阅读说明：本技术 电信网络 (Telecommunications network ) 是由 A·科斯顿-皮特里 M·奎瓦斯·拉米雷斯 于 2020-01-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了在电信网络中建立多域网络切片的方法和实现该方法的网络节点,电信网络是第一网络域和第二网络域的互联网络,其中,第一网络域和第二网络域属于不同网络类型,网络类型是接入网络、回程网络和核心网络中的一者,其中,网络节点包括存储关于在第一网络域和第二网络域中建立的多个网络切片的数据的网络切片数据库,该方法包括以下步骤：网络节点接收指示在第一网络域和第二网络域中建立的多个网络切片的变化的数据,并且作为响应,更新网络切片数据库；网络节点从第一网络接收跨第一网络域和第二网络域建立多域网络切片的请求,多域网络切片使用在第一网络的网络节点的第一集合上的第一网络切片以及在第二网络的网络节点的第二集合上工作的第二网络切片,其中,请求包括多域网络切片的要求数据；网络节点通过以下操作识别第二网络切片：从网络切片数据库取回第二网络切片的网络切片能力数据,该网络切片能力数据指示第二网络切片的针对一个或更多个度量的能力,将取回的第二网络切片的网络切片能力数据与多域网络切片的要求数据进行比较,以及基于比较选择第二网络切片；以及网络节点利用第二网络切片的标识符对请求进行响应。(The present invention provides a method of establishing a multi-domain network slice in a telecommunications network and a network node implementing the method, the telecommunications network being an internetwork of a first network domain and a second network domain, wherein the first network domain and the second network domain belong to different network types, the network type being one of an access network, a backhaul network and a core network, wherein the network node comprises a network slice database storing data on a plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain, the method comprising the steps of: the network node receiving data indicative of a change in a plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain and, in response, updating the network slice database; the network node receiving a request from a first network to establish a multi-domain network slice across the first network domain and a second network domain, the multi-domain network slice using a first network slice on a first set of network nodes of the first network and a second network slice operating on a second set of network nodes of the second network, wherein the request includes requirements data for the multi-domain network slice; the network node identifies a second network slice by: retrieving network slice capability data for a second network slice from a network slice database, the network slice capability data indicating a capability of the second network slice for one or more metrics, comparing the retrieved network slice capability data for the second network slice to requirement data for a multi-domain network slice, and selecting the second network slice based on the comparison; and the network node responding to the request with an identifier of the second network slice.)

1. A method of establishing a multi-domain network slice in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network being an internetwork of a first network domain and a second network domain, wherein the first network domain and the second network domain belong to different network types, the network type being one of an access network, a backhaul network and a core network, wherein a network node comprises a network slice database storing data on a plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain, the method comprising the steps of:

the network node receiving data indicative of changes to the plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain and, in response, updating the network slice database;

the network node receiving, from one of a first set of network nodes in the first network domain, a request to establish a multi-domain network slice across the first network domain and the second network domain, the multi-domain network slice using a first network slice operating on one or more network nodes in the first set of network nodes of the first network domain and a second network slice operating on one or more network nodes in a second set of network nodes of the second network domain, wherein the request includes requirements data for one or more attributes of the multi-domain network slice;

the network node identifies the second network slice by:

retrieving network slice capability data for the second network slice from the network slice database, the network slice capability data indicating capabilities of the second network slice for the one or more attributes,

comparing the retrieved network slice capability data of the second network slice with the requirement data of the multi-domain network slice, and

selecting the second network slice based on the comparison; and

the network node responds to the request with an identifier of the second network slice.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network node is located remotely from the first network domain and the second network domain.

3. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the request further comprises network slice capability data for the first network slice for the one or more attributes, and the comparing step comprises comparing the requirement data for the one or more attributes of the multi-domain network slice to a sum of: 1) capability data for the one or more attributes for the first network slice and 2) retrieved network slice capability data for the one or more attributes for the second network slice.

4. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the request further comprises a weight associated with each attribute, and the step of comparing the capabilities of the second network slice for the one or more attributes with the requirements data for the one or more attributes uses the weights associated with each attribute.

5. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the first network is operated by a first network operator and the second network is operated by a second network operator.

