A1 was able to isolate its public Internet and enterprise traffic while keeping critical business traffic local using 4G/5G core breakout
Nokia and A1 Austria (A1) announced they completed what they claim is the industry’s first 5G, edge cloud, network slicing trial with Microsoft. The trial used Nokia’s 5G edge slicing solution integrated with Microsoft Azure managed edge compute on A1’s live commercial network in Vienna (pictured), Austria.
During the trial, A1 demonstrated real-time HD video streaming by transmitting live camera feeds from several mobile devices. The parties used Multicasting.io’s streaming mobile platform running on the Azure edge infrastructure.
The trial was executed with Azure which supports enterprise private and public applications at the operator and enterprise edge. Azure’s managed edge compute was deployed at A1’s data centre in Vienna with connectivity to the Azure region in Austria.
Splendid isolation
The solution enabled A1 to isolate its public Internet and enterprise traffic while keeping critical business traffic local using 4G/5G core breakout for enterprise edge cloud applications.
The network slices were implemented across the network, from devices to the RAN, through the transport and core networks to edge cloud applications, with the chosen parameters managed from end to end.
Nokia’s solution can also offer a sliced mobile broadband VPN for campuses or a city environment. Scalable 5G Edge slicing supports multiple enterprise VPN deployments using the same 4G/5G network. It can be used with all 4G/5G devices including smartphones that can handle multiple slices through user equipment route selection policy (URSP) for different applications.
New business, finally?
Marcus Grausam, CEO, A1 said, “This innovative solution enables A1 to deliver secure, reliable and high-performance enterprise VPN services integrated with edge cloud applications over our 4G/LTE and 5G networks. This collaboration opens up new business opportunities and demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative services for our enterprise customers, as well as realizing the full potential of 5G technology.”
Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, added, “Edge cloud network slicing gives customers the best of both worlds with network slicing and edge cloud applications that enhance the enterprise customer experience.”
Silvia Candiani, Vice President, Telecommunications and Media at Microsoft, concluded, As we redefine connectivity, we’re also providing opportunities to industry leaders like A1 and Nokia to tap into the large Microsoft ecosystem of enterprise developers and solution providers to help drive new monetization efforts.”