Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices: Mapping 5G Features to Industrial Requirements

Received 8 May 2024, accepted 28 May 2024, date of publication 31 May 2024, date of current version 7 June 2024. Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3408032 Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices: Mapping 5G Features to Industrial Requirements ANDRÉ PERDIGÃO 1,2, JOSÉ QUEVEDO 2, (Member, IEEE), AND RUI L. AGUIAR 1,2, (Senior Member, IEEE) 1DETI - Departamento de Electrónica, Telecomunicações e Informática, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal 2IT–Instituto de Telecomunicações, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal Corresponding author: André Perdigão ([email protected]) This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES) through national funds and when applicable co-funded EU funds under the project UIDB/50008/2020-UIDP/50008/2020; and by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program through the project IMAGINE-B5G under grant agreement No. 101096452. ABSTRACT 5G network is expected to be highly flexible, enabling its adjustment according to user requirements. To achieve this, 5G leverages network slicing, allowing the division of the network infrastructure into different slices with completely different communication performances. However, this flexibility is not easily achieved, requiring the use of available 5G features, Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, and technologies to adapt the communication performance according to the user requirements. Furthermore, to foster wider adoption of 5G by verticals, it is crucial to simplify the network configuration process by providing common interfaces that accept attributes familiar to vertical users. In this line, having a vertical-oriented network slice manager capable of automating the deployment of slices in 5G networks is crucial. One of the key elements involved in creating such a system is a mapping between common communication attributes and available 5G configuration parameters and features. This mapping facilitates the adjustment of communication performance to meet vertical requirements. With this in mind, the document explores the realisation of such a mapping. First, it analyses the communication attributes defined by well-known organisations (e.g., 5G-ACIA, and 5GDNA); these attributes define the performance requirements of network slices or industrial use cases. Then, it maps these attributes to standardised R17 5G functionalities. The mapping is followed by a validation using the 5GAIner infrastructure (part of the IMAGINE-B5G experimental facilities), a real-world commercial-grade 5G Standalone (SA) network. The results showcase the feasibility of using this mapping to realize vertical slices. INDEX TERMS 5G, testbed, NPN, QoS, network slicing, R17, I4.0, Industry 4.0, quality of service. I. INTRODUCTION 5G is the latest generation of commercial radio telecommunications that will revolutionise numerous industrial sectors. However, achieving widespread adoption by verticals requires several enhancements compared to its predecessor, 4G. The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Yeon-Ho Chung . 5G’s main improvements are flexibility and reliability, enabling the deployment of diverse use cases with distinct requirements over a single network infrastructure while maintaining isolation and security between them. 5G achieves this through network slicing, which divides the network infrastructure into distinct segments or slices. Each slice functions as an independent virtual network, logically isolated from others, and supports unique network characteristics, including performance and accessible services. VOLUME 12, 2024 2024 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 77687 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices The 5G network slices are designed to support three primary communication services: enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC). Each service has distinct priorities: eMBB emphasizes high throughput and spectral efficiency, URLLC focuses on high reliability and low latency, and mMTC targets low device energy consumption and high connection density. Despite 5G technologies being available in many countries, expected to cover a third of the world’s population by 2025,1 verticals have shown limited adoption of 5G. One of the key factors to foster adoption is the provision of deterministic services, requiring automated network slice deployment, as detailed in [1]. In 5G, network slice configuration must be performed on demand, driven solely by the use case or network slice attributes. A network slice manager is responsible for deploying and managing slices. It should be able to configure the 5G network according to the required communication attributes, thereby ensuring the network provides the slices with the necessary performance. However, developing such a network slice manager is more complex than initially anticipated. As a result, there is currently no widely available slice manager capable of configuring the entire network based on industrial requirements. In light of this challenge, the work outlined in this document is part of a broader effort to develop a network slice manager capable of configuring a 5G network to accommodate the network slices requested by users. In particular, Figure 1provides an overview of the paper’s contribution to the broader 5G ecosystem. The paper focuses on mapping target Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to available network features and configurations, producing optimal network configurations that meet the performance requirements for industrial use cases. The target KPIs are derived from Industrial Use Cases and defined standards, while the available network features and configurations are derived from previous works (*) [2] and (**) [3], as highlighted in Figure 1. These features result from the collective development efforts of the 3GPP2 specifications and market requirements, which define the roadmap for developing new functionalities. The outcomes of this mapping effort contribute to realizing an optimal network design. This mapping is validated in a commercial-graded 5G network, where the performance of the resulting network configurations is evaluated. Subsequently, the resulting KPIs are compared with the target KPIs, demonstrating the effectiveness of the solution outlined in the document. The main contribution of this paper is the mapping between communication attributes and 5G features/functionalities. This mapping is the foundation for developing a network slice 1https://www.gsma.com/futurenetworks/ip_services/understanding5g/5g-innovation/, (June 2023). 