Scheduling Slice Requests in 5G Networks

Network slicing is a 5G paradigm that enables the creation of on-demand logical networks over shared physical infrastructure. In this paper, we present a framework that allows users to make advance slice reservations with the End-to-End Orchestrator (EEO). Our reservation mechanism enables the EEO to make admission decisions instantly upon request arrival, providing guarantees as to when the request can be enabled. We then proceed to address a relevant revenue maximization problem through an optimal solution, which has factorial time complexity. We also propose a low-complexity algorithm that can efficiently allocate resources for the online version of the problem. We conduct evaluations that demonstrate how the reservation mechanism can potentially improve EEO’s revenue. Additionally, we conduct a study on scenarios where the arrival rates of slice requests exhibit a positive correlation with reservation discounts provided by EEO.