IMT and the 5G Network Lifecycle: Architecture, Design, Deployment, and Operations

Overview

IMT and 5G networks represent the next generation of mobile communication, grounded in international 3GPP and ITU standards. This course provides a comprehensive, vendor-agnostic overview of the entire 5G network lifecycle—spanning architecture and design, deployment, operations, and security—equipping specialists with the practical knowledge needed to plan, build, and maintain modern 5G infrastructure.

This live, instructor-led (online) course is designed for mid-level telecommunications professionals who wish to understand the comprehensive 5G network lifecycle and apply this knowledge to their roles in planning, engineering, operations, and security.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain IMT-2020 requirements and the evolution of 3GPP towards 5G.
• Compare NSA and SA architectures and describe the service-based 5G core design.
• Identify RAN and core network functions and their key interfaces.
• Design transport networks for fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul.
• Assess Open RAN architecture and multi-vendor interoperability.
• Apply virtualization and cloud-native principles in 5G deployments.
• Plan and size 5G networks for coverage and capacity.
• Operate and monitor 5G networks using modern observability practices.
• Manage incidents, changes, and operational continuity.
• Implement 5G security measures and security-by-design principles.
• Apply network slicing, MEC, and automation in 5G environments.
• Evaluate vendors and technologies using structured decision-making frameworks.

Course Format

• Interactive lectures and discussions.
• Extensive hands-on exercises and practice.
• Practical implementation in a live laboratory environment.

Prerequisites

• Understanding of mobile network fundamentals
• Familiarity with LTE/4G architecture and protocols
• Basic knowledge of IP networks and routing
• Experience in telecommunications operations or engineering

Target Audience

• Network design engineers
• Transport engineering specialists
• Core engineering specialists
• RAN engineers
• Network operations staff
• Maintenance teams
• Technology planning specialists
• Network architects
• Telecommunications security specialists
• Spectrum management specialists

1. Introduction and Ecosystem Overview

• A multi-faceted view of the 5G standard: business, standardization, implementation, transport, RAN, core, DevOps.
• Clarification of related concepts: 5G, IMT-2020, NG-RAN, NR, 5GC, 5GS.
• Generational continuity of mobile networks: seamless evolution from 4.5G to 5G within 3GPP Releases 15–17.

2. The IMT-2020 Vision

• UE as a driver of change and source of new requirements: extending UE definitions to IoT/mMTC (sensors), RedCap devices (cameras), and UAVs (drones).
• 4G/LTE limitations, lack of EPC flexibility, and transport network challenges.
• Advanced eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC requirements: use cases and their impact on RAN and core.
• General system requirements defining the 5G network.
• Cross-cutting capabilities: Network Slicing, 5QI, CUPS, Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), and privacy by design.

3. Physical Fundamentals of UE to NG-RAN Communication

• Basic radio concepts: cell, band, channel bandwidth.
• UE network access fundamentals: radio protocol stack, MIB/SIB, cell selection mechanism, and physical layer.
• Connection establishment: RACH (Msg 1-4), Paging, RRC.

4. NG-RAN Architecture

• Logical split of gNB into CU and DU.
• Functional split options and their implications.
• O-RAN as an alternative/reference framework and RAN interoperability standard.
• Separation of control plane and user plane.
• RRC protocol and its role in coordinating UE activities in NG-RAN and NAS tunneling.

5. NG-RAN Mechanisms and Procedures

• PDCP and radio bearers.
• Measurements: configuration, reporting, and use in other procedures.
• RRC reconfiguration as a key procedure for all NG-RAN operations.
• Carrier aggregation and band combination.
• Role of AMF in NG-RAN coordination, NGAP protocol.
• Handover procedures.

1. Transport Network Fundamentals

• Transport engineering complexity and debunking the "it's just cables" myth: IP/MPLS as core technology.
• Fronthaul, Midhaul, and Backhaul splits: requirements, expectations, and applications (including eCPRI).
• Mapping 5QI from the 5GS domain to IP router QoS.
• Time and phase distribution and synchronization for radio transmission using PTP (IEEE 1588).

