Dynamic Radio Access Selection and Slice Allocation for Differentiated Traffic Management on Future Mobile Networks

The development of future wireless networks focuses on providing services with strict, dynamic, and diverse quality of service (QoS) requirements. In this sense, the network slicing paradigm arises as a critical piece on the efficient allocation and management of network resources, allowing for dividing the network into several logical networks with specific functionalities and performance. This paper aims at finding the best combination of access network and network slices over a heterogeneous environment to fulfill users’ requests and optimize network resources usage. We propose the Dynamic radio Access selection and Slice Allocation (DASA) algorithm, flexibly adapted to network conditions, user priorities, and mobility behavior. DASA is based on a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to face the complex problem of network selection. Moreover, it uses a cooperative game theory approach to handle load balancing during overload situations. This work presents an integral solution that combines software-defined network (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) technologies to improve network performance and user satisfaction. DASA algorithm is evaluated through network-level simulations, focusing on flexibility and the effective utilization of network resources during network selection and load balancing mechanisms.