Network slicing architecture and design
When we discuss the architecture of new technology, we often look at the industry standards bodies, such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (https://www.3gpp.org/about-3gpp), which is considered one of the main standards bodies and influencers for 5G. 3GPP has recognized that network slicing is key to the widespread adoption of 5G. 3GPP’s working groups who are developing the 5G core architecture have included it in Technical Specification (TS) 23.501 and TS 22.261. The latter covers how to provision network slices and achieve slice and device association. It further includes specifications about performance isolation during the various modes of slice operations.
According to TS 22.261, a network slice provides the functionality of a complete network. This includes Radio Access Network (RAN) functions, core network functions, and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) functions. The core network functions may come from different...