Experimentation in practical, end-to-end (E2E) next-generation networks deployments is becoming increasingly prevalent and significant in the realm of modern networking and wireless communications research. The prevalence of fifth-generation technology (5G) testbeds and the emergence of developing networks systems, for the purposes of research and testing, focus on the capabilities and features of analytics, intelligence, and automated management using novel testbed designs and architectures, ranging from simple simulations and setups to complex networking systems; however, with the ever-demanding application requirements for modern and future networks, 5G-and-beyond (denoted as 5G+) testbed experimentation can be useful in assessing the creation of large-scale network infrastructures that are capable of supporting E2E virtualized mobile network services. To this end, this paper presents a functional, modular E2E 5G+ system, complete with the integration of a Radio Access Network (RAN) and handling the connection of User Equipment (UE) in real-world scenarios. As well, this paper assesses and evaluates the effectiveness of emulating full network functionalities and capabilities, including a complete description of user-plane data, from UE registrations to communications sequences, and leads to the presentation of a future outlook in powering new experimentation for 6G and next-generation networks.

翻译：在实际的端到端下一代网络部署中进行实验，在现代网络与无线通信研究领域日益普遍且重要。第五代技术测试平台的普及以及新兴网络系统的发展（用于研究与测试目的）聚焦于分析、智能及自动化管理的能力与特性，采用从简单仿真和设置到复杂网络系统等新颖的测试平台设计与架构。然而，随着现代及未来网络对应用需求的不断增长，5G及未来网络（记为5G+）的测试平台实验在评估构建能够支持端到端虚拟化移动网络服务的大规模网络基础设施方面具有重要价值。为此，本文提出一个功能完善的模块化端到端5G+系统，集成了无线接入网并处理真实场景中用户设备的连接。此外，本文评估并验证了仿真完整网络功能与能力的有效性，包括从用户设备注册到通信序列的用户面数据完整描述，并展望了未来推动6G及下一代网络新实验的潜力。