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5G Core Networks · SA / NSA · Cloud-Native · Sovereign

The Core Is Where
Guarantees Are Made or Broken.

Network slicing, QoS enforcement, data sovereignty, and security policy are all enforced in the 5G Core — not the radio. HCT designs and deploys 3GPP-compliant 5G SA standalone cores that run on your infrastructure, under your control, with SLAs your operations demand.

Core Network AssessmentNetwork Slicing Technology
5G SAStandalone Architecture — No Carrier Dependency
On-SiteCore Runs on Your Infrastructure
Cloud-NativeCNF on Kubernetes — Zero-Downtime Upgrades
IEC 62443OT Security Compliance
5G Core Functions

Every Core Network Function — Delivered On-Site

HCT deploys the complete 3GPP 5GC Service Based Architecture (SBA) as cloud-native functions on your on-premise servers — with full sovereignty over authentication, session management, and data routing.

AMF — Access and Mobility Management

Handles device registration, authentication (5G-AKA or EAP-TLS), mobility tracking, and handover signalling. Supports up to 100,000 registered UEs per AMF instance. Clustered for 99.999% availability with automatic failover.

5G-AKA · EAP-TLS · 100K UEs/AMF · N-way Clustering

SMF + UPF — Session and User Plane

SMF manages PDU session establishment and selects the UPF based on slice type and application. Local UPF provides N6 data breakout on-site — SCADA, AGV, and camera traffic never leaves your facility. Multiple dedicated UPFs for per-slice isolation.

Local UPF · Per-Slice UPF · N6 On-Site Breakout · 10Gbps+ Throughput

PCF + UDM — Policy and Subscriptions

PCF enforces per-device QoS policies — QCI, ARP, GBR/MBR, preemption capability. UDM stores subscriber profiles and authorised slice lists. HCT configures policies per device class: robots get URLLC QCI 82, cameras get eMBB QCI 2.

Per-Device QCI · GBR/MBR Policy · URLLC Preemption · NSSAI Whitelist

NSSF — Network Slice Selection

Routes each UE connection to the correct network slice based on S-NSSAI subscription. Ensures an IoT sensor connects to the mMTC slice, a robot to the URLLC slice, and a security camera to the eMBB slice — automatically, on every connection.

S-NSSAI Routing · Per-UE Slice Assignment · Multi-Slice UE Support

SEPP + N32 Security Gateway

Security Edge Protection Proxy protects inter-PLMN signalling. For sovereign deployments requiring interconnection with national carrier cores (e.g., for roaming in/out of site), N32 JOSE encryption ensures zero signalling exposure on transit.

N32 JOSE · Inter-PLMN Security · Sovereign Security · IPSec Peering

Cloud-Native Core on Kubernetes

All 5GC functions deployed as containerised network functions (CNF) on Kubernetes — on-premise using Intel Xeon servers. Zero-downtime upgrades via rolling deployment. HCT manages the K8s cluster, CNF lifecycle, and 5GC configuration via GitOps.

K8s CNF · GitOps · Zero-Downtime Upgrades · Intel Xeon

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 5G Standalone (SA) core network?

A 5G SA core is a cloud-native packet core built entirely on 5G architecture rather than reusing a 4G EPC. It provides the AMF, SMF and UPF functions required for network slicing, ultra-reliable low latency communication and edge breakout. HCT Group deploys, integrates and optimises 5G SA cores for Yemeni enterprises and operators.

What is the difference between 5G NSA and 5G SA?

Non-Standalone 5G adds 5G radio on top of an existing 4G core, so it improves speed but cannot deliver slicing or guaranteed low latency. Standalone 5G uses a native 5G core and unlocks network slicing, URLLC and local edge breakout. Enterprise private networks generally require SA.

Can the 5G core be deployed on-premises?

Yes. HCT Group deploys 5G cores on-premises, in a sovereign national cloud, or as a hybrid, so that subscriber data and user-plane traffic stay inside the customer's own environment.

What is a UPF and why does it matter for latency?

The User Plane Function routes data traffic. Placing the UPF locally at the site, rather than in a central data centre, keeps traffic on-premises and is what enables sub-5ms round trip latency for automation, robotics and machine vision workloads.

Design Your Core

Your Network. Your Core. Your Rules.

HCT designs 5G SA cores that run on your infrastructure with no carrier dependency. Get a sovereign network architecture proposal in 7 days.

Request Core ArchitecturePrivate 5G Platform