5G packet delay considerations for different 5G-TSN communication scenarios

Abstract

Integration of 5G into Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) requires mapping of timing information and Quality of Service (QoS) parameters. 5G provides various QoS profiles with specific Packet Delay Budget (PDB) values, indicating an upper packet delay limit. Since the virtual 5G-TSN bridge is only an intermediate hop in a larger TSN network, the PDB cannot be interpreted as the maximum acceptable end-to-end (E2E) delay between the communication partners of the automation application, but only as the maximum delay within the 5G system. This paper discusses various communication scenarios and derives an approach for the analytical calculation of the 5G PDB for different TSN streams within a 5G-TSN converged network. Our results contribute to the concretization of TSN-specific 5G QoS identifiers (5QI) which are relevant for the TSN translators in order to enable seamless integration of 5G and TSN. Only with standardized 5QI and PDB values per TSN traffic class, device manufacturers and network equipment vendors can implement a consistent mapping.