Towards End-to-End Network Slicing: Slice-Aware 5G Backhaul with Isolation and QoS Guarantees
Fifth-generation (5 G) network slicing enables multiple logical networks to share the same infrastructure, each designed to support distinct Service Level Agreements (SLAs). While network slicing is well supported in the Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5 G Core (5GC), the Transport Network (TN) backhaul is often treated as a slice-agnostic forwarding substrate. As a result, resource contention on shared links can significantly degrade network performance, such as latency and throughput, breaking end-to-end SLAs. This paper addresses this gap by making the TN sliceaware through a lightweight framework that translates slice requirements into concrete backhaul policies. The framework (i) associates each slice with TN identifiers at domain boundaries, (ii) turns slice requirements into per-slice forwarding and scheduling policies (e.g., priority and queue selection, bandwidth bounds, and optional congestion signals), and (iii) exports perslice measurements for monitoring and closed-loop control. We deploy a proof of concept on a programmable switch and evaluate it on a real-life 5 G testbed. Our results show that, under link saturation, slices designed for mission-critical services preserve their SLAs, while best-effort traffic degrades predictably.