6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the network node identifies the second and third network slices by:

retrieving network slice capability data for the second network slice and a third network slice from the network slice database, the network slice capability data indicating a capability of the second network slice for the one or more attributes and a capability of the third network slice for the one or more attributes,

comparing the retrieved network slice capability data of the second network slice and the third network slice with the requirement data of the multi-domain network slice, and

selecting the second network slice and the third network slice based on the comparison,

and the step of the network node responding to the request comprises identifiers of both the second network slice and the third network slice.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third network slice belongs to a third network domain, and the first network domain and the third network domain belong to different network types, and third network domain is one of the access network type, the backhaul network type, and the core network type.

8. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the telecommunications network is a cellular telecommunications network and the first and second network domains are of different network types, the network type being one of a radio access network, a backhaul network and a core network.

9. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when said program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of any preceding claim.

10. A computer-readable data carrier having stored thereon a computer program as claimed in claim 9.

11. A network node for establishing a multi-domain network slice in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network being an internetwork of a first network domain and a second network domain, wherein the first network domain and the second network domain belong to different network types, the network type being one of an access network, a backhaul network and a core network, the network node comprising:

a memory including a network slice database storing data regarding a plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain;

a transceiver configured to receive:

data indicative of a change in the plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain, an

A request from one of a first set of network nodes in the first network domain to establish a multi-domain network slice across the first network domain and the second network domain, the multi-domain network slice using a first network slice operating on one or more network nodes in the first set of network nodes of the first network domain and a second network slice operating on one or more network nodes in a second set of network nodes of the second network domain, wherein the request includes requirements data for one or more attributes of the multi-domain network slice; and

a processor configured to:

updating the network slice database in response to the data indicating the change to the plurality of network slices, and further configured to:

identifying the second network slice by:

retrieving network slice capability data for the second network slice from the network slice database, the network slice capability data indicating capabilities of the second network slice for the one or more attributes,

comparing the retrieved network slice capability data of the second network slice with the requirement data of the multi-domain network slice, and

selecting the second network slice based on the comparison;

wherein the transceiver is further configured to respond to the request with an identifier of the second network slice.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to telecommunications networks.

Background

Conventional telecommunications networks use dedicated hardware and software components that perform specific tasks. This allows network operators to have fine control over their infrastructure so that it can be carefully planned and deployed. However, this is also inflexible, such that all parts of the infrastructure must provide services for all forms of services (e.g. voice, file transfer, device-to-device communication) rather than being customized to provide the best configuration for a particular service. To solve this problem, a technique called network slicing (network slicing) is introduced.

Network slicing is a technique to create differentiated logical networks on a common infrastructure. Network slicing allows the network infrastructure to be optimized for a particular service, end user, or network operator by deploying specially configured or customized network functions on virtualized hardware, software controlled networks, and/or custom physical hardware. This may be performed for one or more network functions across one or more nodes in a network including an access network, a backhaul network, and a core network. In doing so, a set of logical network functions (and the virtual network connecting them) may be grouped into network slices that utilize virtualized network functions on one or more nodes in the network, software controlled networks, and/or customized physical hardware. The individual network slices may then be configured (e.g., by configuring individual virtual functions of the network slices) such that the individual network slices are optimized for a particular use case. For example, in a cellular network, a first network slice for an autonomous driving vehicle application may be configured on one or more nodes in the cellular network to provide ultra-high reliability and ultra-low latency services, and other network slices configured for other applications may also be run on the same node through other virtual functions.

The complete cellular network is the internetwork of radio access networks, backhaul networks and (mobile) core networks. Further, the core network may have a forward connection to other networks, such as the internet or application hosting domains (such as public or private data centers). In order to implement network slicing across all networks (i.e., "end-to-end" slicing), network slicing must maintain consistent attributes across these networks to meet the requirements of the required service. This is relatively simple to implement if the radio access network, backhaul network and core network are all implemented by a single operator, but in a multi-operator scenario (such as the radio access network owned by a first operator and the backhaul network owned by a second operator), there may be problems because the network slice attributes and/or identifiers may be different between operators. Possible solutions to this problem include standardization of network slicing capabilities and identifiers. However, this may limit flexibility.

Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce some or all of the above problems.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of establishing a multi-domain network slice in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network being an internetwork of a first network domain and a second network domain, wherein the first network domain and the second network domain belong to different network types, the network type being one of an access network, a backhaul network and a core network, wherein a network node comprises a network slice database storing data on a plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain, the method comprising the steps of: the network node receiving data indicative of a change in a plurality of network slices established in the first network domain and the second network domain and, in response, updating the network slice database; the network node receiving a request from a first network to establish a multi-domain network slice across the first network and a second network, the multi-domain network slice using a first network slice on a first set of network nodes of the first network and a second network slice operating on a second set of network nodes of the second network, wherein the request includes requirements data for the multi-domain network slice; the network node identifies a second network slice by: retrieving network slice capability data for a second network slice from a network slice database, the network slice capability data indicating a capability of the second network slice for one or more metrics, comparing the retrieved network slice capability data for the second network slice to requirement data for a multi-domain network slice, and selecting the second network slice based on the comparison; and the network node responding to the request with an identifier of the second network slice.

The network node may have a database storing data about a plurality of network slices in the first network and the second network. The network node may be independent of the first network and the second network.

The request may also include network slice capability data for the first network slice for the one or more metrics, and the comparing step may include comparing a sum of: 1) capability data for one or more metrics for a first network slice and 2) retrieved network slice capability data for one or more metrics for a second network slice.

The request may also include weights associated with the respective metrics, and the step of comparing the capabilities of the second network slice for the one or more metrics to the set of requirements for the one or more metrics may use the weights associated with the respective metrics.

The first network may be operated by a first network operator and the second network may be operated by a second network operator.

The network node may identify the second network slice and the third network slice by: retrieving network slice capability data for the second network slice and the third network slice, the network slice capability data indicating capabilities of the second network slice for the one or more metrics and capabilities of the third network slice for the one or more metrics, comparing the retrieved network slice capability data for the second network slice and the third network slice to requirement data for the multi-domain network slice, and selecting the second network slice and the third network slice based on the comparison; and the step of the network node responding to the request comprises identifiers of both the second network slice and the third network slice.

The second network slice and the third network slice may belong to a second network domain and a third network domain, respectively, wherein the first network domain and the third network domain may belong to different network types, and the third network domain may be one of a radio access network type, a backhaul network type, and a core network type.

The telecommunications network may be a cellular network.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect of the invention. The computer program may be stored on a computer readable data carrier.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network node for establishing a multi-domain network slice in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network being an internetwork of a first network domain and a second network domain, wherein the first network domain and the second network domain belong to different network types, the network type being one of an access network, a backhaul network and a core network, wherein the network node comprises: a memory including a network slice database storing data regarding a plurality of network slices established in a first network domain and a second network domain; a transceiver configured to receive: data indicating a change in a plurality of network slices established in the first and second network domains, and a request from one of a first set of network nodes in the first network domain to establish a multi-domain network slice across the first and second network domains, the multi-domain network slice using a first network slice operating on one or more network nodes in the first set of network nodes of the first network domain and a second network slice operating on one or more network nodes in a second set of network nodes of the second network domain, wherein the request includes requirement data for one or more attributes of the multi-domain network slice; and a processor configured to: in response to the data indicating the change to the plurality of network slices, updating a network slice database, and further configured to: identifying a second network slice by: retrieving network slice capability data for a second network slice from a network slice database, the network slice capability data indicating a capability of the second network slice for one or more attributes, comparing the retrieved network slice capability data for the second network slice to requirement data for a multi-domain network slice, and selecting the second network slice based on the comparison; wherein the transceiver is further configured to respond to the request with an identifier of the second network slice.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a cellular telecommunications network of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating several network slices on the cellular telecommunications network of fig. 1;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a network slice mapping node of the cellular network of fig. 1; and

fig. 4 is a flow chart of a first embodiment of the method of the present invention.

Detailed Description

A first embodiment of the cellular telecommunications network 1 of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 illustrates first and second radio access networks 110, 210, first and second backhaul networks 130, 230, and first and second core networks 150, 250. In this embodiment, the respective radio access networks, backhaul networks and core networks are operated by different Network Operators (NOs). The complete cellular network may be formed as an interconnection network between the first radio access network 110 or the second radio access network 210 and the first backhaul network 130 or the second backhaul network 230 and the first core network 150 or the second core network 250. Fig. 1 illustrates a plurality of connections between respective radio access networks and respective backhaul networks and between respective backhaul networks and respective core networks. A User Equipment (UE) may connect to either the first radio access network 110 or the second radio access network 210 to receive voice and data services. Although not shown, the first core network 150 and the second core network 250 have forward connections to other networks (e.g., the internet).

Fig. 1 also illustrates a network slice mapping node 10. The purpose and operation of the network slice mapping node 10 will become clear upon review of the following description.

