5G networks will provide solutions to support a dynamic range of services from different industries, e.g. mobile, energy, automobile, health and manufactory industry. Due to the nature of different industries, the requirements defined by key performance indicators, like peak data rate, average user data rate, latency, energy consumption, service deployment time, are totally different. It is very complex to manage different services in 5G networks. To release to potential of 5G networks to the full support of vertical sectors, advanced technologies like software defined network (SDN), network virtualization, network function virtualization, network slicing and sharing need to be well addressed so as to reshape the network architecture and provide flexible enough network management for 5G networks. It is the purpose of the workshop to disseminate most recent results on these topics.

Moreover, the commoditization of key processing components coupled with virtualization of infrastructure functions will lead to a radical change in the economics of mobile networks. The latter will help network providers (e.g., MNO, MVNO) move from proprietary hardware and software platforms towards open and flexible cellular systems based on general-purpose cloud infrastructures. In this context, 5G systems will see a paradigm shift in three planes: the data-plane, control-plane, and management-plane, in support of higher performance, efficient signalling, flexible and intelligent control and coordination in heterogeneous networks.