5G Service Value Chain and Network Slicing Framework Using Ecosystem Modeling, Agile Delivery, and User-Story Automation

Abstract

The 5G technology allows telecommunication operators to provide services beyond data broadband for consumers, employing tailored use-cases for enterprise and vertical markets. As a result, there is an increasing need for a collaborative service development through a de-centralized value-chain, along with new business models and shorter time-to-market. In this paper, a novel, use-case driven framework for a modular 5G service design and delivery is proposed. The framework implements agile and as-a-service principles to provide 5G use-case customers access not only to service usage, but also to design and operation. The framework integrates with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications by mapping network-slicing procedures to the designed ecosystem lifecycle operations. The framework allows for the any-technology deployment, utilizing the available foundations for domain-specific automation. A structured collaboration between a 5G operator and a use-case user allows for the customization and improvement of the targeted use-case, where 5G network assets are updated with customer's vertical components through programmable user-stories. Laboratory testing of a 5G network-slicing for a private-telephony and merchandise-tracking service is performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for real-world applications.