{"id":20209,"date":"2022-12-23T09:45:08","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T08:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/?p=20209"},"modified":"2026-02-19T10:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T09:49:01","slug":"5g-sa-network-visibility-challenges-and-current-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/blog\/5g-sa-network-visibility-challenges-and-current-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"5G SA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5G SA Network Visibility Challenges and Current Alternatives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the GSMA report \u20182022 The Mobile Economy\u2019<\/strong>, there were 8.3 billion SIM connections<\/strong> (excluding licensed IoT) in 2021, expected to reach 8.8 billion connections by 2025<\/strong>. While 5G made up only 8% of those connections in 2022<\/strong>, it is forecasted to jump to 25% by 2025<\/strong>. Initially, Communications Service Providers (CSPs) rolled out 5G non-standalone (NSA)<\/strong>, which relies on existing 4G infrastructure. However, 5G standalone (SA)<\/strong> is gaining traction, with 22 commercial deployments by the end of 2021<\/strong> and an estimated 66 live 5G SA networks by 2023<\/strong>, according to STL Partners<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is 5G SA?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

5G SA represents the next generation of mobile networks<\/strong> that promises to unlock the full potential of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)<\/strong>, ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC)<\/strong>, and massive IoT use cases. Unlike 5G NSA, which uses a hybrid of 4G and 5G, 5G SA introduces an entirely new core architecture defined by 3GPP<\/strong>. This architecture is based on Service-Based Architecture (SBA)<\/strong> and adopts a cloud-native software approach<\/strong>, enabling dynamic, scalable, and flexible deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key advantage of 5G SA is its ability to offer greater network efficiency<\/strong> and improved user experiences<\/strong> by harnessing these features. However, this evolution brings unique challenges, especially in terms of network visibility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5G SA Network Visibility Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In previous generations, such as 4G and 5G NSA<\/strong>, monitoring network traffic at the packet level<\/strong> was relatively straightforward. CSPs could capture and correlate control-plane and user-plane traffic<\/strong>, including subscriber identity (often hashed for privacy), to generate valuable insights for Customer Experience Management (CEM)<\/strong> systems. These insights helped CSPs understand hotspots<\/strong>, service usage<\/strong>, bandwidth consumption<\/strong>, and user behaviour<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, due to its complex and distributed cloud-native architecture, 5G SA introduces significant visibility challenges<\/strong><\/span>. While open-source tools<\/strong> like Prometheus<\/strong> (for metrics), Grafana<\/strong> (for logs), and Jaeger<\/strong> (for tracing) can provide some insights, they fall short in offering subscriber-level visibility<\/strong>\u2014such as which services<\/strong> a subscriber is using at a particular time<\/strong> or location<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monitoring Solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 5G NSA<\/strong>, CSPs could physically tap a link to extract packets for analysis. However, 5G SA complicates data extraction<\/strong>, as Core Network Functions (CNFs)<\/strong> communicate using encrypted HTTP2 messages<\/strong>. Additionally, 3GPP<\/strong> has not standardized a method for mirroring CNF messages in the same way it did for 4G networks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF)<\/strong> was introduced to address this challenge<\/span>. NWDAF is designed to streamline core network data analytics<\/strong>, generating actionable insights and enhancing the end-user experience<\/strong>. However, its implementation is optional<\/strong>, and not every CSP will deploy it in their 5G SA network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NWDAF<\/strong> faces several challenges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Data availability and granularity<\/strong> for subscriber monitoring may be insufficient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • It may impact network performance<\/strong>, as CNFs must continuously report to NWDAF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Integration complexities<\/strong> and alignment with 3GPP standards<\/strong> pose additional obstacles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Despite these challenges, NWDAF could offer solutions for network analytics<\/strong>, but its effectiveness in providing subscriber behaviour data<\/strong> remains uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Current Alternatives for 5G SA Visibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Some CSPs are exploring alternatives like Service Communication Proxy (SCP)<\/strong> to overcome visibility challenges<\/span>. SCP acts as an intermediary between CNFs, often deployed as part of a service mesh<\/strong> (e.g., Envoy<\/strong>), providing the ability to mirror traffic<\/strong>. However, this approach introduces additional latency<\/strong> and resource demands<\/strong>, making it less than ideal for real-time monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Other network vendors propose copying<\/strong><\/span> the message<\/strong> at the CNF level before encryption. This data is then streamed to a data extractor<\/strong>, which forwards it for analysis. These implementations vary significantly across vendors, with some using TCP<\/strong>, GRE<\/strong>, or even HTTP2<\/strong> and JSON<\/strong>-based payloads for transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A more cloud-native<\/strong> solution involves using mirrored messages in decrypted form<\/strong> from CNFs, sometimes employing eBPF<\/strong> technology to capture data before encryption. However, these methods also raise concerns regarding data security<\/strong> outside the 5G SBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The shift to 5G SA<\/strong> represents a significant technological leap, bringing enhanced security features and a cloud-native architecture. However, monitoring subscriber behaviour and ensuring optimal service performance<\/strong> remain critical challenges. While NWDAF<\/strong> and proxy-based solutions<\/strong> offer some answers, the lack of standardized solutions<\/strong> for extracting decrypted messages<\/strong> hinders widespread adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As 5G SA<\/strong> gains more traction, the demand for more streamlined, standardized approaches<\/strong> to data extraction will grow. CSPs and vendors hope for a solution that offers the necessary granularity for monitoring subscriber behaviour without compromising security compliance<\/strong> with GDPR<\/strong> and other regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For now, CSPs must navigate a complex landscape of multi-vendor CNFs<\/strong>, diverse data extraction methods<\/strong>, and the challenges of encrypted communication<\/strong> in a 5G SA environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The importance of the 5G SA lies in the 5G promise of fully supporting enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive IoT use cases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","neve_meta_reading_time":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,6],"tags":[220,217,274,207,261],"class_list":["post-20209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-practices","category-tech-trends","tag-cubro-network-visibility","tag-network-monitoring","tag-network-vendors","tag-network-visibility","tag-service-providers"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022.png",1200,627,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022-240x125.png",240,125,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022-480x251.png",480,251,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022-768x401.png",768,401,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022.png",1200,627,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022.png",1200,627,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022.png",1200,627,false],"neve-blog":["https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/BlogHeader-5GSAVisibility-2022-930x620.png",930,620,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Tamanna","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/blog\/author\/tamanna\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The importance of the 5G SA lies in the 5G promise of fully supporting enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive IoT use cases.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20209"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29413,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20209\/revisions\/29413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}