Experimental Evaluation of the Integration of 5G Network Slicing and TSN-Enabled Cloud-Native Architectures

• Grant number: 25/07335-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computer Systems
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Fernandes Macedo
• Grantee: Bernardo Alves Costa Pereira
• Supervisor: Johann Marquez-Barja
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Exatas (ICEx). Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Belo Horizonte , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University Of Antwerp, Belgium
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/20791-7 - Deployment of a 5G network in the Winet ICEx/UFMG laboratory, BP.IC

Abstract

Emerging applications increasingly demand infrastructures that guarantee strict Quality of Service (QoS), making Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) and end-to-end determinism critical pillars in the evolution of computer networks. In this context, two key solutions have emerged over the past decade to address these requirements: 5G, which brings significant advances in the wireless domain, and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), which provides deterministic communication over wired networks. However, the convergence and interoperability of TSN and 5G remain open challenges-underscored by ongoing efforts from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to define a cohesive integration framework. In this context, in a project being conducted within the research group, we have explored the integration of TSN in highly dynamic environments, namely cloud computing. Although cloud-native architectures are fundamental components of 5G deployments, it is fundamental to assess the direct integration between TSN and 5G mechanisms. This research project aims to advance this integration by focusing on the convergence of TSN-based network slicing within cloud environments and its coordination with the slice control and management mechanisms in 5G networks. This approach is essential to guarantee a more fine-grained control of resources over the network slices, being a key factor to enable end-to-end deterministic communication.