Network Slicing. An Industry Perspective

The prevalence of the term ""Network Slicing"" in today's communication network research community signifies the concept worthy of focus. However, despite its ubiquitous usage, there are varied interpretations of the concept which often leads to disagreement and confusion. The root of this misunderstanding lies in what the term ""Slicing"" means to the user and the context of its application. Network slicing has been considered as a key concept in 5G which will enable various types of services like enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Low Latency Reliable Communication (URLLC) and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) for industries. Despite all the standardization efforts, less progress has happened in the field to demystify the concept due to the misinterpretation of the term by various parties. As a result, this paper aims to provide an industrial perspective on the concept of Slicing and its usage in industrial communication networks. It shall as well propose contextualized taxonomy of the areas of usage as a way of reducing the vagueness surrounding the concept. Thus, within this context, an objective rather than subjective comprehension can ensue in intellectual discussions.