End-to-end secure communications for privileged 5G network traffic

One or more non-transitory computer-readable memory devices storing computer-executable instructions which, upon execution by one or more processors disposed in a computing device, cause the computing device to:

• create a WAN (wide area network) slice comprising a selected subset of nodes of a WAN that is utilized as a portion of a transport network of a 5G (fifth generation) network to provide point-to-point transport of 5G network traffic from an entry node to a destination node in an optical domain described by a selected wavelength that is contiguously utilized across the subset of nodes, the WAN slice including at least one intermediate node between the entry node and the destination node;
• create a RAN (radio access network) slice comprising a selected subset of physical radio resources that are applicable to an air interface of the RAN slice, wherein the RAN slice is instantiated from a multi-access compute (MEC) network providing access for user equipment (UE) to the air interface;
• stitch the created RAN slice and WAN slice together into an end-to-end 5G network slice, from the air interface to the destination node, over which privileged traffic is carried;
• and
• extend a security property to the privileged traffic across the end-to-end 5G network slice.

A computing device operable on a 5G (fifth generation) network, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one hardware-based non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the least one processor, cause the computing device to
• instantiate a slice controller on the computing device, the computing device being operable in a multi-access edge compute (MEC) network that includes a radio access network (RAN) which provides access to user equipment (UE) to the 5G network, the slice controller being configured to create a 5G network slice from RF (radio frequency) and optical portions of the 5G network;
• expose a user interface to the instantiated slice controller that is configured to enable a user to select a property that is applicable to the created 5G network slice;
• dynamically operate the slice controller to control slicing of a wide area network (WAN) that provides transport network functionality for the 5G network, in which the WAN slicing comprises provisioning nodes of the WAN to utilize a selected wavelength to carry 5G network traffic in a WAN slice from an entry node, through zero or more intermediate nodes, to a destination node;
• dynamically operate the slice controller to control slicing of the RAN by allocating physical resources to a RAN slice for an air interface of the RAN;
• and
• provision a user-selected property on the created 5G network slice comprising the RAN slice and WAN slice.