End to End Network Slicing in 5G

System

3GPP Standards Perspective

Sankaran Balasubramaniam

1 © Nokia 2016
 Table of contents

Slicing in Key Slicing in

5GS An Concepts 5GS -
Overview Procedures

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Network Slicing - Introduction
Formal Definitions
• Network Slice
• A logical network that provides specific network capabilities and network characteristics
• Network Slice instance
• A set of NF instances and the required resources (e.g. compute, storage and networking
resources) which form a deployed Network Slice.
• A NS instance spans across the 5GC, 5G-RAN and the UE

Considerations in Network Slice Deployment

• Network slices may differ for supported features and network functions optimisations
• Network slices may offer the same service, but for different sets of users

Need for Network Slices in 5GS

• Very wide set of use cases/services that require different/incompatible network characteristics
• Early realization during Rel-15 – a single network cannot meet all these requirements

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E2E Network Slicing – Legacy vs 5GS

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Network Slice – What Could It Mean?

E2E Network Slice

Resource
Signaling Architecture
Management

3GPP Specified 3GPP Enabled 3GPP Enabled

Flexibility through Cloud

Negotiation/Assignment of QoS Enforcement
Native Architecture
NSSAI within the 5GS

RAC/RAU & MMF/SMF

Multiple Interfaces RRM
Functional Split
Involved (NR-Uu, N1, N2,
Nsmf, Nnssf, F1, E1, Xn
etc.,)
Component S/W Proprietary L1/L2
Architecture algorithms

Introduction of NSSF Transport Optimizations

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RAN Slice – Resource Management Possibilities
• Multiple implementations
possible

• The option itself is not

mandated in the standards

• The standards define a

framework where any of
these could be realized

• Typical considerations
• Service
characteristics

• Network deployment

• Commercial aspects

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RAN Slices – Example

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 Table of contents

Slicing in Key Slicing in

5GS An Concepts 5GS -
Overview Procedures

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Slicing in 5GS – Key Concepts
Slice Identity Management

Slice Awareness

Selection Functions

Resource Management

Slice Availability in the 5G Network

Support of Multiple Slices

UE Slice Validation

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Slice Identity Management
S-NSSAI – Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information Standardized SST Values
• Identifies a Network Slice across the 5GC, 5G-RAN and the UE
NSSAI is a SST SST Value
• Composed of
collection of eMBB 1
• Mandatory SST (Slice/Service Type) - 8 bits
S-NSSAIs
• Optional SD (Slice Differentiator) - differentiates slices with same SST - 24 bits
URLLC 2
• Standardized S-NSSAI has only SST and no SD
• Non-Standard S-NSSAI can be defined as either SST alone (Non-standard) or SST + SD MIoT 3

Types of NSSAIs
• Subscribed S-NSSAIs
• Stored in the UDM -> 5GC uses this as a default when the UE doesn’t send a Requested NSSAI
• Configured NSSAI
• The PLMN may configure a UE with 1 or more configured NSSAIs – UE uses this as its default NSSAI
• Could be the same as the Subscribed S-NSSAIs
• Allowed NSSAI
• The value assigned by the 5GC & valid in a Registration Area or the PLMN over a given access typeNSSAIs are managed
• Requested NSSAI at the Tracking area
• Can be either Configured or Allowed NSSAI or a combination thereof level in the 5G-RAN
• The UE sends this in both RRC and NAS signalling as part of registration and Registration
• RAN uses this for AMF selection and provisional handling before getting Allowed NSSAI Area level in the 5GC
• 5GC use this for slice selection, validation etc., and returns the Allowed NSSAI
• Rejected NSSAI
• Can be rejected in the Registration Area (or) for the entire PLMN
• UE shouldn’t attempt this NSSAI again in that RA or in the PLMN
• NSSAIs could be mapped – across PLMNs for example
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Key Concepts - Description
E2E Slice Awareness
- Differentiated Traffic Handling within the 5GS
- QoS Differentiation within a slice Traffic
- Different QoS profiles can be applied for non-GBR bearers within a slice Separation =
- DRB profile can be different for the same 5QI flow type in different slices f(5QI, NSSAI
& PLMN)
- Granularity of Slice Awareness is at the level of a PDU session
- Traffic Separation at Transport : L2VPN via VLANs or L3VPN via MPLS labels

Selection Functions
- RAN Slice Selection based on Requested/Allowed NSSAI
- AMF Selection based on Requested NSSAI & NSSF interaction -> can lead to
change in AMF

Resource Management
Cloud
- RRM policy enforcement across slices Architecture &
- Slice specific Radio Admission Control policies Slice specific
- Resource Isolation across slices dimensioning
- Failure in one slice not affecting the others
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Key Concepts – Description - Continued

Slice Availability in the 5G System

- Some slices may be available only in a part of the network
- A given Registration Area (ie the list of Tracking Areas within an RA) shall support a common set of
slices

Multiple Slices Support

- A single UE could have PDU sessions corresponding to 8 slices at the maximum at any point
- However, a single signalling connection (with the associated RRC state) is maintained for a given
UE
- A common, logical AMF instance supports all the slices of a given UE (the SMF/UPF instances could
be multiple)

