IEEE International Mediterranean Conference on Communications and Networking
5–8 September 2022 // Athens, Greece

Workshops

Monday 5 September 2022, 9:00 – 12:30

WS1. Intelligent Distribution of Computing in Cloud Continuum (ID3C)

Organizers

  • Symeon Papavassiliou, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
  • Dimitrios Dechouniotis, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
  • Yacine Ghamri-Doudane, La Rochelle University, France
  • Sinem Coleri, Koc University, Turkey
  • Iordanis Koutsopoulos, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece
  • Hans Vandierrendonck, Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom

Background and Motivation

The proliferation of IoT solutions is driving the development of novel computing platforms that cope with the limitations of sensor/actuation devices and mobile devices, by offloading computing complexity onto the network. As a result, new computing paradigms that support diverse applications’ needs have arisen including cloud, fog and edge computing. Increasingly hybrid approaches are being adopted to provide performance trade-offs among those distribution models according to changing network conditions and application requirements. This trend is foreseen to continue to grow especially in smart environments powered by post-5G networks. Processing will have to be delegated via novel intelligent coordination strategies over dynamic networks, including cloud, fog and edge elements. There is a need for ubiquitous, context-aware, robust solutions that dynamically orchestrate computing tasks among these models.

Session 1 (9:00 – 10:30) – “Distribution of Computing in Cloud Continuum” Papers Session

  • Computational Offloading for the Industrial Internet of Things: A Performance Analysis, by Sirine Bouhoula, Marios Avgeris, Aris Leivadeas, Ioannis Lambadaris
  • Online Learning for Industrial IoT: The Online Convex Optimization Perspective, by Livia Elena Chatzieleftheriou, Chen-Feng Liu, Ioardanis Koutsopoulos, Mehdi Bennis, Mérouane Debbah
  • A Delay-Aware Approach for Distributed Embedding Towards Cross-Slice Communication, by Ioannis Dimolitsas, Dimitrios Spatharakis, Dimitrios Dechouniotis, Symeon Papavassiliou
  • Energy Efficient Placement of ML-Based Services in IoT Networks, by Mohammed Moawad Alenazi, Barzan Yosuf, Sanaa Hamid Mohamed, Taisir El-Gorashi, Jaafar Elmirghani

Session 2 (11:00 – 12:30) – “Smart Distribution of Computing in. Dynamic Networks” Invited Talks Session

  • Learning and resource allocation problems in future wireless edge architectures (LeadingEdge project), by Iordanis Koutsopoulos (Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece)
    Abstract: Future wireless edge architectures will be endowed with AI capabilities so as to respond to unpredictable changes and uncertain network and other conditions. In this talk, we will discuss some concrete resource allocation problems and the interesting new twists they obtain if the assumption of a priori knowledge of network state before decision-making is relaxed. We will also discuss the role of Federated Learning in this context.
  • Reshaping the Network Infrastructure Towards Massively Scalable Computing (SCORING project), by Prof. Halima ElBiaze (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada)
    Abstract: Current network infrastructure falls short in supporting a massively scalable computing landscape required by most of 5/6G use cases. In-Network Computing (INC) has the potential to shape the Next-Generation Networking Infrastructure (NGNI) into an integrated computation, caching and communication (3C) infrastructure that is​ needed to fulfill the stringent requirements of emerging applications. The enhancement of 3C integration throughout Cloud-Edge-Mist Continuum provides even further advantages to achieve this goal.
  • Communication-Aware Dynamic Edge Computing (CONNECT project), by Sinem Coleri (Koc University, Turkey)
    Abstract: Many specialized machine learning (ML) algorithms have been developed to learn from sensor measurements, but these assume a centralized setting, where data is available at a central processor with powerful computation capabilities. This centralized approach assumes that the massive amount of sensor data is transmitted to a cloud center, which may not be feasible due to limitations of the devices and channels, not meet the stringent delay constraints of most applications, e.g., controlling an autonomous vehicle, or the privacy requirements of users. To address this problem, we develop real edge intelligence by enabling edge nodes to make local decisions rapidly and reliably in a collaborative manner. This is achieved by developing novel caching, distributed computing and networking methodologies to enable federated/distributed learning taking into account the network dynamics and physical channel variations.
  • Edge Resource Allocation: The Control Co-design Perspective (DRUID-NET Project), by Dimitrios Dechouniotis (National Technical University of Athens, Greece)
    Abstract: In edge computing, resource allocation strategy must take into account both application requirements and resource availability. Towards optimization of communications, control and computing (3C), the emerging challenge of the next-generation industrial controllers is to integrate the resource allocation solution in the design of the control scheme. In this context, we will discuss how we can co-design the feedback controller, ther resource allocation strategy and the task offloading decision.
  • Distributed Stream Processing on Fog and Edge Systems via Transprecise Computing (DiPET project), by Hans Vandierendonck (Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland)
    Abstract: The DiPET project investigates models and techniques that enable distributed stream processing applications to seamlessly span and redistribute across fog and edge computing systems. This talk presents the DiPET approach to distributed scheduling based on transprecise computing, which is built on the observation that computation need not always be exact. This way, we propose a disciplined trade-off of precision against accuracy, which impacts on computational effort, energy efficiency, memory usage and communication bandwidth and latency.

