastructure Applications
For the IoT applications that eRedCap targets – smart grid communications, SCADA backhaul, AMI for utilities – network slicing provides a level of service assurance that shared cellular networks cannot match. A grid operator’s SCADA telemetry on a dedicated 5G SA slice with Priority Access operates independently of whatever consumer traffic is occurring on the same physical infrastructure. See Industrial M2M and SCADA for the application context.
For more on 5G network slicing in detail, see 5gslicing.co.uk.