Enhanced Open-Source NWDAF for Event-Driven Analytics in 5G Networks

2026-01-05

arXiv.org

AI Summary

This work addresses the lack of standardized event subscription and notification mechanisms for the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) in existing open-source 5G core networks. We present the first end-to-end event-driven NWDAF-enhanced architecture implemented in Free5GC, extending the Session Management Function (SMF) and Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) to integrate UE behavior tracking, session lifecycle monitoring, and mobility-aware predictive modeling. This design establishes a complete closed-loop pipeline for event subscription, analytics, and feedback. Experimental evaluations demonstrate stable operation under multi-virtual gNB and dynamic UE scenarios, achieving a handover prediction accuracy of 80.65% while reliably supporting UE registration, state tracking, and inter-cell handovers. Our implementation fills a critical gap in standardized network data analytics capabilities within open-source 5G core networks.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Plan Execution and Monitoring
• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Machine Learning: Hardware-aware ML

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Data management and stream processing for Web, mobile and wireless applications
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Fairness-aware retrieval and ranking
• Social Networks and Social Media: Fairness and bias in social network and social media analysis

Abstract

The network data analytics function (NWDAF) has been introduced in the fifth-generation (5G) core standards to enable event-driven analytics and support intelligent network automation. However, existing implementations remain largely proprietary, and open-source alternatives lack comprehensive support for end-to-end event subscription and notification. In this paper, we present an open source NWDAF framework integrated into an existing Free5GC implementation, which serves as an open-source 5G core implementation. Our implementation extends the session management function to support standardized event exposure interfaces and introduces custom-built notification mechanisms into the SMF and the access and mobility management function for seamless data delivery. The NWDAF subscribes to events and generates analytics on user equipment (UE) behavior, session lifecycle, and handover dynamics. We validate our system through a two-week deployment involving four virtual next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) and multiple virtual UEs with dynamic mobility patterns. To demonstrate predictive capabilities, we incorporate a mobility-aware module that achieves 80.65\% accuracy in forecasting the next gNB handover cell. The framework supports reliable UE registration, state tracking, and cross-cell handovers.

Problem

• NWDAF
• 5G networks
• event-driven analytics
• open-source
• event subscription

Innovation

• NWDAF
• event-driven analytics
• open-source 5G core
• handover prediction
• Free5GC