By Yushuang Hu, WG SA5 Rapporteur (China Mobile)

Published December 2025, in Highlights Issue 11

The increasing complexity of 5GA networks, coupled with the demand for enhanced service quality and reliability, necessitates efficient management solutions for complex networks. Network Digital Twin (NDT) offers an effective solution by providing deep insights and enabling proactive management.

By simulating scenarios, NDTs help operators predict outcomes, optimize configurations, and prepare for high-risk operations virtually, without affecting the real network. This is essential for 6G, which demands ultra-low latency and high reliability, making NDT crucial for autonomous network management and optimization.

In R19, SA5 initiated a study on “Management aspects of Network Digital Twin” in TR 28.915 [1], marking the first introduction of the NDT concept and technology by 3GPP and subsequently documented the R19 normative work in TS 28.561 [2]. Furthermore, the 5GA R20 work in TR 28.883 [3] is expected to study the NDT enhancements and enable the vertical industry services.

Concepts and Overview

Network Digital Twin is the virtual replicas of mobile network or part of one, that captures its attributes, behaviours and interactions. NDTs can combine hardware, software, and data flows to provide a comprehensive view of the network’s status and potential future states. The implementation of an NDT can rely on simulation, emulation, AI-based modelling, or any other technique that enables the NDT to mimic the behaviours of the network.

NDTs are crucial for enhancing network automation functions by complementing existing capabilities by filling the gap in modelling mobile network behaviours. They can achieve the capabilities by leveraging analytic data from MDA and synchronized data from real networks as needed. Additionally, they can provide modelling capabilities to support network automation functions (e.g., MDA and SON), in achieving their automation goals. NDTs offer flexible deployment options, allowing integration both within and outside existing network automation functions.

Figure 1: Relation of NDTs with network automation functions

Functions in different domains

The NDT function can be provided by the cross-management domain to support cross-domain simulation/emulation capability or RAN/CN management domain directly to support RAN domain simulation/emulation capability. For instance, the NDT function in RAN domain is responsible for RAN energy saving configuration verification. Figure 2 depicts the scenario when NDT function is deployed in RAN domain.

NDT Capabilities and Use Cases

NDTs provide a range of capabilities that enhance network management:

NDT Management service provisioning

The NDT in 3GPP is defined as a management service (MnS) to provide the digital twin capabilities, including definitions in stage 2 and stage 3 which allows operator to manage NDT in a multi-vendor environment.

For stage 2, the operations (e.g., createMOI operations) and notifications (e.g., notifyMOIcreation) of generic provisioning MnS defined in TS 28.532 [4] can be used for NDT management, including NDT function management, NDT job management and NDT report management. The NDTFunction, NDTJob, NDTReport instances can be treated as Managed Object instances, integrating with existing network management systems and processes, ensuring seamless operation.

For stage 3, the NDT MnS is defined by standardized operations such as the use of RESTful APIs for HTTP-based solutions. The RESTful HTTP-based solution set for generic provisioning management service is defined in clause 12.1.1 in TS 28.532 [4]. Corresponding className are NDTFunction, NDTJob and NDTReport.

Future developments

Currently, the 6G Network Digital Twin study is being discussed in both WG SA1 and WG SA5, with an emphasis on supporting digital twin capabilities to enable autonomous networks. In SA5, the evolved NDT is considering enhancements to support 6G use cases and optimize network management. This may include NDT enhancements on autonomous capabilities, precise analysis, multi-domain and cross-domain simulations, real-time NDT, data services processing, exposure etc.

In the future, 3GPP SA5 will continue to develop standards for NDT management solutions and meet any new requirements for management aspects from the industry.

[1] TR 28.915 - Study on management aspects of Network Digital Twin

[2] TS 28.561 - Management aspects of Network Digital Twins

[3] TR 28.883 - Study on management aspects of Network Digital Twins phase 2

[4] TS 28.532 - Management and orchestration; provisioning