UE Slice Validation
- Comparison of the UE’s Requested NSSAI vs Subscribed NSSAI done by the 5GC
- 5G-RAN plays the slave here, getting the validated slice information in the ICS/PDU Session Request

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 Table of contents

Slicing in Key Slicing in

5GS An Concepts 5GS -
Overview Procedures

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E2E Network Slicing in 5GS – High Level Architecture
3GPP Standardized

Slice specific Network

Functions Not Standardized

RAN selects the RAN slice AMF is unique per UE

instance and AMF for the UE and common to all
based on Requested NSSAI network slice
instances serving a
SMF Slice A
Nsmf
The UE can use multiple UE N4 DN-
network slices at the same Single RRC per UE UPF 1
time

NG-RAN AMF
Nsmf Slice B
N2 Nnssf SMF
N4 DN-
NSS
UE N3
F UPF 2
N3
Nsmf Slice C
SMF
N3 N4

UPF
RAN slice instance(s):
Serving one or multiple slices PDU sessions are
(S-NSSAIs) slice specific

Transport Functions
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Slice Allocation in 5GS
PLMN-1 PLMN-1
gNB-1 gNB-2
NSSAI-1, NSSAI-2, NSSAI-3 and NSSAI-4 gNB
TAI-1 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-
gNB
TAI-3 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-4
gNB-1, gNB-2, gNB-3 and gNB-4 2 TAI-4 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-2
TAI-2 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-
3
NG Setup gNB-3 gNB-4
gNB
gNB
TAI-5: NSSAI-1, NSSAI-2 TAI-6 : NSSAI-1
& NSSAI-4 TAI-7 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-4

UE
PLMN-1 Registration PLMN-1
gNB-1 gNB-2
RAI-1 : TAI-1 & TAI-2 gNB-1 gNB-2
UE-1 : NSSAI-1 (PDU-1) RAI-2 : TAI-3 & TAI-4
UE-2 : NSSAI-1 (PDU-2) & UE-3 : NSSAI-1(PDU-4) & RAI-1 : TAI-1 & TAI-2 RAI-2 : TAI-3 & TAI-4
NSSAI-3 (PDU-3) NSSAI-4 (PDU-5) UE-1 : NSSAI-1 UE-3 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-4
UE-2 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-3
PDU
gNB-3 gNB-4
RAI-3 : TAI-5 RAI-4 : TAI-6 & TAI-7
Sessions gNB-3 gNB-4
UE-4 : NSSAI-1 (PDU-6) & UE-5 : NSSAI-1 (PDU-8) &
NSSAI-2 (PDU-7) NSSAI-4 (PDU-9) RAI-3 : TAI-5 RAI-4 : TAI-6 & TAI-7
UE-6 : NSSAI-1 (PDU-10) UE-4 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-2 UE-5 : NSSAI-1 & NSSAI-4
UE-6 : NSSAI-1
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RAN Slice & AMF Selection
1) During NG Setup with AMF-1 & AMF-2
• gNB and AMFs exchange their
supported NSSAI lists
• gNB -> NSSAIs per TAC
(1)
• AMF -> NSSAIs in the PLMN

(2)
2) In the RRC Setup Complete message
• UE optionally provides the
Requested NSSAI along with the
PDU session to be established
• Provisional RAN slice selection &
AMF selection done based on
this
(3)

(4) 3) gNB forwards the NAS Registration

Request to the selected AMF instance

4) AMF validates the Requested NSSAI

using Subscribed NSSAI
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Slice Aware Initial Context Setup
4) AMF responds with NAS Registration
Accept in the ICS Request
• Includes the Allowed NSSAI
• gNB may have to update the
policies based on the Allowed
NSSAI
(4)

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Slice Aware PDU Session Handling
5) UE initiates PDU Session Establishment
• Includes the Allowed NSSAI
assigned during the registration

6) AMF sets up the PDU Session with the

(5)
gNB
NAS : PDU Session Setup Request • Includes the Allowed NSSAI that
(6) has been validated for the PDU
Session
• Used by the gNB to map the PDU
session to the appropriate slice
NAS : PDU Session Setup Accept
instance

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Slice Aware Xn Based Mobility Handling

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Looking Forward – Rel 16

Improvements Being Studied

• Security Enhancements – Slice level Authentication & Authorization post the general procedure

• Network Slicing Enhancement to interwork with EPC in Idle/Connected modes

• Handling cases where 5GS is not able to support all possible combination of S-NSSAIs for the UE

• Isolation impacts among slices

• Business role models for network slicing

• Trust relationships between MNOs and slice tenants under various business role models

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Challenges in Network Slicing

• Complexity in the specification – multiple domains need to work together to implement E2E
slicing

• Many aspects are not standardized – choice among solution options

• Acceptance of cloud architecture

• Service infrastructure

• Security considerations

• Commercial aspects

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References

• 3GPP TS 38.300 – 5G RAN Architecture

• 3GPP TS 23.501 – 5GS Architecture

• 3GPP TS 23.502 – 5GS Procedures

• Google Books : 5G System Design: Architectural and

Functional Considerations and Long Term Research

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