scription 9.1.3 Admission Control Mechanisms Design for RAN Slicing 9.1.3.1 Optimal QoS AC Mechanism 9.1.3.2 Num-AC Mechanism 9.1.4 Experiments, Results, and Discussions 177 Smart Handoff Policy Design for RAN Slicing 9.2.1 RAN Slice Based Mobile Network Model 9.2.2 Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Based Handoff Framework 9.2.3 LESS Algorithm for Target BS and NS Selection 9.2.3.1 q-Value Update Policy 9.2.3.2 Optimal Action Policy 9.2.4 Experiment, Results, and Discussions Summary References 186 Robust RAN Slicing Ruihan Wen and Gang Feng Introduction Network Model 10.2.1 Slice Failure Detection Process 10.2.2 System Model Robust RAN Slicing 10.3.1 Failure Recovery Problem Formulation 10.3.2 Robust RAN Slicing Problem Formulation 10.3.3 Variable Neighborhood Search Based Heuristic for Robust RAN Slicing Numerical Results 10.4.1 Performance Metrics 10.4.2 Simulation Scenarios and Settings 200 10.4.3 Results 201 Conclusions and Future Work References Contents Flexible Function Split Over Ethernet Enabling RAN Slicing Ghizlane Mountaser and Toktam Mahmoodi Flexible Functional Split Toward RAN Slicing 11.1.1 Full Centralization and CPRI 11.1.2 RAN Functional Split 11.1.3 Flexible Functional Split as RAN Slicing Enabler 213 Fronthaul Reliability and Slicing by Deploying Multipath at the Fronthaul 11.2.1 Packet-Based Fronthaul 213 11.2.2 Multipath Packet-Based Fronthaul for Enhancing Reliability 213 11.2.3 Slicing Within Multipath Fronthaul 214 Experimentation Results Evaluation of Flexible Functional Split for RAN Slicing 214 11.3.1 Experimental Setup 11.3.2 Evaluation and Discussion of the Results 215 Simulation Results Analysis of Multipath Packet-Based Fronthaul for RAN Slicing 217 11.4.1 Simulation System Model 217 References 219 Service-Oriented RAN Support of Network Slicing Wei Tan, Feng Han, Yinghao Jin and Chenchen Yang Introduction 221 General Concept and Principles 12.2.1 Network Slicing Concepts 12.2.2 Overall RAN Subsystem 12.2.3 Key Principles of Network Slicing in RAN RAN Subsystem Deployment Scenari