Systems and methods for zero-touch interworking of network orchestration with data platforms and analytics in virtualized 5G deployments

Abstract

A system, method, and non-transitory machine-readable medium are disclosed for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platforms and analytics in virtualized deployments. In response to a network service request for a service location identifier, data from a data source may be processed, and indicia of data characteristics may be analyzed to create or develop a data model. A configuration specification may be created for instantiating network slices and network services as a function of the data characteristics conforming to quality of service parameters and the service location identifier. A log mapped to the request may be created and included in a template specifying a data observability framework and resources for the network slices and network services. The slices and services may be instantiated in the configuration specification, the data services provided to user equipment of an external entity, and, consequently, the cellular network providing the data services to the user equipment.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority to U.S. Non-provisional Application No. 17 / 075,506, filed October 20, 2020, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 065,431, filed August 13, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0002] [Technical field] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless networks, and more particularly to systems and methods for zero-touch interworking of network orchestration with data platforms and analytics in virtualized 5G deployments. [Background technology]

[0003] Mobile network design is inherently complex due to the need to offer innovative services that work seamlessly with mobility and roaming. Virtualization and cloud-native designs offer flexibility and potential cost savings, but managing these networks becomes very complex.

[0004] Various standardization organizations, notably 3GPP and ETSI, have been working on defining a network orchestration framework. ETSI has pioneered this work by creating a framework for the orchestration architecture and interfaces between various functional blocks. According to the ETSI architecture, a network service (NS) is composed of virtualized network functions (VNFs) and physical network functions (PNFs) and / or other NSs to support nested definitions. A network service descriptor (NSD) contains VNFs (virtual network functions), PNFs (physical network functions), and NS descriptors. Over time, new network services may be developed and existing services may be replaced.

[0005] Traditional network approaches work with a fixed design of services that limits design changes. Furthermore, traditional network approaches consider each network component as a service and do not consider variations in service design and deployment of different levels of analysis during design. This has not been an issue because network analysis is often done post-deployment.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a system and method that addresses the aforementioned problems. This need and others are addressed by the present disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Some embodiments disclosed in this disclosure relate to wireless networks, and more particularly to systems and methods for zero-touch interworking of network orchestration with data platforms and analytics in virtualized 5G deployments.

[0008] In one aspect, a method for zero-touch interworking of network control with a data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment is provided. The method may include one or a combination of the following: One or more network service requests may be received by a cellular network control system from an external entity distinct from an entity operating the cellular network and the cellular network control system. The one or more network service requests may indicate one or more service location identifiers requested by the external entity. Data from one or more data sources may be processed by the cellular network control system. At least a portion of the data may include indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network functions, one or more network services, and / or one or more other data sources. The indicia of the data characteristics may be analyzed by the cellular network control system to create or develop a data model corresponding to the one or more network service requests. As a function of the data characteristics, a configuration specification may be created by the cellular network control system to instantiate a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice, wherein the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and one or more service location identifiers. The log mapped to the one or more network service requests may be created by the cellular network control system and included in a template that specifies a data observability framework and resources for the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice. Instantiation of the slice and / or one or more services corresponding to the slice may be triggered by the cellular network control system according to a configuration specification having data services to be provided to user equipment of an external entity, and the cellular network consequently provides the data services to the user equipment of the external entity.

[0009] In another aspect, a cellular network control system is disclosed. The cellular network control system may include one or more communication interfaces configured to communicate with multiple cellular network components of a cellular network. The cellular network control system may include one or more processing devices communicatively coupled to the one or more communication interfaces. The cellular network control system may include a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processing devices and storing processor-readable instructions readable thereby and that, when executed by the one or more processing devices, configure the cellular network control system to perform operations including one or a combination of the following: One or more network service requests may be received from an external entity different from an entity operating the cellular network and the cellular network control system. The one or more network service requests may indicate one or more service location identifiers requested by the external entity. Data from one or more data sources may be processed. At least a portion of the data may include indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network functions, one or more network services, and / or one or more other data sources. The data characteristic indicia may be analyzed to create or develop a data model corresponding to the one or more network service requests. A configuration specification may be created to instantiate the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice as a function of data characteristics, wherein the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and one or more service location identifiers. A log mapped to one or more network service requests may be created and included in a template specifying a data observability framework and resources for the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice.Instantiation of a slice and / or one or more services corresponding to the slice may be triggered according to a configuration specification having data services to be provided to user equipment of an external entity, and the cellular network thereby provides the data services to the user equipment of the external entity.

[0010] In yet another aspect, one or more machine-readable storage devices are disclosed for storing machine-executable instructions. The machine-executable instructions, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform one or a combination of the following operations: One or more network service requests may be received from an external entity distinct from an entity operating a cellular network and a cellular network control system. The one or more network service requests may indicate one or more service location identifiers requested by the external entity. Data from one or more data sources may be processed. At least a portion of the data may include indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network functions, one or more network services, and / or one or more other data sources. The indicia of the data characteristics may be analyzed to create or develop a data model corresponding to the one or more network service requests. A configuration specification may be created to instantiate a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice as a function of the data characteristics, wherein the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and one or more service location identifiers. A log mapped to the one or more network service requests may be created and included in a template specifying a data observability framework and resources for the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice. Instantiation of the slice and / or one or more services corresponding to the slice is triggered according to a configuration specification having data services to be provided to user equipment of the external entity, and the cellular network thereby provides the data services to the user equipment of the external entity.

[0011] In various embodiments, network data from multiple cellular network components of a cellular network may be collected over time. The multiple cellular network components may include radio access network components and network data centers of the cellular network. The network data from the multiple cellular network components may be analyzed to create or develop a cellular network model that indicates the performance of individual portions of the cellular network. In various embodiments, the network data and / or the cellular network model may be used to refine the data model. The data model may be used to create a configuration specification.

[0012] In various embodiments, the one or more network service requests may correspond to a slice request and may indicate one or more quality of service parameters. In various embodiments, the cellular network may be adapted to provide data services to user equipment of the external entity according to the one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more location identifiers. In various embodiments, at least some of the cellular network components may be configured to grant access to the cellular network by user equipment of the external entity according to a configuration specification.

[0013] In various embodiments, one or more data resources may be configured to facilitate one or more services corresponding to the slice according to a configuration specification. In various embodiments, indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network service requests from an external entity may be collected over time. In various embodiments, content may be transmitted to facilitate a user interface with a client device to enable one or more selections corresponding to the slice request. Multiple inputs received from the client device as a result of the one or more selections corresponding to the slice request may be processed, the multiple inputs indicating one or more quality of service parameters and one or more service location identifiers.

