On the TSN and 5G network integration approaches, 5G features proof, advantages and challenges

The 5th generation of the cellular network (5G) provides less latency, higher throughput, more cell density, more efficient QoS management, among other benefits [1]. The research community is actively working on the integration of private 5G network into the industrial sector, recognizing 5G as enabler of the industry 4.0 [2]. Being complement with industrial network protocols, or being complement with prior industrial network technologies, is the challenge of exploiting the 5G networks in industry. A big step forward to unlock the deployment of private 5G networks in industrial environment, especially in factories employing mobile robots and enforcing a high level of automation, is the integration between 5G and Time Sensitive Networks (TSN). This paper investigates different approaches of integrating 5G and TSN networks and identifies 5G network features that need to be employed to satisfy TSN network requirements. A Proof of concept has been deployed over a testbed using Amarisoft Radio Access Network (RAN) and core as the private 5G network stack, where we highlight how 5G features can effectively satisfy TSN requirements.