Hi,
I am developing a network application and I am wondering which capabilities of the 5G network are offered for the applications to operate. Besides, I would like to know some indications about where can I find this information.
Many thanks!
Logan.
Hi Logan,
The main point of interaction in the 5G architecture for network applications is the Network Exposure Function (NEF) component. The NEF make it possible to retrieve monitoring data and to interact with the 5G network. For example, you can retrieve the cell to which the UE is connected. You can find more information about this in the standard ETSI TS 129 522 (https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/129500_129599/129522/15.03.00_60/ts_129522v150300p.pdf).
However, no real NEF implementation in commercial and research 5G cores is available. To solve this issue, in 5GASP we have available a fork of the NEFemulator (GitHub - 5gasp/NEF-Emulator) so you can develop your network applications interacting with the emulated NEF. The advantage of this approach is that it uses the same APIs defined in the standards, so whenever a real one will be available, your 5G network application will operate without any problem.
Regards,
Ana