ustomers. However, planning has to be done to allow the introduction of other slices when the remaining use cases mature in the industry or their specific customer base. Understanding network slicing Current 5G Network Requirements Future 5G Network Requirements Slice 1 Slice 2 Slice 3 Slice 4 Figure 13.4 - Usage of network slices In the next section, let us look at the practical challenges that network slicing may pose to CSPs. Network slicing challenges CSPs have to invest heavily in network-slicing capabilities before enterprise customers can adopt them. This is similar to cloud computing, where hyper-scalers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) had to make upfront investments. They had to prioritize which cloud services to build first by intelligently guessing the enterprise uptake in the foreseeable future. In a similar fashion, CSPs have to prioritize the plausible use cases of 5G and cater the network slicing services to them. If they do not make good decisions here, the Return on Investment (ROI) on their capital-heavy investments will suffer. The use cases can vary by geography and fluctuate with macroeconomic cycles. Figure 13.4 captures this visually. An operator has to adapt to future trends and be able to act quickly. Next, let us look at the ways CSPs can potentially overcome these network-slicing challenges. Overcoming the network-slicing challenges With strategy planning and selective investments, CSPs can try to overcome challenges associated with network slicing to their businesses. As shown in Figure 13.5, this strategy could comprise the following steps: Select the target industry, in their customer base today, or industries to be targeted in the near future. This is key to a focused approach to investments. 2. Identify network capability gaps to address in the early slices planned for deployment. Create a business plan based on prioritized near-term opportunities by use case. 5G Network Slicing Rinse and repeat 