If successful, the development could pave the way for Singtel’s enterprise customers to access a secured network slice on-demand – currently, the timescale for such requirements can stretch to weeks, or even months.
The on-demand provision would offer “assured security and network performance in latency, bandwidth and availability”, according to a statement from Singtel.
The Network as-a-Service (NaaS) approach may be new, however network slicing is a key feature of 5G, allowing multiple virtual networks to plug into physical networks.
Mr Mark Chong, Singtel’s group CTO, said: “Network slicing will open up a realm of exciting possibilities for our enterprise customers to go to market quicker with new and innovative 5G-powered services, such as virtual reality, IoT and smart factory applications. We are happy to be trialling network slicing capabilities with Nokia.”
The development has been facilitated by Nokia’s operations suite and cloud management products, which automate the creation and delivery of digital services. Singtel said this capability will allow “greater control and visibility of services across the network while addressing specific 5G needs of enterprises with speed, efficiency and flexibility”.
It is looking to develop use cases in cloud gaming, manufacturing, and maritime operations.
Nokia Software president Bhaskar Gorti, said: “Framed by always-on technology, communications service providers need to up their game on customer engagement. Singtel is taking the right approach, re-fitting their service delivery and assurance processes and tools. This move to a 5G digital services infrastructure ensures they can stay ahead of customer demand and even service new customer segments.”
Trials are due to start later this year in Singapore.
