Orange Belgium and Ericsson complete groundbreaking 5G slicing automation project

• Orange Belgium and Ericsson demonstrate automated lifecycle management of 5G network slices in a live 5G environment 

• The project showcases the 5G network slicing possibilities now open to service providers through orchestrating and managing network services in multi-domain and multi-vendor environments. 

• The demonstration shows how service providers can offer enterprises and subscribers dynamic, flexible, scalable and differentiated connectivity solutions

Orange Belgium and Ericsson have announced the successful completion of an innovative 5G slicing automation project. Funded by the Belgian State Federal Public Service Economy (FOD/SPF Economie) as part of its “Telecom to the next level - towards sustainable and innovative solutions” program, the pioneering initiative represents a major leap forward in 5G network orchestration, delivering end-to-end automation of network slices– a key enabler for future enterprise applications.

The collaboration leverages the industry leading Ericsson Service Orchestration and Assurance. It is the first demonstration in a live 5G network of its capability to seamlessly create and manage end-to-end 5G network slices spanning both core and radio network domains in a multi-vendor and RAN sharing scenario. Ericsson Service Orchestration and Assurance interfaces with a multi-operator radio access network (MORAN) and showcases the potential for 5G slicing to operate efficiently, particularly in multi-domain and multi-vendor environments. In this environment, MWingz provided essential support, enabling robust integration between Ericsson’s orchestration platform and the shared radio network infrastructure.

One of the project’s standout achievements is the automated lifecycle management of network slices, tailored to meet the specific needs of enterprise customers. In a live enterprise environment, these slices illustrated their practical application and scalability for industries that demand secure, high-performance and low-latency connectivity.  

Philippe Toussaint, Chief Technology Officer of Orange Belgium says: ”Strengthened by our membership of the Orange Group, we successfully demonstrated 5G network slicing automation, underscoring our commitment to delivering advanced technological solutions. This capability provides virtualized, dedicated network 'slices' over shared physical infrastructure. Our collaboration with Ericsson highlights how such innovations enhance telecom sector capabilities, offering faster, more reliable, and customizable network services that benefit both enterprise clients and individual subscribers.”

Fabrice Sancho, Head of Ericsson Belgium, says: "This project marks a pivotal step in the value creation and monetization of 5G networks. In collaboration with Orange Belgium, we have demonstrated the potential of 5G slicing automation to revolutionize enterprise connectivity, and showcase the route to further progress and further digitization for Belgian businesses and citizens."

The outcome of this project lays the groundwork for future advancements in 5G technology, enabling dynamic, flexible and scalable connectivity solutions for industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare. The ability to automatically configure and manage 5G network slices will be instrumental in supporting mission-critical applications, smart cities and IoT ecosystems. It will also enable the mass deployment of advanced consumer use cases.