Vodafone Business, the enterprise arm of VodafoneThree, has launched commercial 5G network slicing for enterprise customers in the UK.

The telco claims to be the first in the UK to offer such a service, which gives businesses access to their own dedicated slice of its mobile network with guaranteed local performance.

According to Vodafone Business, its latest 5G+ Local Slicing offering has been designed to specifically serve the enterprise and public sector.

Slicing allows telecom operators to create separate and isolated networks within their wider 5G network, and each slice can be configured differently.

Vodafone said the offering "brings guaranteed performance across a defined site or local area up to 5 sq km," noting that these cover stadiums and logistics hubs to university campuses and construction sites.

The 5G+ Local Slicing operates on VodafoneThree's 5G Standalone network. Vodafone notably launched 5G SA in June 2023.

“Vodafone Business is first in the UK to make network slicing real for enterprise, and that matters because businesses need more from their mobile connectivity. They are processing thousands of transactions, deploying AI, running real-time complex logistics, and managing staff communications on mobile networks that were built to be shared, not dedicated," said Nick Gliddon, business director, VodafoneThree.

“Local Slicing changes that, with connectivity that is engineered around the needs of a business. Enterprise customers can now own their network performance, not just hope for it.”

Vodafone notes that dedicated slices of its networks will help businesses to get "guaranteed, predictable performance for their most critical tools." The telco adds that these slices can be provisioned on a temporary or permanent basis, and additional slices can be provisioned to meet evolving customer needs.

The telco launched a similar service in Germany back in August called Campus Flex.