 

Monday 5 September 2022, 14:00 – 17:30

WS2. NetApps into Beyond 5G and 6G Networks

Organizers

  • Dr Bessem Sayadi, Nokia Bell-Labs France, 5G-PPP Software Network WG Chairman, France
  • Dr Christos Tranoris, University of Patras, Greece

Background and Motivation

As we move from the 5G era onwards to 5G-Advanced, and leading up to the 6G era, the communications fabric and the way the network services are consumed need to be architected differently. Technologies like Cloud-native, AI/ML, Software led, low touch operations and ultimately automation of every aspect of the network and the services it delivers, will be key and essential for this disruption. Previous 5G PPP phases demonstrated that software networks, the Service-Based Architecture (SBA) and network programmability through standard APIs, provide high flexibility to offer network services tailored to the vertical needs and the requirements of specific tenants. As a response to this, last year a series of projects launched that offer experimentation facilities able to provide enhanced experimentation infrastructures on top of which third party experimenters  SMEs or any service provider and target vertical users will have the opportunity to test their applications in an integrated, open, cooperative and fully featured network platform running across multiple domains where needed, and tailored to specific vertical use cases. Industry verticals, enterprises have different needs which the NetAppI ecosystem embraces with abstracted API sets and new business models. The aim of this workshop is to bring together all the NetApp stakeholders, discuss their experiences so far and pave the way for NetApps into 6G to span all domains RAN/CORE/Transport/Devices/Applications.