The first and second radio access networks 110, 210, the first and second backhaul networks 130, 230, and the first and second core networks 150, 250 comprise one or more network nodes configured to implement network slicing. Thus, each network may implement a Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture such that virtual machines may be established on one or more of these network nodes and/or include dedicated physical hardware for a particular network slice. These virtual machines and/or dedicated physical hardware may then be customized for a particular use case (such as for a particular service or a particular network operator) through appropriate configuration. In this embodiment, the first and second radio access networks 110, 210, the first and second backhaul networks 130, 230, and the first and second core networks 150, 250 each have a network slice management node with a database identifying individual network slices in the network domain. The database stores an identifier for each network slice and values for one or more attributes (e.g., capacity, latency, etc.) of each network slice.

To form a cellular network as an internetwork between radio access networks, backhaul networks and core networks, a network slice may be formed as a concatenation of domain-specific network slices in the radio access networks, backhaul networks and core network domains. This is referred to as an "end-to-end" network slice and is illustrated in fig. 2. For example, a first end-to-end network slice optimized for service type 1 (e.g., voice) may be formed as a combination of the network slice 110-2 in the first radio access network, the network slice 130-2 in the first backhaul network 130, and the network slice 150-2 in the first core network 150. The end-to-end network slice may then form a complete logical cellular network to serve the UEs connected to the first radio access network 110 with services optimized for voice. Similarly, a second end-to-end network slice optimized for service type 2 (e.g., virtual reality applications) may be established as a combination of the network slice 110-3 in the first radio access network 110, the network slice 230-2 in the second backhaul network 230, and the network slice 150-3 in the first core network 150. Although not shown in fig. 2, the second radio access network 210 and the second core network 250 also implement their respective sets of network slices, which may also be part of an end-to-end network slice via the first backhaul network or the second backhaul network. Further, each network may implement more network slices, and those shown in fig. 2 are for illustration purposes only.

The network slice mapping node 10 is shown in more detail in fig. 3. The network slice mapping node 10 comprises a transceiver 11, a memory 13 and a processor 15, all connected via a bus 17 for communication with the respective networks. The memory includes a network slice database that stores data related to all network slices established on the first radio access network 110, the second radio access network 210, the first backhaul network 130, the second backhaul network 230, the first core network 150, and the second core network 250, including an identifier of the network slice (used in the network domain) and values of one or more attributes of the network slice. The combination of the network identifier and the network slice identifier creates a global network slice identifier that distinguishes the network slice from any other network slice of any other network. The network slice mapping node 10 receives data from their network slice management nodes via the transceiver 11 and updates the database in the memory 13 when any change occurs in the network slice provisioning of the first radio access network 110, the second radio access network 210, the first backhaul network 130, the second backhaul network 230, the first core network 150 and the second core network 250, such as when a new network slice is established, when an identifier/attribute of an existing network slice is modified, or when a network slice is terminated. The processor 15 includes a network slice mapping function, which will be described in more detail in an embodiment of the method of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the first radio access network, the second radio access network, the first backhaul network, the second backhaul network, the first core network and the second core network implement the following network slices with the following identifiers and attributes:

table 1: illustrating a table of network slice-related data stored in a network slice mapping node database

A first embodiment of the method of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig. 4. In this embodiment, the first radio access network, the second radio access network, the first backhaul network, the second backhaul network, the first core network and the second core network have a network slice as indicated in table 1 above, and the network slice mapping node 10 maintains a database containing the information in table 1 above. This first embodiment involves the network slice management node of the first radio access network 110 establishing a new multi-domain network slice (i.e., across the radio access network domain, backhaul network domain, and core network domain such that it is an "end-to-end" slice) that will include (as one of its constituent network slices) the new network slice to be established on the first radio access network 110. The new multi-domain network slice will be established according to a set of requirements for one or more attributes. These attributes may include, for example, one or more of the following: control plane throughput per subscriber, user plane throughput per subscriber, latency, jitter, and/or number of subscribers. Further, these attributes may be network domain specific attributes such that values in the respective domains must satisfy a condition (e.g., the number of users in a core network slice must be less than x, while the number of users in a radio access slice must be less than y), and may be end-to-end cumulative attributes such that a sum value across all domains must satisfy a condition (e.g., the sum of the delay values of the respective radio access network domain, backhaul network domain, and core network domain must be less than z milliseconds).

