Improving 5G User Plane Function Performance via Access Control Rule Distribution

The deployment of 5G technology represents a significant advancement in telecommunications, offering unprecedented speed, connectivity, and innovation opportunities. However, this progress comes at a significant cost for Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) operators, who face challenges in meeting high Quality of Service (QoS) standards for optimal user experience while ensuring appropriate levels of security. This paper addresses the joint optimization of latency and resource consumption under security constraints within 5G networks, focusing on the Packet Data Unit (PDU) session path to ensure compliance with security and latency requirements. We propose an innovative approach in which access control rules are distributed across User Plane Functions (UPFs) in the network. The optimization problem has been formulated as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem that aims to minimize round-trip latency and operational costs for PLMN operators. We evaluate the performance of our model using a discrete event network simulator (NS3). The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, particularly in scenarios with stringent latency requirements. Latency is reduced, and a lower session drop rate is maintained, especially in conditions of network congestion. These findings emphasize the importance of considering both QoS and security in the design of next-generation 5G networks.