T-Mobile has announced the launch of its 5G network slicing beta for developers.
The beta will initially enable developers to supercharge video calling applications by providing optimised network conditions, consistent uplink and downlink speeds, lower latency, and increased reliability, all through T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G SA (Standalone) network.
Ulf Ewaldsson, President of Technology at T-Mobile, said:
“The wireless industry has talked about 5G network slicing for years and, at T-Mobile, we’ve been putting in the work to bring it to life.
Thanks to our nationwide 5G SA network, T-Mobile is the only operator in the country capable of unlocking this technology so developers can immediately begin creating applications that can one day provide tangible benefits to wireless users everywhere.”
The demand for video calling applications has skyrocketed over the past few years, driven by remote work and the need for staying connected with family and friends on the go. Recognising this trend, T-Mobile is inviting developers to build new or enhance existing applications through its network slicing beta program, ensuring their apps operate on an optimised slice with unparalleled network conditions.
T-Mobile has plans to expand the network slicing beta to include additional application types and use cases shortly.
Amit Barave, VP of Product Management at Webex by Cisco, commented:
“Advanced 5G networks are more important than ever with work increasingly happening on the go in today’s era of hybrid work.
We are proud to be working side-by-side with T-Mobile to harness cutting-edge features like network slicing that will deliver innovative solutions to customers that empower hybrid work.”
For the initial phase, T-Mobile’s network slicing beta is available to iOS developers in Seattle and San Francisco. However, the company intends to roll out the beta nationwide and extend it to Android developers later this year, coinciding with device manufacturers adopting slicing capabilities on the platform.
Interested developers, regardless of their size, can sign up for the beta by visiting T-Mobile’s developer platform DevEdge. Developers in the greater Seattle area will have the added benefit of joining T-Mobile engineers at the 5G Hub to test and validate this cutting-edge capability on their applications.
Prominent video-calling app developers have already expressed enthusiasm for T-Mobile’s 5G network slicing beta.
Brian Peterson, CTO and co-founder of Dialpad, said:
“With the rise of the hybrid workforce and an increase in complex applications, there has never been a more critical need for 5G.
T-Mobile’s 5G opens up incredible new possibilities for bringing mobile and AI applications to the next level. It gives us the ability to test new capabilities with features like network slicing and, ultimately, supercharge Dialpad and AI adoption for customers across the country.”
T-Mobile’s 5G network presently covers 326 million people across two million square miles, surpassing AT&T and Verizon combined. The operator’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G currently serves 285 million people nationwide and T-Mobile plans to expand coverage to 300 million people by the end of the year.
(Image Credit: T-Mobile)
See also: DISH now offers 5G broadband to over 70% of US population
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