Achieving network slice communication service distribution across 5G micro-operator multi-tenants

Network slicing is the means of logically isolating network capabilities from a “one size fits all” to a set of different slices where each slice is responsible for specific network requirements. In the same light, the micro-operator concept is targeted at local deployment of 5G for vertical specific services. When a network slice instance (NSI) is created across the access and core networks, it is important to understand how the communication service from the created slice instance will be distributed to different tenants and their end-users. In this vein, we propose a network slice communication service distribution technique for local 5G micro-operator deployment scenarios. This is achieved by expanding/leveraging the communication service management function (CSMF) defined by 3GPP into a multi-tenant manager and a communication services orchestrator. We further describe how the communication service orchestrator will address all the possible multitenant-slice situations that can exist during the distribution of a network slice instance to multiple tenants. The generic technique introduced in this paper will proffer a researchable solution for not only network slice communication service distribution across different micro-operator’s tenants but pave the way to support future use cases especially when the allocated slice is responsible for multiple tenants or when a tenant requests multiple NSIs.