Companies and organisations will be able to reserve part of the public mobile network from this month, as Vodafone will be the first Dutch telecom company to introduce Network Slicing. In this way, there will always be sufficient capacity for business-critical applications, even if it is busy on the mobile network.
Network Slicing is a technology that divides the availability of the public mobile network into several ‘slices’. Business customers of Vodafone can reserve such a ‘slice’ of capacity for their own essential business processes. This will guarantee that their mobile connection continues to function stably. It will not matter, therefore, how busy the network is, as the slices will ensure that the most important data traffic is assured of a stable, fast network connection.
Vodafone will offer network slicing in addition to the existing services and will ensure that the capacity of the mobile network remains more than sufficient to be able to facilitate both services.
Real-time security images
|A wide range of organisations will benefit from this technology, according to Juan Pablo Nieto of Vodafone Business. “Examples include emergency responders in ambulances who have to make contact with the hospital en route. It is also extremely important for organisers of large events that they receive real-time images from security cameras. Delays or malfunctions there can have a gigantic impact on health and safety. Network Slicing ensures that there is sufficient capacity over a guaranteed and secure connection, even in situations of major congestion.
Concert, hockey tournament, Pride Amsterdam
Vodafone has recently performed three successful tests in which the slicing technology was applied. For example, the telecom company demonstrated earlier this year during a concert in the municipality of Nijmegen how network slicing can contribute to the safety of visitors. The technology made it possible to immediately analyse live images from the camera, as a result of which the municipality was able to divert the increasing traffic flow of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians and thus prevent uncontrollable congestion. Vodafone Business also experimented with this technology successfully during the EuroHockey Championship and Pride Amsterdam.