There are a large number of vertical industries implementing multiple use cases, each use case characterized by diverging service, network, and connectivity requirements such as automobile, manufacturing, power grid, etc. Such heterogeneity cannot be effectively managed and efficiently mapped onto a single type of network slice instance (NSI). Thus the tailored provisioning of an end-to-end network slicing solution to a vertical industry that consists of multiple use cases is a critical issue, which motivates this article, aimed at exploring this never-addressed and challenging research problem by proposing the Use-case Specific Network Slicing and the SubNetwork Slicing concepts that enable the provisioning of Use-case-specific NSI(US-NSI) and GeNeric NSI(GN-NSI), respectively. Both approaches tackle the same technical issue of provisioning, management, and orchestration of per vertical per use case NSIs in order to improve resource allocation and enhance network performance. The article also presents the architectural frameworks for managing US-NSI and GN-NSI, which extend the service deployment concept and system architecture of network slicing for vertical customers of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks.
Industry 4.0 aims at shaking the current manufacturing landscape by leveraging the adoption of smart industrial equipment with increased connectivity, sensing, and actuation capabilities. By exploring access to real-time production information and advanced remote control features, servitization of manufacturing firms promises novel added value services for industrial operators and customers. On the other hand, industrial networks would face a transformation process in order to support the flexibility expected by the next-generation manufacturing processes and enable inter-factory cooperation. …
As the 5G standards mature and awareness of the capabilities of the technology increases, industry verticals are becoming more eager to test new services and develop them to the level of maturity required for market adoption. Network slicing, i.e. multiple virtual networks running on a common infrastructure, is considered a key mechanism to serve the multitude of tenants (e.g. vertical industries) targeted by forthcoming fifth generation (5G) systems, in a flexible and cost-efficient manner. It is predicted that one of the most popular models for customers will be the Network Slice as a Servic…
The concept of network slice, i.e.,a service customized virtual network (VN) is attracting more and more attentions in the telecommunication industry. A slice is a set of network resources which fits the service attributes and requirements of customer services. The network resources consist of cloud resources and communication link resources. A slice can serve one or more customer services which share the similar service attributes and requirements. To define, create and manage a slice (VN) is one aspect of future networks. Another aspect is the slice operation, i.e., the provisioning of servi…
Just before the commercial roll out of European 5G networks, 5G trials in realistic environments have been recently initiated all around Europe, as pat of the Phase 3 projects of 5GPPP H2020 program [1]. The goal is to showcase 5G's capabilities and to convince stakeholders about its value adding business potential. The approach is to offer advanced 5G connectivity to real vertical industries and showcase how it enables them to overcome existing 4G network limitations and other long standing issues. The 5G EVE H2020 5GPPP project [2] offers cutting edge 5G end to end facilities (in 4 countries…
Network slicing enables the provision of services for different verticals over a shared infrastructure. Nevertheless, security is still one of the main challenges when sharing resources. In this paper, we study how WireGuard can provide an encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnel as a service between network functions in 5G setting. The open source management and orchestration entity deploys and orchestrates the network functions into network services and slices. We create multiple scenarios emulating a real-life cellular network deploying VPN-as-a-Service between the different network f…
Wireless industry nowadays is facing two major challenges: 1) how to support the vertical industry applications so that to expand the wireless industry market and 2) how to further enhance device capability and user experience. In this paper, we propose a technology framework to address these challenges. The proposed technology framework is based on end-to-end vertical and horizontal slicing, where vertical slicing enables vertical industry and services and horizontal slicing improves system capacity and user experience. The technology development on vertical slicing has already started in lat…
Network slicing is the means of logically isolating network capabilities from a one size fits all to a set of different slices where each slice is responsible for specific network requirements. In the same light, the micro-operator concept is targeted at local deployment of 5G for vertical specific services. When a network slice instance (NSI) is created across the access and core networks, it is important to understand how the communication service from the created slice instance will be distributed to different tenants and their end-users. In this vein, we propose a network slice communicati…
