English

nascTime: A Full-Stack 5G-TSN Bridge Simulation Framework with SDAP-Based QoS Mapping and IEEE 802.1AS Transparent Clock

Networking and Internet Architecture 2026-04-09 v2

Abstract

3GPP Release~16 specifies how a 5G system can operate as a transparent IEEE~802.1 TSN bridge, yet no existing simulation framework implements the complete bridge architecture with end-to-end QoS mapping through the SDAP layer, per-flow Data Radio Bearer selection, and IEEE~802.1AS transparent clock behaviour with measured residence time. Existing tools model either QoS mapping without time synchronisation, or time synchronisation without a data plane. This paper presents nascTime, a simulation framework built on OMNeT++~6.3, INET~4.6, and Simu5G that implements the full 3GPP 5G-TSN bridge model. The NW-TT and DS-TT are realised as modular compound modules that integrate with INET's \texttt{LayeredEthernetInterface} and streaming PHY. QoS mapping traverses the complete PCP\,\rightarrow\,DSCP\,\rightarrow\,QFI\,\rightarrow\,SDAP/DRB pipeline, and gPTP frames are transported through the simulated 5G radio path via L2-in-GTP-U encapsulation with per-message residence-time correction. We validate the framework with a three-endpoint factory topology under both ideal and fading channel conditions. In the ideal scenario, high-priority traffic achieves 99.9\% delivery with a mean end-to-end delay of 2.58\,ms, while the measured 5GS residence time exhibits a variance below 0.2\,μ\mus. Under a fading channel, residence-time variance increases to 48\,μ\mus, confirming that the framework captures radio-induced timing effects absent from abstract-delay simulators. nascTime is publicly available and constitutes the first full-stack 5G-TSN bridge simulation with SDAP-based QoS differentiation and measured IEEE~802.1AS transparent clock behaviour.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.04616,
  title  = {nascTime: A Full-Stack 5G-TSN Bridge Simulation Framework with SDAP-Based QoS Mapping and IEEE 802.1AS Transparent Clock},
  author = {Mohamed Seliem and Utz Roedig and Cormac Sreenan and Dirk Pesch},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.04616},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

This is an intial draft of the manuscript, which is intended for submission to IEEE ETFA 2026

R2 v1 2026-07-01T11:55:14.178Z