Adlen Ksentini

• University of Rennes

In this letter, we propose an O-RAN-based framework for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) control in 6G. The key objective is to enable the development of RIS control algorithms as xApps running at the Real-time Intelligent Controller (RIC) of Open RAN (O-RAN). To validate the proposed framework, we developed a Golang-based RIS simulator, G...

The 6G ecosystem is anticipated to encompass a diverse array of business actors, including mobile network operators, infrastructure providers, and service providers. Existing network management systems, which traditionally map technological and administrative domains on a one-to-one basis, are inadequate for managing such a complex environment. Thi...

Network slicing has garnered significant attention within the telecommunications community since the introduction of 5G. However, achieving dynamic and intelligent network slice configuration to accommodate diverse service types remains a critical challenge in advanced network orchestration. With the advent of 6G, which is characterized by its high...

The advent of 6G networks heralds a transformative shift in communication technology, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) forming the backbone of its architecture and operations. However, the dynamic nature of 6G environments renders these models vulnerable to performance degradation due to model drift. Existing drift detect...

The recent o-ran specifications promote the evolution of ranran architecture by function disaggregation, adoption of open interfaces, and instantiation of a hierarchical closed-loop control architecture managed by ric entities. This paves the road to novel data-driven network management approaches based on programmable logic. Aided by ai and ml, no...

In the realm of modern automotive technology, vehicles now incorporate a range of advanced features, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), infotainment systems, and autonomous driving technologies. In response to the complexities of wiring and the imperative for improved network performance, a shift is occurring from conventional domai...

The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and the exponential growth of data have necessitated advanced data management solutions that can operate across distributed architectures. The AC 3 project introduces a Data Management Platform as a Service (DMPaaS), designed to address these challenges by providing a robust, scalable, and...

Intent-Based Networking (IBN) management has emerged as an alternative approach to simplify network configuration and management by abstracting the complexities of low-level configurations. Existing IBN solutions typically rely on human-readable structures like JSON or YAML to define Intents, which still require expertise in understanding these str...

The new technologies introduced by 5G, such as network slicing, will improve the capabilities of Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications, enabling the introduction of a new range of services and new forms of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) interactions. In order to deploy these V2X services and the network slices they are associated with over the 5G ne...

O-RAN specifications reshape RANs with function disaggregation and open interfaces, driven by RAN Intelligent Controllers. This enables data-driven management through AI/ML but poses trust challenges due to human operators' limited understanding of AI/ML decision-making. Balancing resource provisioning and avoiding overprovisioning and underprovisi...

AI-driven zero-touch network automation in 6G disruptive enablers ensures security, efficiency, and scalability, particularly in cross-domain and interoperable deployment environments with non-independent and identically distributed points of presence. This paper presents a novel networking architecture for 6G cellular paradigms, named 6G-BRICKS. I...

Sixth-generation (6G) networks anticipate intelligently supporting a wide range of smart services and innovative applications. Such a context urges a heavy usage of Machine Learning (ML) techniques, particularly Deep Learning (DL), to foster innovation and ease the deployment of intelligent network functions/operations, which are able to fulfill th...

The increasing complexity of telecommunication networks has highlighted the need for robust network management frameworks. One such framework is FCAPS, which encompasses a wide range of functionalities, including fault management, configuration management, accounting management, performance management, and security management. To effectively addres...

Zero-touch network and service management (ZSM) is a key pillar of 6G networks. It allows the 6G management and orchestration framework to operate the networks without external (e.g., human) intervention. To effectively achieve ZSM, advanced network management procedures are required to detect and resolve anomalies within the 6G network autonomousl...

Large Language Models (LLMs) have transformed various fields with their remarkable ability to comprehend and generate human-like text. Despite these advancements, their effectiveness in specialized domains such as finance, law, medicine, and telecommunications remains limited. To adapt these models to new domains, it is essential to train them on r...

Sixth-generation (6G) networks anticipate intelligently supporting a wide range of smart services and innovative applications. Such a context urges a heavy usage of Machine Learning (ML) techniques, particularly Deep Learning (DL), to foster innovation and ease the deployment of intelligent network functions/operations, which are able to fulfill th...

The recent O-RAN specifications promote the evolution of RAN architecture by function disaggregation, adoption of open interfaces, and instantiation of a hierarchical closed-loop control architecture managed by RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) entities. This paves the road to novel data-driven network management approaches based on programmable l...

Shifting towards B5G/6G implicates for a great diversity of challenges for the involved markets, especially via the creation of vast amounts of generated data and of related novel applications serving a great multiplicity of verticals. Such innovative services exceed the capabilities of existing 5G infrastructures for potential support of their cor...

