5G Network Slicing as a Service Enabler for theAutomotive Sector

TL;DR

This paper explores how 5G network slicing can support automotive industry needs, addressing challenges and demonstrating performance improvements in real networks for vehicle updates and communications.

Contribution

It identifies gaps in existing cellular technologies for automotive applications and demonstrates the effectiveness of 5G network slicing through real-world tests.

Findings

Performance improvements in OTA vehicle updates

Cost analysis supports network slicing adoption for automotive

Real 5G tests validate slicing benefits for automotive services

Abstract

Network slicing, a key technology introduced in 5G standards, enables mobile networks to simultaneously support a wide range ofheterogeneous use cases with diverse quality of service (QoS) requirements. This work discusses the potential benefits of networkslicing for the automotive sector, encompassing manufacturing processes and vehicular communications. The review of the stateof the art reveals a clear gap regarding the application of network slicing from the perspective of industrial verticals such asautomotive use cases and their specific requirements. Departing from this observation, we first identify limitations of previouscellular technologies and open challenges for supporting the data services required. Then we describe network slicing as an enablerto face these challenges. We present an analysis of the cost equilibrium for network slicing to be effective for car manufacturers,and tests in real 5G networks that demonstrate the performance improvement in OTA updates coexisting with other services.