Private 5G core: lightweight 5GC, edge UPF, local breakout

Lightweight 5G Core Architecture

A private 5G deployment does not require the full-scale 5G core used by national operators. Lightweight 5GC implementations run a minimal set of network functions — AMF for access management, SMF for session management, and UPF for user plane forwarding — on a single server or a small cluster. Functions like NSSF, PCF, and NEF can be simplified or omitted entirely when the deployment serves a fixed set of known devices and applications. Several vendors offer containerized 5GC packages that install on standard x86 servers, reducing the core network footprint to a two-rack-unit appliance…