2H slicing is a term that refers to the ability to create and manage multiple logical networks on top of a shared physical IP backbone network, similar to 2B slicing. However, 2H slicing focuses more on the horizontal integration of different network segments, such as access, metro, core, and edge, rather than the vertical integration of different network domains and technologies. 2H slicing aims to provide end-to-end network connectivity across heterogeneous network segments, while meeting the diverse requirements of different services and applications.
2H slicing works by using technologies such as SDN, NFV, and network slicing to enable dynamic and on-demand provisioning, orchestration, and routing of end-to-end network paths across different network segments. For example, a 2H slice can span across the wireless access, the optical metro, the IP core, and the cloud edge segments, and use different transport technologies, such as Ethernet, MPLS, SRv6, or FlexE, depending on the service needs.