Session I (14:00 – 15:30) – NetApp Platforms into Beyond 5G and 6G Networks

  • Workshop Session Introduction, by workshop chairs (Bessem Sayadi, Christos Tranoris)
  • 5G Application & Services experimentation and certification Platform – 5GASP by Kostis Trantzas (University of Patras, Greece)
    Abstract: 5GASP aims at shortening the idea-to-market process through the creation of a European testbed for SMEs that is fully automated and self-service, in order to foster rapid development and testing of new and innovative NetApps built using the 5G NFV based reference architecture. Building on top of existing physical infrastructures, 5GASP intends to focus on innovations related to the operation of experiments and tests across several domains, providing software support tools for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) of VNFs in a secure & trusted environment for European SMEs capitalizing in the 5G market. 5GASP targets the creation of an Open Source Software (OSS) repository and of a VNF marketplace targeting SMEs with OSS examples and building blocks, as well as the incubation of a community of NetApp developers assisted with tools and services that can enable an early validation and/or certification of products and services for 5G. We focus on inter-domain use-cases, development of operational tools and procedures (supporting day-to-day testing and validation activities) and security/trust of 3rd party IPR running in our testbeds.
  • Open cooperative 5G experimentation platforms for the industrial sector NetApps – 5G-INDUCE by Jakob Kämpfer (Oculavis.de)
    Abstract: The vision of 5G-INDUCE is to provide an end-to-end orchestration platform for 5G applications that can be easily ported, deployed and managed, showcasing advance 5G trial use cases, with demonstrable performance metrics that conform to specific KPI requirements. The overall demonstration effort should lead to both technological and business validation of 5G technologies in the context of specific smart industrial services. The 5G-INDUCE project aims at building the enabling open and cooperative 5G network platforms that will allow the showcasing and evaluation of advanced network applications (NetApps), developed primarily by innovative SMEs, supporting emerging, as well as innovative services related to the industry 4.0 environment. The project is based on the solid know-how and the complete 5G application and network orchestration platforms from successfully demonstrated 5GPPP research activities and combines them with already deployed and mature 5G experimentation infrastructures, interconnected with private infrastructures from the industry sector.  The goal is to provide realistic experimentation facilities for the seamless deployment of network functions, forming the building blocks of market oriented industrial NetApps, while providing an attractive platform for service providers seeking to advance the TRL of their network functions and NetApps to 7 before commercialization.
  • 5G Intelligent Automotive Network Applications – 5G-IANA by Konstantinos V. Katsaros  (Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), Greece)
    Abstract: 5G-based Automotive-related services (i.e., Connected and Automated Mobility services) are a broad range of digital services in and around vehicles including both safety-related and other commercial services provided, enabled, or supported by 5G networks. The imminent rollout of 5G is expected to become a “game changer”. For the first time, mobile networks will offer a broad range of connectivity performances including gigabit speeds and mission critical reliability. The prospect that 5G will be a unified multi-service platform, serving not only the traditional mobile broadband market but also enabling digital transformation in a number of vertical industries, is expected to result in the creation of unprecedented opportunities for innovation and economic growth. It is expected that the economic and societal impact of connected mobility will be very significant, and that mobile communication systems such as 5G will play a central role in the future transport ecosystem. Indeed, the majority of the 5G-based Automotive-related services will require a totally reliable and safe guidance infrastructure, which will have to combine all available technologies: sensors (in vehicles and on the ground), high accuracy location, precise positioning, high definition mapping, converged AI on devices, at the edge and in the cloud, and, in particular high quality direct and network communications between all moving and fixed elements (vehicles, bikes, pedestrians, and road infra-structure). Functional redundancy and complementarity in the architecture will be necessary to be able to meet the demanding KPIs of such services (e.g., full automation, remote driving, etc.).
  • Experimentation and Validation Openness for Longterm evolution of VErtical inDustries in 5G era and beyond – EVOLVED-5G by Dr. Harilaos Koumaras (NCSR “Demokritos”, Greece)
    Abstract: The intense research work on 5G experimentation in Europe has reached the point where the evolved 5G capabilities, provided through the Service-Based Architecture (SBA), are to be exploited by third party innovators. Key enabler for this openness is the realisation of network programmability through standard APIs. An endeavor that is expected to shape a new and dynamic ecosystem in mobile networks from both the technology and marketing perspectives. Indeed, SBA allows the exposure of network services and capabilities through the Network Exposure Function (NEF), a border function of the 5G core network. Already, 3GPP has specified the procedures and the information flows for a common API framework (CAPIF) to address applicability, duplication and inconsistency aspects of the 5G northbound service APIs. In this context, vertical industries will be able to develop NetApps, i.e., to compose services by consuming 3GPP APIs (native APIs) as well as other telco assets (referring to business support system – BSS APIs, e.g. service orchestration APIs). For example, a NetApp could consume APIs that provide monitoring events and network slice configuration analysis to compose a service that guarantees quality of experience for latency-sensitive applications.
  • 5G experimentation environment for 3rd party media services – 5GMediaHUB by Kostas Ramantas (Iquadrat, Spain)
    Abstract: 5GMediaHUB aims to help EU to achieve the goal of becoming a world leader in 5G, by accelerating the testing and validation of innovative 5G-empowered media applications and NetApps from 3rd party experimenters and NetApps developers, through an open, integrated and fully featured Experimentation Facility. This will significantly reduce not only the service creation lifecycle but also the time to market barrier, thus providing such actors that are primarily from SMEs, with a competitive advantage against their rivals outside EU.
  • Q&A discussion

