In the future 5G networks verticals needs distinct network services as they may differentiate in their Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, Service Level Agreements(SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). Such a need highlights the inefficiency of fourth generation (4G) telecommunication networks which where based on a ”one network fits all” nature. In that direction, network slicing is a promising technology to establish customized end-to-end logic networks comprising dedicated and shared resources. Using Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) those slices are associated with complete isolated resources which can be tailored to satisfy the diverse QoS prerequisites and SLAs. Resource allocation in network slicing plays a pivotal role in load balancing, resource utilization, and networking performance. Nonetheless, such resource allocation faces various challenges in terms of isolation, customization, elasticity, and end-to-end coordination. The problem of resource allocation in network slicing has received great attention and thus many papers aim to collectively construct a holistic and fundamental framework. Game Theory is proved to be a vital tool to properly model the interactions between the different entities of the system (i.e., the users of the network and the network providers).
The final goal of this project is to propose a holistic framework for the problem of resource allocation in network slicing that will fill some important gaps in the existing literature. Since the resource allocation modeling that appear in network slicing appears to be very general in the networking world, the design of a sleek mechanism in this problem might be useful in future networking systems as well.
Promponas, P. & Tassiulas, L. Network Slicing: Market Mechanism and Competitive Equilibria. In 2023 IEEE Computer and Communications Societies (INFOCOM '23)