Managing the orders for a 5G sliced network

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Managing the orders for a 5G sliced network

    The Order Management for Telecommunications, Media, and Technology application allows communication service providers (CSPs) to manage and fulfill orders for 5G sliced networks. Network slicing enables CSPs to partition a physical network into multiple virtual networks, or slices, facilitating tailored service offerings.

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    Key Features

    • Create and manage slice templates with specific attributes in the product catalog.
    • Support slice specifications using these templates to define slice services.
    • Ingest slice orders from external systems via the product order API.
    • Decompose slice orders and initiate fulfillment workflows for those orders.
    • Trigger southbound slice orders to systems like the Network Slice Management Function (NSMF) through the service order open API.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing this application, CSPs can effectively streamline the creation and management of 5G service offerings. Administrators can define and publish slice templates, map them to service specifications, and ensure that the latest templates are applied when processing orders. This structured approach to order management enhances operational efficiency and improves the service delivery process for 5G sliced networks.

    By using the Order Management for Telecommunications, Media, and Technology application, a communication service provider (CSP) can define the 5G services in the catalog and manage the creation and fulfillment of these orders for a sliced network.

    Overview

    Network slicing refers to a method of partitioning a physical network into multiple, separate networks. These separate networks are called slices.

    By slicing a 5G network, a CSP can do the following tasks:
    • Create and manage the slice templates with the required slice attributes in their product catalog.
    • Support slice specifications by using the slice templates to define the slice services.
    • Support the ingestion of slice orders from external systems through the existing product order API.
    • Decompose the slice orders and trigger the fulfillment workflows for the decomposed orders.
    • Trigger the southbound slice orders with southbound attributes toward southbound systems, such as Network Slice Management Function (NSMF), by using the service order open API.

    How a slicing order is managed

    A product catalog administrator creates templates in the product catalog by defining the template characteristics and template characteristic options. When the product catalog administrator is finished creating the templates, they publish it to the product catalog. With this process, the product catalog administrator can create templates for the various types of slices with the slice attributes and attribute values for the 5G network services.

    Next, the product catalog administrator maps the slice templates with the various specification categories. The product catalog administrator does the mapping by using the Template Selection Policy decision table in the Decision Builder. The mapped templates are automatically filled in the service specification form when a user selects a specification category. For a description of the Service specifications form fields, see Product catalog forms in Order Management for Telecommunications and Media.
    Note:
    • If a specification category is mapped with multiple templates, the latest published template is considered to be in the service specification.
    • If a specification category is not mapped with any templates, the default category-template mapping is considered to be in the service specification.

    The product catalog manager then uses the templates to define the new specifications for the 5G services.

    After the 5G service specifications are created, they can be used in the slice order creation and fulfilment process. The 5G slice ordering process follows the existing order approval, decomposition, and fulfilment process in the Order Management for Telecommunications, Media, and Technology application.