Vodafone UK revealed further progress towards standalone (SA) 5G, tapping Oracle Communications to supply cloud-native network policy management.

In a joint statement, Vodafone and Oracle claimed the policy control and charging functions will enable delivery of new 5G services without disrupting the user experience.

Andrea Dona, Vodafone UK’s chief network officer, explained the move to a cloud native approach “is a culture shift as much as it is a technology shift”.

Vodafone previously revealed plans to use a cloud-native SA 5G core and has launched three pilots in the UK trialling use cases including network slicing and vehicular connectivity.

The companies stated Oracle’s policy function can prioritise low-latency SA 5G services on edge networks, with software employing network data to analyse user bandwidth needs and deliver the appropriate resources.

Earlier this month, Telefonica Tech revealed a deal with Oracle to offer cloud services and applications to enterprises and public sector customers.