The zero Touch Management (ZSM) concept in 5G and Beyond networks (B5G) aims to automate the management and orchestration of running network slices. This requires heavy usage of advanced deep learning techniques in a closed-loop way to auto-build the suitable decisions, enabling to meet network slices’ requirements. In this context, Federated Learn...

Internet of Things (IoT) is a promising paradigm that is considered as major enabler of smart cities. However, with the emergence of IoT botnets, the number of unsecured IoT devices is increasing rapidly. This can give attackers more advanced tools to carry out large scale damaging IoT attacks. Advanced Machine Learning (ML) techniques can help enh...

Dynamic Time Division Duplex (D-TDD) is a promising solution to address newly emerging 5 G and 6 G services characterized by asymmetric and dynamic uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) traffic demands. However, there are two major issues: (i) determining the TDD scheme (i.e., the number of slots devoted to UL and DL) to meet the dynamic traffic demands of...

With its low latency and high speeds, 5G aims to support vertical services like automotive, industry, agriculture, and manufacturing. Unlike the precedent mobile generations, which just provided voice and data to domestic and business customers, 5G aims to create a common infrastructure to support diverse requirements of the vertical industry's nee...

The future network slicing enabled mobile ecosystem is expected to support a wide set of heterogenous vertical services over a common infrastructure. The service robustness and their intrinsic requirements, together with the heterogeneity of mobile infrastructure and resources in both the technological and the spatial domain, significantly increase...

The papers in this special section focus on artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Internet of Everything services in next generation wireless networks. These networks are undergoing a major revolution, connecting billions of machines and millions of people. These networks are marketed as the key enabler of an unprecedented Internet of Everything (Io...

Industry 5.0 is rapidly growing as the next industrial evolution, aiming to improve production efficiency in the 21 century. This evolution relies mainly on advanced digital technologies, including Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), by deploying multiple IIoT devices within industrial systems. Such a setup increases the possibility of threats, e...

6G systems are expected to serve a massive number of extremely heterogeneous network slices that cross multiple technological domains (i.e., RAN, edge, cloud, and core), posing significant challenges to classical centralized management and orchestration approaches in terms of scalability and sustainability. Within this context, a distributed and in...

We present an architecture for the provision of video Content Delivery Network (CDN) functionality as a service over a multi-domain cloud. We introduce the concept of a CDN slice, that is, a CDN service instance which is created upon a content provider's request, is autonomously managed, and spans multiple potentially heterogeneous edge cloud infra...

The trend towards the cloudification of the 3GPP LTE mobile network architecture and the emergence of federated cloud infrastructures call for alternative service delivery strategies for improved user experience and efficient resource utilization. We propose Follow-Me Cloud (FMC), a design tailored to this environment, but with a broader applicabil...

Through network slicing, different requirements of different applications and services can be met. These requirements can be in terms of latency, bandwidth, mobility support, defining service area, as well as security. Through fine and dynamic tuning of network slices, services can have their delivery platforms constantly customized according to th...

massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) network slices in 5G aim to connect a massive number of MTC devices, opening the door for a widened attack surface. Network slices are well isolated, resulting in a low impact on other running slices when attackers control IoT devices belonging to a mMTC network slice (i.e., in-slice attack). However, the...

Sixth-generation (6G) systems are expected to inaugurate the era of massive and extremely heterogeneous network slicing, where tenancy would be extended to the final consumer with the proliferation of advanced and diverse digital services. This introduces significant challenges to network management and orchestration in terms of scalability and sus...

An efficient and scalable monitoring system is a critical component for any network to monitor and validate the functioning of the running services and the underlying infrastructure. This is more valid in 5G, as it relies on the network slicing concept, which adds many challenges to the monitoring system. Besides data isolation and multi-tenancy su...

The emerging 5G networks promise to support novel network services with different requirements in terms of Quality of Service (QoS), such as low-latency and high bandwidth. Thanks to the network slicing concept, 5G is able to fulfill these different requirements while sharing the same physical infrastructure. Although network slicing is gaining mat...

5G opens the door not only for new network services but also for a new business model involving new business actors. Particularly, the introduction of Network Slicing encourages the appearance of new stakeholders, namely Verticals or network slice tenants, Network Slice Providers, and Resource Providers. The Network Slice Provider sells end-to-end...

One of the main challenges when it comes to deploying Network Slices is slicing the Radio Access Network (RAN). Indeed, managing RAN resources and sharing them among network slices is an increasingly difficult task, which needs to be properly designed. The goal is to improve network performance and introduce flexibility and greater utilization of n...

While Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are expected to introduce disruptive innovations in our society, it is foreseen that the used communication technology is the key factor that can unlock their potential. To this end, the upcoming generation of mobile networks, 5G-and-beyond, are envisioned to be the communication standards to support diverse UA...

