Etisalat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the e& group, has collaborated with Huawei in demonstrating what the partners claim as the Middle East and Africa region’s first 5G network slicing implementation on a commercial 5G standalone (SA) cloud core network, highlighting the achievement as a significant milestone towards the commercialisation of Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) applications and the development of vertical industry services.

A press release highlights that network slicing involves creating multiple virtual networks on a shared physical or dedicated network, allowing operators to offer customers different network parts based on their specific needs. 

Each network slice is individually configured with its security measures and latency settings, tailored to meet the requirements of various applications in a NaaS fashion. Etisalat can now efficiently allocate network resources by utilising cloud-native virtualised applications on its 5G SA cloud core network, ‘integrated with Network Orchestrator, Network Slice Management Function, and Communication Service Management Function.’ Combining its new network capabilities, End-User Interface platforms, and an understanding of enterprise applications connectivity requirements, Etisalat says it aims to create a ‘one-stop shop library’ of products for various vertical industries.

As reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, Etisalat launched 5G SA initially for fixed wireless at the end of February this year, before announcing a wider 5G SA launch for all customers this month.