NASP: Network slice as a service platform for 5G Networks

With the rapid global adoption of fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecommunications, the demand for highly flexible private networks has surged. A key beyond-5G feature is network slicing, where the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines three main use cases: massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), along with their associated management functions. Similarly, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) provides the Zero-Touch Network and Service Management (ZSM) standard, enabling operation without human intervention. However, current technical documents lack definitions for end-to-end (E2E) management and integration across domains and subnet instances. We present a Network Slice as a Service Platform (NASP) that is agnostic to 3GPP and non-3GPP networks, addressing this gap. The NASP architecture comprises (i) onboarding requests for new slices at the business level, translating them into definitions of physical instances and interfaces among domains, (ii) a hierarchical orchestrator coordinating management functions, and (iii) communication interfaces with network controllers. Our NASP prototype is developed based on technical documents from 3GPP and ETSI, analyzing design overlaps and gaps across different perspectives. Results demonstrate the platform’s adaptability in handling diverse requests via the Communication Service Management Function. Evaluation indicates that the Core configuration accounts for 68% of the time required to create a Network Slice Instance. Tests reveal a 93% reduction in data session establishment time when comparing URLLC and Shared scenarios, i.e., an eMBB-type slice that reuses existing control-plane Network Functions to represent a best-effort provisioning baseline. Finally, we present cost variations for operating the platform with the orchestration of five and ten slices, showing a 112% variation between Edge and Central deployments.