LIVE FROM MWL UNWRAPPED: THE 5G EVOLUTION: Executives from BT Group and Telstra insisted the shift to 5G standalone is the way forward for the industry and critical to the future landscape, outlining respective strategies around both consumer and enterprise applications.

Starting with BT, Reza Rahnama, MD of Mobile Networks (pictured) discussed the UK operator’s target to deploy SA 5G across 99 per cent of the population by the end 2030, with the figure currently at 60 per cent.

On the consumer side, Rahnama said the key differentiator with SA 5G was the ability to offer service differentiation and programmability of the network. He pointed to gamers and remote workers as examples, giving users a better experience as more of its network moves to standalone and it is able to create a larger ecosystem.

By ultimately cracking the streaming market, Rahnama believes the network then has excellent potential for potential future AI workloads, essential for the enterprise.

“The consumer market will drive some of it, but I think the true promise of 5G standalone comes from the enterprise. Not only from SMEs but very large enterprises”

He pointed to automation, autonomous vehicle and manufacturing use cases, as well as providing dedicated slicing for companies.

Dynamic slicing
Telstra executive, technology development and innovation, Channa Seneviratne, agreed with Rahnama on the importance of SA 5G, stating the company was aiming to have all of Australia’s major cities covered with the technology by the end of 2025.

A man with short gray hair and glasses sits in a black chair, wearing a light gray blazer over a black shirt. The room has dark window blinds behind him. The

For Seneviratne, one of the main benefits of SA 5G lies in slicing, again with enterprise a major focus. He explained the operator rolled out its first product in the area in June, aimed at providing a priority slice for enterprises in congested environments. This will be extended to allow for two slices, with one for priority traffic.

Moving forward, Seneviratne said the company has a clear focus to move towards handset slicing, offering the capabilities in stadiums, arenas and campuses.

“When we think about slicing, we want this to be a dynamic product. We think about dynamic slicing as opposed to a static slice somewhere. To do that, it’s not just about the network, it’s about the orchestration that goes with being able to create a dynamic slice in real time if necessary.”