In a first step (step S1), the network slice management node of the first radio access network 110 sends a request message to the network slice mapping node 10 requesting identifiers of one or more network slices in the backhaul network domain and one or more network slices in the core network domain that meet the requirements of the new multi-domain network slice. In this embodiment, the request therefore includes: an identifier of the first radio access network (i.e. 110), an identifier of a new network slice established on the first radio access network (i.e. 4), capability data indicating a capability of the new network slice established on the first radio access network for one or more attributes, and requirement data indicating a requirement of the new multi-domain network slice for the one or more attributes. In this embodiment, the request also identifies a priority value for each attribute to indicate the relative importance of each attribute to network slice performance.

In step S3, the network slice mapping node 10 receives the request and, in response, determines one or more matching network slices in the backhaul network domain and one or more matching network slices in the core network domain. Thus, the network slice mapping node 10 retrieves the identities of all network slices associated with the respective backhaul networks (e.g., the first network slice 130-1 and the second network slice 130-2 of the first backhaul network 130, and the first network slice 230-a and the second network slice 230- β of the second backhaul network 230), and the identifiers of all network slices associated with the respective core networks (e.g., the first network slice 150-1, the second network slice 150-2, and the third network slice 150-3 of the first core network 150, and the first network slice 250-1, the second network slice 250-2, and the third network slice 250-3 of the second core network 250) and their corresponding capability data indicating the capabilities of the respective network slices for the one or more attributes. In this embodiment, the matching process identifies one or more matches based on the following logic. First, the matching process adds values of respective end-to-end cumulative attributes (e.g., latencies) to identify one or more network slices in the first backhaul network or the second backhaul network and one or more network slices in the first core network or the second core network that meet the respective requirements of the new multi-domain network slice. For example, the latency value of the new network slice to be established in the first radio access network 110, the latency value of the first network slice 130-1 of the first backhaul network 130, and the latency value of the first network slice 150-1 of the first core network 150 may be added to determine whether the candidate multi-domain network slice meets the end-to-end latency requirement. This is performed for all possible combinations of multi-domain network slices and for all end-to-end cumulative attributes to identify a subset of candidate multi-domain network slices. Second, the matching process determines whether the respective network slices of the first and second backhaul networks and the first and second core networks satisfy the respective network domain-specific attributes to further remove candidate multi-domain network slices including any network slices that do not satisfy the network domain-specific attributes. If more than one candidate multi-domain network slice remains, the candidate multi-domain network slice that provides the best performance (e.g., lowest latency) may be selected, wherein the relative priorities of the attributes are used to facilitate selection of the multi-domain network slice that provides the best performance for relatively important attributes. In addition, commercial factors (e.g., cost of using slices) may be used to influence the selection.

In this example, the network slice matching function selects the second network slice 130-2 of the first backhaul network 130 and the first network slice 250-1 of the second core network 250 as part of the new multi-domain network slice based on their respective capabilities.

In step S5, the network slice mapping node 10 sends a response message with the identifier of the second network slice 130-2 of the first backhaul network 130 and the identifier of the first network slice 250-1 of the second core network 250 to the network slice managing node of the first radio access network 150.

In step S7, the network slice management node of the first radio access network 110 sends a first request message to the first backhaul network 150 requesting use of its second network slice 130-2 and sends a second request message to the second core network 250 requesting use of the first network slice 250-1. The first request message and the second request message also identify a capacity requirement.

In step S9, the first backhaul network 150 determines whether the second network slice 130-2 has sufficient capacity to accommodate the request, and if so, accepts the request by sending an acknowledgement message with an identifier (which may be different from the identifier used in the database of the network slice mapping node, e.g., VPN ID, ethernet ID, CoS packet flag, etc.) to the network slice management node of the first radio access network 110 to inform the first radio access network 110 to route traffic to the second network slice 130-2. Similarly, the second core network 250 determines whether its first network slice 250-1 has sufficient capacity to accommodate the request and, if so, accepts the request by sending an acknowledgement message with an identifier to the network slice management node of the first radio access network 110 to inform the first radio access network 110 to route traffic to the first network slice 250-1.

In case one of the first backhaul network or the second core network does not have sufficient capacity to accommodate the request, then they increase the capacity or reject the request. In an enhancement of the above process, the network slice mapping node 10 may identify a series of matches in order of suitability (i.e., best match, second best match, etc.) for the respective network domains, and in case rejected due to capacity constraints (or in case the selection of a backhaul network slice affects the set of selections of core network slices, since the respective backhaul network providers may have different core network provider selections), the network slice management node of the first radio access network 110 may use the next best match to establish the network slice.

