Very low latency and high reliability are two of the main requirements for new applications exploiting 5G networks. This is the case for the remote operation of robots or vehicles, the autonomous interaction of equipment in a factory, autonomous driving and tactile internet applications. Although the TCP/IP stack has been sufficient as the end-to-end solution for most of the history of the Internet, a number of surveys have appeared recently presenting many different methods for managing the end-to-end communication to meet the requirements of various technologies such as that of 5G networks. In this paper, we present a novel classification of the literature focused on new end-to-end solutions and the creation of services towards the support of low latency (1 ms) and high reliability (10 ^-9 error rate) in current and future 5G networks. We specifically highlight how the proposals can be classified according to enabling technologies and the specific method used to achieve success in terms of the latency and reliability. The literature related to end-to-end solutions for reliable low-latency communications are organized according to three main topics: (i) end-to-end protocols that improve communication in terms of latency and reliability, (ii) functionality or technologies implemented on the network to support the current demands, and (iii) application programming interfaces that enhance the correct utilization of those protocols and additional technologies.

The SymPA (Symbian protocol analyzer) tool correlates traffic information, radio-access-technology measurements, and location data to help developers evaluate mobile applications in the field.

The high heterogeneity of 5G use cases requires the extension of the traditional per-component testing procedures provided by certification organizations, in order to devise and incorporate methodologies that cover the testing requirements from vertical applications and services. In this paper, we introduce an experimentation methodology that is defined in the context of the 5GENESIS project, which aims at enabling both the testing of network components and validation of E2E KPIs. The most important contributions of this methodology are its modularity and flexibility, as well as the open-source software that was developed for its application, which enable lightweight adoption of the methodology in any 5G testbed. We also demonstrate how the methodology can be used, by executing and analyzing different experiments in a 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) deployment at the University of Malaga. The key findings of the paper are an initial 5G performance assessment and KPI analysis and the detection of under-performance issues at the application level. Those findings highlight the need for reliable testing and validation procedures towards a fair benchmarking of generic 5G services and applications.

The changes in new mobile networks toward a full Internet protocol–based architecture have led to opportunities for service‐oriented optimizations based on emergent technologies like fog computing, software‐defined networking, or network function virtualization. This paper explores 2 ways of using these new technologies to reduce the latency in Long‐Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Both solutions reduce the path that the data packets should follow from the base station (evolved Node B [eNB]) to the network components that connect to the servers. The first solution, called Fog Gateway, is based on the interception of the packets in the tunnel at the eNB and their redirection to local servers running the fog services. This solution is fully compliant with the current LTE architecture and only requires new components. The second solution, called General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol Gateway (GTP), is based on splitting the eNB's functionality to avoid unnecessary GTP encapsulation of the packets geared toward the fog services. This paper includes an analysis of the latency split in LTE networks, the evaluation of both solutions with experiments in an end‐to‐end LTE network testbed, and a discussion around their applicability in future fifth‐generation networks. The results confirm that they are feasible to provide low‐latency services and that they are compatible with some of the emergent paradigms (software‐defined networking and network function virtualization) as well as with the studies on fifth‐generation networks from the standardization bodies.