ABSTRACT:

Network slicing for 5G is receiving significant attention from the telecommunications industry as a means to provide network as a service (NaaS) for different use cases. Network slicing is a technology which allows network operators to build multiple virtual networks on a shared infrastructure. With network slicing, service providers can deploy their applications and services flexibly and quickly to accommodate specific requirements of diverse services such as augmented reality, online games, e-health and others. As an emerging technology with a number of advantages, network slicing has raised many issues for the industry and academia alike. In this article, we discuss the background and related work in network slicing and propose a framework for 5G network slicing. Finally, we discuss the challenges of network slicing and future research directions.

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Published version of the paper is available via IEEExplore at http://www.ieeexplore.org/documents/8039298/