5G LAN (5G Local Area Network service)

Also known as: 5G Virtual Network, 5G VN group

5G LAN is a 3GPP Release 16 service that lets a group of UEs communicate as if they were on the same private LAN, with direct UE-to-UE forwarding through the UPF, Ethernet or IP PDU sessions, group membership managed by the PCF and 5G LAN-VN identifiers. It is a building block for private 5G deployments that need to replace or extend enterprise Ethernet.

Categories: Core NetworkProtocols and Standards

5G LAN in context

The mobile core carries subscriber sessions, mobility and policy. In 4G it is the EPC (MME, HSS, S/PGW); in 5G it is the Service-Based Architecture with AMF, SMF, UPF, AUSF, UDM and the NRF.

Telecom security is written into standards from 3GPP, GSMA, ETSI, IETF and ITU-T. Understanding which body owns which specification, and how they interlock, is essential for both design and audit work.

To place 5G LAN in the wider telecom-security picture, review Network Slice, ETSI ISG NFV, EIR, OpenSSL, SM and AF: each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

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