Authors - Daniel H. M. Marques, Luiz A. P. Silva, Andson M. Balieiro, Mohammed B. Alshawki, Alexandre J. R. Serres, Dalton C. G. Valadares Abstract - The evolution towards 5G and Beyond (5G/B5G) standardization, and even the development of 5G, can be accelerated by using accessible, high-fidelity emulation environments to validate emerging network architectures. For instance, Network Slicing is an aspect that can especially benefit from these tools. However, defining an emulation platform that is compatible with research objectives can be challenging. So, this work aims to compare two different Mobile Network emulation setups: one using Open5GS to emulate the Core Network and UERANSIM for the implementation of the Radio Access Network (RAN) and User Equipment (UE), and another using an OpenAirInterface (OAI) End-to- End implementation. Furthermore, this work aims to fill relevant gaps in the academic literature, addressing implementation obstacles at a granular level and the architectural trade-offs necessary to stabilize these environments. To that end, we identified and resolved operational friction points such as kernel-level GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) conflicts, slice identity alignment, and Physical layer (PHY) timing sensitivities in virtualized radio frequency simulators through two deployment frameworks. Our analysis shows that, while the Open5GS/UERANSIM stack offers better agility for Core Network prototyping, OAI offers a more flexible and feature-rich framework, suitable for researching advanced RAN features, albeit with greater configuration complexity. By documenting troubleshooting protocols and architectural comparisons, this work serves as a practical guide for researchers migrating from 5G simulation to 5G/B5G-ready emulation test environments.
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