en.Wedoany.com Reported - Vodafone Spain (Vodafone España) tested a priority communications service based on 5G Standalone (SA) and network slicing technology for the Barcelona Urban Guard (Guardia Urbana) during the Tour de France. The test aimed to address network congestion challenges posed by over 800,000 spectators, ensuring the stability and reliability of critical communications.

Mobile network congestion is one of the main challenges faced by security forces during large-scale events. This pilot project leveraged the native slicing capabilities of the 5G SA network to establish a dedicated communication channel for the Urban Guard, independent of the public network, and reserved specific resources for it, thereby ensuring communication quality and availability under heavy traffic loads.

During the technical validation, over 40 smartphones used by officers transmitted real-time video footage from various points along the race route to the control center via this dedicated channel, enabling command personnel to directly monitor on-site dynamics and quickly coordinate responses.

"Events of this scale test the network's capabilities in extremely dense user spaces. With the first 5G SA network incorporating network slicing, we ensured that the Barcelona Urban Guard's communications operated with the highest priority and reliability," said José Miguel García, CEO of Vodafone Spain.

This test positioned Barcelona as a testing ground for managing connectivity technologies in ultra-large crowds, validating the practical utility of 5G SA networks in enhancing communication resilience and on-site security coordination.