At the third New-Generation Internet Infrastructure Forum in Beijing, China Telecom Beijing Research Institute, China Electric Power Research Institute, and Huawei said they would cooperate on the joint basic foresight innovation project about 5G power slicing technology.
Zhang Chengliang, Vice Director of China Telecom's Beijing Research Institute, presided over the opening ceremony. Zhu Xuetian, Director of Network Technology & Planning Dept. of China Telecom Beijing Research Institute, Ding Huixia, Director of Communications Test and Simulation Center of China Electric Power Research Institute, and Qiu Xuefeng, VP of Packet Core Network, Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line jointly announced the formal launch of the joint innovation project.
5G is a new-generation wireless communications technology that introduces thing-to-thing and human-to-thing communications to the traditional human-human communications scenarios. Based on the all-cloud 5G core network, a 5G network can use the same infrastructure to provide differentiated network slices for diverse application scenarios.
For example, a slice of ultra-low latency can better meet application requirements, such as automatic power distribution, in the power industry. A 5G network slice can achieve security and isolation at the same level as those provided by a private power grid, but requires much lower cost and better promotes application innovation of the smart grid.
"5G slicing provides differentiated capabilities for diverse requirements of innovative industry applications," said Zhu Xuetian, Director of Network Technology & Planning Dept. of China Telecom Beijing Research Institute. "The three-party collaboration project is the first exploration of 5G slicing in power industry applications. 5G slicing is applied to vertical industries, such as the electric power industry, and this will incubate more new applications and business models."
"The core network is critical to implement 5G slicing features, such as on-demand network definition, fast deployment, automatic operation, end-to-end SLA assurance, and capability exposure," said Qiu Xuefeng, VP of Packet Core Network, Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line.
"Huawei Cloud Core Network started early to invest in R&D of 5G network architecture evolution and slicing technology and has many leading achievements," Xuefeng added. "This project will enable end-to-end technical verification of 5G slicing in smart grid industry applications and accelerate development of sophisticated technologies and solutions."
Xia Xu, 5G Smart Slicing Project Manager of Network Technology & Planning Dept. of China Telecom Beijing Research Institute, said, "China Telecom, China's State Grid, and Huawei are leading enterprises in the ICT and power industries and are listed in the Fortune 500. The three parties in this project will fully use our technology, industry, and market advantages in R&D and test in various scenarios, such as automatic power distribution and electricity consumption information collection."
Xu added, "We will push development of sophisticated technologies, standards, and products, verify cross-industry applications of the ICT and power industries, and promote a collaborative and win-win industry ecosystem."
5G slicing has huge potential to assist in development of various industries. Network slices, such as the smart grid, Internet of Vehicle (IoV), and AR/VR, will redefine carriers' business models and greatly improve their competitiveness. We are now facing a 5G-enabled smart future world.
