Network Exposure Layer for Multi-Core Slice Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Telecommunications companies face challenges in cost-effectively expanding their network infrastructure while improving user experience due to underutilization of specialized hardware and software in core networks, which are often expensive and not fully utilized by users.
Innovation Solution
A multi-core network system with a network exposure layer that assigns core slices to tenants through application programming interfaces (APIs), allowing for authentication and data transfer between tenants and their associated core slices, optimizing resource allocation and usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If specialized hardware and software are deployed in core networks, then network capacity and performance are improved, but cost increases and hardware utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The core network is segmented into multiple virtual core slices, each capable of serving different tenants independently. This segmentation allows the physical hardware to be divided into multiple virtual instances, increasing utilization while maintaining network capacity. Each core slice can be dynamically allocated to meet specific tenant requirements without requiring dedicated physical hardware for each tenant.
Solution Approach 2:
The core network hardware is designed to perform multiple functions by supporting multiple virtual core slices simultaneously. A single physical infrastructure can serve multiple tenants with different service requirements, making the hardware universal rather than dedicated to a single function or tenant, thereby improving utilization while maintaining capacity.
2Productivity
If core network hardware is expanded to meet growing bandwidth demand, then network capacity increases, but cost increases due to underutilization
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of expanding physical hardware for each tenant or service, the network is segmented into virtual core slices that can be dynamically created and allocated. This allows bandwidth capacity to be expanded virtually without proportionally increasing physical device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Virtual core slices are created as software copies or abstractions of the core network functionality. These virtual instances can be replicated and allocated to multiple tenants without duplicating the underlying physical hardware, thereby increasing capacity while controlling device complexity.
3Loss of energy
If multiple tenants share the same core network, then resource utilization improves, but security and isolation between tenants may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The core network is segmented into isolated virtual slices, each providing strong logical isolation between tenants. This segmentation ensures that while hardware is shared, each tenant's data and services remain isolated within their assigned core slice, maintaining security and reliability while improving utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The network exposure function acts as an intermediary layer between tenants and the shared core network infrastructure. This intermediary manages authentication, authorization, and resource allocation, ensuring proper isolation and security while enabling efficient resource sharing among multiple tenants.
Data Source
AI summary
A cellular network system includes a multi-core network having core slices, at least one cell site, and a network exposure layer. The cell sites are configured to receive communications from a plurality of tenants. The network exposure layer is configured to receive, through the cell site(s), a plurality of requests for bandwidth from an application programming interface (API) of the plurality of tenants. One of the requests includes a first request from a first API of a first tenant. In response to the first tenant being determined to be authenticated using information from the first request, a first core slice is determined to be associated with the first tenant. Data transfers are then provided between the first tenant and the first core slice in response to determining that the first core slice is associated with the first tenant and the first tenant being authenticated.