Today’s mission-critical applications, such as such as industrial automation, Edge AI, smart grids, autonomous vehicles, and remote healthcare, demand ultra-reliable connectivity and precise timing. The integration of Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and 5G networks represents a leap forward in connectivity to meet such requirements.
But at a time when TSN and 5G are converging to enable deterministic, ultra-reliable connectivity for Edge AI and mission-critical applications, the technical landscape can be complex. Benetel’s white paper is intended to contribute to the existing knowledge in this field; it shows how deterministic networking and ultra-reliable low-latency wireless connectivity can be harnessed to enable real-time Edge AI applications, industrial automation, and mission-critical services, by detailing the architecture, service types, and technological advances that make this integration possible and highlighting real-world use cases.
A Brief Overview
Modern networks must do more than deliver data quickly; they must deliver it predictably. Industrial automation, connected vehicles, and critical infrastructure rely on timing guarantees and reliability rather than raw throughput. For private 5G networks, meeting strict QoS requirements is essential to deliver consistent high performance to connected devices. Among these requirements, one of the most critical is achieving deterministic and bounded latency across the network.
Where many conventional networks are largely best-effort, lacking guarantees on timing, jitter, and reliability, the integration of TSN with 5G, and particularly its Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) capabilities, ensures deterministic performance: communications that arrive not just fast, but on time, every time.
- TSN introduces traffic shaping, time synchronisation, and scheduled transmission to guarantee bandwidth, while minimising jitter and ensuring predictable latency in Ethernet-based networks (IEEE 802.1 standards¹).
- With the advent of URLLC capabilities, this performance extends to 5G networks, resulting in up to 99.999% network reliability and end-to-end predictable latency that can be as low as 1 millisecond.
Together, they form the foundation for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), enabling real-time control and monitoring across distributed systems.
More information and technical details of the architecture underpinning TSN and 5G integration is available in Benetel’s white paper. “Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and 5G Integration: Enabling Deterministic and Ultra-Reliable Communications.”
Use Cases
- Industrial Automation (Industry 5.0)
In factories, TSN and 5G enable real-time synchronisation between robots, sensors, and controllers. For instance:
- Closed-loop motion systems, which rely on constant feedback and rapid adjustments, become feasible at scale when both latency and packet loss are tightly controlled.
- Robots on an assembly line can be coordinated with millisecond accuracy, ensuring that complex movements are executed without delay or jitter.
- Predictive maintenance is also enhanced, as machines can transmit high-frequency telemetry data that is analysed in real time, allowing failures to be anticipated before they disrupt production.
Additional use cases include:
- Autonomous Vehicles and Intelligent Transport: Connected and autonomous vehicles rely on near-instantaneous communication to operate safely. Vehicles must exchange data with roadside units, other cars, and cloud systems with predictable timing, even in dense traffic environments. The deterministic latency offered by combining TSN and 5G allows transport systems to evolve from reactive to truly proactive networks.
- Edge AI: Edge AI refers to the deployment of AI applications directly on devices and systems in the physical world, close to where data is generated, rather than in a centralised cloud or distant data center, with concomitant gains in efficiency and privacy. The low latency and predictable performance of TSN and 5G allows Edge AI workloads to run reliably alongside other networked processes and enables such devices to operate cohesively, thus supporting real-time decision-making without having to rely on distant cloud servers.
- Smart Grid and Critical Infrastructure: TSN + 5G integration enables precise synchronisation of power systems, real-time load balancing, and rapid fault detection. Here, deterministic communications directly support grid stability and resilience. In addition, load-balancing algorithms benefit from guaranteed data delivery, ensuring that fluctuations in demand or supply are managed without delay.
Future Outlook
With 3GPP Release 16 introducing formal TSN support and 5G-Advanced (Release 18+) expected to strengthen integration further, the roadmap points to even tighter alignment between these technologies. Time-sensitive wireless communication will soon be the standard rather than the exception. So, as industries increasingly rely on wireless connectivity, the integration of TSN into 5G networks provides a robust, scalable, and synchronised infrastructure. It makes real-time edge AI, industrial automation, and the delivery of mission-critical services not just possible, but practical.
Benetel’s indoor and outdoor split 7.2 radios already support a number of the key features needed to enable TSN across the Radio Access Network (RAN). This perfectly positions us to support industries as they transition toward networks where reliability, timing, and performance are guaranteed.
Looking ahead, collaboration between IEEE, 3GPP, and industrial stakeholders will be vital to unlock the full potential of TSN in the 5G era. Benetel takes a first step toward this collaboration with our white paper, “Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and 5G Integration: Enabling Deterministic and Ultra-Reliable Communications”, which details the architecture underpinning TSN and 5G Integration, while highlighting practical use cases.