## 4 Development and Validation of the Platform
### Platform Performance Results
#### 4.2.1 Evaluation of the 5G Core  
The first set of tests evaluated the latency of the network core in the control and user planes, as well as measured the supported peak data rate. Both tests were performed in different load scenarios to evaluate the performance under stress or in ideal situations. In \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline
**5G Core** & **Conditions** & **Measured Value** & **Standard** \\
**Metrics** & & & **Deviation** \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{Peak data rate} & Simulated RAN, & \multirow{2}{*}{DL: 468 Mb/s} & \multirow{2}{*}{36 Mb/s} \\  & 1 UE, 1 UPF (DL) & & \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & Simulated RAN, & & 27 Mb/s \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & 1 UE, 1 UPF (DL + UL) & & 27 Mb/s \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & Simulated RAN, & & 27 Mb/s \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & 10 UEs, 1 UPF (DL + UL) & & 27 Mb/s \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & Simulated RAN, & & 282 Mb/s \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & 7 UEs, 7 UPFs (DL + UL) & & 27 Mb/s \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{Latency (UP) (OWD)} & Simulated RAN, & \multirow{2}{*}{DL: 69\% packets, 125–250 us} & \multirow{2}{*}{N/A} \\  & 7 UE, 7 UPF (DL + UL) & & 275-250 us \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & Simulated RAN, & & 275-250 us \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & 7 UE, 7 UPF (DL + UL) & & 275-250 us \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{Latency (CP)} & Simulated RAN, & \multirow{2}{*}{0.3 s} & \multirow{2}{*}{0.2 s} \\  & 20 UE, 1 UPF (200 idle-active cycles) & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: An overview of peak data rates and latency (one-way delay, OWD) metrics of the 5G core network under various simulated conditions. Data rates were measured with a simulated RAN for different UE setups, across multiple User Plane Functions (UPFs). Latency measurements were split into user plane (UP) and control plane (CP) metrics, highlighting packet delivery within specific latency brackets. The standard deviation values indicate variability in network performance, with higher deviations observed in scenarios involving multiple UEs and UPFs. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Platform** & \begin{tabular}{c} **Maximum** \\ **Theoretical** \\ **Value [53]** \\ \end{tabular} & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Conditions** \\ **(DL, UL)** \\ \end{tabular} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Measured Value**} & \multirow{2}{*}{
\begin{tabular}{c} **Standard** \\ **Deviation** \\ \end{tabular} } \\ \cline{2-2} \cline{4-5}  & DL: 613.5 Mb/s & Real RAN (n78), & DL: 552.0 Mb/s & 43 Mb/s \\ \cline{2-5}  & UL: 140.6 Mb/s & 1 UE, 1 UPF & UL: 87.3 Mb/s & 27 Mb/s \\ \cline{2-5}  & DL: 152.8 Mb/s & Real RAN (n40), & DL: 120 Mb/s & 8 Mb/s \\ \cline{2-5}  & UL: 35.0 Mb/s & 1 UEs, 1 UPF & UL: 29 Mb/s & 4 Mb/s \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Maximum theoretical and measured data rates for download (DL) and upload (UL) links in n78 and n40 bands. Testing was conducted under real radio access network conditions using a single UE and a single UPF. addition, some tests were repeated using the seven slices available at Edge Site 1 to evaluate the performance change when using network slicing. To carry out these 5G core evaluation tests, the LoadCore simulation tool [54] was employed to emulate the radio access network (RAN) and multiple UEs. LoadCore is specifically designed to evaluate 5G Standalone (5G SA) core deployments by testing performance and conformance at scale for both the control and user planes. This tool allows for the comprehensive emulation of UEs, gNodeBs (gNB), and core network functions, facilitating a broad range of tests, including capacity and latency assessments, mobility scenarios, isolated node or interface testing, and Quality-of-Experience (QoE) measurements. LoadCore also supports the validation of complex service-based architectures, which is essential for evaluating the flexibility and scalability of 5G network deployments.