Myth vs. Reality in Private Network Slicing

Overview

The network slicing concept in 5G is not new, as this builds on the LTE concept (built on 3G..) of wireless access prioritization.

Since wireless spectrum is a precious resource, maximizing the usage and catering to various needs of the applications dictates that wireless access be segmented for different use cases.

For example, if a user is watching a video stream, little buffering will not impact user experience, user can be given bandwidths with some smaller gaps. However, voice calls cannot have gaps.

5G Network slicing takes this concept further by combining the remaining network elements, thus enabling end-to-end network slicing. Slicing allows services to differentiate from each other by leveraging total network experience. For example, a private Network slice adds network separation (VPN-like) as the key offering. Similarly, mission-critical services such as MCPTT leverages network slicing to prioritize traffic across all the network segments such as wireless access, transport, and core networks.

Figure 1: Network Slice (source: Reference 1)

One can also visualize the end-to-end network slicing as a triathlon of different network segments, i.e., wireless, transport, and core networks. One has to compete and allocate resources in all the parts to offer a winning experience.

Figure 2: Triathlon

Separating Hype from Reality

1.    End to End network slicing for bandwidth-sensitive applications:  Normally, wireless access is the constrained layer in any network. It makes sense to allocate and prioritize traffic on wireless layers (e.g., QCI, 5GQI) if there is contention. However, in private networks with 10 Gig LAN connections, “end to end” network slicing does not add much value, given that the constraints are not the same.

2.    “Private” Network slice from the macro: “Private” aspect in this slice type is subjective. Any applications/ networks requiring private slices must carefully inspect every part of the network components to ensure it offers an authentic private slice.

References:

1.    https://www.gsma.com/futurenetworks/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GSMA-An-Introduction-to-Network-Slicing.pdf