2https://www.3gpp.org/, (June 2023). manager capable of automating the deployment of network slices. The remaining sections of the document are as follows: Section II provides a brief review of the related work. Section III outlines the attributes identified in 3GPP documents and by industrial organisations such as 5G-ACIA3to define a network slice and an industrial communication service. Appendix describes the features used in the mapping process. Section IV provides a potential mapping between communication service attributes and 5G features. To validate this mapping, Section Vexamines example use cases defined by prominent industrial organisations developing and promoting 5G. It assesses the use case requirements and translates them into 5G network features, explaining the rationale behind the translation. Section VI offers an overview of the network, followed by the results achieved for each use case using the provided configurations. Section VII examines the results, explaining their significance and implications. Section VIII concludes the document by discussing the broader implications of the research effort. II. RELATED WORK The 5G network is expected to significantly impact society, offering a wide range of new use cases that enhance overall society. However, before the wide deployment of these use cases, both the use cases and the 5G technology need further development. Several testbeds were deployed around the world to reduce the access barrier to this emergent technology, such as: [4],[5], and [6]. Additionally, various 5G projects have established their testbeds (e.g. 5G-EVE4, 5G-VINNI5, and 5GENESIS6), where researchers and industry stakeholders test and validate 5G technology and use cases. Existing research has already assessed the deployment of use cases with 5G networks. For instance, authors in [7] deployed various use cases across different 5G networks. Similarly, in [8], authors adjusted configurations of 5G networks to support industrial use cases, comparing 5G to 4G performance. Furthermore, [9] deployed multiple use cases in different network slices with resource isolation, while [10] explored several network functionalities to adapt network performance for a specific use case over a 5G network. However, the full potential of 5G can only be realized by tailoring the network to each use case. Academic publications made significant research on the deployment of slices. For example, [11] and [12] concentrate on slice control plane and data plane deployment, as well as slice management at the service and functions level. Additionally, [13] and [14] explore the optimization of network resources within slices, while [15] investigates the admission of slices into a network. 3https://5g-acia.org/, (April 2024). 45G-EVE, https://www.5g-eve.eu/ (March 2023). 55G-VINNI, https://www.5g-vinni.eu/ (March 2023). 65GENESIS, https://5genesis.eu/ (March 2023). 77688 VOLUME 12, 2024 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices FIGURE 1. Paper scope within the broader 5G ecosystem. Moreover, authors in [16] discuss the isolation and lifecycle management of network slices, and [17] proposes an inter-domain network slicing solution by introducing a Communication Service Management Function (CSMF) capable of communicating with Network Slice Management Function (NSMF) of different network providers. Additionally, [18] analyses 5G network performance when using different frequency bands in the Radio Access Network (RAN). Furthermore, academic publications are researching specific features and technologies available in 5G, for instance: [19] focuses on Differentiated Services (DiffServ), [20] explores Wake Up Signal (WUS), [21] investigates Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), and [22] examines Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP). The academic literature review revealed a notable gap in a comprehensive discussion about the mechanisms available in the 5G network for optimising network resource usage to meet Industrial requirements. Only 5GDNA7in [23] provides a limited mapping between 5G technologies and network attributes. Considering everything, this document comprehensively examines 5G communication attributes and establishes a correlation between communication attributes and available 5G network functionalities. This mapping provides the foundation for configuring network slices in 5G. These 5G mechanisms adapt 5G network communication performance to accommodate the different slice services expected to be available in a 5G network. III. COMMUNICATION ATTRIBUTES The network attributes used by the industry and standard bodies to describe use cases were verified to determine the typical communication attributes used. These attributes were gathered from 3GPP, 5GDNA, and 5G-ACIA documentation 7https://www.5gdna.org/?_l=en, (April 2024). and are presented in Table 1. Among the attributes, the packet error rate is closely related to reliability, and many settings affect both attributes. Therefore, only reliability is used in the mapping process. Furthermore, the Transfer interval characterizes the transmission but does not define a KPI. Instead, it aids in the configuration of selected features. Therefore, it is not used in the mapping, but it is considered in the examples provided. Additionally, all network slice attributes identified in 3GPP documents for release 17 (R17) were examined and outlined in Table 2. Each attribute is accompanied by a brief description, providing a more standardized way to characterize communication. These two tables provide a wide range of attributes expected from verticals and any 5G user to characterize the performance requirements of 5G communication. However, as this document focuses on network performance manipulation and specific communication functionalities, some attributes presented will not be further discussed, as they serve purposes beyond the scope of this document. IV. 5G FUNCTIONALITIES TO REQUIREMENTS MAPPING In Appendix, a brief description of all 5G functionalities is provided, while Table 11 presents the meaning of each abbreviation used to help understand the document and the mapping decisions made. This section maps the 5G functionalities presented to the use cases and slice attributes previously discussed. Figure 2illustrates the mapping of 5G features to use case and Network slice attributes. The enumeration in the figure corresponds to the one used in the discussion below and helps to understand the connections between attributes and functionalities. While most functionalities impact multiple attributes, the figure may depict some functionalities mapped to only one attribute. This could be due to the functionality having a more pronounced effect on that attribute, or it should VOLUME 12, 2024 77689 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices TABLE 1. Use case attributes. only be enabled when optimizing the mapped attribute. Enabling these functionalities may affect other attributes, but they are considered secondary requirements for the use case. Some attributes were excluded because no functionality presented can map to