Zone-AGF: An O-RAN-Based Local Breakout and Handover Mechanism for Non-5G Capable Devices in Private 5G Networks === ###### REPORTING : Anyone interested :::info ### Summary The growing demand for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) in private 5G environments, such as smart campuses and industrial networks, has highlighted the limitations of conventional Wireline access gateway function (W-AGF) architectures that depend heavily on centralized 5G core (5GC) processing. This paper introduces a novel Centralized Unit (CU)-based Zone-Access Gateway Function (Z-AGF) architecture designed to enhance handover performance and enable Local Breakout (LBO) within Non-Public Networks (NPNs) for non-5G capable (N5GC) devices. The proposed design integrates W-AGF functionalities with the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) framework, leveraging the F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) as the primary interface between Z-AGF and CU. By performing local breakout(LBO) locally at the Z-AGF, latency-sensitive traffic is processed closer to the edge, reducing the backhaul load and improving end-to-end latency, throughput, and jitter performance. The experimental results demonstrate that Z-AGF achieves up to 45.6\% latency reduction, 69\% packet loss improvement,85.6\% reduction of round-trip time(RTT) for local communications under LBO, effective local offloading with quantified throughput compared to conventional W-AGF implementations. This study provides a scalable and interoperable approach for integrating wireline and wireless domains, supporting low-latency, highly reliable services within the O-RAN ecosystem and accelerating the adoption of localized next-generation 5G services. - **Authors:** - Professor Jui Tang-Wang - Phd Student, Hitayezu Antoine - Master Student, Saffana Zyan Dini - **Corresponding Authors:** Antoine H. (d11202811@mail.ntust.edu.tw) - **Project Investigator(PI):** Professor RT. - **Project Data:** - Here You Can find all related data for the project. Click [Here](https://1drv.ms/f/c/3954877e95d44877/EoqYpB7myi1InOiopWRbiHoBPV3t-3YhlKHKaNyQzFzF2A?e=2gbbFd) :::