Impact of Time Sensitive Networking on the data plane performance with and without Local Breakout

Abstract

This thesis investigates the impact of Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) on the data plane performance of a 5G network, with and without Local Breakout (LBO). TSN has emerged as a key enabler for deterministic Ethernet communication, particularly in applications that demand strict latency and jitter guarantees. LBO, on the other hand, introduces the possibility of minimizing routing delays by shifting the User Plane Function closer to the network edge. While both concepts are promising individually, limited experimental stud-ies have been conducted to evaluate their combined effect in a realistic 5G test environ-ment. To address this, four test scenarios were initially designed. Two of them were im-plemented and measured using real hardware components, including Kontron TSN Start-erkits, Quectel 5G modems, Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) based traffic separa-tion, and Precision Time Protocol (PTP) synchronization. Scenario one represented a con-ventional best-effort Ethernet setup without TSN or LBO, while Scenario two introduced TSN features through Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1Qbv– Enhancements for Scheduled Traffic, IEEE 802.1 Qbu – Frame Preemption and 802.1AS – Timing and Synchronization protocols. Measurements were collected using Qosium and iperf to assess delay, jitter, throughput, and packet loss.

The results show that enabling TSN significantly reduces delay variation and jitter, even when traffic is routed through the core network without edge-based breakout. Delay spikes were minimized, and timing behaviour became more predictable, confirming the value of deterministic scheduling in 5G backhaul environments. Due to equipment avail-ability delays, Scenarios three and four involving fiber-based LBO could not be executed, which remains a limitation of this work. Despite these constraints, the thesis presents a practical implementation framework and provides data-backed insights into the role of TSN in shaping low-latency 5G networks. The findings are relevant for industrial auto-mation, smart grid systems, and other real-time applications where precise timing and traffic isolation are critical.