An important aspect of 5G networks is the development of Radio Access Network (RAN) slicing, a concept wherein the virtualized infrastructure of wireless networks is subdivided into slices (or enterprises), tailored to fulfill specific use-cases. A key focus in this context is the efficient radio resource allocation to meet various enterprises' service-level agreements (SLAs). In this work, we introduce Helix: a channel-aware and SLA-aware RAN slicing framework for massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) networks where resource allocation extends to incorporate the spatial dimension available through beamforming. Essentially, the same time-frequency resource block (RB) can be shared across multiple users through multiple antennas. Notably, certain enterprises, particularly those operating critical infrastructure, necessitate dedicated RB allocation, denoted as private networks, to ensure security. Conversely, some enterprises would allow resource sharing with others in the public network to maintain network performance while minimizing capital expenditure. Building upon this understanding, Helix comprises scheduling schemes under both scenarios: where different slices share the same set of RBs, and where they require exclusivity of allocated RBs. We validate the efficacy of our proposed schedulers through simulation by utilizing a channel data set collected from a real-world massive MIMO testbed. Our assessments demonstrate that resource sharing across slices using our approach can lead up to 60.9% reduction in RB usage compared to other approaches. Moreover, our proposed schedulers exhibit significantly enhanced operational efficiency, with significantly faster running time compared to exhaustive greedy approaches while meeting the stringent 5G sub-millisecond-level latency requirement.
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Next-generation networks: Necessity of edge sharing
Resource sharing is fundamental to the design of telecommunication networks. The technology, economic and policy forces shaping the transition to next-generation digital networking infrastructure—characterized here as “5G+” (for 5G and beyond)—make new and evolved forms of edge sharing a necessity. Despite this necessity, most of the economic and policy research on Network Sharing Agreements (NSAs) has focused on sharing among service providers offering retail services via networks owned and operated by legacy fixed and mobile network operators (MNOs). In this essay, we make the case for why increased and more dynamic options for sharing, in particular of end-user owned network infrastructure, should be embraced for the future of NSAs. Furthermore, we explain how such a novel sharing paradigm must be matched by appropriate regulatory policies.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2228470
- PAR ID:
- 10470806
- Publisher / Repository:
- Frontiers
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Computer Science
- Volume:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 2624-9898
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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An important aspect of 5G networks is the development of Radio Access Network (RAN) slicing, a concept wherein the virtualized infrastructure of wireless networks is subdivided into slices (or enterprises), tailored to fulfill specific use-cases. A key focus in this context is the efficient radio resource allocation to meet various enterprises’ service-level agreements (SLAs). In this work, we introduce Helix: a channel-aware and SLAaware RAN slicing framework for massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) networks where resource allocation extends to incorporate the spatial dimension available through beamforming. Essentially, the same time-frequency resource block (RB) can be shared across multiple users through multiple antennas. Notably, certain enterprises, particularly those operating critical infrastructure, necessitate dedicated RB allocation, denoted as private networks, to ensure security. Conversely, some enterprises would allow resource sharing with others in the public network to maintain network performance while minimizing capital expenditure. Building upon this understanding, Helix comprises scheduling schemes under both scenarios: where different slices share the same set of RBs, and where they require exclusivity of allocated RBs. We validate the efficacy of our proposed schedulers through simulation by utilizing a channel data set collected from a real-world massive MIMO testbed. Our assessments demonstrate that resource sharing across slices using our approach can lead up to 60.9% reduction in RB usage compared to other approaches. Moreover, our proposed schedulers exhibit significantly enhanced operational efficiency, with significantly faster running time compared to exhaustive greedy approaches while meeting the stringent 5G sub-millisecond-level latency requirement.more » « less
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