[0014] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating various embodiments, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of various embodiments may be realized by reference to the following figures. In the accompanying figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes between the similar components. When only a first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label.

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an overview of a system for network data and orchestration interworking according to a disclosed embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 depicts a simplified diagram of a distributed system according to a disclosed embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of one or more components of a system environment in which services provided by one or more components of the system may be offered as cloud services, according to a disclosed embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] An exemplary computer system according to disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure is described. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following description provides only preferred exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an effective description for implementing the preferred exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

[0018] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits may be shown in block diagrams in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0019] Also, it is noted that the embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. A flowchart may describe operations as a sequential process, while many of the operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. The order of operations may also be rearranged. A process terminates when its operations are completed, but may have additional steps not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

[0020] Disclosed embodiments according to the present disclosure may solve the above-mentioned problems. The disclosed embodiments may provide new services through dynamic orchestration. Through dynamic and data model adaptive orchestration, the disclosed embodiments may provide the fulfillment component of service management and execute the process of automatically programming network configurations and their behavior so that all necessary changes are coordinated across different hardware and software capabilities. With properly designed service orchestration, the embodiments may reduce the time it takes to design new services and automatically deploy the configurations required for these designed services in real time.

[0021] Various embodiments may provide systems and methods for zero-touch interworking of network orchestration with data platforms and analytics in virtualized 5G deployments. As agility and complexity increase, network orchestration systems and methods according to the present disclosure may flexibly accommodate changing requirements, such as high scalability, business agility, and security and operational automation. The disclosed embodiments may achieve this through agile orchestration and automation mechanisms that can instantiate new services and slices, dynamically optimally place workloads, and configure cloud-native network functions (CNFs) for best performance. One of the keys to achieving the above is an orchestration framework that treats data as a first-class citizen rather than an afterthought. This means that data can be part of service design, service instantiation, and service operation, with dynamic checks at each step.

[0022] The disclosed embodiments may facilitate a network orchestration framework that dynamically accounts for data as an integral part of its operations and operations. The disclosed embodiments may provide systems and methods for seamlessly integrating network orchestration with data functions at each step, including onboarding, instantiation, operation, and termination of services along with management of their lifecycle, along with provision for deploying and reusing service-specific data analytics functions. Some embodiments may further utilize and leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide various capabilities for zero-touch interworking of network orchestration with data platforms and analytics in virtualized 5G deployments.

[0023] The proposed solution solves the problems identified above and fills the gap of agile and dynamic needs of data and analytics for 5G network services and slices. The system and method introduces dynamic onboarding, instantiation, and modification of the data platform in a zero-touch, continuous, and automated manner. The system and method extend the network orchestrator, slice designer, and catalog for dynamic data needs without breaking the overall orchestration framework and / or introducing unnecessary complexity, but rather as an extension of the network orchestrator. The system and method also enable dynamic configuration changes as needed.

[0024] The system and method can be extended to any data source in the 5G network that wants to use the data platform for its data and analytics needs, such as OSS (Operation Support Systems) and BSS (Business Support Systems). Data services and models can be made consumable via defining northbound APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) from the orchestration or data platform. Another advantage of such a solution is that it supports flexible and dynamic data consumption models for clients by defining the data lifecycle in the context of the service / slice lifecycle and making the orchestration aware of changing requirements.

[0025] Various embodiments may include a dynamic system, dynamic method, and / or one or more non-transitory machine-readable media for zero-touch interworking of network orchestration with data platforms and analytics in a virtualized deployment, consuming up-to-date data from an internal or external repository system containing data characteristics corresponding to one or more network functions, services, and other data sources that may need to be dynamically included in the solution; onboarding using a cellular network model and data models to create configuration specifications for instantiating a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice as a function of the data characteristics, wherein the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and one or more service location identifiers (this slice). the configuration generated in step may become the data platform requirements for supporting the source when the source is instantiated); analyzing indicia of the data characteristics to create or develop data characteristics of the data solution developed in the catalog corresponding to one or more service and slice requests from an external entity; creating a catalog for a given source request and making it part of a slice and service template for future creation of a data observability framework and resources for the corresponding slices and services; receiving one or more requests corresponding to the slice requests from an external entity different from the entity operating the cellular network and cellular network management system or from an internal entity, wherein the one or more requests indicate one or more service location identifiers requested by the external or internal entity;The present invention may perform one or a combination of the following: using a cellular network model and a data model to create a configuration specification for instantiating a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice as a function of data characteristics, wherein the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and one or more service location identifiers; instantiating required resources for the slice and / or one or more services corresponding to the slice according to the configuration specification having a data service provided to user equipment of an external entity, whereby the cellular network provides the data service to the user equipment of the external entity; collecting network data over time from multiple cellular network components of the cellular network, the multiple cellular network components including radio access network components and network data centers of the cellular network; analyzing the network data from the multiple cellular network components to create or develop a cellular network model indicative of the performance of individual parts of the cellular network; and using inputs from these processes to further refine the data model for the creation and operation of services and slices. All of these functions may be enabled zero-touch, flexibly, and dynamically using the proposed system and method described in the embodiments.

[0026] Various embodiments will now be discussed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, beginning with FIG.

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a hierarchical cellular network system 100 (“system 100”). The cellular network may include a radio access network (RAN) and a core cellular network. User equipment 110 may connect to the cellular network using various types of base stations or access points. User equipment may include mobile phones, smartphones, video cameras, audio streaming devices, video streaming devices, modems, sensor devices, or any other form of wireless device that communicates with the cellular network. User equipment 110 may be in different geographic locations and therefore may use different components of the cellular network's radio access network to communicate with the cellular network.

[0028] User equipment 110-1 and user equipment 110-2 may communicate with some or all of the radio access network components 120-1 based on their location. The radio access network components 120-1 may include local access points 121-1, small base stations 122-1, and large base stations 123-1 (e.g., gNodeBs in a 5G New Radio (NR) cellular network). The local access points may provide coverage for a relatively small geographic area, such as within a home or building. The small base stations 122-1 may provide cellular network access over a medium-sized geographic area and may have the capacity to handle fewer user equipment instances than other base stations. Illustratively, the small base stations 122-1 may be installed in urban environments to provide access within neighborhoods. The large base stations 123-1 may provide cellular network coverage for a relatively large geographic area, such as along a highway, or to cover a large neighborhood. The large base stations 123-1 may have the capacity to handle a larger number of user equipment instances than the small base stations.

