Network slicing is an end-to-end concept covering all 5G network segments, including radio access, core, transport, and edge networks.
In a 5G network, the underlying cloud infrastructure (physical, virtual or even emulated resources, RAN resources, etc.), that are bundled together to meet the requirements of a specific use case, e.g., bandwidth, latency, processing, and resiliency, coupled with a business purpose.”
Network slicing allows multiple logical networks to simultaneously run on top of a shared physical network infrastructure across multiple domains and technologies to create tenant or service-specific networks. It aims for building dedicated logical networks that exhibit functional architectures customized to the respective telco services, e.g., eMBB, uRLLC, mMTC, etc. From a business point of view, a slice includes a combination of all the relevant network resources, network functions, service functions and enablers required to fulfill a specific business case or service, including OSS and BSS.
A pictorial representation of the Network Slice concept is given below:
Source: altran