An Open-Source Prototype of Network Data Analytics Function for Next-Generation 5/6G Environments

The 5th Generation of mobile radio communication systems (5G) is paving the way to applications characterized by unprecedented performance levels. Thanks to technological paradigms such as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and microservices, applications and network services, including the 5G core itself, can be deployed where and when required across the cloud-edge continuum to deliver the proper Quality of Experience (QoE) to users on the move. Since deploying and scaling applications/network functions can cause a waste of network and computing resources and a growth of costs for network operators, specific tools are required to identify current resource demands to fulfil user needs while minimizing the footprint on the underlying hardware infrastructure. The Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) was conceived for monitoring the edge and the cloud and producing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) accordingly, but actual implementations are still lacking. This paper presents the design and development of an NWDAF prototype to be integrated in the core of a 5G network, to provide useful data for the horizontal scaling of the cloud-native microservices composing the 5G core. Results show that the prototype causes negligible overheads on the overall 5G core performance, with CPU additional usages averaging 5.5%.