A Unified Backhaul Architecture for Seamless LoRaWAN IoT Integration in 5G NR Networks

Abstract

Integrating LoRaWAN and 5G New Radio (NR) offers a promising pathway to combine massive IoT coverage with ultra-reliable backhaul capabilities. However, their coexistence in shared Sub-1GHz spectrums creates severe adjacency interference, degrading network reliability. To address this, we propose a unified backhaul architecture that enables seamless LoRaWAN integration within 5G NR networks. The architecture features a novel LoRa-NR adaptation that encapsulates LoRa frames into UDP/IP packets mapped to 5G slices, alongside a Cognitive Spectrum Controller (CSC) Orchestrator that enforces dynamic Quiet Periods to protect LoRa uplinks. We developed a detailed co-simulation environment in OMNeT++ to validate this framework. The simulation results confirm the feasibility and efficiency of the architecture: the coordinated approach significantly mitigates interference, improving the Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) to over 91% compared to an uncoordinated baseline, while maintaining optimal latency. This study validates the use of 5G as a transparent, high-performance backhaul for massive LoRaWAN deployments without impacting the energy efficiency of battery-operated sensors.