Intelligent and optimal resource selection within a network slice

An apparatus comprising:

• a communication interface configured to enable communications in a network with a plurality of user plane functions that perform processing of user plane traffic sessions from one or more mobile wireless user devices;
• a memory;
• and
• a processor configured to perform operations including:
• periodically monitoring resource utilization of the plurality of user plane functions to estimate a resource utilization level of respective user plane functions;
• based on the periodically monitoring, storing a corresponding resource utilization level for the respective user plane functions;
• and
• re-assigning a user plane traffic session from a relatively lower utilization user plane function to a relatively higher utilization user plane function based on the user plane traffic session having a resource utilization level indicator less than a first resource utilization threshold, wherein the user plane traffic session is active longer than a time duration threshold.

One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to perform operations including:

• periodically monitoring resource utilization of a plurality of user plane functions to estimate a resource utilization level of respective user plane functions;
• based on the periodically monitoring, storing a corresponding resource utilization level for the respective user plane functions;
• and
• re-assigning a user plane traffic session from a relatively lower utilization user plane function to a relatively higher utilization user plane function based on the user plane traffic session having a resource utilization level indicator less than a first resource utilization threshold, wherein the user plane traffic session is active longer than a time duration threshold.