[0029] User equipment associated with a particular client may have a reserved amount of radio bandwidth. Therefore, in a particular cell of the hierarchical cellular network system 100, wireless radio resources of the radio access network may need to be reserved to meet a pre-agreed QoS metric for the particular client, even if there is not a large amount of radio traffic between the user equipment and the base station (and / or access point).

[0030] The local access point 121-1, the small base station 122-1, and the large base station 123-1 may be part of a cellular network operating according to one or more radio access technologies. Illustratively, the cellular network may be a 5G NR, 4G LTE, 3G, or GSM-based cellular network. The cellular network may operate according to multiple radio access technologies. Illustratively, the cellular network may be a hybrid 4G and 5G network.

[0031] Each of the local access point 121-1, small base station 122-1, and large base station 123-1 may communicate with an edge data center. In some embodiments, a dedicated edge data center may be used for each component or type of component of the radio access network. For example, edge data center 131-3 may be dedicated to large base station 123-1. In other embodiments, edge data center 131-3 may serve multiple base stations in a geographic region. Edge data center 131-2 may be dedicated to small base station 122-1 or may serve multiple base stations (e.g., only small base stations or a mix of base stations of different sizes). Similarly, edge data center 131-1 may be dedicated to local access point 121-1 or a group of local access points.

[0032] The group of edge datacenters 130-1 may act as an interface with the cellular core network and communicate with components of the radio access network. Edge datacenters 131-1, 131-2, and 131-3 may perform data routing within the cellular core network. For example, data received by edge datacenter 131-2 intended for user equipment communicating with large base station 123-1 may be routed directly to edge datacenter 131-3. However, not all edge datacenters 131-1 communicate directly with each other. Illustratively, edge datacenter 131-4 may not communicate directly with edge datacenter 131-2. Therefore, when edge datacenter 131-2 is routing data to user equipment communicating with edge datacenter 131-3, the data may need to be routed through another datacenter in the cellular core network, such as through regional datacenter 140-1. In this example, regional data center 140-1 acts as an intermediate node that routes data between edge data center 131-2 and edge data center 131-4.

[0033] Each regional datacenter, such as regional datacenter 140-1, may be primarily responsible for routing data between different datacenters. Regional datacenter 140-1 may communicate with multiple edge datacenters. When data is routed between edge datacenters that communicate directly with regional datacenter 140-1, components higher in the hierarchy of the cellular core network may not need to be involved in routing the data. However, when data is routed to an edge datacenter that is not in direct communication with regional datacenter 140-1, components higher in the hierarchy of the cellular core network may need to be used to complete the routing.

[0034] The national data center 150 may represent the highest level in the cellular network hierarchy of the system 100. The national data center 150 may communicate with all regional data centers 140 of the cellular core network. All regional data centers 140 may then communicate with edge data centers 131 of the cellular network. Such a hierarchy may allow data anywhere in the cellular network to be routed to other devices. The edge data centers, regional data centers, and national data centers may collectively be referred to as nodes of the core cellular network.

[0035] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the configuration of wireless access network component 120-1 and group of edge data centers 130-1 are replicated in other geographic regions: user equipment 110-3 and 110-4 communicate with wireless access network component 120-2 (local access point 121-2, small base station 122-2, large base station 123-2), which communicates with group of edge data centers 130-2; user equipment 110-4 and 110-5 communicate with wireless access network component 120-3 (local access point 121-2, small base station 122-2, large base station 123-2), which communicates with group of edge data centers 130-2; user equipment 110-7 and 110-8 communicate with wireless access network component 120-4 (local access point 121-4, small base station 122-4, large base station 123-4), which communicates with a group of edge data centers 130-4; and a group of edge data centers 130-2 (including edge data centers 131-4, 131-5, and 131-6) communicate with regional data center 140-1. The group of edge datacenters 130-3 (including edge datacenters 131-7, 131-8, and 131-9) and the group of edge datacenters 130-4 (including edge datacenters 131-10, 131-11, and 131-12) communicate with regional datacenter 140-2, which in turn communicates with national datacenter 150.

[0036] In the example of system 100, only a few components are described. For example, only user equipment 110-3 and user equipment 110-4 are shown as communicating with radio access network component 120-2. In reality, a much larger number of user equipments may use radio access network component 120-2 to communicate with the cellular network. Similarly, each group of radio access network components 120 may include a much larger number of local access points 121, small base stations 122, and / or large base stations 123. There may be a fewer or larger number of edge data centers 131. There may be a fewer or larger number of levels within the hierarchy of the core cellular network. For example, if there are a larger number of edge data centers in the cellular network, there may be one or more additional levels in the hierarchy below the national data center.

[0037] In system 100, the hierarchy is symmetrical in that each grouping of radio access network components 120 includes local access points, small base stations, and large base stations. Each of the radio access network components communicates with an edge data center, and each group of edge data centers communicates with a regional data center, which in turn communicates with a national data center. Such a configuration is unlikely to be implemented in the real world due to variations in the density of user equipment in a given area, variations in the amount of uplink and downlink traffic by user equipment in a given area, geographic variations, temporal usage trends, where user equipment tends to congregate, connections to cloud service providers, and bandwidth availability. Figure 2 illustrates a more complex hierarchical cellular network embodiment that is more representative of a real-world cellular network hierarchy that may exist.

[0038] In system 200, there may be variations in the components within the cellular network. As described with respect to system 100, user equipment 110-1 and user equipment 110-2 may communicate with radio access network component 120-1. However, in system 200, only two edge data centers may exist in a group of edge data centers 130-1, and each edge data center in the group of edge data centers 130-1 may not be able to communicate directly with each other. Each edge data center in the group of edge data centers 130-1 may communicate with regional data center 140-1.

[0039] Various components, such as regional data center 140-1 and national data center 150, may communicate with cloud service provider 240. A cloud service provider may represent a third-party service provider that provides storage and processing capabilities that can be used by various entities. Illustratively, clients, which may operate a wide variety of user equipment on system 200, may have storage and processing capabilities hosted by either cloud service provider 240-1 or cloud service provider 240-2. Additionally or alternatively, an entity may operate a private server system, such as private server system 250, with storage and processing capabilities dedicated to the entity. Cloud service provider 240 and private server system 250 may only have dedicated bandwidth with certain components of the cellular core network. For example, cloud service provider 240-1 has dedicated bandwidth with regional data center 140-1. Thus, for example, if user equipment 210-6 requests data from cloud service provider 240-1, the request will be routed through regional data center 140-2, national data center 150, and regional data center 140-1, or regional data center 140-2 and regional data center 140-1, as the case may be.

