An Application Programming Interface for Android to support dedicated 5G network slicing

Recent technological advances in telecommunications networks such as the development and deployment of the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks (5G) have enabled a wide array of new functionalities for mobile networks, also including for the first time, reduced capability (IoT) devices. The possibility to request on-demand specific features of the mobile network such as an improved reliability, faster broadband speed, or low latency depending on the type of content that is consumed by the application through 5G network slicing will allow to provide a better user experience under adequate network conditions. Provisioning devices with 5G network slicing capabilities is of great interest for manufacturers, carriers, and developers, particularly in IoT-Type communication which may feature unique bandwidth and resource requirements. As a first step, this paper proposes an Application Programming Interface (API) to act as a bridge between an Android device and the 5G core network to provide Android-based devices with 5G network slicing functionality.