Proximus activated three separate 5G slices during the Red Devils’ match last Saturday to support critical applications in and around the stadium.
The Red Devils scored five times on the pitch against Tunisia last Saturday, while telecom provider Proximus scored a hat-trick off it. During the match, three 5G slices were activated and used to support critical applications. This is the first time ‘network slicing’ has been applied on this scale in Belgium.
Network slicing is one of the unique applications of 5G technology. It makes it possible to isolate a portion of a network for a specific user. In the context of a football match, this can be very useful.
After all, you are in a stadium with thousands of people all trying to connect to the same network, which can cause congestion and network delays. Network slicing reduces the impact on users who absolutely need the network.
Three slices
Proximus even activated three slices on a single network during last Saturday’s match, achieving a first in Belgium. A mission-critical slice was provided for the UZ Brussel medical post to facilitate contact with the hospital without interruptions during peak moments.
A second 5G slice was set up in collaboration with DPG Media to support media capture. This ‘broadcasting slice’ served as a backup for the live broadcast, allowing the match to be covered and broadcast without interference. Finally, a third ‘event-critical slice’ was used for mobile and electronic payments in the stadium, so fans didn’t have to queue longer than necessary.