Slice-aware 5G Dynamic Small Cells

Network Slicing has become one of the fundamental pillars of the fifth generation (5G) mobile and wireless communications systems, which promises integration of a plethora of new vertical industries with tailored network design. To this end, 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) Release 15 has provided the basis of the network slicing support including radio access network (RAN). Nevertheless, for the realization of native end-to-end (E2E) network slicing, further features and optimizations shall still be introduced. This paper places the focus on enabling network slicing operation in small cell deployments. In particular, the flexible network deployment capitalizing on unplanned dynamic small cells (DSCs) is analyzed, and the associated slice-aware operation is highlighted. Under the light of evaluations, key design recommendations are provided. In addition, architectural enhancements are discussed along with the required signaling procedures to support such slice-aware DSC operation.