the attribute, or the attribute characterizes communication rather than KPIs. For example, transfer interval defines transmission periodicity, which helps select functionalities to use and values for configuring them, such as Discontinuous Reception (DRX), WUS, configured scheduling, and Time-Sensitive Communication (TSC). Many use case attributes have a similar mapping compared to network slice attributes, so they will be aggregated whenever possible. When both attributes have the same name, only one name is referenced. When they have different names, the attributes are separated by a ‘‘|’’ symbol, with the use case attribute listed first, followed by the network slice attribute. The rest of this section focuses on the paper’s main contribution, which is the mapping between attributes and functionalities while also explaining how each functionality influences the specified attribute. This mapping is the culmination of extensive theoretical studies and experimental work using a 5G network [2]. It offers the best solutions for interrelating attributes and functionalities and paves the way for realizing fully-fledged network slice manager systems. 1) Aggregate User Experience Data Rate can be defined using UE-Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (UE-AMBR), which limits the maximum throughput each UE can use in all communications employing Non-Guaranteed Bit Rate (Non-GBR) QoS flows. 2) UL/DL Throughput per UE can be defined using UL/DL UE-Slice-Maximum Bit Rate (UE-SliceMBR), which limits the throughput a UE can utilize within the slice. 3) User Experience Data Rate is influenced by several functionalities. UL/DL Session-AMBR determines the maximum bit rate of all Non-GBR QoS flows within a PDU session. When UE only uses one connection, this parameter defines the UE’s maximum bit rate. Both GBR and delay-critical GBR QoS Flow utilize Guaranteed Flow Bit Rate (GFBR) and Maximum Flow Bit Rate (MFBR) to ensure minimum and maximum throughput. Once a cell accepts a GBR QoS Flow, the GFBR is guaranteed regardless of other users’ connections, unless the UE loses resources due to Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) allocation or the network experiences a critical failure. The Average Window parameter defines the time window used to calculate the UE bit rate, influencing the communication stability of QoS flow guaranteed and maximum bit rates. Lower values provide more stable 77690 VOLUME 12, 2024 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices TABLE 2. 3GPP network slice attributes. transmissions for QoS Flows with AMBR, GFBR, or MFBR. Resource Isolation and Management allocate or prioritize resources for communication, ensuring assured resources or priority in case of network congestion. 256 and 1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) allows a higher modulation scheme when a UE is in the cell coverage centre, enabling higher data rates with the same spectrum resources. Single User-MIMO (SU-MIMO) enhances UE throughput using the same resources by using spatial multiplexing in communication, thereby multiplying throughput. VOLUME 12, 2024 77691 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices FIGURE 2. Use case and network slice attributes mapping to network functionalities. SU-MIMO is a specific application of multiTransmission and Reception Point (multi-TRP), where the UE connects with several TRPs in the same cell. Multi-TRP can also be employed with neighbour intra-frequency cells. In this scenario, communication performance can be enhanced when the UE is out of the cell coverage centre, improving the communication signal by communicating with multiple antennas. 4) UL/DL Throughput per Slice can be controlled using Resource Isolation and Management, which defines specific resource pools available to each slice. This provides guaranteed throughput to slices by allocating specific resources to each slice and limiting the maximum throughput, ensuring that each slice can use only a certain amount of resources. As a result, each slice may have a reserved resource pool and access to a shared resource pool. 5) Reliability can be controlled through the following functionalities. Resource Isolation and Management allocate resources or prioritise access to resources, 77692 VOLUME 12, 2024 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices increasing the probability of communication by ensuring the availability of necessary transmission resources. Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) duplication decreases the packet loss probability during transmission by sending packets two times in the same TRP with different transmission resources. Multi-TRP transmits the same packet to all TRPs, increasing the likelihood of successful transmission. Dual connectivity can be employed when extreme reliability is required, sending the same packet through two different networks with different levels of disjoint paths depending on requirements, thus reducing the probability of losing both packets due to the same problem. Interference Management can adjust radiation parameters in intra-frequency cells to reduce noise generated between them. High-reliability Downlink Control Information (DCI) format modifies the transmission parameters of control channels to enhance reliability, by reducing the coding scheme or increasing transmission power compared to less demanding transmissions. Low Block Error Rate (BLER) Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) and Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) tables prioritize low block error probability in transmission over throughput by selecting a lower modulation scheme. GBR and Delay-critical GBR QoS Flows utilize the Packet Error Rate (PER) to define the maximum packet error rate acceptable for guaranteed throughput. Logical Channel Prioritization (LCP) restrictions ensure better performance by allocating the best resources, in terms of latency or reliability, to the logical channel used. ARP impacts reliability by determining whether resources can be allocated from one UE to another, ARP pre-emption vulnerability must be disabled to avoid the reallocation of resources to higher-priority transmissions. 