Network Slicing Architecture and Dependability

The next generation of cellular networks known as 5G promises to be a major step in the evolution of communications technology, due to its enhanced technical features and because it is planned for a much wider set of applications and scenarios. Network slicing provides the scalability and flexibility needed to support this vision, by enabling the provision of independent and isolated network segments tailored to specific uses and requirements. The aim of this paper is to present the current status of the slicing architecture and based on that, define policies that assure its dependability. Guaranteeing dependability in network slicing is a top priority since 5G networks will be a critical infrastructure in industry sectors such as energy, health, transport and traditional telecom itself. Moreover, some slices are expected to deliver Ultra Reliable Communication (URC) with reliability requirements above 99.999%. A dependability design should be based on the system architecture. However, a standardized and final architecture for network slicing is still work in progress. This paper studies the most relevant architectural components defined to date, and based on that, it describes the dependability policies that should be used on each of them. Finally, this paper presents some analysis of the overall challenges for the integration of the different slicing components.