CRSF: Enabling QoS-Aware Beyond-Connectivity Service Sharing in 6G Local Networks

TL;DR

The paper tackles cross-subnetwork discovery and selection of beyond-connectivity services in 6G local networks by introducing the Central Repository and Selection Function (CRSF), a centralized core-network function that maintains a global catalog of inter-subnetwork service functions and performs QoS-aware assignment. It formulates the SF selection as a binary linear program, maximizing the objective $\sum_{r \in \mathcal{R}} \sum_{m \in \mathcal{M}} \alpha_{r,m} S_{r,m} \mathcal{Q}_{r,m}$ subject to latency, capacity, and assignment constraints, with variables $\alpha_{r,m}$ and $\gamma_{r,k}$, QoS aggregation $Q_{k,m} = \sum_{n=1}^N w_{k,n} p_{n,m}$, and per-service latency $L_{r,m}$. Through Monte Carlo simulations in a sensing scenario, the approach achieves higher aggregate QoS than a priority-only baseline, while demonstrating scalable improvements with more SFs and varying capacity. The CRSF thus provides a foundational, extensible mechanism toward standardized, service-centric 6G architectures enabling collaborative, cross-domain local networks.

Abstract

Sixth-generation (6G) networks are envisioned to support interconnected local subnetworks that can share specialized, beyond-connectivity services. However, a standardized architecture for discovering and selecting these services across network boundaries has not existed yet. To address this gap, this paper introduces the Central Repository and Selection Function (CRSF), a novel network function for the 6G core that facilitates efficient inter-subnetwork service discovery and selection. We formulate the selection process as a QoS-aware optimization problem designed to balance service quality metrics with user-defined priorities. We evaluate our system model through simulations for a sensing service scenario and observe a consistently higher aggregate Quality of Service (QoS) compared to the baseline selection strategy. The proposed CRSF provides a foundational and extensible mechanism for building standardized, collaborative, and service-centric interconnected networks essential for the 6G era.

Figures (8)

• Figure 1: Example of a local 6G network composed of interconnected factories alongside company headquarters.
• Figure 2: Design scenario with interconnected subnetworks alongside a central network offering beyond-connectivity services like sensing, AI/ML etc.
• Figure 3: 6G system architecture with CRSF alongside other network functions in the control plane of the central network
• Figure 4: Call flow of the proposed 6G core network with the CRSF. The CRSF receives service registrations and capacity updates from subnetworks, performs optimization-based SF selection, and facilitates inter-subnetwork service discovery and selection.
• Figure 5: Performance comparison of the proposed optimization framework and the baseline with increasing number of requests, for number of SFs = {5,10}