ONETS: Online Network Slice Broker From Theory to Practice

Virtualization and network slicing offer an unprecedented opportunity to mobile network operators: open their physical network infrastructure platform to the concurrent deployment of multiple logical self-contained networks, namely network slices. In this paper, we propose and analyze ONETS, an Online NETwork Slicing solution that i) builds on the budgeted lock-up multi-armed bandit mathematical model and properties, ii) derives its analytical bounds in our proposed extension for network slicing, iii) seamlessly integrates into the 3GPP architecture, iv) proves its feasibility through a proof-of-concept implementation on commercial hardware considering three network slices and v) allows for the design of a low-complexity online network slice brokering solution that maximizes multiplexing gains.

Automated summary

Virtualization and network slicing provide mobile network operators with the opportunity to deploy multiple logical networks, known as network slices, on their physical network infrastructure. This paper introduces ONETS, an online network slicing solution that incorporates a mathematical model and analytical bounds to maximize multiplexing gains. The feasibility of ONETS is demonstrated through a proof-of-concept implementation on commercial hardware, supporting three network slices and seamless integration with the 3GPP architecture.