Slice-aware Resource Allocation and Admission Control for Smart Factory Wireless Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a convex optimisation framework for slice-aware resource allocation in 5G smart factory wireless networks, effectively managing power, sub-channels, and admission control to meet diverse QoS needs.

Contribution

It presents a novel convex optimisation-based solution for dynamic, slice-aware radio resource allocation and admission control tailored for industrial 5G networks.

Findings

Minimizes power consumption while maintaining QoS.

Ensures slice isolation and efficient sub-channel allocation.

Adapts to time-varying user numbers and network conditions.

Abstract

The 5th generation (5G) and beyond network offers substantial promise as the ideal wireless technology to replace the existing inflexible wired connections in traditional factories of today. 5G network slicing allows for tailored allocation of resources to different network services, each with unique Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. This paper presents a novel solution for slice-aware radio resource allocation based on a convex optimisation and control framework for applications in smart factory wireless networks. The proposed framework dynamically allocates minimum power and sub-channels to downlink mixed service type industrial users categorised into three slices: Capacity Limited (CL), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), and Time Sensitive (TS) slices. Given that the base station (BS) has limited transmission power, we enforce admission control by effectively relaxing the target rate constraints for current connections in the CL slice. This rate readjustment occurs whenever power consumption exceeds manageable levels. Simulation results show that our approach minimises power, allocates sub-channels to users, maintains slice isolation, and delivers QoS-specific communications to users in all the slices despite time-varying number of users and changing network conditions.