KDDI and Samsung successfully completed SLA assurance network slicing on a live 5G SA network in Tokyo in January

Korean vendor Samsung Electronics and Japanese carrier KDDI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form the 5G Global Network Slicing Alliance, the former said in a release.

Through this new alliance, the companies aim to work together to introduce a wide range of commercial 5G network slicing services and assess new business models based on this technology.

The establishment of this new alliance follows the companies’ ongoing efforts in the advancement of network slicing, a market that is expected to grow at over 50% annually from 2023 to 2030.

KDDI and Samsung conducted a field trial in January 2023, which successfully completed Service Level Agreements (SLA) assurance network slicing on a live 5G Standalone (SA) network in Tokyo, Japan. The two firms had also demonstrated network slicing with a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) in 2020.

“KDDI has been at the forefront of network slicing innovation, and we are excited to take another significant step forward with Samsung to show how this technology can augment 5G experiences for consumers and businesses,” said Toshikazu Yokai, chief network officer and deputy general manager of technology sector at KDDI. “Through the strategic alliance, we not only aim to create new and immersive use cases, but also explore the infinite potential in transforming industries,” he added.

Samsung explained that network slicing enables multiple virtual networks to be created within a single physical network infrastructure, where each slice is dedicated for a specific application or service. For instance, operators can create a low latency slice for automated vehicles, an IoT slice for smart factories and a high bandwidth slice for live video streaming— all within the same network, the company said.

“Combining Samsung’s strong technical expertise and KDDI’s business acumen, this new alliance will help us facilitate innovation with a shared commitment to keep advancing 5G to the next level,” said Junehee Lee, executive vice president and head of global sales and marketing of Samsung Electronics’ networks business, said. “We look forward to expanding our collaboration with KDDI to fully tapthe numerous opportunities that 5G network slicing offers.”

In February 2022, KDDI claimed to have turned on the world’s first commercial 5G Standalone (SA) Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) site in partnership with Samsung and Fujitsu. Powered by virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN), the first network site went live in Kawasaki, Japan.

The network site used Samsung’s Open RAN compliant 5G virtualized CU (vCU) and virtualized DU (vDU), as well as Fujitsu’s Massive MIMO radio units, also Open RAN compliant.

In 2019, Samsung Electronics had announced it has been selected by KDDI to provide 5G network solutions for the telco’s 5G commercial service launch. Samsung Networks provided KDDI with its 5G network solutions, including various radio base stations supporting mid-band (3.7-3.8 GHz and 4.0-4.1 GHz) and mmWave (28 GHz) spectrum, as well as virtualized RAN.