Network slicing is considered a key mechanism to serve the multitude of tenants (e.g. vertical industries) targeted by forthcoming 5G systems in a flexible and cost-efficient manner. In this paper, we present a SDN/NFV architecture with multi-tenancy support. This architecture enables a network slice provider to deploy network slice instances for multiple tenants on-the-fly, and simultaneously provision them with isolation guarantees. Following the Network Slice as-a-Service delivery model, a tenant may access a Service Catalog, selecting the slice that best fits its needs and ordering its dep…
Local 5G networks are expected to emerge to serve different vertical sectors specific requirements. These networks can be deployed by traditional mobile network operators or entrant local operators. With a large number of verticals with different service requirements, while considering the network deployment cost in a single local area, it will not be economically feasible to deploy separate networks for each vertical. Thus, locally deployed 5G networks (aka micro operator networks) that can serve multiple verticals with multiple tenants in a location have gained increasing attention. Network …
Salvador University (UNIFACS)（萨尔瓦多大学（UNIFACS））；University of Paris Saclay（巴黎萨克雷大学）；University of Evry（埃夫里大学）
Network slicing is a crucial enabler to support the composition and deployment of virtual network infrastructures required by the dynamic behavior of networks like 5G/6G mobile networks, IoT-aware networks, e-health systems, and industry verticals like the internet of vehicles (IoV) and industry 4.0. The communication slices and their allocated communication resources are essential in slicing architectures for resource orchestration and allocation, virtual network function (VNF) deployment, and slice operation functionalities. The communication slices provide the communications capabilities re…
The ever-increasing traffic demand is pushing network operators to find new cost-efficient solutions towards 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 towards further decreasing Capital Expenditures and Operational Expenditures (CAPEX/OPEX) costs, while enabling new business opportunities. This paper provides an overview of the 3GPP standard evolution from network sharing principles, mechanisms and architect…
The fifth generation of mobile communications is anticipated to open up innovation opportunities for new industries such as vertical markets. However, these verticals originate myriad use cases with diverging requirements that future 5G networks have to efficiently support. Network slicing may be a natural solution to simultaneously accommodate over a common network infrastructure the wide range of services that vertical-specific use cases will demand. In this article, we present the network slicing concept, with a particular focus on its application to 5G systems. We start by summarizing the …
We report on the EU H2020 project METRO-HAUL use-case demonstration, including flexible allocation of storage and computing resources in different network locations and deployment of a network slice instance through a programmable multi-layer optical network.
The concept of network slicing is considered as a key part in the development of 5G. Network slicing is the means to logically isolate network capabilities in order to make each slice responsible for specific network requirement. In the same light, the micro-operator concept has emerged for local deployment of 5G for vertical specific service delivery. Even though microoperator networks are expected to be deployed using 5G, most research on network slicing has been directed towards the description on the traditional (MNO) networks with little emphasis on slicing in local 5G networks deployed b…
This article reveals an adequate comprehension of basic defense, security challenges, 2 and attack vectors in deploying multi-network slicing. Network slicing is a revolutionary concept 3 of providing mobile network on-demand and expanding mobile networking business and services 4 to a new era. The new business paradigm and service opportunities are encouraging vertical 5 industries to join and develop their own mobile network capabilities for enhanced performances 6 that are coherent with their applications. However, a number of security concerns are also raised 7 in this new era. In this art…
5G and beyond is expected to enable various emerging use cases with diverse performance requirements from vertical industries. To serve these use cases cost-effectively, network slicing plays a key role in dynamically creating virtual end-to-end networks according to specific resource demands. A network slice may have hundreds of configurable parameters over multiple technical domains that define the performance of the network slice, which makes it impossible to use traditional model-based solutions to orchestrate resources for network slices. In this article, we discuss how to design and depl…
Network slicing is considered a key enabler to 5th Generation (5G) communication networks. Mobile network operators may deploy network slices -- complete logical networks customized for specific services expecting a certain Quality of Service (QoS). New business models like Network Slice-as-a-Service offerings to customers from vertical industries require negotiated Service Level Agreement (SLA) contracts, and network providers need automated enforcement mechanisms to assure QoS during instantiation and operation of slices. In this paper, we focus on ultra-reliable low-latency communication (U…
