In a UK first, Vodafone has successfully completed a trial to demonstrate the use of multiple 5G Standalone (SA) network slices being used concurrently for different use cases at a live event.
Taking place at Principality Stadium during the Wales versus Ireland Guinness Men’s Six Nations match on Saturday, Vodafone dedicated two ‘slices’ of connectivity for varying uses.
To showcase the power of network slicing, Welsh rugby legend Ellis Jenkins hosted a social media watch-along live from the match, enabled by network slicing on Vodafone’s 5G Standalone (5G SA) network.
The dedicated network slice, created in partnership with Ericsson, provided connectivity to rugby fans in Vodafone’s Hospitality area at Principality Stadium – where the former Wales International was seated. Through this slice, Vodafone customers – including Jenkins – were able to seamlessly browse the internet and social media or share images with friends and family – without any interruptions.
The second slice of connectivity was reserved for the WRU’s official in-house photography agency – Huw Evans Picture Agency, to ensure the upload of images was not impacted by slow internet speeds caused by too many people and devices competing for signal in the packed-out Principality Stadium.
The media upload slice was created to provide a minimum upload throughput, isolating the traffic from network congestion and guaranteeing uninterrupted connectivity. The increased speed and reliability of delivery allowed the photographer to upload even large unedited image files within 30 seconds*.
Network slicing is a 5G Standalone capability which allows Vodafone to create different virtual networks on the same physical infrastructure – and one of the key things that was used to ‘sell’ the benefits of 5G back when it was first mooted. Known as slices, each one is dedicated to a particular service, ensuring its performance is not impacted by other users’ demands on the network.
Crucially, the performance capabilities of each slice can be customised to the use cases that it connects. With low latency and high bandwidth, the opportunities that network slicing presents in stadia is endless, from security and emergency services that rely on secure and uninterrupted connectivity, to speeding up payments for onsite food and drink vendors, meaning fans can spend more time enjoying the entertainment than standing in queues.
Network congestion is a challenge for all network operators today, but it is particularly present at major events and stadiums where an irregular number of people are gathering in a small area, all connecting to the same mobile site. This is particularly acute at Principality Stadium where tens of thousands of rugby fans gather in the iconic stadium situated in the heart of Cardiff City centre.
In fact, the equivalent of 480 hours of HD video was transferred over the Vodafone network during a Wales vs. Scotland match on 3 February 2024, which would be enough to rewatch the match over 360 times. For context, this figure was 40% higher than that recorded during Wales – South Africa match in August 2023 at the 74,000-seater venue.
Nick Gliddon, Business Director, Vodafone UK, explains: “Network slicing allows us to work with our customers and adapt the network to suit their needs. This is a huge advantage of 5G Standalone – customers can define their own experience with a network which is built for them. As a result, businesses can expect to improve the efficiency of operations, help drive productivity gains and introduce new services to their customers that would not be possible otherwise.”
Chris Fairweather, Photographer, Huw Evans Picture Agency, adds: “Using Vodafone’s 5G SA network slice was revolutionary. It’s crucially important for us to get images uploaded for use as quickly as possible, so having a dedicated portion of the network allowed us to seamlessly upload high-resolution images in real-time, overcoming the issues we often face with network congestion when Principality Stadium is at max capacity.”
Ellis Jenkins, former Wales International, comments: “What an epic match, the Welsh boys have restored some pride with their performance this weekend and kept going right up until the final moments. I loved being able to livestream my reaction to the game to Wales fan across the world, made possible by a slice of Vodafone’s 5G network – a complete game changer for connectivity at live events.”
The network slice was created in partnership with Vodafone’s technology partner Ericsson, separating a portion of the capacity connecting to Ericsson technology on Vodafone’s mobile site.
Network slicing is a concept which is enabled by the deployment of a 5G Standalone network. Whereas much of the 5G connectivity we enjoy today is known as 5G Non-standalone, 5G Standalone introduces entirely novel capabilities and experiences such as network slicing.
