On the Service Resilience Benefits of Multi-Operator Network Sharing with NFV
Trond Vatten, Marija Furdek, Marija Gajić, Poul E. Heegaard · 2025
This paper investigates the benefits of resource sharing in multi-operator NFV environments, addressing the growing need for efficient network management in today's interconnected digital ecosystems. In scenarios where multiple operators deliver services to tenants, the study compares three distinct multi-operator resource-sharing strategies: full sharing, which assumes a unified network view; no sharing (or isolation), where each operator manages its resources independently; and a hybrid link-sharing approach that maintains independent VNF operations while permitting cooperative flow routing. A detailed system model is introduced along with key performance metrics such as SLA compliance ratio, VNF instantiation count, resource utilization, and quantifications of inter-operator sharing levels. The simulation experiments—conducted over realistic network topologies and under massive failure scenarios—demonstrate how greater levels of sharing can enhance SLA compliance rates while simultaneously reducing overall resource consumption. The results underscore the potential of NFV-enabled strategies to improve service availability and resiliency, laying the groundwork for future research into secure, economically viable, and efficient multi-operator collaboration.