Future communication networks such as 5G are expected to support end-to-end delivery of services for several vertical markets with diverging requirements. Network slicing is a key construct that is used to provide end to end logical virtual networks running on a common virtualised infrastructure, which are mutually isolated. Having different network slices operating over the same 5G infrastructure creates several challenges in security and trust. This paper addresses the fundamental issue of trust of a network slice. It presents a trust model and property-based trust attestation mechanisms whi…
The on-going digital transformation is key to progress towards a new generation of more efficient, sustainable and connected industrial systems allowing the so-called factories of the future. This new generation, commonly referred to as industry 4.0, will be accompanied by a new wave of use cases that will allow companies from logistics and manufacturing sectors to increase flexibility, productivity and usability in the industrial processes executed within their factory premises. Unlike typical use cases from other vertical sectors (e.g. energy, media, smart cities), industry 4.0 use cases wil…
An important novelty of 5G is its role in transforming the industrial production into Industry 4.0. Specifically, Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) will, in many cases, enable replacement of cables with wireless connections and bring freedom in designing and operating interconnected machines, robots, and devices. However, not all industrial links will be of URLLC type; e.g. some applications will require high data rates. Furthermore, these industrial networks will be highly heterogeneous, featuring various communication technologies. We consider network slicing as a mechanism t…
The combination of recent emerging technologies such as network function virtualization (NFV) and network programmability (SDN) gave birth to the Network Slicing revolution. 5G networks consist of multi-tenant infrastructures capable of offering leased network "slices" to new customers (e.g., vertical industries) enabling a new telecom business model: Slice-as-aService (SlaaS). In this paper, we aim i ) to study the slicing admission control problem by means of a multi-queuing system for heterogeneous tenant requests, ii ) to derive its statistical behavior model, and iii ) to provide a utilit…
Many real-world services can be provided through multiple VNF graphs, corresponding, e.g., to high- and low-quality variants of the service itself. Based on this observation, we extend the concept of service scaling in network orchestration to service shifting, i.e., switching between the VNF graphs implementing the same service. Service shifting can serve multiple goals, from reducing operational costs to reacting to infrastructure problems. Furthermore, it enhances the flexibility of service-level agreements between network operators and third party content providers ("verticals"). In this p…
The combination of recent emerging technologies such as network function virtualization (NFV) and network programmability (SDN) gave birth to the novel Network Slicing paradigm. 5G networks consist of multi-tenant infrastructures capable of offering leased network "slices" to new customers (e.g., vertical industries) enabling a new telecom business model: Slice-as-a-Service (SlaaS). However, as the service demand gets increasingly dense, slice requests congestion may occur leading to undesired waiting periods. This may turn into impatient tenant behaviors that increase potential loss of the bu…
Network slicing (NS) and multi-access edge computing (MEC) are new paradigms which play key roles in 5G and beyond networks. NS allows network operators (NOs) to divide the available network resources into multiple logical NSs for providing dedicated virtual networks tailored to the specific service/business requirements. MEC enables NOs to provide diverse ultra-low latency services for supporting the needs of different industry verticals by moving computing facilities to the network edge. NS can be constructed by instantiating a set of virtual network functions (VNFs) on top of MEC cloud serv…
Network slicing enabled by fifth generation (5G) systems has the potential to satisfy diversified service requirements from different vertical industries. As a typical vertical industry, smart distribution grid poses new challenges to communication networks. This paper investigates the behavior of network slicing for smart grid applications in 5G radio access networks with heterogeneous traffic. To facilitate network slicing in such a network, we employ different 5G radio access numerologies for two traffic classes which have distinct radio resource and quality of service requirements. Three m…
Adaptive Digital Twin and Communication-Efficient Federated Learning Network Slicing for 5G-enabled Internet of Things
School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China（电子科技大学计算机科学与工程学院）；School of Electro-optical Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications（重庆邮电大学光电工程学院）；Technische University（工业大学）
For the past decades, networks have evolved to increase their performances, their capacities, to reduce latencies and optimize their resource management in order to remain competitive and adapted to the market. Today, the way consumers use networks has changed and more heterogeneous services with their own requirements have emerged. This has led network operators to define the network slicing paradigm. Network slicing creates multiple partitions in the network, each partition can be dedicated to a particular service allowing vertical markets and multiple services with different requirements to…
