Page 178 - ITU-T Focus Group IMT-2020 Deliverables

3 ITU-T Focus Group IMT-2020 Deliverables

Figure 8.2-2 – Control plane architecture for network slicing

In the upper layer, the virtualized network components are managed by the network slice orchestration
platform, which orchestrates the virtualized components and functions to create the End-to-End network
slice according to the service requirements. This layer does not need to be aware of the different technologies
used in the physical infrastructure.
In the lower layer, the End-to-End virtual network slice is instantiated in different parts of the physical
network infrastructure, which means this layer is responsible for the mapping from virtual network slice to
physical infrastructure.
For the transport network, the lower layer is the hybrid transport control plane, which provides the
adaptation to different transport technologies and the interaction with physical devices. It utilizes the
capabilities of the physical transport network to provide the required performance and characteristics for
the network slice. To achieve this, the lower layer includes a set of necessary network functions, such as
topology discovery, path computation, connection management, service mapping, OAM and protection, etc.
Some of these functions can be provided by a centralized controller, while some others may be better
implemented with a distributed control plane. For those centralized control functions, standard southbound
interfaces to the network elements need to be considered.

9 Application scenario of network softwarization

9.1 Scenario 1: Edge computing

The application of MEC&SFC in IMT-2020
Mobile Edge Computing is a natural development in the convergence of IT and telecommunication
networking. Based on a virtualized platform, MEC is recognized by the European 5G PPP (5G Infrastructure
Public Private Partnership) research body as one of the key emerging technologies for 5G networks (together
with Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN)), and can satisfy the
demanding requirements for ultra-low latency and stimulating innovation in IMT-2020 network.

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