Telia Norway added to the ranks of mobile operators showcasing network slicing for specific use cases, detailing a trial with the nation’s armed forces on delivering highly-secure 5G communications.

The demonstration took place at the Royal Norwegian Navy’s base in Bergen alongside Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), the procurement arm of the country’s ministry of defence.

In its statement, Telia noted the use of slicing could ensure armed forces traffic is separated from its national 5G network, which it asserted could provide “secure and effective communication in both peacetime and crisis situations”.

The trial follows a deal signed between the operator and the defence organisation to collaborate on use of 5G and private networks for military purposes.

NDMA radio system architect Kennet Nomeland said while several pilots had taken place, this was the first time it had tested “services in an isolated military network inside a commercial mobile network,” claiming “this is the start of something big”.

The network slicing demonstration is the latest example of an operator conducting tests of the architecture in collaboration with customers looking to take advantage of the technology for use cases tailored to their segment.