Leveraging 5G, Network Slicing and MEC to Deliver Real-World Services and True Business Value

In late 2019, China Telecom – the parent company of China Telecom Americas – announced a new 5G network slicing project trial in China that will be focused on the promise and potential of enterprise and industrial applications. This experiment will ultimately lead to the first 5G smart factory, which will then be used as an example and prototype for future 5G use. As 5G’s higher speeds and lower latencies enable numerous new applications from the IoT to the manufacturing floor, the need for network slicing becomes more critical. Network slicing lets communications providers dedicate individual “slices” of the network for IoT and Industrial Internet services, allowing them to allocate their network resources more efficiently.

5G is going to change how companies work and will provide new ways of leveraging real-time data to derive business value. The impact of 5G will be pervasive globally. In fact, the GSMA predicts that 5G will account for almost half of China’s overall mobile connections by 2025, with other markets such as Japan, South Korea and the US having similar rates of adoption.

China Telecom exploring what can be achieved through 5G

China Telecom has been at the forefront of exploring what can be achieved through 5G. As part of this commitment, China Telecom has stated that it expects to have access to 300,000 5G base stations by the end of 2020. This is five times the number the company had live at the end of 2019. Clearly, China Telecom and China Telecom Americas expect 5G, and network slicing as part of it, to grow considerably. And we aren’t alone. Industry analyst firm, Global Market Insights, recently predicted that the market for network slicing will experience a growth rate of as much as 15% from now until 2026.

China Telecom conducting trials at manufacturing facilities across China

To ensure its customers will be able to truly experience what will be possible, China Telecom has been focused on conducting trials at manufacturing facilities across China to demonstrate the true power of 5G network slicing with Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC), a network architecture concept that enables cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of the cellular network. China Telecom is presently working with technology partners and the ETSI to explore standards and specifications for deploying network slicing in MEC-enabled 5G networks.

This is critical because China Telecom understands that each application and service have different requirements for bandwidth capacity, speed and latency. The only common requirement is availability, with 100% being the expectation. Think about a service such as connected cars. According to ABI Research, there will be 41 million 5G connected cars on the road by 2030. China Telecom understands that this type of application will require a much different service profile than what is needed to enable reading of smart meters. Some may require ultra-low latency, others may require high bandwidth, and the ability for China Telecom to deliver exactly what each service needs is made possible by its ability to slice network capacity across the control, data and management planes.

To provide customers with the low latency required by the Industrial Internet, China Telecom will be deploying MEC at the edge of its network globally, which will allow enterprises to leverage the network like never before.

Real-world applications that China Telecom is working on

Some of the many real-world applications that China Telecom is working on to deliver to its customers, with the help of its technology partners, include:

• 5G for Smart Grid
• Flexible Smart Manufacturing with 5G Edge Computing
• 5G Intelligent Connected Vehicles
• Aircraft Surface Inspection
• Heavy Industry 5G and Smart Manufacturing

China Telecom is truly just beginning to scratch the surface in terms of what 5G can deliver, and the opportunities are endless.

If your business is ready to benefit from the power and potential of 5G please let us know. We’d love to share our experiences working with some of the world’s largest companies.

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China Telecom Americas, a wholly-owned US-based subsidiary of China Telecom Corp. Ltd., is an international telecom provider for Data, IP and Voice Wholesale services to multinational companies, organizations and international carriers requiring China domestic services and International access to China & Asia Pacific.

With headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, and offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Jose, and subsidiaries in Toronto, Canada, and Sao Paolo, Brazil, China Telecom Americas continues to expand its strength and reach.

China Telecom Americas provides locally based, one-stop-shop, turnkey solutions for everything from China domestic and international data circuits to IDC services, network management, equipment management, system integration, and much more.

For additional information on China Telecom Americas, please visit www.ctamericas.com.

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