[Paper Review] Network Slicing Based 5G and Future Mobile Networks: Mobility, Resource Management, and Challenges

H. Zhang, Ningjun Liu+4 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Apr 24, 2017

Software-Defined Networks and 5G12 references4 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a logical architecture for 5G network slicing that enables dynamic, QoS-aware resource allocation across eMBB, uRLLC, and IoT slices using a joint power and subchannel allocation scheme in a two-tier heterogeneous network. Simulation results show the scheme effectively manages co-tier and cross-tier interference, improving system capacity and enabling flexible, efficient resource sharing across diverse service demands.

ABSTRACT

The fifth-generation (5G) networks are expected to be able to satisfy users' different quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. Network slicing is a promising technology for 5G networks to provide services tailored for users' specific QoS demands. Driven by the increased massive wireless data traffic from different application scenarios, efficient resource allocation schemes should be exploited to improve the flexibility of network resource allocation and capacity of 5G networks based on network slicing. Due to the diversity of 5G application scenarios, new mobility management schemes are greatly needed to guarantee seamless handover in network slicing based 5G systems. In this article, we introduce a logical architecture for network slicing based 5G systems, and present a scheme for managing mobility between different access networks, as well as a joint power and subchannel allocation scheme in spectrum-sharing two-tier systems based on network slicing, where both the co-tier interference and cross-tier interference are taken into account. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed resource allocation scheme can flexibly allocate network resources between different slices in 5G systems. Finally, several open issues and challenges in network slicing based 5G networks are discussed, including network reconstruction, network slicing management and cooperation with other 5G technologies.

Motivation & Objective

• Address the challenge of supporting diverse, customized QoS requirements in 5G networks across high-mobility, high-density, and massive IoT scenarios.
• Design a mobility management scheme that enables seamless handover between different access networks in network slicing-based 5G systems.
• Develop a joint power and subchannel allocation mechanism to optimize resource utilization while accounting for both co-tier and cross-tier interference in a two-tier network.
• Investigate the feasibility and performance of network slicing in dense heterogeneous networks with multiple service slices.
• Identify and discuss open challenges in network reconstruction, slicing management, and integration with other 5G technologies like SDN, NFV, and C-RAN.

Proposed method

• Proposes a logical architecture for network slicing in 5G systems based on SDN and NFV principles to enable end-to-end virtualization and dynamic resource provisioning.
• Introduces a revised handover procedure for mobility management across different access networks, supporting seamless connectivity for mobile users in sliced environments.
• Develops a joint power and subchannel allocation scheme in a two-tier network (macrocells and small cells) to maximize system capacity under QoS constraints.
• Models and accounts for both co-tier interference (among small cells and among macrocells) and cross-tier interference (between small cells and macrocells) in the resource allocation framework.
• Employs a simulation-based evaluation to assess system performance under varying numbers of small cells and different slice types.
• Utilizes a centralized control plane with hierarchical controllers to manage resource allocation and slicing operations across RAN, core network, and access layers.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can network slicing be architected to support diverse 5G service requirements (eMBB, uRLLC, IoT) with distinct QoS demands?
• RQ2 What mobility management mechanisms are required to ensure seamless handover across different access networks in a network slicing environment?
• RQ3 How can joint power and subchannel allocation be optimized to maximize system capacity while managing co-tier and cross-tier interference in a two-tier 5G network?
• RQ4 What are the key challenges in deploying and managing network slices at scale, particularly in dense heterogeneous networks?
• RQ5 How can network slicing be effectively integrated with other 5G technologies such as SDN, NFV, and C-RAN to enable end-to-end service customization?

Key findings

• The proposed joint power and subchannel allocation scheme significantly improves system capacity in dense heterogeneous networks by effectively managing both co-tier and cross-tier interference.
• The capacity of the eMBB slice is substantially higher than that of the uRLLC slice, with the latter being approximately 20 times lower due to its low-latency, low-data-volume nature.
• The IoT slice experiences a decrease in total capacity as the number of small cells increases, primarily due to growing cross-tier interference from eMBB and uRLLC slices.
• Co-tier interference from small cells increases with user density, leading to higher transmit power and further exacerbating cross-tier interference, which negatively impacts the IoT slice capacity.
• The simulation results confirm that the proposed resource allocation mechanism enables flexible and efficient allocation of network resources across different slices, improving overall system performance.
• The scheme demonstrates robust performance in both latency-sensitive (uRLLC) and latency-tolerant (eMBB, IoT) scenarios, validating its adaptability to diverse QoS requirements.