A Comprehensive Study on Time Synchronization over TSN for 5G/6G Fronthaul Networks

With the widespread adoption of the TDD technology in $5 \mathrm{G} / 6 \mathrm{G}$ fronthaul networks, ensuring highprecision time synchronization has become a critical challenge. This study focuses on the application of TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) technology in the IEEE 802.1CM standard and measures its time synchronization performance. A synchronization mechanism combining IEEE 1588 PTP and Synce is introduced, and the synchronization performance of two approaches-T-BC and T-TC is compared under conditions with and without the ITU-T G. 8275.1 synchronization profile. In addition, the impact of frame preemption technology on synchronization quality under high network load conditions is evaluated. The experimental results demonstrate that TSN technology effectively supports real-time transmission of eCPRI traffic, exhibiting good transmission performance. However, its improvement in synchronization accuracy remains limited. Overall, to meet the requirements of telecom-grade applications, it is still necessary to integrate more comprehensive synchronization protocol implementations and end-to-end network configurations. The findings of this study can serve as a practical reference and guide for future optimization of TSN technology in mobile fronthaul networks.