Much of the recent conversation about 5G has focused on the future of network slicing. They want to discuss timelines, challenges, opportunities, use cases, and industries. Considering our dependence on communities outside of the telecom industry, the reality is not as rosy as you might think. In principle, 5G network slicing will enable carriers to provide secure and deterministic services bound by SLAs for experience, performance, security, and service assurance.
Based on all these conversations, I wrote this blog to create a brief outline of the future. I have organized my views across timelines and 5G network types (private-only, split-private, private hybrid, or public) at the greatest possible altitude at which this question can be explored.
Short term: 1 to 2 years
Although mostly experimental, some use cases emerged depending on the network type.
- For personal use only. Companies are still experimenting and testing ROI, there is a large number of vendors in the mix, and 5G slicing is still a long way off with no relevant role yet.
- Individual or hybrid in slice form. There are some commercial use case references where 5G is being used, but it is at a similar experimental stage. revolution Slicing plays a relevant role. This space is dominated by global systems integrators (GSIs) and service providers (SPs) supported by OEM partners.
- public. It’s all about the software development community. However, limited testing is expected. 5G slicing is still in its early stages, and SP’s main focus is also targeting its own apps supported by GSI.
Midterm: 3-5 years
As 5G adoption begins to become more common, more use cases emerge with network slicing.
- For personal use only. Enterprises will adopt private 5G as a mainstream technology. It is expected that there will continue to be a mix of numerous suppliers. This is where 5G slicing starts to play a role in data security and performance use cases.
- Individual or hybrid in slice form. Commercial launch is expected for more use cases and expansion of existing cases where 5G is enabled. dynamic Slicing plays an important role. This space will continue to be dominated by SP.
- public. The software development community is beginning to embrace network slicing. The first commercial enterprise apps leveraging 5G network slicing will begin to emerge, with big tech consumer apps/solutions (e.g. Netflix, Teams, YouTube, X, etc.) becoming the main focus.
Long term: 5 years or more
Network slicing has become common and plays a critical role in all 5G network types.
- For personal use only. Private 5G is now a mainstream technology with an integrated ecosystem. There will be numerous use cases that will continue to proliferate, and 5G slicing will play a critical role in ensuring data security and performance.
- Individual or hybrid in slice form. Commercial deployments and use cases leveraging 5G will expand significantly. dynamic Slicing plays an important role. This space continues to be dominated by SP.
- public. Network slicing will be adopted by the software development community across a variety of company sizes. All commercial enterprise and consumer apps can leverage network slicing, and global network slicing roaming plays a relevant role. The most popular consumer apps in app stores will use network slicing, and SPs will begin to adopt AI/ML and APIs. dynamic Creating demand for slices.
Do you agree with my view? Have you launched a commercial service based on 5G network slicing? We’d love to hear from you. Need more guidance? Please contact us via inquiry@forrester.com.