[0040] In system 200, not all wireless communications may be terrestrial. Rather, user equipment 210-1 may be a satellite modem or satellite phone communicating via low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), or geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellite 215. Satellite 215 may relay communications between user equipment 210-1 and satellite gateway 217, which may include or communicate with edge datacenter 231-1. A possible deviation from the hierarchy of system 100 is for edge datacenter 231-1 to communicate directly with national datacenter 150, rather than edge datacenter 231-1 communicating with a regional datacenter. Thus, for example, if data is routed by user equipment 210-1 to user equipment 110-1, edge data center 231-1 may route the data through national data center 150 to regional data center 140-1 and then to edge data center 131-2.

[0041] In system 200, not all groups of radio access network components include the same equipment. For example, the group of radio access network component 220-1 includes three large base stations 223-1, 223-2, and 223-3, all of which are served by edge data center 231-1. In the example of FIG. 2, there are a large number of user equipment (represented by user equipment 210-4, user equipment 210-5, user equipment 210-6, and user equipment 210-7) communicating with the group of radio access network component 220-2. Radio access network component 220-2, which includes two small base stations 222-1 and 222-3 and a single large base station 123-4, is served by two edge data centers 231-3 and 231-4 in the group of edge data center 230-1. The group of edge data center 230-1 has dedicated bandwidth for communicating with cloud service provider 240-2. Therefore, it should be understood that the number and types of radio access network components that communicate with an edge data center may vary, as may the components of the cellular core network with which the edge data center communicates.

[0042] The amount of bandwidth available between components of the cellular core network may be adjusted to achieve certain performance metrics. For example, user equipment 210-2 and 210-3 may require certain minimum quality of service (QoS) metrics (e.g., latency, jitter, packet loss, bandwidth, etc.) to be met for communication with some remote system, such as private server system 250. To meet the QoS metrics, additional dedicated bandwidth 244 may be established between edge data center 231-2 and regional data center 140-2, and dedicated bandwidth 241 may be established between regional data center 140-2 and national data center 150.

[0043] Dedicated bandwidth within the hierarchy of the cellular core network may be established between components to help achieve specific QoS metrics. By way of illustration, regional datacenter 140-1 and regional datacenter 140-2 may have dedicated bandwidth directly between them, such as to increase bandwidth and reduce latency for edge datacenter 231-1 and edge datacenter 231-3 to access cloud service provider 240-1.

[0044] System 200 may be capable of smart routing, which may be used to compensate for unavailable connections. By way of illustration, regional data center 140-2 may normally have dedicated bandwidth 242 to cloud service provider 240-2, but the dedicated bandwidth 242 may be unavailable due to issues or maintenance being performed. Data that is routed directly between regional data center 140-2 and cloud service provider 240-2 may instead be routed through national data center 150.

[0045] In system 200, the amount of bandwidth between radio access network component 120 and user equipment 110 may be allocated based on the bandwidth QoS parameters of various clients. Thus, at a given location, a particular client may have a reserved "slice" of available radio resource blocks. If a client's user equipment is not using its reserved bandwidth, that bandwidth may be used to serve other client user equipment. It may also be possible to overbook bandwidth, assuming that not all clients simultaneously request the maximum allowed amount of bandwidth. The amount of unreserved radio bandwidth at a given location may be taken into account when servicing any new entities, and under what conditions.

[0046] The number and arrangement of user equipment, base stations, edge data centers, regional data centers, national data centers, cloud service providers, and private server systems in system 200 are merely examples. Furthermore, the connections between such components are merely examples of how such a network may be arranged. A real-world cellular network deployed over a large geographic region would be significantly more complex and would include a much larger number of components.

[0047] 3 illustrates a cellular network control system 301 operating within a core network of a cellular network system 300 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. The cellular network system 300 may represent an embodiment of the system 200 with the addition of the cellular network control system 301. The cellular network control system 301 may be implemented using a server system that obtains performance data from various components of the cellular core network.

[0048] The cellular network control system 301 may collect network data over time from multiple cellular network components of the cellular network, including the radio access network components and network data centers of the cellular network. For example, the cellular network control system 301 may request or automatically receive status data (which may be time-stamped) from all edge data centers, regional data centers, and national data centers of the cellular core network. If a larger number of component tiers exist within the core network of the cellular network, the cellular network control system 301 may also receive status data from those components. The status data received by the cellular network control system 301 may include the number of user equipment being served, the amount of bandwidth used, the amount of available bandwidth, packet loss, latency, jitter between components of the core network, and available connections within the core network. The cellular network control system 301 may receive performance data about the radio access network components from the edge data centers. As an example, the cellular network control system 301 may receive status data from an edge data center indicating available radio resources, radio bandwidth, radio performance metrics, and the number of user equipment actively communicating with a base station or local AP.

[0049] The cellular network control system 301 may analyze network data from multiple cellular network components to create or develop a cellular network model that indicates the performance of individual portions of the cellular network. The cellular network control system 301 may use the network data and / or the cellular network model to refine the data model it created or developed in response to one or more client requests for services and / or network slices. The data model may be specialized to a particular client and request, which is a function of the data collected and analyzed, as further disclosed herein. Also, as further disclosed herein, the cellular network control system 301 may use the data model to create a configuration specification. For example, the cellular network control system 301 may collect status data to create a model of the current end-to-end performance of the cellular core network and radio access network, as well as the capabilities of the cellular core network and radio access network. The status data may be used to generate a usage model of the cellular network and adjust the configuration over time. As an illustration, various portions of the cellular core network and radio access network may be highly utilized at certain times of the day or during certain events.

[0050] In some embodiments, each component of the cellular network periodically or occasionally transmits status data to the cellular network control system 301. In other embodiments, the cellular network control system 301 transmits queries to each component of the cellular network and receives status data in response. In still other embodiments, a mixture of queries and periodic or intermittent reporting is used. Additionally or alternatively, the radio access network component 120 may transmit usage data to the cellular network control system 301. The radio access network component 120 may transmit data indicating the radio resources being used and / or available between the user equipment and the radio access network component transmitting the data. Thus, for example, the large base station 223-1 may transmit performance data indicating radio resource usage as performance data 302 to the cellular network control system 301. For example, such performance data may indicate the number or percentage of available resource blocks (resource blocks are defined time slots on subcarrier frequencies over which multiple OFDM signals may be transmitted) in the radio access network. Depending on the embodiment, the radio access network component may relay such performance data through the cellular network system 300, such as through edge data center 231-2, to the cellular network control system 301. In other embodiments, the radio access network component, such as a gNodeB of large base station 223-1, may send the performance data directly to the cellular network control system 301.

