ML KPI Prediction in 5G and B5G Networks
This addresses network operators' need to optimize service assurance in evolving 5G/B5G networks, but it is incremental as it builds on existing ML approaches for KPI prediction.
The paper tackles the problem of predicting key performance indicators (KPIs) like throughput in 5G and B5G networks with network slicing to ensure quality of service, and the result is that their machine learning model outperforms other methods with similar computational time.
Network operators are facing new challenges when meeting the needs of their customers. The challenges arise due to the rise of new services, such as HD video streaming, IoT, autonomous driving, etc., and the exponential growth of network traffic. In this context, 5G and B5G networks have been evolving to accommodate a wide range of applications and use cases. Additionally, this evolution brings new features, like the ability to create multiple end-to-end isolated virtual networks using network slicing. Nevertheless, to ensure the quality of service, operators must maintain and optimize their networks in accordance with the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the slice service-level agreements (SLAs). In this paper, we introduce a machine learning (ML) model used to estimate throughput in 5G and B5G networks with end-to-end (E2E) network slices. Then, we combine the predicted throughput with the current network state to derive an estimate of other network KPIs, which can be used to further improve service assurance. To assess the efficiency of our solution, a performance metric was proposed. Numerical evaluations demonstrate that our KPI prediction model outperforms those derived from other methods with the same or nearly the same computational time.