Session II (16:00 – 17:30) – NetApp Platforms into Beyond 5G and 6G Networks

  • Vertical Innovations in Transport And Logistics over 5G experimentation facilities – VITAL-5G by Alexandru OPREA (Orange Romania), Andreea BONEA (Orange Romania)
    Abstract: The pan-European Transport & Logistics (T&L) eco-system is considered one of the main adopters of 5G, and as such, the successful transfer of 5G-empowered services from trials/pilot stages to production depends highly on the availability of flexible and intuitive tools and APIs for design, management and orchestration of their services. VITAL-5G prioritises this ambition and plans to overcome, through its intuitive and production-ready NetApps orchestration platform with open repository, various limitations that exist today for industry verticals keen to design and deploy T&L virtualised services in a 5G network.
  • 5G Enhanced Robot Autonomy – 5G-ERA by George Agapiou (WINGS ICT Solutions, Greece)
    Abstract: 5G-ERA is conceptually concerned with experimentation facilities able to provide enhanced experimentation infrastructures on top of which, third party experimenters e.g. SMEs or any service provider and target vertical users will have the opportunity to test their applications in an integrated, open, cooperative and fully featured network platform running across multiple domains where needed, and tailored to specific use cases related to robotic applications. To explore this concept, the project will use existing 5G testbeds in experimentation facilities which will be used to verify the robotic applications through a number of use cases.
  • 5G ExPerimentation Infrastructure hosting Cloud-nativE Netapps for public proTection and disaster Relief – 5G-EPICENTRE by Jean-Michel Duquerrois (Airbus)
    Abstract: 5G is considered to be the next decade mainstream broadband wireless technology and can leverage the efficiency and effectiveness of everyday high demanding operations such as Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR). International Telecommunication Union (ITU) considers LTE-Advanced systems and 5G as a mission critical PPDR technology able to address the needs of mission critical intelligence by supporting mission critical voice, data and video services as an IMT radio interface. 5G-EPICENTRE will deliver an open end-to-end experimentation 5G platform focusing on software solutions that serve the needs of PPDR.
  • Demonstration of 5G solutions for SMART energy GRIDs of the future  – Smart5Grid by Antonello Corsi (Engineering, Italy), Giampaolo Fiorentino (Engineering, Italy)
    Abstract: 5G is envisioned to be the first global technology standard that will address the variety of future use cases of the energy sector, by ensuring that both the radio and core network performance requirements can be met in terms of end-to-end latency, reliability and availability. Up-to-now, the main discussion for 5G has been to support the next wave of smart grid features and efficiency at the behind-the-meter level, by integrating many low-voltage devices into the power grid through low-cost connections, managing demand and load balance domestically, aiming the reduction of the electricity peaks and energy costs. However, it is expected that, as the emergence of smart grids will grow, a lion share of the growth will take place in the medium-voltage levels: towards secondary substations and distributed energy resources, as well as between secondary substations and primary substation. Smart5Grid aims to revolutionize the Energy Vertical industry through the successful establishment of four fundamental functions of modern smart grids, i.e., (i) automatic power distribution grid fault detection, (ii) remote inspection of automatically delimited working areas at distribution level, (iii) millisecond level precise distribution generation control, and (iv) real-time wide area monitoring in a creative cross-border scenario, thus assisting power grid operators and other energy stakeholders (e.g., smart grid operators, distribution system operators/transmission system operators, energy service providers, etc.)
  • Q&A discussion
  • Workshop Session Conclusion and next steps by workshop chairs (Bessem Sayadi, Christos Tranoris)