The business arm of French telecoms operator SFR has launched two new 5G network ‘slicing’ options for enterprise customers. These “differentiated connectivity solutions”, using 5G SA technology in the 3.5 GHz band in France, provide a “privileged access service” and a “tailor-made slicing service”, respectively, it said.
SFR made a noise about being the first to launch 5G in France in 2020, and the first also to active and slice (“in real conditions”) its 5G SA network at the end of 2023. It also said it was the first to offer 5G SA (‘5G+’) services to business customers. The two new slice-services, added this week, are called ‘Slice Enterprise’ and ‘Slice More’
The first, a “privileged access service”, provides “fluidity” in data transport and security in data exchange, it said; the second, a “tailor-made slicing service”, provides dedicated spectrum and bandwidth, and is geared for “companies with strategic uses in real time”. Both require 5G SA SIM cards and 5G SA devices, it said.
It explained (in translation): “5G SA is a turning point for 5G usage… [because] it allows differentiated mobile connectivity, called ‘slicing’… [Slicing] consists of dedicating specific resources to customers. Each ‘slice’ can be isolated from others and managed independently. This new architecture allows [SFR to deliver] a quality-of-service according to specific needs, and to optimize spectrum usage for strategic uses in real time.”
Emmanuel Pugliesi, executive director at SFR Business, said: “With 5G SA, we enable SFR’s corporate clients to take advantage of the best of 5G technology. SFR Business offers tailor-made connectivity which represents a unique opportunity for our customers to rethink their services and invent new uses.” SFR said its 5G network covers 80 percent of the French population in the 3.5 GHz band, starting in large urban areas. It has around 9,200 sites.
