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arxiv: 1907.02278 · v1 · pith:OSAETQPMnew · submitted 2019-07-04 · 💻 cs.NI

Automating the deployment of 5G Network Slices with ONAP

Veronica Quintuna Rodriguez , Fabrice Guillemin , Amina Boubendir This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-25 09:13 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 💻 cs.NI
keywords network slicing5GONAPNFVmobile core networkvirtualized network functionsautomationcloud-native networks
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The pith

An ONAP-compatible model enables the concrete definition and deployment of a 5G network slice that implements a private customized mobile core network.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper develops a model for network slices that aligns with the ONAP platform for managing virtualized network functions. It starts from ontologies in 5G standardization documents and builds a compatible structure that covers design, onboarding, instantiation, and distribution steps. The authors then apply the model to create and run an actual private and customized mobile core network. A reader would care because the work turns abstract standardization ideas into working automated deployments that deliver on-demand and tailored networks.

Core claim

We propose an ONAP-compatible model for network slices based on analysis of ontologies from 5G standardization bodies. On the basis of this model we illustrate the design, onboarding, instantiation and distribution of a network slice. We concretely define and deploy a network slice implementing a private and customized mobile core network. The achieved results make true NFV and 5G promises of on-demand networks, service customization and time-to-market acceleration, and open the door to the deployment of private tailored cloud-native 5G networks.

What carries the argument

The ONAP-compatible model for network slices, derived from standardization ontologies, that carries the full lifecycle of design, onboarding, instantiation and distribution to produce working customized 5G cores.

If this is right

  • On-demand networks become achievable through automated slice deployment.
  • Service customization is realized by tailoring the mobile core to private needs.
  • Time-to-market for new network services is accelerated by the automated lifecycle.
  • Private tailored cloud-native 5G networks can be deployed using the same process.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The mapping process from standardization ontologies to an automation platform could be repeated for other orchestration systems.
  • Operators might reduce manual configuration steps when rolling out multiple customized slices.
  • The approach links 5G requirements documents directly to executable deployment workflows.

Load-bearing premise

The proposed ONAP-compatible model accurately captures network slice requirements from standardization bodies and enables functional, working deployments in practice.

What would settle it

A concrete test showing that the deployed slice fails to operate as a functional private customized mobile core or does not satisfy the captured standardization requirements.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 1907.02278 by Amina Boubendir, Fabrice Guillemin, Veronica Quintuna Rodriguez.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Network slicing ontology proposed by ONAP [13]. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: ONISTT-based network slicing ontology. To adapt the ONISTT approach to slicing, we use the generic term Network to design the classical network. That is a collection of network elements such as switches, routers, optical cross-connects, etc. interconnected by transmission links and possibly controlled by SDN controllers) augmented by IT resources (disk, CPU, RAM) hosted in data centers. The slice ontology … view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: shows that different slices (A, B and C) contain network functions belonging to the NSSI Access and Core Network. Communication Services are then provided through different NSIs [14]. The above ontology is purely descriptive and does not consider the hosting infrastructure, which shall enable the deployment of VNFs belonging to slices. In fact, the performance of network slices directly depends of VNF plac… view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: Our proposal not only considers the slicing principles [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: ONAP-compatible network slicing ontology. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: Network slicing: A private and customized mobile core network. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_5.png] view at source ↗
Figure 7
Figure 7. Figure 7: ONAP-based mobile core network model. D. Slice deployment workflow In ONAP, the process for readying a service for distribution involves various roles based on a complex workflow. Before instantiating a network slice (an ONAP service) various stages need to be performed. They include onboarding, approving and deploying procedures which belong to the design-time envi￾ronment of ONAP. The automation platform… view at source ↗
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: Network Slicing Automation: Testbed architecture. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_6.png] view at source ↗
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: ONAP-based service deployment workflow. F. Gap analysis In ONAP, a network slice might be defined as one or more network services. However, an upper abstraction for managing these various network services that compose a network slice has not been defined so far. When a single network slice is defined by more than one network service (e.g., the proposed private core network which is composed of two services… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) is a carrier grade platform for automatically deploying and managing Virtualized Network Functions. In this paper, we address the deployment of network slices in order to come up with a model that is compatible with ONAP. We analyze various types of network slice ontology presented in the framework of 5G standardization bodies and we propose an ONAP-compatible model on the basis of which we illustrate the design, onboarding, instantiation and distribution of a network slice. We concretely define and deploy a network slice implementing a private and customized mobile core network. The achieved results not only make true NFV and 5G promises, notably those referring to on-demand networks, service customization and time-to-market acceleration, but they open the door to the deployment of private tailored cloud-native 5G networks.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

1 major / 0 minor

Summary. The manuscript analyzes network slice ontologies from 5G standardization bodies, proposes an ONAP-compatible model, and illustrates the design, onboarding, instantiation, and distribution of a network slice implementing a private and customized mobile core network, asserting a concrete deployment.

Significance. If the claimed concrete deployment holds and is functional, the work would provide a practical bridge between 5G standardization and carrier-grade automation platforms, advancing on-demand network creation and service customization.

major comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: The central claim of having 'concretely define and deploy' a network slice implementing a private mobile core is unsupported by any data, verification steps, results, or evidence of functionality, which is load-bearing for assessing whether the ONAP model enables working deployments in practice.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the constructive feedback. We address the single major comment below.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: The central claim of having 'concretely define and deploy' a network slice implementing a private mobile core is unsupported by any data, verification steps, results, or evidence of functionality, which is load-bearing for assessing whether the ONAP model enables working deployments in practice.

    Authors: The manuscript derives an ONAP-compatible slice model from 5G standardization ontologies and then details the complete workflow: model design, onboarding to ONAP, VNF instantiation, and slice distribution for a private customized 5G core. These steps are the concrete definition and deployment we describe. We agree, however, that the abstract claim would be stronger with explicit verification artifacts. We will revise the manuscript to include additional deployment evidence (e.g., configuration excerpts, instantiation logs, or observed outcomes) in a new section or appendix. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity

full rationale

The paper is an applied engineering demonstration that analyzes 5G standardization ontologies for network slices and proposes an ONAP-compatible model to illustrate concrete onboarding, instantiation, and deployment of a private mobile core slice. No equations, derivations, fitted parameters, predictions, or uniqueness theorems appear. The central claim rests on the described deployment steps and model elements drawn from external standardization bodies, remaining self-contained without reduction to self-citation chains or definitional equivalence. This matches the default expectation for non-circular applied work.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

No mathematical model, free parameters, axioms, or invented entities are introduced; the paper is a descriptive implementation report based on existing standards and tools.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5671 in / 932 out tokens · 24847 ms · 2026-05-25T09:13:52.491464+00:00 · methodology

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Citations machine-checked in the Pith Canon. Every link opens the source theorem in the public Lean library.

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Reference graph

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