6) Jitter (A) and Latency (B) were not extensively mapped to the functionalities covered by reliability. However, any functionality enhancing reliability also impacts jitter by reducing packet retransmissions. Additionally, as jitter and latency are closely related, and most functionalities affect both attributes, they are presented together. Delay-critical GBR QoS Flow with Packet Delay Budget (PDB) can define the maximum transmission delay of PER percentage of packets in the GFBR throughput transmission, thus defining transmission latency and limiting jitter. LCP restriction can be used to allocate resources with lower latency and less noise to reduce jitter. Priority level differentiates between flows when requesting resources, ensuring that high-priority flows have faster access to communication resources than other flows. PDCP out-of-order delivery allows packet forwarding without waiting for all previous packets to arrive. Scheduling request (SR) configurations define the periodicity at which UEs can make scheduling requests; lower periodicity reduces latency and jitter. Configured grant allocates resources with a certain periodicity without requiring scheduling requests from UEs, reducing time wasted in scheduling transmission resources. There are two transmission modes: Acknowledged Mode (AM), where the receiver informs the sender of successful transmission or not, and Unacknowledged Mode (UM), where the receiver does not inform the sender of packet arrival. In cases of extreme latency requirements, unacknowledged mode is advised, as the acknowledgement time may exceed or be too close to the latency requirement. However, in flows with less demanding latency restrictions, acknowledged mode reduces packets lost. TSC and Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) employ different mechanisms to minimize jitter while ensuring low latency. TSC is a technology used in 5G networks to guarantee performance, while TSN is a protocol used in other types of networks. Therefore, using both functionalities can ensure optimal performance when communication traverses different technologies. PDCP service data unit (SDU) discard ensures that the RAN discards packets not transmitted within the designated timeframe, reducing resource wastage caused by packets transmitted after latency requirements have passed. NR Sidelink reduces latency in Device-to-Device (D2D) communication when devices are closed by enabling direct communication between devices. This bypasses the User Plane Function (UPF) and only passes through the RAN once, thus reducing latency. 7) Deterministic Communication requires the use of Delay-critical GBR QoS Flow, ensuring that PER percentage of packets are transmitted with a latency below the PDB. TSN and TSC, with resource reservation and time synchronization of network equipment, can provide deterministic communication. 8) User Plane Transport Protocol can be defined using PDU session type, enabling the selection of Ethernet, Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6), IP version 4 (IPv4), and Unstructured, supporting other protocols. TSN can be a protocol required since it defines the protocol used at both ends of the 5G network. 9) V2X Communication Models are enabled by activating V2X functionality in a 5G network. Since Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication is often necessary in V2X scenarios, NR sidelink can provide D2D communication, reducing latency. Additionally, Multicast–Broadcast Services (MBS) with one-tomany communication is a functionality commonly used in V2X communications. 10) UE Density | Terminal Density represents the number of UEs within a determined physical area. These attributes are affected by the same functionalities as the following attributes. Therefore, the next paragraph explains all of them together. VOLUME 12, 2024 77693 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices 11) Number of active UE | Maximum Number of PDU Sessions define the number of active UEs concurrently connected. In high UE density scenarios, typically involving Reduced Capabilities (RedCap) devices, certain functionalities take into account UEs with low throughput or sparse transmissions. For instance, SR configuration determines the SR transmission periodicity and impacts the number of connected UEs to the same cell. A lower SR periodicity limits the number of active UEs due to congestion in control plane resources. Multi User-MIMO (MUMIMO) enhances terminal density enabling antennas to communicate simultaneously with multiple UEs, optimizing time and spectrum resources. The inactive state allows UEs to conserve energy and network resources while maintaining a PDU session, increasing the number of UEs in a limited space. Combining the inactive state with Small Data Transmission (SDT) allows UEs to transmit small data packets without transitioning to the active state, further reducing network resource consumption and increasing connection density. The Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF) controls the number of UEs connected to the network through a slice, specifying the maximum number of active UEs. 12) Battery lifetime | energy efficiency is affected by the following functionalities. The inactive state allows UEs to minimize control communication while retaining a PDU session during inactivity periods, reducing the energy wasted on maintaining a network connection. SDT enables periodic transmission of small packets while UEs are in the inactive state. Transitioning to the idle state can decrease energy consumption even more, but UE loses PDU session, requiring a more energyintensive and time-consuming reconnection process compared to the process from the inactive state. The choice between these states depends on the use case’s latency requirements and transmission periodicity, as each state offers advantages over the other in certain scenarios, balancing energy efficiency with the need for maintaining connectivity. RedCap enables UEs with limited capabilities to use a 5G network, using hardware and software optimizations to minimize power consumption. Meanwhile, BA allows UEs with low throughput requirements to use a portion of the spectrum available in the cell. For instance, by using a narrower bandwidth, such as 20 MHz instead of a wider bandwidth like 100 MHz, UEs can reduce energy consumption. Additionally, BA involves reducing the maximum number of MIMO layers, enabling UEs to operate with fewer MIMO layers. This deactivates unused antennas, further decreasing energy consumption. DRX organizes time into cycles, each comprising online and offline duration. During the offline period, UEs can deactivate antennas, only activating them during the online phase to monitor the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for new messages. This reduces the energy spent on monitoring PDCCH. With WUS, power savings are further enhanced as UEs only monitor the wake-up signal, which is much shorter than the DRX online duration. Upon receiving the WUS signal, UEs perform a normal DRX cycle to receive control channel information from the network. Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement relaxation enables UEs to skip monitoring signals from neighbour cells when stationary or at the centre of cell coverage, conserving energy expended on such monitoring. Mobile Initiated Connection Only (MICO) allows UEs in the idle state to not monitor network control channels, reducing UE energy consumption when transmitting sparse messages, such as one message per day. However, all downlink communications must tolerate delays since the UE will not receive downlink messages between transmissions. 