Once the network slice management node of the first radio access network 110 has established a new network slice, it records in its network slice management node the identifier and attribute values of the new network slice (which may be different from the original values of the requests of the backhaul network and the core network) and sends an update message to the network slice mapping node 10, which network slice mapping node 10 also updates its database with the identifier and attribute of the new network slice when received (step S11).

Embodiments of the present invention provide the benefit that individual network domains (e.g. radio access network domain, backhaul network domain, core network domain) in a cellular network can establish a multi-domain network slice domain by determining which network slice of another network has the most suitable characteristics. This is achieved without having to consult the individual networks of other domains to determine the identity and characteristics of their network slices (which would increase control signaling) or without having to use generic network slice identities and characteristics (which would limit flexibility). Rather, a central database storing identifiers and attributes of individual network slices for individual networks in individual domains is used to quickly identify one or more suitable network slices with minimal control signaling.

In the above embodiments, the network slice mapping node 10 receives a request from a network entity that establishes a network slice, wherein the request identifies a particular set of attributes. The network slice mapping node 10 then responds to the request with an identifier of the matching network slice in the other network. However, in an alternative arrangement, the network slice mapping node 10 may be part of an application provider (e.g. a video on demand service having one or more service levels) and its database may store identifiers for individual network slices of individual network domains that meet the one or more service levels. The network entity establishing the network slice between the end user and the application provider may then send a request to the network slice mapping node 10 identifying the level of service it requires, and the network slice mapping node 10 may then return the identifier of the best matching network slice in the other networks of the other network domains.

A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. This second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment described above, except that there is no network slice mapping node, but each network slice management node includes a network slice mapping function. In this second embodiment, the network entity establishing the new network slice sends a request message to the network of the other domain (e.g., the network slice managing node of the first radio access network 110 sends a request message to the network slice managing node of the first backhaul network 130) identifying the requirements for the one or more attributes of the new multi-domain network slice. The network slice management node of the first backhaul network 130 may respond to the request message by consulting its local database to determine its identifier that best matches those required network slices (in the same manner as the first embodiment) and then sending a response message with the identifier that matches the network slice. This second embodiment also achieves the advantage over the prior art of identifying suitable network slices for networks of other domains without universally applicable slice identifiers and/or without using the same network slice in each domain.

In the above embodiments, the cellular network is an internetwork of multiple network types, including a radio access network, a backhaul network and a core network. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a radio access network includes wireless transceiver devices (e.g., base stations) and related devices to communicate with UEs, a core network includes switches and routers to establish connections and for routing network traffic to/from its ultimate destination/source, and a backhaul connection includes connections and associated devices to connect the radio access network and the core network.

In the first embodiment described above, the cellular network comprises a network slice mapping node comprising a database storing data on all network slices for all networks in all domains. However, this is not required, and the network slice mapping node database may store data for a subset of network slices for a subset of all networks in the domain subset, such as network slices related to a particular network domain (e.g., backhaul only networks), network slices related to a particular network operator, and/or network slices optimized for a particular service type.

In the above embodiments, network nodes of any sub-domain (e.g., radio access network, backhaul network, or core network) may communicate with a network slice mapping node to identify a suitable network slice for another domain. Thus, the network slice mapping node may be owned/operated by multiple entities (e.g., one or more entities owning/operating the first radio access network, the second radio access network, the first backhaul network, etc.) or by a separate entity. Further, the network slice mapping node may be part of a particular domain (e.g., a radio access network, a backhaul network, or a core network) and identify an appropriate network slice in the other network domain and update the database of network slices in the other domain by receiving data from the other domain when the network slice provisioning of the other domain has any changes. Further, each domain may include such a network slice mapping node.

In addition, in the above described embodiments, the first radio access network 110 has established a new multi-domain network slice, which is an end-to-end network slice (i.e. it comprises network nodes of the radio access network, the backhaul network and the core network). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the multi-domain network slice need not be an end-to-end network slice, but may only span multiple domains (e.g., a network slice in the radio access domain and a network slice in the backhaul domain). Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the new multi-domain network slice comprises as an integral part a network slice established in the radio access network. This is also unnecessary since the new multi-domain network slice may use pre-existing network slices in the radio access network.

Although the above embodiments are based on a cellular telecommunications network, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above concepts may be equally applied to other forms of network, including a wired network having at least two network domains of different network types, the network type being one of a wired access network, a backhaul network and a core network.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any combination of features is possible within the scope of the claimed invention.