Experimental Validation of a Distributed 5G Core with Store-and-Forward for IoT Sensing over LEO Non-Terrestrial...

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Space Communications
• Internet of Things (IoT)

Background:

• Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) offer connectivity for remote IoT sensing.
• Sparse LEO constellations cause intermittent connectivity, challenging existing 5G architectures.
• Reliable data delivery is crucial for IoT applications in infrastructure-limited areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and validate a distributed 5G Core architecture with Store-and-Forward (S&F) capabilities.
• To enable reliable IoT sensing data delivery over intermittently connected LEO-NTN scenarios.
• To address the challenges posed by sparse LEO constellations for IoT connectivity.

Main Methods:

• Developed a distributed 5G Core architecture with S&F functionality.
• Integrated selected 5G Core functions between ground and satellite nodes.
• Implemented a prototype using Open5GS, UERANSIM, and an emulated satellite node.
• Experimentally evaluated the system under intermittent connectivity conditions.

Main Results:

• The proposed architecture successfully buffered and forwarded IoT data during connectivity gaps.
• Demonstrated reliable preservation and delivery of IoT sensing data despite temporary link disruptions.
• Validated the effectiveness of S&F mechanisms in a distributed 5G Core for LEO-NTN.

Conclusions:

• The integration of S&F mechanisms is feasible in distributed 5G Core architectures for LEO-NTN.
• The study provides practical insights for designing resilient IoT sensing services over sparse LEO constellations.
• The proposed solution enhances the reliability of IoT data transmission in challenging environments.