In the 5G era, enterprises require communications tailored to their specific business needs. Whether they need higher bandwidth, greater security, faster speeds, or ultra-low latency, different businesses are moving beyond “one-size-fits-all” to meet diverse connectivity needs with dedicated networking infrastructure.
This customizable connectivity enables enterprises to access a range of capabilities based on their use cases. These might include mission-critical systems, remote work, Internet of Things (IoT) device connectivity, automated manufacturing, or private networking.
The common denominator is the ability to adapt in-building connectivity to meet the different requirements of each business application. Fortunately, this can be achieved efficiently and effectively with existing distributed antenna system (DAS) technology.
Convergence Creates Opportunities
As 5G standalone (SA) technology matures and adoption continues to advance, mobile network operators (MNOs) are increasing their use of network slicing, a technique that creates multiple virtual networks with different capabilities on a shared physical network. With 5G network slicing deployments proliferating, this technology is increasingly delivered over DAS to support a new generation of applications and services.
In fact, integrating DAS with network slicing unleashes the full potential of both technologies. This convergence enables differentiated wireless services to be delivered simultaneously and efficiently over the same physical infrastructure, including both public and private networks deployed on a common DAS.
Implementing network slicing with your existing DAS infrastructure empowers a broad range of innovative applications across various verticals. A few examples include:
- Healthcare: Secure network slices for patient monitoring and operations across campuses
- Airports: Enable security communications, airline operations, and baggage handling
- Stadiums and Arenas: Dedicated bandwidth for broadcast media, crowd services, and concessions
- Smart Buildings: Support IoT-connected devices and intelligent building automation.
Carving A Slice of the Pie
Essentially, DAS technology serves as the physical distribution layer, delivering wireless signals from MNOs to device users, enabling reliable in-building connectivity. When network slicing is implemented in the 5G radio access network (RAN), DAS extends the network, overcoming distance and obstructions such as walls and equipment to ensure each slice reaches its intended users or devices. The MNO’s RAN management system still defines the slices, their bandwidth, and who may use each slice; the DAS platform will distribute them efficiently throughout the building or campus with the required quality of service (QoS) characteristics.
A case in point – the SOLiD ALLIANCE DAS platform has been successfully used to support network slicing at some premier locations around the U.S., such as on large hospital campuses. These network slicing implementations also included an internationally recognized Grand Prix street-racing event, attended by more than 100,000 spectators per day. For the nearly four-mile race along the Las Vegas Strip, T-Mobile offered seven network slices to support everything from drone videography and rooftop broadcast cameras to sports photography and point-of-sale systems, as well as a private wireless slice for high-bandwidth video processing over the C-Band spectrum.
As a matter of fact, supporting these types of network slicing use cases does not require any changes to the DAS platform. All necessary slicing requirements come from the MNO’s network, where both public and private network channels are delivered by the same RAN radios and seamlessly connected to end users via the DAS platform.
Different Flavors of Slices
In addition to offering network slicing over the public cellular networks, the versatility of this technology enables various network configurations using different spectrum options.
- Private Networks – Private 5G network deployments present an ideal opportunity for manufacturers to cost-efficiently build out connectivity tailored to specific needs. This is particularly attractive when using Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum. These networks are typically owned by the enterprise; however, they can be owned and managed by a third-party operator as well.
- Public Safety – In some cases MNOs are using network slicing to augment existing public safety networks. This enables improved capabilities versus dedicated public safety spectrum alone, which lacks the bandwidth needed for modern applications.
- Hybrid Networks – Now that the FCC has approved CBRS on DAS, MNOs, enterprises, and building owners can easily combine public and private cellular network service for seamless delivery by the in-building DAS platform.
Personalization Powers Business
Personalized services power business, as outlined by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. As more MNOs embrace network slicing, the ability to combine customized, differentiated services with DAS infrastructure can deliver significant benefits across diverse applications, ranging from industrial deployments and private networks to live events, sports, and e-commerce. To learn more about how ALLIANCE DAS technology empowers