Integrating Deterministic Networking with 5G

TL;DR

This work tackles the challenge of delivering end-to-end deterministic communication over wireless mobile networks by integrating DetNet with 5G. It presents a unified 5G-DetNet architecture in which LCDN handles the fixed-DetNet plane and a central network manager coordinates routing and scheduling, while a DetNet application function in the 5G core interfaces with the control plane. A practical demonstration on a low-cost, open-source testbed shows how per-flow routing, VLAN tagging, and a hold-and-forward NW-TT buffer can achieve E2E latency guarantees and reduced jitter. The approach enables accessible, scalable deployment of deterministic networking across 5G and DetNet domains, offering real-time monitoring and potential for broader industry and academic adoption.

Abstract

The rising prevalence of real-time applications that require deterministic communication over mobile networks necessitates the joint operation of both mobile and fixed network components. This joint operation requires designing components that interact between the two technologies to provide users with latency and packet loss guarantees. In this work, we demonstrate a fully integrated 5G-DetNet that can guarantee the end-to-end demands of different flows. Moreover, we show how such a network can be implemented using low-cost hardware and open-source software, making it accessible to many 5G testbeds. The features demonstrated in this work are a network manager that does the routing and scheduling, an application function in the 5G core that interfaces with the network manager, and a network-side translator for user-plane management and de-jittering of the real-time streams.

Figures (3)

• Figure 1: Overview of the demonstration testbed. The left half is the 5G system, the right half is the DetNet system, the bottom half is the data plane, and the top half is the control plane. Two UEs produce traffic with the same destination (D) in the DetNet. DetNet's CNM registers and configures the flows to meet their packet delay deadlines. The CNM connects to the DetNet AF in the 5G control plane to do this.
• Figure 2: Live Topology of the system in Figure 1, as seen by the topology manager at the CNM. While the fixed network is usually static and changes only if a device fails or a cable is unplugged, the 5GS needs a more real-time topology monitoring system due to the mobility of users.
• Figure 3: The latency of packets from both the UEs to the destination. First, The hold-and-forward buffer at the NW-TT mitigates the jitter caused by the 5G system but increases the overall latency. The latency and packet loss of the critical flow (orange) is preserved even under heavy background traffic.