[0051] Various embodiments may provide network slices, network services, or both. The provided network services may include virtual network functions (VNFs), physical network functions (PNFs), and / or other network services. VNFs may include software-based functions that may be utilized with one or more slices, such as security and / or monitoring functions. PNFs may include hardware components of the cellular network that the cellular network control system 301 may configure to provide network slices and / or other network services to particular clients.

[0052] The client system 310 may include one or more server systems that enable the client to send one or more requests to the cellular network control system 301 over a network such as the Internet 315. The one or more requests may correspond to slice requests. For example, the one or more requests may include slice requests, i.e., requests for one or more slices. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more requests may include service requests, i.e., requests for one or more services. Further details regarding such requests and operation of the cellular network control system 301 are disclosed further herein. It should be understood that many client systems may communicate with the cellular network control system 301 over the Internet 315 and / or other networks.

[0053] 4 illustrates a cellular network control system 301-1 for interworking of network data and orchestration according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The cellular network control system 301-1 may be configured to implement a method for zero-touch interworking of network control with a data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment. For simplicity, the cellular network control system 301-1 is depicted in a simplified conceptual form and may generally include more or fewer systems, devices, networks, and / or other components as desired.

[0054] In various embodiments, the number and types of mechanisms or elements incorporated within the cellular network control system 301-1 may or may not be implementation-specific. The cellular network control system 301-1 may be implemented using one or more computer server systems, such as those disclosed in the provisional application incorporated by reference. The cellular network control system 301-1 may include a dedicated processor specifically designed and physically and electrically configured to perform the functions / operations detailed herein. The cellular network control system 301-1 may include a general-purpose processor capable of executing dedicated software stored using one or more non-transitory processor-readable media. In various embodiments, the cellular network control system 301-1 may have a distributed system and / or system environment that may provide services as a cloud service using one or more servers, server components, cloud infrastructure systems, and / or data systems, such as those disclosed in the provisional application incorporated by reference. As further disclosed therein, the cellular network control system 301-1 may interface with various systems and devices, including one or more client computing devices.

[0055] The cellular network control system 301-1 may include a network service orchestration engine 450, a network service catalog 425, a service and slice designer 430, an automation engine 455, and an instantiation engine 415, among other components configured to design and instantiate new network slices and network services, and may configure cloud-native network functions (CNFs) as a function of data characteristics of the network slices, network services, and / or client system operations expected to be used in combination with the CNFs. Such design and deployment may be performed in real time, automatically, or in response to client interface input. Furthermore, such design and deployment may be adapted to the specific data needs of particular clients, slices, and / or services. The cellular network control system 301-1 may enable the onboarding, instantiation, operation, and termination stages of the network slice, network service, and / or CNF lifecycle to be controlled as a function of data characteristics. Furthermore, the cellular network control system 301-1 may enable the reuse of service-specific data analysis functions. The cellular network control system 301-1 may utilize machine learning to detect and develop patterns of data needs and network performance characteristics to provide adaptive design and deployment of services, slices, and CNFs as a function of the cellular network model, each of which may be adapted and developed in real time as the cellular network control system 301-1 continues to manage the cellular network and collect network and client-specific data.

[0056] The cellular network control system 301-1 may include one or more interfaces 420, which may include an on-premise interface 420-1, a CI / CD interface 420-2, a cloud interface 420-3, and / or a data interface 420-4. In various embodiments, the interfaces 420 may be separate, or a combination of the interfaces 420 may be integrated. The cellular network control system 301-1 may receive slice requests and / or one or more source requests corresponding to services from clients via one or more of the interfaces to the network service orchestration engine 450. The network service orchestration engine 450 uses the service and slice definitions in the catalog 425 populated with data solution requirements to translate the requests into workflows for the automation engine 455. Templates and workflows are used to define workflows for the applicable interfaces 420-1 through 420-4. For example, the cellular network control system 301-1 may transmit content to facilitate a user interface with a client device to enable one or more selections corresponding to one or more slices and / or one or more particular services, one or a combination of which may be selected via selectable interface elements and transmitted in one or more requests. In one aspect, a client may select a particular slice type. The operations support system may transmit such one or more requests via an internet or IP interface. The cellular network control system 301-1 may process multiple inputs received from the operations support system as a result of one or more selections corresponding to the slice requests, the multiple inputs indicating one or more parameters and one or more service location identifiers. However, in some embodiments, the cellular network control system 301-1 may automatically determine one or more of the parameters and service location identifiers without providing a client interface and receiving client inputs.

[0057] Additionally, some embodiments may define data requirements as a function of onboarding slice requirements when service designer 430 is defining a slice. Embodiments may also ensure that when a slice is instantiated, instantiation engine 415 can also instantiate the resources needed for the expected data requirements and environment. In any case, embodiments may include dynamic triggers for provisioning 480 as a function of data. When defining and configuring network resources, network orchestrator 450 also defines and configures data resources for performing provisioning operations 480. As disclosed herein, resources of a data system (which may correspond to a data hub architecture and / or a data lake, etc.) may be determined by network orchestrator 450 when a dynamic slice or service is instantiated and / or needed.

[0058] The data source onboarding and configuration operation 405 may allow the cellular network control system 301-1 to configure and retrieve data platform needs for one or more types of slices, services, and / or CNFs corresponding to one or more source requests. In some embodiments, as part of the artifacts that a network function provider provides for a CICD (Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery / Deployment) process, the data specification may be provided in a specific format that retrieves requirement details from the data solution 410. The information may include details about the network source, data source, type and purpose, data format, publishing model, recommended data retention policy, aggregation level, storage needs, data latency, metadata, context data, etc.

