Ericsson and Vodafone have conducted a live network trial at Coventry University. This trial showcased positive impact of an optimised 5G standalone network slice on enhancing mobile gaming experience for consumers.
Through the utilisation of network slicing, a feature of a 5G standalone network, Vodafone could tailor connectivity services for various customers and use cases. During the trial, participants enjoyed a more stable gaming experience, observing a remarkable 270% increase in throughput, a 25% reduction in latency, and 57% less jitter. Additionally, graphics rendering displayed improved smoothness.
Andrea Dona, chief network officer, Vodafone UK, says, “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. This is the value of network slicing a more personalised connectivity service to make digital more in-tune with each customer.”
During the trial, participants were asked to play cloud-based mobile games under two connectivity scenarios.
- Scenario A simulated the performance of an existing public mobile network.
- Scenario B was an isolated 5G standalone network slice that was optimised for cloud gaming. Scenario B’s network configuration had higher download speeds, lower latency, reduced jitter, and no risk of network congestion.
Research conducted by Bryter, an independent gaming insights and consultancy agency, confirmed completion of live 5G standalone network slicing trial:
- For Scenario A, 63% of triallists ranked satisfaction between 0 and 5 out of 10, with only 13% ranking satisfaction above 8 out of 10. Frustrations included longer loading screen times, sound and visual issues, and increased latency.
- For Scenario B, 88% of triallists ranked satisfaction above 8 out of 10. The better gaming experience was due to improved game loading, smoother graphics rendering, and reduced latency and jitter.
Focus groups following the trial suggested mobile gaming enthusiasts would be highly interested in the 5G Standalone gaming experience as the benefits of fast loading and reduced latency and jitter would give them an advantage over other players.
Phil Patel, group director of product and services, Vodafone, says, “5G Standalone aims to deliver novel services that would not be possible on today’s networks. Few areas can benefit as much as Cloud Gaming, not only to improve customer experience, but to open the door to entirely new types of content. Today, immersive gaming is realistically limited to consoles, but with 5G Standalone, we can bring it to mobile devices.”
Blessing Makumbe, VP and head of digital services, Ericsson UK & Ireland, says, “A mobile network powered by 5G standalone technology and offering associated services like network slicing are the ultimate next step in meeting connectivity demands from consumers and businesses. Creating tailored network quality with requirements on speed, latency and reliability not only offers the premium performance needed to satisfy the applications and services of the future, but also gives leading operators like Vodafone the opportunity to offer innovative services to enter new markets and expand their business.”
The trial demonstrates the importance of 5G standalone and network slicing to deliver new 5G use cases and experiences for consumers and businesses, with higher scalability and enhanced quality-of-services management enabling new business models across all verticals and creating new revenue opportunities for CSPs (communications service providers). Ericsson’s network slicing report estimates that 25-30% of potential 5G use cases will require network slicing as an enabler.
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