13) Delay Tolerance refers to scenarios where transmission timing is not critical, allowing UEs to transmit when sufficient network resources are available or prioritize energy savings over latency. In such cases, UEs can disable communication or disconnect from the network without impacting the use case. Technologies like DRX, WUS, Non-GBR QoS Flow, RedCap, inactive state, and idle state, are suitable functionalities for delay-tolerant communications. MICO ensures UEs transmit only when necessary, prioritizing energy saving over latency. However, for MICO to be effective, asynchronous type communication support and high-latency communication are required, allowing the network to store downlink control and user plane packets while UE is inaccessible. Low-priority ARP with pre-emption vulnerability allocates resources based on priority, ensuring highpriority communications receive resources when necessary. Conversely, delay-tolerant use cases transmit during off-peak hours, using unused resources in the 5G network. 14) Availability is impacted by ARP, which determines the access priority to network resources. ARP can prioritize critical end devices with pre-emption capability and high priority, ensuring they have communication when necessary. In contrast, non-critical devices are assigned pre-emption vulnerability and lower priority, giving them access to the network when it is not congested. When pre-emption vulnerability and capability are disabled, ARP decides the resource allocation among multiple UEs simultaneously requesting resources. In such cases, high-priority UEs are prioritized but cannot preempt allocated resources. 15) Number of UEs | Maximum Number of UEs indicates the number of UEs attached to the network. UEs in the Radio Resource Control_Connected 77694 VOLUME 12, 2024 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices (RRC_CONNECTED) and RRC_INACTIVE states maintain active PDU sessions, while those in the RRC_IDLE state are attached to the network without an active communication session. However, being attached facilitates the establishment of PDU sessions. NSACF directly impacts this attribute by specifying the maximum number of UEs associated with a network slice. Additionally, ARP allows UEs with sporadic periodic communications to preempt resources from UEs that are delay-tolerant but have more frequent communication. Consequently, UEs with sparse communication temporarily preempt resources for their transmission, releasing them immediately after transmission. 16) UE Speed/Mobility Level encompasses both quantitative (speed) and qualitative (mobility) aspects of velocity. When UE mobility level ranges from stationary to limited within a cell’s range, RRM measurement relaxation can be used. In such scenarios, UEs do not need to perform handovers, thus eliminating the need to track neighbour cells. However, for UE mobility levels varying from nomadic to restricted or full mobility, the Automatic neighbour cell relation function plays a crucial role in facilitating the handover process, thereby mitigating any adverse impact on communication performance. Additionally, defining the Session and Service Continuity (SSC) value is essential, but the value depends on specific use case requirements. SSC offers three configurations: In Mode 1, the UE maintains the PDU session with the same UPF regardless of the access network used; in Mode 2, the network releases the PDU session while instructing the UE to establish a new connection immediately; and in Mode 3, the network and the UE collaboratively establish a new PDU session before releasing the old PDU session. 17) Range (A) | Coverage Area (B) is context-dependent and can be configured using several functionalities. These include: Local Area Data Network (LADN), which specifies the area of slice operation, Forbidden Area, which identifies regions where UEs cannot access the network via any technology, and service area restriction, which determines areas where UEs cannot use the NR network but can use other technologies. When specifying the maximum distance between UE and gNodeB Coverage enhancement can be used. Coverage Enhancement involves configuring gNodeB to extend network coverage, which is useful in locations where antenna deployment is challenging or impossible. Additionally, Lower Modulation Schemes can enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, improving reliability or coverage, but reducing throughput. For example, Pi/2-BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying) is the lowest modulation scheme that maximizes gNodeB coverage. 18) Message Size | UL/DL Maximum Packet Size is directly shaped by the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) size, which defines the maximum packet size in the communication between UE and PDU session anchor UPF (PSA-UPF). Packets larger than the MTU size are segmented during transmission. Additionally, for Delay-critical GBR QoS Flows, the Maximum Data Burst Volume defines how much data the access network must support while maintaining performance requirements during a PDB period, indirectly establishing the maximum message size the UE can transmit while maintaining required transmission KPIs. 19) Positioning is provided by the 5G Network Positioning functionality. This feature offers various configurations including position precision, frequency of position measurements, and whether it uses relative or absolute precision. 20) Synchronization | Synchronicity in 5G is provided by synchronization mechanisms, which encompass time synchronization, aligning all clocks with a universal timing standard, and frequency synchronization, ensuring uniform time intervals across devices, but absolute time may vary between devices. Synchronization configurations also specify the protocol utilized and the precision level provided. 21) Slice Simultaneous Use is managed through the Network Slice Simultaneous Usage Group (NSSRG). The NSSRG maintains a list of slices that can be used simultaneously. If the list within NSSRG is empty, UEs cannot connect to multiple slices simultaneously. 22) Security and Isolation can be enforced through UP integrity and confidentiality protection, ensuring the security of user plane communication within the network. While these configurations only affect internal 5G network traffic, mechanisms like LADN can provide additional isolation by restricting network operations to defined areas, creating local networks. LADN in conjunction with Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) or similar technologies, allows verticals to confine network traffic within their premises, isolating their user plane from external networks, even when the 5G control plane is provided by the operator’s infrastructure. 