[0059] The data source onboarding and configuration operation 405 may include source registration. In some embodiments, the registration function may consume network function (NF) provider data and convert it into a format suitable for internal network consumption. The one or more source requests may include various parameters specifying the requirements for the requested slices and / or services. For example, the one or more requests may include one or more service location identifiers (and / or client, device, account, or address identifiers that the control system may map to one or more wireless service locations). The service location identifiers may include any suitable indicator (such as an address, city, zip code, etc.) that points to the location of the requested slices and / or services. Additionally, the one or more requests may indicate one or more Quality of Service (QoS) parameters; the number of user equipment; the location of the user equipment; the minimum bandwidth (per user equipment or total) required by location (for a particular server system); the maximum latency (per user equipment or average) by location (for a particular server system); the date and time by which the QoS parameters of bandwidth, packet loss, latency, and jitter must be met; and the date and / or time (or date / time range) during which the service is valid. A network slice and / or one or more network services provided by the cellular network control system 301-1 may correspond to a network slice that conforms to one or more parameters and one or more service location identifiers. For example, a slice request may have certain requirements corresponding to specified parameters such as high speed, low latency, a downtown location in a particular city, etc. As a further example, network services such as security services and surveillance may be added to a particular slice.

[0060] The cellular network control system 301-1 may process data from one or more data sources, at least a portion of which includes indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network functions, one or more network services, and / or one or more other data sources. The data sources may provide specifications for the data and its metadata. The data sources may provide such specifications in any suitable format (e.g., JSON and / or XML, etc.), including Helm charts. In some embodiments, the data sources may correspond to one or more client devices and / or one or more client systems. In various embodiments, data may be actively collected and / or pulled from one or more data sources, for example, by accessing repositories and / or by “crawling” various repositories. Additionally or alternatively, the cellular network control system 301-1 may wait for updates from one or a combination of one or more data sources. Data pulled and / or pushed from one or more data sources may be transformed, and the transformed data and / or other data generated therefrom may be used by the cellular network control system 301-1 for various mechanisms disclosed herein that are functions of the data.

[0061] The cellular network control system 301-1 may analyze the data characteristics to create or develop a data model corresponding to one or more requests. The cellular network control system 301-1 may determine the expected types of data to be generated, expected data collection requirements, expected data consumption requirements, expected data storage requirements, expected data transfer requirements, expected data computation requirements, and / or data characteristics for one or more particular slices, services, and / or CNFs for a particular client. In some embodiments, such data may be collected or received in an extension package as part of the onboarding phase.

[0062] The cellular network control system 301-1 may create a configuration specification for instantiating a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice as a function of data characteristics, where the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to specified parameters (e.g., conform to one or more QoS parameters and / or one or more service location identifiers, etc.). For example, the cellular network control system 301-1 may use such data and / or data characteristics to define a source's requirements for storing data in a data platform. The cellular network control system 301-1 may create and / or populate a source onboarding template. The information may be stored in a repository 435, such as Harbor, Gitlab per service type, slice type, and / or CNF. Details may include configuration, performance goals, QoS constraints, and / or performance parameter metadata, etc. For example, data may be collected, processed, mapped to fields of a source onboarding template, and then converted into formatted values ​​for populating the fields, which may include one or a combination of the following:

[0063] 1. Source Profile 1.1 Source Name 1.2 Operation 1.3 Operating Account 1.4 Contact 2. Behavioral Metadata 2.1 Source Data Context 2.2 Source Data Domain 2.3 Data Structures 2.4 Data Classes 3. Ingest 3.1 Volume 3.2 Speed 3.3 Schedule 3.4 Data Format 4. Required functionality within the data platform (based on the service order) 5. Consumption / Destination of Ingested Data 6. Data Intent to Define / Select Pipeline Requirements 6.1 Data Classification Routing Logic 6.2 Operational Rules 6.3 Filters 6.4 Downstream Usage Notes / Rules 7. Data Operations (Performance and QoS Requirements) 7.1 KPIs and Metrics 7.2 Threshold Actions 7.3 Expected SLA 7.4 Load and Traffic Characteristics 8. Default Settings 8.1 Encryption 8.2 Data in Transit 8.3 Stored Data 8.4 Archiving / LCM / Retention Needs 8.5 HA / DR / Backup 8.6 Quality requirements

[0064] The cellular network control system 301-1 may store templates and process them with a rules engine. In the case of a data platform, templates serve as source data that can be used by the data platform and network service orchestration engine 450. Templates may specify details of downstream pipeline blueprints and one or more target states for ingested and forwarded data needs. Templates may specify the storage and computing resources needed to support slice / service types of data and / or information to facilitate the definition of data platform management and operational needs. Thus, the configuration details needed for the data solution 410 to support one or more requests may be defined here. The data onboarding API (source template) may place template content into components of the data platform, and the data platform includes a metadata management engine that may include or be compatible with a rules engine. The data platform may derive data processing rules from the onboarding information details. Additional details needed to orchestrate solutions to dynamic needs are derived based on AI / ML (artificial intelligence / machine learning). These may include rules and policies, resources, and capabilities. In some embodiments, the cellular network control system 301-1 may create a digital log / catalog (network service catalog 425) mapped to one or more types of requests. In some embodiments, the cellular network control system 301-1 may include the digital catalog 425 in a template that specifies the data observability framework and resources for the network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice. In some embodiments, a map of data platform capabilities and their physical configuration may be stored in the data platform catalog.This may include a list of features (from the onboarding template) and a list of additional features depending on the hardware and / or software resources required to support the features.

[0065] In some embodiments, a data engagement framework for network capabilities can be created to define the data platform's needs for a service or slice type based at least in part on the network policies and the ingested data model. It can include additional parameters specific to the service / slice type. The engagement framework can be a contract between a source requesting use of the data platform and the data platform itself. The contract can include a feature list derived from the onboarding template and additional support requirements.

[0066] As part of the onboarding operations 405, the data platform orchestrator 450 may receive templates via a data onboarding API. The required configuration of the data platform to support the instantiated source may be generated. A data platform blueprint image for a given source request may be generated and passed to the data interface 420-4 of the network orchestrator service catalog 425. The engagement framework and data templates may be used to define a data blueprint that can be used to meet data-specific requirements for slices / services during orchestration design. Related information may be configured in the rules engine and metadata repository to make data and analytics available across the network. This may be extended to allow slicing and dicing of data of any format. The data platform image / blueprint for the request may specify rules, policies, and metadata for the data solution, such as:

[0067] 1. Network Source Identification 1.1 Source ID 1.2 Source context (where the data is expected to come from) 2. Environment 2.1 Location Context 3. Infrastructure 3.1 Calculation 3.2 Storage 3.3 Memory 4. Data Platform Feature List 4.1 Monitoring 4.2 Logging 4.3 Other 5. Data Store 5.1 Folders 5.2 Database 5.3 Object Store 5.4 Caching

