This paper addresses the challenge of achieving simultaneous synchronization and localization of all the active terminals within a cellular network from only one Base Station (BS). We propose a novel approach leveraging Digital Network Twins (DNT), which integrates these two critical tasks within a unified framework.We begin by analyzing User Equipment (UE)-to-network time synchronization, both theoretically and through experimental validation using a 5th generation (5G) testbed, identifying it as the primary obstacle to accurate localization. Then, to address this challenge, we introduce a DNT-based framework that leverages high-fidelity ray-tracing simulations on a 3D digital replica of the environment. This enables precise UE-to-network alignment, dynamic environmental mapping, and accurate real-time localization starting from one Next Generation Node Base (gNB). The proposed method integrates Angle Delay Channel Power Matrix (ADCPM) characterization and Time of Flight (ToF) data with the DNT prior knowledge of the environment, eliminating the need for network cooperation or prior on-field channel measurements for precise localization. We first validate the proposed approach through an outdoor measurement campaign and then demonstrate its effectiveness via numerical simulations, compared to existing localization techniques in scenarios where only a single gNB is available. The method achieves on average a positioning accuracy of less than 6m in the static case and 8m in the dynamic scenario, using a ray-tracing granularity that is not excessively fine (4 × 4 m), even under worst-case synchronization and Non-Line of Sight (NLoS) conditions.

This study examines the impact of User Equipment (UE)-to-Next Generation Node Base (gNB) synchronization on Time of Flight (ToF)-based localization in 5th generation (5 G) networks. First, a method for measuring the UE-to-gNB overall ToF delay is introduced, leveraging the Timing Advance (TA) command and Sounding Reference Signals (SRSs). The impact of key synchronization factors, such as clock drift and reception/transmission (RX/TX) timing delays, on ToF measurements and positioning accuracy is thoroughly analyzed. To quantify the effect of these localization impairments on 3GPP-compliant devices, an experimental campaign was conducted using the OpenAirInterface (OAI) platform. Field data were collected to assess errors in UE-to-gNB distance estimation. The results show that after estimating and compensating for RX/TX timing delays, the distance error remains within 3.8 m in 95% of cases in a line-of-sight (LoS) urban scenario.