23) Functionalities without attribute (highlighted in red in Figure 2)have no association because their impact may be difficult to characterize by a single attribute, or because the attributes available are too generic to capture their effects. For instance, the user experience data rate is indirectly influenced by most functionalities. The Supplementary UL/DL and Slot configuration adjust antenna uplink and downlink resource allocation according to the network’s requirements. Supplementary UL/DL requires a sub-3GHz spectrum band to expand the available bandwidth. Slot configuration defines the percentage of spectrum resources allocated for uplink and downlink within a Time Division Duplexing (TDD) antenna. VOLUME 12, 2024 77695 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices TABLE 11. Glossary. difference between the throughput of the RLC and MAC layers. Motion control has a higher discrepancy in the throughput due to the uplink preallocation, which prompts UEs to transmit a dummy packet in allocated slots that are not used. Consequently, this leads to higher throughput in the uplink MAC layer, increasing energy usage during communication, which results in energy consumption similar to Robotic Aided Surgery despite having much lower throughput. Moreover, the energy consumption of Robotic aided surgery is notably reduced due to DRX, which temporarily deactivates end device antennas during the offline part of the cycle. VIII. CONCLUSION The work presented in this document constitutes a cornerstone within a broader endeavour focused on automating network slice deployment in 5G networks. This undertaking began with a comprehensive understanding of various 5G functionalities and an assessment of their impact on communication [2]. This paper complements previous work by addressing the crucial step of mapping these functionalities to communication parameters, serving as the foundation for the final objective of developing a network slice manager capable of automating network slice deployment. Considering the comprehensive nature of the work, encompassing the entire endeavour in a single document would substantially increase its size compared to the current one. Moreover, the contributions provided contain significant information for other researchers and technology developers to pursue their ideas in developing a vertical-oriented network slice manager. 77702 VOLUME 12, 2024 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices APPENDIX 5G FUNCTIONALITIES BRIEF DESCRIPTION The terms functionality and feature are used in this document to encompass various configurable aspects of 5G, including QoS parameters, RAN and core configurations, and other related technologies. This terminology is employed to simplify the comprehension of the document and to refer collectively to any technology, QoS parameter of 5G configuration presented below. The 5G functionalities described below are based on R17 specifications outlined in various 3GPP documents, including [29],[30],[31],[32],[33], and [34]. Please note that some functionalities may be dependent on the values of others, such as PER and PDB, which depend on the QoS Flow type. However, for brevity, these differences are not described here. The descriptions provided offer a concise overview of each functionality. 1) QoS Flow type Each 5G communication must be associated with one of three types of QoS Flow. These QoS flows can be categorized as follows: (i) Non-GBR, normal communication without throughput guarantees; (ii) GBR, the network ensures a predefined throughput for communication; and (iii) Delay-critical GBR, in addition to throughput guarantees, this type also ensures a predefined latency for communication. 2) UL/DL UE-AMBR (Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate) This parameter defines the maximum bit rate for all NonGBR QoS Flows of a UE. 3) UL/DL UE-Slice-MBR (UE per Slice-Maximum Bit Rate) This parameter defines the bit rate limit for all PDU Sessions of a UE within a slice. 4) UL/DL Session-AMBR This parameter defines the maximum bit rate for all Non-GBR QoS Flows associated with a single PDU Session of a UE. 5) Guaranteed Flow Bit Rate (GFBR) This parameter defines the assured bit rate that the network reserves for a QoS Flow. 6) Maximum Flow Bit Rate (MFBR) defines the maximum bit rate that a QoS flow can use. 7) Average window This parameter defines the time window used by the RAN to enforce MFBR, GFBR, and AMBR. 8) Resources Isolation and Management This functionality enables the allocation of resources to a specific slice. These resources are exclusively available for use by the slice, allowing for specialized customization, or they can belong to a shared pool, with the slice having prioritized access. 9) 256/1024QAM This functionality represents the highest modulation schemes supported in the network, enabling the transmission of more bits per slot. While it increases throughput, it sacrifices transmission robustness. 10) SU-MIMO This functionality increases spatial multiplexing of transmission by using multiple antennas at both ends of the transmission. These additional antennas can improve signal demodulation, reducing packet loss, or they can be used for spatial multiplexing, thereby multiplying the transmission throughput. 11) Multiple Transmission/Reception Point (multi-TRP) This functionality enables a UE to transmit and receive the same information through different TRPs. These TRPs can be from the same cell or from two adjacent intra-frequency cells. 12) Dual connectivity This functionality enables UEs to connect to two different RANs with disjoint paths, allowing the transmission of the same information through two different networks. 13) Interference Management This functionality enables mechanisms to reduce or avoid interference caused by cells or UEs using the same spectrum. 14) High-reliability DCI format This functionality uses configurations with higher reliability in the control channel for uplink and downlink scheduling. 15) Low BLER MCS and CQI Table These tables are designed to achieve a BLER error of 10−5by employing 64QAM MCS tables with reduced spectral efficiency. 16) Packet Error Rate (PER) This parameter sets the maximum allowable rate of packet lost in transmission for a GBR QoS Flow. For delay-critical GBR, it represents the upper limit of the total number of lost packets, including those that are not received and those that arrive after the PDB. 17) Packet Delay Budget (PDB) This parameter specifies the maximum latency allowed for communication between the UE and the last UPF in a QoS Flow. 18) PDCP Duplication This functionality involves sending the same packet two times simultaneously to increase the likelihood of successful transmission, thereby reducing packet loss. 19) LCP (Logical Channel Prioritization) restrictions This feature limits logical channels to use specific resources. It enables the allocation of resources that are less affected by noise or have lower transmission latency to critical services or those with more demanding requirements in terms of latency or packet loss. 20) Priority Level This parameter defines the priority in scheduling resources among different QoS Flows. 