4.8 Roles related to 5G networks and network slicing management

28.5303GPPConcepts, use cases and requirementsManagement and orchestrationRelease 17TS

In the context of next generation networks, responsibilities regarding operations have to be clearly defined and assigned to roles. The roles related to 5G networks and network slicing management include:

– Communication Service Customer (CSC): Uses communication services.

– Communication Service Provider (CSP): Provides communication services. Designs, builds and operates its communication services. The CSP provided communication service can be built with or without network slice.

– Network Operator (NOP): Designs, builds and operates networks and provides related services, including network services and network slices.

– Network Equipment Provider (NEP): Supplies network equipment to network. For sake of simplicity, VNF Supplier is considered here as a type of Network Equipment Provider. This can be provided also in the form of one or more appropriate VNF(s).

– Virtualization Infrastructure Service Provider (VISP): Provides virtualized infrastructure services. Designs, builds and operates its virtualization infrastructure(s). Virtualization Infrastructure Service Providers may also offer their virtualized infrastructure services to other types of customers including to Communication Service Providers directly, i.e. without going through the Network Operator.

– Data Centre Service Provider (DCSP): Provides data centre services. Designs, builds and operates its data centres.

– NFVI Supplier: Supplies network function virtualization infrastructure to its customers.

– Hardware Supplier: Supplies hardware.

Depending on actual scenarios:

– each role can be played by one or more organizations simultaneously;

– an organization can play one or several roles simultaneously (for example, a company can play CSP and NOP roles simultaneously).

Figure 4.8.1: High-level model of roles

In case of Network Slice as a Service (NSaaS) (cf. clause 4.1.6), the Communication Service Provider (CSP) role can be refined into NSaaS Provider (NSaaSP) role – or, in short, Network Slice Provider (NSP) – and the Communication Service Customer (CSC) role can be refined into NSaaS Customer (NSaaSC) role – or, in short, Network Slice Customer (NSC). A NSC can, in turn, offer its own communication services to its own customers, being thus CSP at the same time. A tenant might take the role of a NSC.

4.9 Void