Many real-world services can be provided through multiple virtual network function (VNF) graphs, corresponding, e.g., to high- and low-complexity variants of the service itself. Based on this observation, we extend the concept of service scaling in network orchestration to service shifting, i.e., upgrading or downgrading the VNF graph to use among those implementing the same service. Service shifting can serve multiple goals, from reducing operational costs to reacting to infrastructure problems. Furthermore, it enhances the flexibility of service-level agreements between network operators and…
Samsung R&D（三星研发中心）；Virginia Tech（弗吉尼亚理工学院）；San Jose State University（圣何塞州立大学）；Manchester Metropolitan University（曼彻斯特城市大学）；MediaTek（联发科）
Network slicing provides introduces customized and agile network deployment for managing different service types for various verticals under the same infrastructure. To cater to the dynamic service requirements of these verticals and meet the required quality-of-service (QoS) mentioned in the service-level agreement (SLA), network slices need to be isolated through dedicated elements and resources. Additionally, allocated resources to these slices need to be continuously monitored and intelligently managed. This enables immediate detection and correction of any SLA violation to support automat…
Next generation wireless networks are expected to support diverse vertical industries and offer countless emerging use cases. To satisfy stringent requirements of diversified services, network slicing is developed, which enables service-oriented resource allocation by tailoring the infrastructure network into multiple logical networks. However, there are still some challenges in cross-domain multi-dimensional resource management for end-to-end (E2E) slices under the dynamic and uncertain environment. Trading off the revenue and cost of resource allocation while guaranteeing service quality is …
The adoption of machine learning techniques in next-generation networks has increasingly attracted the attention of the research community. This is to provide adaptive learning and decision-making approaches to meet the requirements of different verticals, and to guarantee the appropriate performance requirements in complex mobility scenarios. In this perspective, the characterization of mobile service usage represents a funda-mental step. In this vein, this paper highlights the new features and capabilities offered by the "Network Slice Planner"(NSP) in its second version [12]. It also propos…
The complexity of emerging sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks has sparked an upsurge in adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to underpin the challenges in network management and resource allocation under strict service level agreements (SLAs). It inaugurates the era of massive network slicing as a distributive technology where tenancy would be extended to the final consumer through pervading the digitalization of vertical immersive use-cases. Despite the promising performance of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) in network slicing, lack of transparency, interpretability, and opaque model…
The journey towards the deployment of next generation networks has recently accelerated, driven by the joint effort of research and standards organisations. Despite this fact, the overall picture is still unclear as prioritization and understanding on several key concepts are not yet agreed by major vendors and network providers. Network Slicing is one of the central topics of the debate, and it is expected to become the key feature of next generation networks, providing the flexibility required to support the variety of 5G use cases and business. Network slices are seen as network operator bu…
5G technology complements the enabling of communication services for different vertical industries such as smart distribution grids. Automation is an integral and necessary part of the power distribution grid operation and management. This paper postulates a framework by which the smart distribution grid can obtain service-oriented communication services using 5G network slicing and intent-based networking (IBN). IBN provides an interface to service users and network stakeholders to cooperate through a high level abstraction model of service provisioning in a network agnostic manner. The autom…
An Intelligent Native Network Slicing Security Architecture Empowered by Federated Learning
Federal University of Viçosa (UFV)（维索萨联邦大学）；Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES)（圣埃斯皮里图联邦大学）；Salvador University (UNIFACS)（萨尔瓦多大学）；Federal University of Ceará (UFC)（塞阿拉联邦大学）；University of São Paulo (USP)（圣保罗大学）；University of Minho (UMinho)（米尼奥大学）
Network slicing is considered one of the key enabling technologies for 5G due to its ability to customize and "slice" a common resource to support diverse services and verticals.This paper introduces a novel inter-operator network slicing framework in which multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) can coordinate and jointly slice their accessible spectrum resources in both licensed and unlicensed bands. For licensed band slicing, we propose an inter-operator spectrum aggregation method that allows two or more MNOs to cooperate and share their licensed bands to support a common set of service t…