Collision detection and avoidance between vehicles is one of the key services envisioned in the Internet of Vehicles. Such services are usually deployed at the multi-access edge computing (MEC) to ensure low-latency communication and thus guarantee real-time reactions to avoid collisions between vehicles. In order to maximize the coverage of the ro...

Service Function Chaining (SFC) has gained momentum as one of the building blocks of the 5G ecosystem. Indeed, SFC combined with other promising technologies such as Software Defined Networking (SDN) as well as Network Slicing form the basis for enabling the 5G network services and fulfilling their requirements. Many contributions have been made to...

Achieving a fair usage of network resources is of vital importance in Slice‐ready 5G network. The dilemma of which network slice to accept or to reject is very challenging for the Infrastructure Provider (InfProv). On one hand, InfProv aims to maximize the network resources usage by accepting as many network slices as possible; on the other hand, t...

Service Function Chaining (SFC) is a networking concept by which traffic is steered through a set of ordered functions composing an end-to-end service. It represents one of the facilitating technologies for 5G, and is enabled by the Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networks (SDN) paradigms. In the multi-domain context, SFC...

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications and services have gained a huge deployment and adoption in different fields, such as military domain (Defense or reconnaissance) and civilian domain (Healthcare, surveillance and transport). UAV operations are generally critical and require, during operations, a control link with the drones, which should b...

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for wireless networks is rapidly growing as key enablers of new applications, including: surveillance and monitoring, military, delivery of medical supplies, telecommunications, etc. In particular, due to their unique proprieties such as flexibility, mobility, and adaptive altitude, UAVs can act as mobile...

To provide efficient, safe, and secure access to the airspace, the European Union has launched a set of new services called U-space, allowing supporting Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) management and conflict preventing of flights in the airspace. These services are based on communication technology, where it is foreseen that it will be the key ena...

The 5th generation of the cellular mobile communication system (5G) is in the meantime stepwise being deployed in mobile carriers' infrastructure. Various standardization tracks as well as research activity are investigating the exploitation of the very flexible 5G system architecture for customized deployments, meeting requirements of the vertical...

To achieve the vision of Zero Touch Management (ZSM) of network slices in 5G, it is important to monitor and predict the performances of the running network slices, or their Key Performance Indicator (KPI). KPIs are usually monitored, but also with the advance of Machine Learning (ML) techniques are predicted, aiming at proactively reacting to any...

We present an architecture for the provision of video Content Delivery Network (CDN) functionality as a service over a multi-domain cloud. We introduce the concept of a CDN slice, that is, a CDN service instance which is created upon a content provider's request, is autonomously managed, and spans multiple, potentially heterogeneous, edge cloud inf...

COVID-19 virus has strongly impacted our everyday life. Without the availability of a vaccine or a well-established and efficient treatment, we have to live with it. One way to mitigate the propagation of the virus is to respect social distancing between persons. Indeed, many governments have adopted it as one of the key solutions to reduce the pro...

IEEE 802.11ax defines a new access method called Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) which can be used in both downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) directions. OFDMA divides the bandwidth into several Resource Units (RUs) and allows multiple stations to transmit or to receive simultaneously. UL OFDMA supports Scheduled Access (SA) RUs an...

In the near future, 5G-connected vehicles will be able to exchange messages with each other, with the roadside infrastructure, with back-end servers, and with the Internet. They will do so with reduced latency, increased reliability, and large throughput under high mobility and user density. Different services with different requirements, such as A...

Channel quality feedback is crucial for the operationof 4G and 5G radio networks, as it allows to control UserEquipment (UE) connectivity, transmission scheduling, and themodulation and rate of the data transmitted over the wirelesslink. However, when such feedback is frequent and the number ofUEs in a cell is large, the channel may be overloaded b...

The Internet of Things (IoT) undergoes a rapid transformation this last decade, thanks to the appearance of low-power wide area network technologies, such as LoRa/LoRaWAN, SigFox, and narrowband IoT, which allow reducing the deployment cost of sensors and other IoT devices. Many emerging services such as smart city, Industry 4.0, and autonomous dri...

Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and Network Slicing are two key enablers for 5G, particularly to empower low-latency services, known as Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC). However, MEC and Network Slicing are evolving in parallel, and are being defined by two different standardization bodies, ETSI and 3GPP, which limits their integ...

In contrast to the current host-centric architecture, Information-Centric Networking (ICN) adopts content naming instead of host address and in-network caching to enhance the content delivery, improve the data distribution, and satisfy users' requirements. As ICN is being incrementally deployed in different real-world scenarios, it will exist with...