Abstract

Network Slicing (NS) is a key enabler of the upcoming 5G and beyond system, leveraging on both Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN), NS will enable a flexible deployment of Network Functions (NFs) belonging to multiple Service Function Chains (SFC) over various administrative and technological domains. Our novel architecture addresses the complexities and heterogeneities of verticals targeted by 5G systems, whereby each slice consists of a set of SFCs, and each SFC handles specific traffic within the slice. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a MILP optimization model to solve the complexities that arise from this new environment. Our proposed model enables a cost-optimal deployment of network slices allowing a mobile network operator to efficiently allocate the underlying layer resources according to its users’ requirements. We also design a greedy-based heuristic to investigate the possible trade-offs between execution runtime and network slice deployment. For each network slice, the proposed solution guarantees the required delay and the bandwidth, while efficiently handling the use of both the VNF nodes and the physical nodes, reducing the service provider’s Operating Expenditure (OPEX).