Profit-driven Slicing in Dynamic Multi-Domain Networks

The emergence of a new class of enhanced multimedia services has pushed network operators to support innovative network services while meeting end-to-end Quality of Service requirements and maintaining profitability. Recent works have hailed Network Function Virtualization (NFV) as a cost-effective enabling technology for novel service delivery in 5G networks. Over time, the association between these NFV-based services and multi-domain networks has grown. As the market competition posed by third-party operators such as virtual operators and service providers has intensified, profitability has become a crucial factor in resource allocation issues. In this paper, we formulate the problem of multi-domain network slicing in dynamic market environments and investigate the effects of these variables on service placement. Due to the NP-hardness of the problem, we employ a node ranking-based algorithm to determine optimal slice entry points in order to maximize profits while meeting end-user QoS requirements. In terms of slice placement acceptance rate and profit growth, numerical results demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed solutions.