21) PDCP Out-of-order Delivery This functionality permits the RAN’s PDCP layer to forward unordered packets, reducing the latency of subsequent packets when a packet is lost in transmission. 22) SR (Scheduling request) configuration This functionality defines how UEs request resources for user plane transmission, including the periodicity and priority of these requests. 23) Configured grant This functionality enables the periodic reservation of transmission slots that a UE can utilize for transmission. Consequently, UEs do not need VOLUME 12, 2024 77703 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices to send an SR to transmit in the reserved slots allocated by configured grants. 24) Transmission modes This functionality specifies whether transmission in the RLC and PDCP layer uses Acknowledged (AM) or Unacknowledged mode (UM), indicating whether the RAN needs to acknowledge successful packet transmission. 25) Time Sensitive Communication (TSC) This functionality uses configured grants, semi-persistent scheduling, or dynamic grants, along with delay-critical QoS Flows, to provide a more efficient schedule for periodic traffic. 26) Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) This functionality utilizes slot reservation, time synchronization, and other technologies to ensure a transmission slot is available along the entire path when UE needs to transmit. 27) PDU session type This defines the type of PDU session used in the connection, which can be IP, Ethernet, or Unstructured. 28) PDCP SDU discard This feature sets a timer in which the RAN attempts to transmit each packet. If the packet is not successfully transmitted during this timer, it is discarded. 29) NR Sidelink This functionality enables direct communication between UEs, reducing latency in D2D (deviceto-device) communication. 30) V2X This functionality uses multiple network features to optimize the network for vehicular communications. 31) MU-MIMO This functionality increases spatial multiplexing of transmission by using multiple antennas at the gNodeB side, allowing it to communicate with multiple UEs simultaneously using the same time and frequency resources. 32) Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF) This functionality monitors and controls the number of UEs and/or the number of PDU sessions per network slice. 33) Enable inactive state This functionality allows UEs to maintain a dormant state while remaining connected to the network. This intermediate state facilitates reduced energy consumption when the UE is not transmitting, while still enabling a quick resumption of connection when a new transmission is necessary. 34) Small Data Transmission (SDT) This feature facilitates the transmission of small packets when UEs are in the RRC_INACTIVE state. 35) Reduce Capabilities (RedCap) utilizes several of the mentioned features to enable RedCap UEs to connect to the network. These reduced capability UEs sacrifice performances in several network parameters to minimize energy consumption. 36) Bandwidth Adaptation (BA) enables UEs that require small bandwidth to only use a portion of the available Bandwidth Part (BWP) of the antenna for communication, rather than utilizing the entire bandwidth. 37) Reduced maximum number of MIMO layers lowers the number of MIMO layers, requiring fewer active antennas for UE communication and reducing UE energy consumption. 38) DRX (Discontinuous Reception) defines cycles during which UE only monitor control channels for part of the cycle, deactivating antennas for the remainder of the cycle. 39) WUS (Wake-Up Signal) further reduces the time UE antennas remain active compared to DRX. In this mode, UE only monitors the WUS signal during each cycle. Upon receiving the WUS signal, it initiates a normal DRX cycle in the subsequent cycle. 40) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement relaxation allows UEs to stop measuring neighbour cells’ signals when they are stationary and/or outside the cell edge. 41) Mobile Initiated Connection Only (MICO) ensures that UEs do not listen to control channels while in idle states, allowing only UEs to initiate communication by requesting a change to the connected state. The network sends control or user plane messages only when the UE is in the connected state. 42) Asynchronous Type Communication permits the AMF to update the session context while the UE is idle, transmitting the changes to the UE when it re-enters the connected state. 43) High Latency communication utilizes buffering downlink data in the UPF, SMF, or Network Exposure Function (NEF) when communication is not feasible, such as when the UE is unreachable due to enabled power-saving mechanism. 44) Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) determines the importance of each QoS Flow when a UE attempts to access the network. It also specifies whether a connection has pre-emption capability or vulnerability. Communications with higher priority and pre-emption capability can preempt resources from less critical communication with pre-emption vulnerability. 45) Automatic neighbour cell relation function simplifies the task of configuring neighbour cells. This function enables the gNodeB to automatically add and remove neighbour cells from a table used to facilitate handover processes, thereby enhancing its efficiency. 46) SSC (Sessions and Service Continuity) determines the behaviour of the PDU session during handovers and whether the session can be maintained. If the session cannot be maintained, a new PDU session must be established for the UE to keep access to the network. 47) LADN (Local Area Data Network) can be used to confine a specific data network to a defined area, ensuring that the network is not accessible outside of it. 48) Forbidden Area completely restricts access to any type of access network for the UE in the defined area. 77704 VOLUME 12, 2024 A. Perdigão et al.: Toward the Realization of Vertical Slices 49) Service Area Restriction can be used to define the areas where a UE can or cannot connect to the network. In the non-allowed areas, the UE can still access the network through a non-3GPP access network. 50) Coverage Enhancement increases the coverage area a cell can provide for 5G services by adjusting functionalities such as increasing PUSCH repetitions and the number of slots used to transmit a single block of data. 51) Pi/2-BPSK is the lowest modulation scheme that can be used when it is necessary to maximize the transmission distance between the UE and the cell. 52) MTU (Maximum Transfer Unit) size defines the maximum size of a packet transmitted between UPF and UE. 53) UL/DL Maximum Data Burst Volume defines the maximum data burst of a Delay-critical QoS Flow during a PDB duration. 54) Positioning provides the location of a UE. This position can be absolute or relative to the antenna’s location. 