[0068] As part of the network service orchestration engine's operation after onboarding to the data platform, a data blueprint for the slice / service / function may be sent to the slice / service designer 430, who uses it as needed during slice and service design. For example, a data catalog API (for data platform blueprints) may place this template content in the network orchestrator's catalog 425. The blueprint may be in any suitable format (e.g., a JSON file). The network orchestrator's designer 430 may use the data blueprint and add additional details associating network resources with the environment required for one or more slices, services, and / or CNFs. This may be to ensure that the functionality required from the data and analytics requirements is created along with the network service. The service and slice designer 430 may generate files, such as YAML, associated with the slice / service requirements and store the files in the network service catalog 425. In some embodiments, the files may be stored in the network service catalog 425 for future use to process requests from the service order manager. As part of instantiating a service / slice, when a request is sent to the slice or service orchestrator, a data function may be invoked via a data interface adapter to instantiate the data platform functionality associated with that service / slice as specified in the network service catalog 425.

[0069] For current or future requests, instantiation in the data platform can be triggered by the network service orchestration engine 450. As part of slice / service / function instantiation in the 5G network, the data interface of the automation engine 455 can extract the relevant files from the network service catalog 425 and invoke instantiation of the resources in the data platform. The data instantiation API can invoke the data platform instantiation engine 415 with the relevant files.

[0070] The instantiation of resources for the data platform may be ordered and may be based at least in part on the following: The instantiation function may include data and analytic objects with details related to data functions and may specify storage and compute resources allocated to a particular slice or service type. In some embodiments, the instantiation function may review the template and check against the engagement framework. For example, the data platform instantiation engine 415 may validate the input based on initial definitions stored in the metadata and rules engine. Any additional operational metadata or process rules may be added to the metadata and rules engine. Once accepted, an order may be issued to the resource controller 440 (if the service / slice design specifies the use of cloud resources) to initiate the creation of the necessary resources according to the template specification, and instructions may be issued to Kubernetes, the radio access network controller, and / or the transport controller 440, and / or the cloud interface 420-3 to pull the associated compute function image.

[0071] A CICD pipeline using the file communicated via the API may be triggered. The data platform instantiation engine 415 may instantiate compute, storage, and memory within the environment using the associated host and port details, K8 clusters, and / or nodes, etc. Kubernetes, the radio access network controller, and / or the transport controller 440, and / or the cloud PaaS 445 may create the necessary compute, network, and storage resources and initiate the specified data collection and analysis functions. The data platform instantiation engine 415 may instantiate the function modules and associated code when Jenkins pulls the code from the Github repository 435. The resource instantiation may then be prepared to store the data within the data platform and begin data ingestion for the requested slice / service / function. The data may then be passed to the data platform for further analysis as specified by the data platform.

[0072] Thus, the cellular network control system 301-1 may cause instantiation of a slice and / or one or more services corresponding to the slice according to a configuration specification having data services to be provided to the client user equipment, such that the cellular network provides the data service to the client user equipment. The cellular network control system 301-1 may cause the cellular network to provide the data service to the external entity's user equipment according to one or more parameters (e.g., QoS parameters) and one or more location identifiers. Thus, the cellular network control system 301-1 may configure at least some of a plurality of cellular network components according to the configuration specification to allow the external entity's (e.g., client's) user equipment to access the cellular network. Furthermore, the cellular network control system 301-1 may configure one or more data resources to facilitate one or more services corresponding to the slice according to the configuration specification.

[0073] Thus, the disclosed embodiments may provide one or more of the above steps as a function of the particular data requirements and environment. The disclosed embodiments may provide additional functionality to the set of network functions to which new services and / or slice instantiations are provided, which includes large amounts of data that can be intelligently processed when the network is being set up as a result of setup and validation in the system. When the network is being set up, network functions need to be performed. The additional functionality may include functionality to support client-specific data / policy management. The disclosed embodiments may activate slices, services, and / or CNFs with the appropriate information at the appropriate time.

[0074] Furthermore, as disclosed herein, the cellular network control system 301-1 may automatically and dynamically self-adjust based at least in part on ongoing data collection and data analysis 460, network assurance 465, and updated network condition inventory 470. In some embodiments, such ongoing monitoring and collection may be performed at least in part based on SNMP and / or Prometheus, or the like. Thus, while the cellular network control system 301-1 may instantiate particular slices, services, and / or CNFs according to an initial configuration, the cellular network control system 301-1 may continue to detect changes in the network and / or changes in client data usage. If such changes are detected, the cellular network control system 301-1 may adapt its operations as disclosed above as a function of such changes and may re-instantiate or modify its initial instantiation. This may include, for example, modifying resources, reconfiguring network components, and / or modifying analytics performed as part of the service and / or CNF (e.g., downgrading data collection from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes to account for increased bandwidth limitations and adjusting resources accordingly).

[0075] The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are exemplary. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components, as appropriate. Illustratively, in alternative configurations, methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and / or various stages may be added, omitted, and / or combined. Also, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be similarly combined. Also, technology evolves, and thus, many of the elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure or the claims.

[0076] Specific details are set forth herein to facilitate understanding of example configurations (including implementations). However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques are shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the configurations. This specification provides only example configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configurations of the claims. Rather, the above description of the configurations will provide one skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the described techniques. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

[0077] Configurations may also be described as processes that are depicted as flow diagrams or block diagrams. While each may describe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. The order of operations may also be rearranged. A process may have additional steps not included in the diagrams. Furthermore, example methods may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a storage medium. A processor may perform the described tasks.

[0078] While several example configurations have been described, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the elements described above may be components of a larger system, other rules may take precedence over, or otherwise modify, the application of the invention, and many steps may be performed before, during, and after the elements described above are considered.

[0079] Furthermore, the exemplary embodiments described herein may be implemented as logical operations on a computing device in a networked computing system environment. The logical operations may be implemented as (i) a series of computer-implemented instructions, steps, or program modules executing on the computing device, and (ii) interconnected logic or hardware modules executing within the computing device.

[0080] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

[0081] Additionally, unless expressly and clearly defined by the patentee, claim terms shall have their plain and ordinary meaning. The indefinite articles "a" or "an" used in the claims are defined herein to mean one or more of the elements introduced by the particular article, and the use of the definite article "the" thereafter is not intended to negate that meaning. Furthermore, the use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," etc. to distinguish different elements in the claims is not intended to specify a particular position in the series or other sequential order or sequence for the element to which the ordinal term is applied.

