5G RAN Slicing for Verticals: Enablers and Challenges

This article investigates the slicing concept in the 5G RAN with the related challenges and research problems. The objective is to identify the plausible options for implementing the slicing concept at the RAN level by the mobile network operator to respond to the needs of verticals. We start by identifying the different slice granularity options, that is, how to define slices by combining customer and service needs. We then present how the 5G NR features can be used for facilitating slice implementation and provide typical configurations for different slice types from technology and RAN architecture perspectives. The main challenges for RAN slicing are then discussed, with special attention to the resource allocation problem between slices sharing the same spectrum band. We also investigate the multi-tenant slicing implementation in terms of the openness of the network to third parties, which is regarded as a key issue that may encourage vertical players to use operators' networks rather than deploying their own infrastructure.