Thanks to network slicing, trial participants experienced a 270% increase in throughput, a 25% decrease in latency and 57% less jitter
Ericsson and Vodafone demonstrated that an optimized 5G Standalone (SA) network can enhance cloud-based mobile gaming in a live network trial at Coventry University, which featured 15 gamers of varying degrees of experience and across a broad age demographic using the network.
The trial showed how network slicing will allow Vodafone to customize services for specific customers and use cases, claimed the companies. 5G network slicing is a feature of a cloud-native 5G network architecture that leverages the principles behind network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN), allowing for flexible, programmable converged networks wherein disparate services that would typically require parallel systems reside on a single infrastructure. In such an architecture, each network “slice” is an isolated, bespoke end-to-end network tailored to fulfill the requirements of a particular application.
Thanks to network slicing, trial participants experienced smoother graphics rendering, more consistent gaming connectivity, a 270% increase in throughput, a 25% decrease in latency and 57% less jitter.
“5G Standalone is not an upgrade on 4G, but an entirely new type of technology. Through this trial, we provided a slice of connectivity, customized specifically for gaming, to provide a full fibre like experience over the airwaves,” commented Andrea Dona, chief network officer at Vodafone UK. “This is the value of network slicing – a more personalized connectivity service to make digital more in-tune with each customer.”
The trial featured two connectivity scenarios. In Scenario A, the trial simulated the performance of an existing public mobile network, while Scenario B involved an isolated 5G Standalone network slice optimized for cloud gaming. According to the companies, Scenario B’s network configuration had higher download speeds, lower latency, reduced jitter and no risk of network congestion.
Specifically, 63% of triallists in Scenario A ranked satisfaction between 0 and 5 out of 10, with only 13% ranking satisfaction above 8 out of 10. These participants reported “longer loading screen times, sound and visual issues and increased latency.” Scenario B, on the other hand, garnered satisfaction ratings above 8 out of 10 by 88% of the gamers.
These results, as well as the overall success of the trial, were confirmed by research conducted by independent gaming insights and consultancy agency Bryter.
While Ericsson’s network slicing report estimates that 25-30% of all potential 5G use cases will require network slicing as an enabler, Phil Patel, group director of product and services at Vodafone, claimed that cloud gaming stands out as a use case for 5G SA and network slicing. “Today, immersive gaming is realistically limited to consoles, but with 5G Standalone, we can bring it to mobile devices,” he continued.