Claims

1. 1. A method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment, comprising: collecting, by a cellular network control system, network data over time from a plurality of cellular network components of a cellular network, the plurality of cellular network components including a radio access network component and a network data center of the cellular network; receiving, by the cellular network control system, one or more network service requests from an external entity distinct from an entity operating the cellular network and the cellular network control system, the one or more network service requests indicating one or more service location identifiers requested by the external entity; processing, by the cellular network control system, data from one or more data sources, at least a portion of the data including indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network features, one or more network services, and / or one or more other data sources; analyzing, by the cellular network control system, the indicia of the data characteristics to create or develop a data model corresponding to the one or more network service requests; using the network data and / or a cellular network model indicative of performance of individual portions of the cellular network to refine the data model; creating, by the cellular network control system, a configuration specification for instantiating a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice using the data model as a function of the data characteristics, wherein the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more service location identifiers; creating, by the cellular network control system, a log mapped to the one or more network service requests and contained within a template specifying a data observability framework and resources for the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice; causing, by the cellular network control system, instantiation of the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice according to the configuration specification having a data service to be provided to user equipment of the external entity, wherein the cellular network thereby provides the data service to the user equipment of the external entity. A method comprising:

2. analyzing, by the cellular network control system, the network data from the plurality of cellular network components to create or develop the cellular network model.

10. The method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment of claim 1, further comprising:

3. 2. The method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment of claim 1, wherein the one or more network service requests correspond to a slice request and indicate the one or more quality of service parameters.

4. 2. The method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment of claim 1, wherein the cellular network control system causes the cellular network to provide the data service to the user equipment of the external entity in accordance with the one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more location identifiers.

5. configuring, by the cellular network control system, at least some of the plurality of cellular network components to allow access to the cellular network by user equipment of the external entity in accordance with the configuration specification.

10. The method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment of claim 1, further comprising:

6. configuring, by the cellular network control system, one or more data resources to facilitate the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice in accordance with the configuration specification.

10. The method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment of claim 1, further comprising:

7. collecting, by the cellular network control system, the indicia of data characteristics corresponding to the one or more network service requests from the external entity over time; 10. The method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment of claim 1, further comprising:

8. transmitting, by the cellular network control system, content to facilitate a user interface with a client device to enable one or more selections corresponding to the slice request; and processing, by the cellular network control system, a plurality of inputs received from the client device or a remote entity as a result of the one or more selections corresponding to the slice request, the plurality of inputs indicating the one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more service location identifiers.

4. The method for zero-touch interworking of network control with data platform and analytics in a virtualized deployment of claim 3, further comprising:

9. one or more communication interfaces configured to communicate with a plurality of cellular network components of the cellular network; one or more processing devices communicatively coupled to the one or more communication interfaces; When communicatively coupled to, readable by, and executable by the one or more processing devices, collecting network data over time from a plurality of cellular network components of the cellular network, the plurality of cellular network components including radio access network components and network data centers of the cellular network; receiving one or more network service requests from an external entity distinct from an entity operating the cellular network and a cellular network control system, the one or more network service requests indicating one or more service location identifiers requested by the external entity; processing data from one or more data sources, at least a portion of the data including indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network features, one or more network services, and / or one or more other data sources; analyzing the indicia of the data characteristics to create or develop a data model corresponding to the one or more network service requests; using the network data and / or a cellular network model indicative of performance of individual portions of the cellular network to refine the data model; using the data model to create a configuration specification for instantiating a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice as a function of the data characteristics, wherein the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more service location identifiers; creating a log mapped to the one or more network service requests and contained within a template specifying a data observability framework and resources for the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice; causing instantiation of the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice according to the configuration specification having a data service to be provided to user equipment of the external entity, wherein the cellular network thereby provides the data service to the user equipment of the external entity. a memory storing processor-readable instructions that configure the cellular network control system to perform operations including A cellular network control system, including:

10. The operation is analyzing the network data from the plurality of cellular network components to create or develop the cellular network model. The cellular network control system of claim 9 further comprising:

11. 10. The cellular network control system of claim 9, wherein one or more network service requests correspond to a slice request, and wherein the one or more network service requests indicate the one or more quality of service parameters.

12. The operation is causing the cellular network to provide the data service to the user equipment of the external entity in accordance with the one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more location identifiers. The cellular network control system of claim 9 further comprising:

13. The operation is configuring at least some of the plurality of cellular network components to allow access to the cellular network by user equipment of the external entity in accordance with the configuration specification; The cellular network control system of claim 9 further comprising:

14. The operation is configuring one or more data resources to facilitate the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice in accordance with the configuration specification. The cellular network control system of claim 9 further comprising:

15. The operation is collecting, over time, the indicia of data characteristics corresponding to the one or more network service requests from the external entity; The cellular network control system of claim 9 further comprising:

16. The operation is transmitting content to facilitate a user interface with a client device to enable one or more selections corresponding to the slice request; processing a plurality of inputs received from the client device as a result of the one or more selections corresponding to the slice request, the plurality of inputs indicating the one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more service location identifiers; The cellular network control system of claim 11 further comprising:

17. When executed by one or more processing devices, collecting network data over time from a plurality of cellular network components of a cellular network, the plurality of cellular network components including a radio access network component and a network data center of the cellular network; receiving one or more network service requests from an external entity distinct from an entity operating the cellular network and a cellular network control system, the one or more network service requests indicating one or more service location identifiers requested by the external entity; processing data from one or more data sources, at least some of the data including indicia of data characteristics corresponding to one or more network features, one or more network services, and / or one or more other data sources; analyzing the indicia of the data characteristics to create or develop a data model corresponding to the one or more network service requests; using the network data and / or a cellular network model indicative of performance of individual portions of the cellular network to refine the data model; using the data model to create a configuration specification for instantiating a network slice and / or one or more network services corresponding to the network slice as a function of the data characteristics, wherein the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice conform to one or more quality of service parameters and the one or more service location identifiers; creating a log mapped to the one or more network service requests and contained within a template specifying a data observability framework and resources for the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice; causing instantiation of the network slice and / or the one or more network services corresponding to the network slice according to a configuration specification having a data service to be provided to user equipment of the external entity, wherein the cellular network thereby provides the data service to the user equipment of the external entity. and one or more non-transitory machine-readable media having machine-readable instructions that cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations that include:

18. The operation is analyzing the network data from the plurality of cellular network components to create or develop the cellular network model.

20. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

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