55) Synchronization ensures that the difference in clock time or clock frequency of network equipment remains in an acceptable error range. 56) Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group (NSSRG) contains the information of which slices the UE can simultaneously access. 57) Supplementary UL or DL increases 5G network spectrum by using sub-3GHz spectrum, to increase the UL or DL bandwidth. 58) Slot configuration defines resource allocation between UL and DL in a TDD cell. 59) UP (user plane) integrity protection defines if integrity protection is applied over the RAN. 60) UP confidentiality protection defines if confidentiality protection is applied over the RAN. 61) Multicast and Broadcast Services (MBS) permits the transmission of a single packet to multiple devices, using the same network resources, reducing resources spent in one-to-many communications. This communication can be to everyone in the network (broadcast) or to a specific group of UEs (multicast). 62) 3GPP PS data off can be used to restrict the number of services a UE can use. When this is enabled, UEs are only allowed to access the list of services defined in the 3GPP Data Off Exemption Services. 63) Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) permits capable UEs to become an IAB-UE functioning as an extended gNodeB providing network coverage around it. This IAB-UE can increase the network coverage where there is no cable connection or in case of coverage failure due to gNodeB in the area being down. The IABUE instead uses a 5G wireless connection to connect to the core, instead of a wired connection as usual gNodeBs. 64) Frame Routing permits a 5G end-device to work as a gateway, while the devices connected through this gateway, receive a full 5G network connection without having 5G radio capabilities. 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[23] 5GDN@Smart Grid White Paper: Requirements, Technologies, and Practices, 5G Deterministic Netw. Alliance, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://pmo32e887-pic2.ysjianzhan.cn/upload/the5GDN@SmartGrid WhitePaper.pdf [24] Service Requirements for Cyber-Physical Control Applications in Vertical Domains, document 22.104, Version 17.7.0, 3GPP, 2020. [25] 5G Network Slicing Enabling the Smart Grid, 5G Deterministic Netw. Alliance, Jun. 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www-file.huawei. com/-/media/CORPORATE/PDF/News/5g-network-slicing-enabling-thesmart-grid.pdf [26] Service-Level Specifications (SLSS) for 5G Technology-Enabled Connected Industries, 5G Alliance Connected Industries Automat., Sep. 2021. [Online]. Available: https://5g-acia.org/whitepapers/servicelevel-specifications-slss-for-5g-technology-enabled-connected-industries/ [27] Management and Orchestration; 5G Network Resource Model (NRM), 3GPP, document 28.541, Version 17.10.0, 2023. [28] Aspects;management and Orchestration; 5G End to End Key Performance Indicators (KPI), document 28.554, Version 17.9.0, 3GPP, 2023. [29] System Architecture for the 5G System (5GS), document 23.501, Version 17.8.0, 3GPP, 2023. [30] NR; Physical Layer Procedures for Control, document 38.213, Version 17.5.0, 3GPP, 2023. [31] NR; NR and NG-RAN Overall Description, document 38.300, Version 17.4.0, 3GPP, 2023. [32] NR; Physical Channels and Modulation, document 38.211, Version 17.4.0, 3GPP, 2022. [33] Architecture Enhancements for V2X Services, document 23.285, Version 17.1.0, 3GPP, 2022. [34] NR; Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Specification, document 38.323, Version 17.4.0, 3GPP, 2023. ANDRÉ PERDIGÃO received the M.S. degree in electronic and telecommunications from the University of Aveiro, in 2018, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering. He was a Junior Researcher with the Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), from 2016 and 2017, where he has been a Researcher, since 2018. During this time, he was with different communication technologies, such as Wi-Fi, LoRa, SDN, 2G, 802.11p, and 5G; and with different industrial networks and technologies. He was involved in designing and planning of PASMO and 5GAIner Networks. He has implemented, deployed, and maintained the 5GAIner Networks. He has contributed to several projects, such as PASMO, 5GASP, 5Growth, Augmanity, Imagine-B5G, and 5GAIner. In the last years, he was focused on optimizing industrial communication systems based on 5G, more focused on QoS and slicing, but analyzing any functionality of 5G that can be used in I4.0. JOSÉ QUEVEDO (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree in telecommunications from the MAP-Tele Doctoral Program in Telecommunications, in 2020. His early research activities were focused on information-centric networking (ICN) approaches for supporting the Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios. This work, conducted with the Telecommunications and Networking–Av Group (TN-Av), Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT-Av) and the University of Aveiro (UA), Portugal, has been disseminated in book chapters, conference and journal papers, and as contributions to open-source software. He has been involved in the different stages of several research projects (e.g., H2020 5Growth, H2020 5GASP, and HE Imagine-B5G). Further, he has involved in the academy by working as an Invited Adjunct Professor with the University of Aveiro– Águeda School of Technology and Management (ESTGA). Currently, he is the Executive Manager of the 5GAIner Laboratory and a Senior Researcher with IT-Av, working in the areas related to networking protocols, network programmability, and 5G and beyond systems. RUI L. AGUIAR (Senior Member, IEEE) is currently a Full Professor with the Universidade de Aveiro. He was the Founder of the ATNOG Research Group, an advanced telecommunication research group with the Universidade de Aveiro. He is currently co-coordinating a research line with the Instituto de Telecomunicações, on the area of networks and services. He has been an advisory for the Portuguese Secretaria de Estado das Comunicações and a member of the task force for 5G cybersecurity. He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of ACM. He has served as the Portugal Chapter Chair for IEEE Communications Society and has been serving as the Steering Board Chair for Networld Europe and the European ETP, representing the telecommunications community, engaged in the discussions of the future European research and development work programs for telecommunications. As further community engagement, he has served as the Technical and General (Co)Chair for several conferences (ICNS, ICT, ISCC, Mobiarch, Monami, and NTMS). He is a regular keynote speaker in the future of mobile communications and digital society, with dozens of talks across the whole world. He is an Associate Editor of Emerging Telecommunication Technologies (Wiley) and Wireless Networks (Springer). 77706 VOLUME 12, 2024