• VodafoneThree’s Andrea Dona highlights monetisation opportunity from differentiated connectivity
• VMO2’s Anita Tadayon calls on industry to big up benefits of network slicing
• Both were speaking at an Ericsson 5G event in London

Differentiated connectivity will play a key role in how UK operators achieve a return on investments into 5G and standalone networks, according to VodafoneThree’s chief network officer Andrea Dona.

Answering a question from TelecomTV at a recent Ericsson media briefing in London, Dona said that VodafoneThree – which became the UK’s biggest mobile operator when Vodafone UK and Three completed their merger last year – is investing heavily to improve the reliability and baseline performance of its network, so that it can offer differentiated services on top of that.

Speaking at Shoreditch Electric, a converted Victorian electricity generating station that is now home to the National Centre for Circus Arts, Dona described the high-wire merger between Vodafone UK and Three as “a really important one for the country”, adding that the move is driving the operator and its rivals to invest in improving their networks.

“We already have an exceptional network, and combining the two will take this even further because we can reduce any situation of congestion or downtime.

“We’ve had a really fast start,” he added, referring to the process of merging Vodafone UK and Three UK’s networks, which includes the sharing of masts using multi-operator core network (MOCN) technology, the redistribution of spectrum assets to plug coverage gaps, and smart traffic offloading.

“We will elevate the base of the performance to be the best in the world, the best in Europe, and if you want more, then we will provide you [with] the opportunity and the option to pay for it.”

He gave several examples of how VodafoneThree would look to cash in on this differentiated connectivity, using the quality of service as an element of differentiation.

This practice of charging for premium services happens in every industry, he added. With the football World Cup underway, he used a stadium as an example use case.

“If you're in a World Cup stadium, traffic may become congested. If you want to have the privilege to do your upload and be willing to [for] pay, then we can provide that differentiated service.” This, he said, is a way of monetising investments in 5G standalone (5G SA).

“There’s still a lot of work to do but I think in some areas we are ahead [of target],” added Dona. “The scene is set for an amazing journey”.

Dona said VodafoneThree’s ambition is to use SA 5G to build the “UK’s first nationwide AI-ready network”.

He also credited his UK rivals, saying recent benchmarks showed that other operators “have not stood still; they have also invested”.

Juggling demand

The Elevate 5G event, which was hosted by Ericsson, also featured a conversation with Virgin Media O2 director of strategy, transformation and planning Anita Tadayon, who agreed that there is a desire to build services using the capabilities offered by network slicing and differentiated connectivity.

She highlighted VMO2’s push to deploy 5G SA, explaining that its network now covers 700 towns and cities, but said the industry needs to do a better job of promoting the advantages of 5G SA and network slicing.

“Articulating the benefits of slicing for a customer is really important and collectively, as an industry, we have to do that together. We’ve got to sing from the same hymn sheet,” said Tadayon. 

One key aspect, she added, is highlighting the benefits of 5G SA beyond the monetisation opportunities, such as improvements to coverage and capacity. “I know we talk about monetisation, but look at what it also does for our customers,” she noted.

“Absolutely, there’s new innovation and use cases, but it also delivers all of our customers a benefit on coverage, capacity, speed – everything!” she enthused. 

- James Pearce, Contributing Editor, TelecomTV