Vodafone and Ericsson have completed a live network trial at Coventry University demonstrating how 5G Standalone network slicing can transform mobile cloud gaming.
The trial used network slicing, a core capability of 5G Standalone that allows operators to create customised virtual networks tailored for specific customers and applications.
Phil Patel, Group Director of Product and Services at Vodafone, commented:
“5G Standalone enables services that are not feasible on today’s networks. Cloud gaming is one of the areas that stands to benefit most—not only enhancing the player experience but also enabling entirely new types of content.
Where immersive gaming has been largely confined to consoles, 5G Standalone allows us to bring that level of experience to mobile devices.”
Participants in the trial experienced significant improvements: throughput increased by 270 percent, latency dropped by 25 percent, jitter fell by 57 percent, and graphics rendering became noticeably smoother.
Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer at Vodafone UK, added:
“5G Standalone is not simply a 4G upgrade; it introduces a fundamentally different technology. In this trial we provisioned a dedicated network slice optimised for gaming to deliver a fibre-like experience over the air.
That is the value of network slicing—creating a more personalised connectivity service that aligns with each customer’s needs.”
The trial compared two connectivity scenarios for cloud-based mobile gaming:
- Scenario A: Performance that reflected a conventional public mobile network.
- Scenario B: An isolated 5G Standalone network slice configured for cloud gaming, delivering higher download speeds, lower latency, reduced jitter, and protection from congestion.
Independent research by gaming insights and consultancy agency Bryter validated the benefits of the 5G Standalone network slice:
- Under Scenario A, only 13 percent of participants rated their satisfaction above 8 out of 10; 63 percent reported dissatisfaction, scoring the experience between 0 and 5. Common complaints included long load times, audio-visual glitches, and high latency.
- By contrast, in Scenario B 88 percent of participants rated their satisfaction above 8 out of 10. Players attributed the superior experience to faster loading, smoother graphics, and reduced latency and jitter.
Post-trial focus groups revealed strong interest among mobile gaming fans in the 5G Standalone gaming experience. Faster load times, lower latency and jitter were seen as providing a tangible competitive advantage in multiplayer and competitive games.
Blessing Makumbe, VP & Head of Digital Services at Ericsson UK & Ireland, said:
“A 5G Standalone network, combined with capabilities such as network slicing, represents the next step in meeting the growing connectivity demands of consumers and businesses.
By tailoring network quality for specific needs—speed, latency and reliability—operators can deliver the premium performance required by future applications, launch innovative services and reach new markets.”
This trial highlights the role of 5G Standalone and network slicing in enabling new consumer and enterprise experiences. Improved scalability and quality-of-service management make it possible to create new business models across industries and open additional revenue streams for communications service providers.
Ericsson’s network slicing report projects that 25–30 percent of potential 5G use cases will require network slicing to achieve their full potential.
(Image Credit: Ericsson)
See also: 5G Standalone deployments lag in H1 2023
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