Network Slicing to Enable Scalability and Flexibility in 5G Mobile Networks
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue for network slicing as an efficient solution that addresses the diverse requirements of 5G mobile networks, thus providing the necessary flexibility and scalability associated with future network implementations.
Abstract: We argue for network slicing as an efficient solution that addresses the diverse requirements of 5G mobile networks, thus providing the necessary flexibility and scalability associated with future network implementations. We elaborate on the challenges that emerge when designing 5G networks based on network slicing. We focus on the architectural aspects associated with the coexistence of dedicated as well as shared slices in the network. In particular, we analyze the realization options of a flexible radio access network with focus on network slicing and their impact on the design of 5G mobile networks. In addition to the technical study, this article provides an investigation of the revenue potential of network slicing, where the applications that originate from this concept and the profit capabilities from the network operator�s perspective are put forward.
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Southeast University1, ShanghaiTech University2, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications3, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China4, China Mobile Research Institute5, University of Southampton6, University of Waterloo7, University of Technology, Sydney8, University of Manchester9, University of Edinburgh10, Huawei11, Linköping University12, Queen's University Belfast13, Georgia Institute of Technology14, University of Surrey15, Princeton University16, Dresden University of Technology17
TL;DR: 6G with additional technical requirements beyond those of 5G will enable faster and further communications to the extent that the boundary between physical and cyber worlds disappears.
Abstract: The fifth generation (5G) wireless communication networks are being deployed worldwide from 2020 and more capabilities are in the process of being standardized, such as mass connectivity, ultra-reliability, and guaranteed low latency. However, 5G will not meet all requirements of the future in 2030 and beyond, and sixth generation (6G) wireless communication networks are expected to provide global coverage, enhanced spectral/energy/cost efficiency, better intelligence level and security, etc. To meet these requirements, 6G networks will rely on new enabling technologies, i.e., air interface and transmission technologies and novel network architecture, such as waveform design, multiple access, channel coding schemes, multi-antenna technologies, network slicing, cell-free architecture, and cloud/fog/edge computing. Our vision on 6G is that it will have four new paradigm shifts. First, to satisfy the requirement of global coverage, 6G will not be limited to terrestrial communication networks, which will need to be complemented with non-terrestrial networks such as satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication networks, thus achieving a space-air-ground-sea integrated communication network. Second, all spectra will be fully explored to further increase data rates and connection density, including the sub-6 GHz, millimeter wave (mmWave), terahertz (THz), and optical frequency bands. Third, facing the big datasets generated by the use of extremely heterogeneous networks, diverse communication scenarios, large numbers of antennas, wide bandwidths, and new service requirements, 6G networks will enable a new range of smart applications with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies. Fourth, network security will have to be strengthened when developing 6G networks. This article provides a comprehensive survey of recent advances and future trends in these four aspects. Clearly, 6G with additional technical requirements beyond those of 5G will enable faster and further communications to the extent that the boundary between physical and cyber worlds disappears.
935 citations
TL;DR: The diverse use cases and network requirements of network slicing, the pre-slicing era, considering RAN sharing as well as the end-to-end orchestration and management, encompassing the radio access, transport network and the core network are outlined.
Abstract: Network slicing has been identified as the backbone of the rapidly evolving 5G technology. However, as its consolidation and standardization progress, there are no literatures that comprehensively discuss its key principles, enablers, and research challenges. This paper elaborates network slicing from an end-to-end perspective detailing its historical heritage, principal concepts, enabling technologies and solutions as well as the current standardization efforts. In particular, it overviews the diverse use cases and network requirements of network slicing, the pre-slicing era, considering RAN sharing as well as the end-to-end orchestration and management, encompassing the radio access, transport network and the core network. This paper also provides details of specific slicing solutions for each part of the 5G system. Finally, this paper identifies a number of open research challenges and provides recommendations toward potential solutions.
766 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive review and updated solutions related to 5G network slicing using SDN and NFV, and a discussion on various open source orchestrators and proof of concepts representing industrial contribution are provided.
458 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive detail is presented on the core and enabling technologies, which are used to build the 5G security model; network softwarization security, PHY (Physical) layer security and 5G privacy concerns, among others.
Abstract: Security has become the primary concern in many telecommunications industries today as risks can have high consequences. Especially, as the core and enable technologies will be associated with 5G network, the confidential information will move at all layers in future wireless systems. Several incidents revealed that the hazard encountered by an infected wireless network, not only affects the security and privacy concerns, but also impedes the complex dynamics of the communications ecosystem. Consequently, the complexity and strength of security attacks have increased in the recent past making the detection or prevention of sabotage a global challenge. From the security and privacy perspectives, this paper presents a comprehensive detail on the core and enabling technologies, which are used to build the 5G security model; network softwarization security, PHY (Physical) layer security and 5G privacy concerns, among others. Additionally, the paper includes discussion on security monitoring and management of 5G networks. This paper also evaluates the related security measures and standards of core 5G technologies by resorting to different standardization bodies and provide a brief overview of 5G standardization security forces. Furthermore, the key projects of international significance, in line with the security concerns of 5G and beyond are also presented. Finally, a future directions and open challenges section has included to encourage future research.
304 citations
TL;DR: This article analyzes the main features of MEC in the context of 5G and IoT and presents several fundamental key technologies which enable MEC to be applied in 5Gs and IoT, such as cloud computing, software-defined networking/network function virtualization, information-centric networks, virtual machine (VM) and containers, smart devices, network slicing, and computation offloading.