2. SBA Architecture Inner Workings as the 5GC Foundation

• Classic IT stack: HTTP/2, JSON, OAuth2.
• Core network function communication mechanisms: Request-Response vs. Subscribe-Notify.
• Key NFs from the perspective of access handling and traffic termination from NG-RAN: NRF, AMF, SMF, UPF.
• NRF as a key coordinator: service registration, service discovery.
• (Conceptual overview) Stateless architecture and state storage for any NF using UDSF.
• (Conceptual overview) Load balancing and proxy mechanisms via SCP.

3. Data Plane and User Plane Separation

• Data flow from UE to 5GC: correlation of NG-RAN interfaces (N2, N3) with NFs (AMF, SMF, UPF).
• AMF as the entry gateway for the control plane (NAS and NGAP signaling termination and demultiplexing).
• UPF as the core of the user plane: implementation of user data routing and GTP-U tunnel encapsulation.
• PDU session establishment flow: comprehensive signaling flow including QoS flow allocation.
• N4 interface (PFCP protocol), TEID allocation, and rules (PDR, FAR) linking radio traffic to external data networks (DN).

4. Subscription, Identity, and Service Policy Management

• Databases: UDR for structured data and UDM for subscriber processing logic.
• 5G-AKA authentication process involving AUSF, NAS key exchange, and SUCI mechanism.
• PCF as policy manager and distributor: session, mobility, and SLA policies.
• PDU session linkage with PCF instances via BSF — key function for IMS/VoNR.

5. Network Slicing

• Introduction to Network Slicing, S-NSSAI parameter identifier configuration.
• AMF and SMF instance selection mechanisms based on service profile via NSSF.
• Introduction to MEC, Uplink Classifier (UL CL) / branching point in UPF.

6. External 5GC Exposure and APIs

• SEPP for securing roaming traffic.
• Non-3GPP access: subscriber traffic originating outside NG-RAN via N3IWF.
• Exposure and integration with external application functions (AF) via NEF.

7. Analysis of Selected End-to-End Scenarios

• Initial registration and PDU session establishment: NRF queries, AUSF authentication, subscription retrieval from UDM, and policies from PCF.
• Path switching and UPF relocation procedures for active sessions during gNB handover.
• Uplink Classifier (UL CL) mechanism at UPF and SMF levels in MEC scenarios and Local Breakout (LBO) routing.
• Paging and network-triggered service request, waking UE initiated by UPF in response to downlink traffic.

1. Transitional Architecture

• Review of EPC and E-UTRAN architectures.
• 5G deployment options (Standalone SA and Non-Standalone EN-DC).

2. 5GS and EPS Coexistence

• EPS Fallback and Redirect mechanisms.
• Hybrid implementations (PGW-C+SMF and PGW-U+UPF).
• N26 interface for inter-system handover procedures between MME and AMF.
• Analysis of EN-DC as the dominant MR-DC (Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity) variant.
• DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing) as a spectrum sharing mechanism.

3. Telemetry, Counters, and Data Correlation

• Monitoring phenomena using counters and aggregating them into KPIs.
• Approaches to evaluating procedure accuracy: success rate, failure rate, absolute vs. percentage values.
• Event correlation: tracking complex procedures without dedicated counters.
• Data normalization and broader order-of-magnitude perspective.

4. Anomaly Diagnostics and Log Analysis

• Identifying issues suggesting software or configuration errors (e.g., "cell verticality").
• Statistical deviations and mapping cause values from 3GPP protocols to identify root causes of failures.

5. Chaos Engineering and Troubleshooting

• Fundamentals of managing open-source 5GC implementations in a development/cloud environment.
• Cloud-native paradigm testing: replacing core microservice elements without interrupting operations.
• Deliberate fault injection and observing failover behavior.
• Simulating NG-RAN degradation and correlating logs on the AMF side.