BeijingMay 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, Ericsson, in collaboration with China Mobile and OPPO, successfully completed China Mobile’s first consumer-oriented user-level slicing and application-level slicing (URSP) test on a live 5G SA commercial network in Dezhou, Shandong Province. The test effectively validated the differentiated connectivity capabilities achieved by combining “AI terminal service identification” with “end-to-end network slicing,” delivering a breakthrough upgrade in the 5G application experience.
Building on existing network capabilities, user-level slicing expands deployment scenarios for specific users and terminals. Application-level slicing, based on User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP), has pioneered end-to-end process integration and technical validation links in China Mobile’s 5G SA network, exploring the placement of applications within slices to enhance service capabilities. The commercial rollout of certain related functions still requires further improvement of the industry ecosystem and broader support from commercial terminals. Moving forward, all parties will continue to coordinate efforts to promote ecosystem development.
The test covered application scenarios such as live uplink streaming, short video upload and download, AI glasses multifunctional applications, and stable connections for mobile gaming. It successfully achieved fine-grained resource allocation and isolation at both user and application levels, delivering excellent validation results for typical services in terms of existing 5G network transmission rate assurance and latency optimization.
Overview of Live Network Validation:
- “Application” Slicing + OPPO Phone AI Recognition Enables Differentiated Short Video Services
The application-level slicing test achieved a seamless experience loop of “stutter detection—traffic switching.” When a phone user experiences stuttering while watching short videos or live uplink streaming, and opts to improve network connection quality, the OPPO device can automatically notify the user and switch traffic to a dedicated slice. Combined with the radio resource allocation function of the radio access network, network resources are prioritized for short video or live uplink streaming applications.
- “User” Slicing Achieves Differentiation for Specific Users
In scenarios with heavy network load and multiple concurrent users, uplink live streaming and short video services can maintain stable uplink and downlink rates, improving performance by more than 2 times compared to regular networks. For gaming services, user experience latency is reduced by at least 30% compared to conventional networks, thoroughly addressing user pain points related to video and gaming experiences under high load.
- “Terminal” Slicing Enables Differentiation for Smart Glasses
AI agents have become one of the hottest applications in the Chinese market. In China, the “AI Object Recognition” feature on smart glasses can capture photos and upload them to a cloud-based AI agent for voice interaction. To achieve human-like interaction in this process, extremely low network latency is required. Leveraging user-level slicing and latency-priority scheduling technology, the average round-trip time (RTT) for air interface uplink and downlink packets in AI object recognition services is reduced by at least 30% compared to regular networks, significantly improving user perception of AI agent services from the network side. This technology is also well-suited for real-time image analysis in industrial remote inspections, intelligent guided tours in cultural tourism scenarios, and other applications requiring responsive operations with no delay.
Network slicing technology is a key capability for building a mobile multi-tiered assurance system. Through end-to-end logical isolation and resource scheduling, it provides differentiated and highly reliable service quality guarantees for various applications. Ericsson and China Mobile have long engaged in joint innovation, deepening scenario exploration, solution validation, and commercial deployment around slicing technology, collaboratively driving its large-scale application in industry digitalization and key scenarios.
Ni Ziming, General Manager of Ericsson China’s Network Solutions Department, stated: “This live network test is crucial, as it demonstrates our ability to provide technical solutions that address network rate assurance and ultra-low latency requirements across different scenarios. Ericsson will continue to support operators in innovating and practicing 5G differentiated services, thereby delivering new digital experiences and empowering users and more industries.”