Abstract: To satisfy the increasing demand of mobile data traffic and meet the stringent requirements of the emerging Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications such as smart city, healthcare, and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), the fifth-generation (5G) enabling technologies are proposed and utilized in networks As an emerging key technology of 5G and a key enabler of IoT, multiaccess edge computing (MEC), which integrates telecommunication and IT services, offers cloud computing capabilities at the edge of the radio access network (RAN) By providing computational and storage resources at the edge, MEC can reduce latency for end users Hence, this article investigates MEC for 5G and IoT comprehensively It analyzes the main features of MEC in the context of 5G and IoT and presents several fundamental key technologies which enable MEC to be applied in 5G and IoT, such as cloud computing, software-defined networking/network function virtualization, information-centric networks, virtual machine (VM) and containers, smart devices, network slicing, and computation offloading In addition, this article provides an overview of the role of MEC in 5G and IoT, bringing light into the different MEC-enabled 5G and IoT applications as well as the promising future directions of integrating MEC with 5G and IoT Moreover, this article further elaborates research challenges and open issues of MEC for 5G and IoT Last but not least, we propose a use case that utilizes MEC to achieve edge intelligence in IoT scenarios
303 citations
References
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TL;DR: The Tactile Internet will become a driver for economic growth and innovation and will help bring a new level of sophistication to societies.
Abstract: Wireless communications today enables us to connect devices and people for an unprecedented exchange of multimedia and data content. The data rates of wireless communications continue to increase, mainly driven by innovation in electronics. Once the latency of communication systems becomes low enough to enable a round-trip delay from terminals through the network back to terminals of approximately 1 ms, an overlooked breakthrough?human tactile to visual feedback control?will change how humans communicate around the world. Using these controls, wireless communications can be the platform for enabling the control and direction of real and virtual objects in many situations of our life. Almost no area of the economy will be left untouched, as this new technology will change health care, mobility, education, manufacturing, smart grids, and much more. The Tactile Internet will become a driver for economic growth and innovation and will help bring a new level of sophistication to societies.
839 citations
TL;DR: The concept of the 5G Network Slice Broker in 5G systems is introduced, which enables mobile virtual network operators, over-the-top providers, and industry vertical market players to request and lease resources from infrastructure providers dynamically via signaling means.
Abstract: The ever-increasing traffic demand is pushing network operators to find new cost-efficient solutions toward the deployment of future 5G mobile networks. The network sharing paradigm was explored in the past and partially deployed. Nowadays, advanced mobile network multi-tenancy approaches are increasingly gaining momentum, paving the way toward further decreasing capital expenditure and operational expenditure (CAPEX/OPEX) costs, while enabling new business opportunities. This article provides an overview of the 3GPP standard evolution from network sharing principles, mechanisms, and architectures to future on-demand multi-tenant systems. In particular, it introduces the concept of the 5G Network Slice Broker in 5G systems, which enables mobile virtual network operators, over-the-top providers, and industry vertical market players to request and lease resources from infrastructure providers dynamically via signaling means. Finally, it reviews the latest standardization efforts, considering remaining open issues for enabling advanced network slicing solutions, taking into account the allocation of virtualized network functions based on ETSI NFV, the introduction of shared network functions, and flexible service chaining.
467 citations
10 Jun 2014
TL;DR: The main goal of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview on requirements, current solutions, and challenges as well as opportunities for future wireless industrial systems based on numerous practical examples from industry.
Abstract: The industrial wireless automation sector exhibits a huge market growth in the last years. Today, many applications already use wireless technologies. However, the existing wireless solutions do not yet offer sufficient performance with respect to real-time and reliability requirements, particularly for closed-loop control applications. As a result, low latency wireless communication technologies will bridge the gap and can become a key factor for the wide-spread penetration of wireless in industrial communication systems. It is therefore the main goal of this paper to provide a comprehensive overview on requirements, current solutions, and challenges as well as opportunities for future wireless industrial systems. Thereby, presented requirement figures, analysis results, and performance evaluations are based on numerous practical examples from industry.
172 citations
Proceedings Article•
18 May 2016
TL;DR: This paper proposes a novel heuristicbased admission control mechanism able to dynamically allocate network resources to different slices in order to maximize the satisfaction of the users while guaranteeing to meet the requirements of the slices they belong to.
Abstract: 5G mobile network is expected to serve flexible requirements hence dynamically allocate network resources according to the demands. Network slicing, where network resources are packaged and assigned in an isolated manner to set of users according to their specific requirements, is considered as a key paradigm to fulfil diversity of requirements. There will clearly be conflicting demands in allocation of such slices, and the effective provisioning of network slicing poses several challenges. Indeed, network slicing has a twofold impact in terms of user/traffic prioritization as it dictates for the simultaneous management of the priority among different slices (i.e., interslice) and the priority among the users belonging to the same slice (i.e., intra-slice). In this paper, we propose a novel heuristicbased admission control mechanism able to dynamically allocate network resources to different slices in order to maximize the satisfaction of the users while guaranteeing to meet the requirements of the slices they belong to. Through simulations, we demonstrate how our proposal provides (i) higher user experience in individual slices, (ii) increased utilization of network resources and (iii) higher scalability when the number of users in each slice increases.
161 citations
TL;DR: A 5G frame structure designed for efficient support of users with highly diverse service requirements is proposed, which includes support for mobile broadband data, mission-critical communication, and massive machine communication.
Abstract: A 5G frame structure designed for efficient support of users with highly diverse service requirements is proposed. It includes support for mobile broadband data, mission-critical communication, and massive machine communication. The solution encompasses flexible multiplexing of users on a shared channel with dynamic adjustment of the transmission time interval in coherence with the service requirements per link. This allows optimizing the fundamental tradeoffs between spectral efficiency, latency, and reliability for each link and service flow. The frame structure is based on in-resource physical layer control signaling that follows the corresponding data transmission for each individual user. Comparison against the corresponding LTE design choices shows attractive benefits.
139 citations