Profit-based radio access network slicing for multi-tenant 5G networks

Abstract

Network slicing is a key capability of 5G networks that facilitates the provision of multi-tenancy by allocating different slices to the tenants that share a certain infrastructure according to specific Service Level Agreements (SLAs). In this context, this paper focuses on radio admission control as the function that controls the amount of radio resources assigned to the different tenants in a 5G radio access network. Specifically, a novel approach is proposed that includes profit-related metrics in the decision-making process, accounting for the additional extra incomes that can be obtained by sporadically granting additional capacity beyond the SLA level and for the penalties incurred due to potential SLA breaches. The proposed approach is evaluated by means of simulations to assess its benefits in terms of achieved profit and throughput.