Service description in the NFV revolution: Trends, challenges and a way forward

The telecommunications landscape has been undergoing a major shift in recent years. Initially Software Defined Networking (SDN), and then Network Function Virtualization (NFV) have opened up new ways of looking at the increasingly demanding service provider scenario. The description of the service to be provided will be a key point determining the success in the integration and interoperability of the different proposals. However, the refined understanding of the future scenario and its requirements has recently introduced unique challenges in the path to fully achieve the benefits of the NFV vision. In this paper we review the proposals of service description in the main initiatives related to the NFV arena. Then we elaborate on key novel challenges and evaluate how the different proposals solve them. Finally, we propose a straw man model of service and resource description addressing these challenges and defining the features that would serve as design directions for future initiatives and updates in this topic.