NetSliC: Base Station Agnostic Framework for Network SliCing

• Published in: IEEE transactions on vehicular technology Vol. 68; no. 4; pp. 3820 - 3832
• Main Authors: Tseliou, Georgia, Adelantado, Ferran, Verikoukis, Christos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.04.2019; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: 5G mobile communication; 5G New Radio NodeB (gNB); BackHaul (BH); Delays; FrontHaul (FH); functional splits; Network slicing; Radio access networks; Radio equipment; RAN virtualization; Remote Radio Head (RRH); Small Cell (SC); Virtualization; Wireless communication
• ISSN: 0018-9545; 1939-9359
• DOI: 10.1109/TVT.2019.2902320

In this paper, we propose the base station (BS) agnostic framework for network slicing, NetSliC, that creates network slices for the radio access network (RAN) based on the service requirements. The current cellular RAN is a heterogeneous complex architecture, comprising legacy distributed small cells, radio remote radio heads connected to a centralized base band unit, and future fifth generation NodeBs leveraging virtualization with different functional splits, serving distinct traffic profiles. Thus, NetSliC is a common language that manages and controls this heterogeneous infrastructure. We consider several criteria for creating network slices in this particularly interesting future scenario, which are applicable to all different types of access and transport interfaces of the distinct BSs. The goal of our work is to propose NetSliC, a framework that creates wireless slices in a cellular RAN independently of the type of the BS (i.e., BS agnostic) and on the same time achieves desirable service capability across the various traffic profiles.