Track on 5G Radio and Wireless Communications

• Physical layer and MAC layer design for cellular and other wireless networks

• Dynamic scheduling, power control, interference management, and QoS management in 5G wireless networks

• Resource Management and Control in 5G RAN (e.g. RAN Moderation, Traffic Steering, Mobility Control)

• Service-oriented user-plane design concepts (novel functions, functional placements, RAN/CN interface)

• Topology, deployment, and optimization of wireless networks, including heterogeneous, ultra dense, and mesh networks, device to device (D2D) communication, relays and wireless backhaul

• Dynamic radio access and backhaul topologies based on moving and unplanned small cells

• mmWave access, backhaul and self-backhauling

• Application of SDN, NFV, and cloud computing to 5G (and legacy) RAN and core network architectures and implementations, such as network slicing

• C-RAN and flexible fronthaul / backhaul

• R&D and standardization activities towards 5G and IMT-2020

• Green and energy efficient wireless networks

• Massive and FD-MIMO communications, hybrid and coordinated beamforming technology

• New control signaling for heterogeneous networks

• Next-Generation Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11ax/ay)

• LTE/Wi-Fi/Wi-Gig interworking and aggregation

• 5G operation and coexistence in unlicensed and shared spectrum bands

• Massive MTC (mMTC), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and long distance communications

• Automotive/V2X and ultra-reliable communications

• Next-generation non-RF communications systems (Visible light, molecular, acoustic systems)

• Spectrum regulation above 24GHz

• Results from simulation, prototyping, and experiments

Track on IoT, massive MTC and V2X (3GPP, OneM2M, IETF)

• IoT architecture design and optimizations

• IoT security and privacy of IoT devices and services

• System optimization to support Ultra-Low complexity devices

• Standardised semantic data description framework and technologies

• IoT communication procedure enhancements

• Experience and lessons learnt for standards based IoT large scale pilots

• IoT standards platforms interworking

• IoT interoperability methodologies

• IoT standards gap analysis

• 5G Networks and IoT

• Software Defined Network (SDN) and IoT

• Industrial Internet of Things

• Factory of Things

• Edge Computing, Fog Computing and IoT

• IPv6-based IoT Networks

• IoT protocols such as IPv6, 6LoWPAN, RPL, 6TiSCH, WoT

• IoT security in the sense of massive IoT deployments, e.g., embedded SIM management

• URLLC for mission critical IoT

• V2X standards and architectures

Track on Softwarization and Network slicing

• Programmable Architecture for 5G services and verticals.

• Cross-slice management

• Central Cloud Computing vs Edge-Fog Computing.

• 5G Functional Decomposition and Deployment.

• Secure Operations in Future Virtualized Networks.

• Resource Management for Network Slicing.

• Dedicated core network functions and shared network slices.

• Network slicing issues with multi-RATs devices.

• Cross-slice management for End-to- end QoS.

• Elastic Resource sharing in Virtualized Networks.

• Joint storage, computational, and communication resource optimization.

• Fundamental trade-offs in Network Softwarization.

• Experimentation experience in Softwarization and Network Slicing.

• SDN and NFV frameworks and architectures

• SDN northbound, southbound and east-west interfaces.

• SDN programming languages and data models.

• Progress and future challenges in ETSI NFV.

• Progress and future challenges in IETF/IRTF related WGs/RGs.

• SDN and NFV in wireless and mobile networks.

• Orchestration and Management in SDN and NFV.

• Multi-domain considerations in SDN and NFV.

• SDN and NFV in multi-tenancy environment.

• Open Source efforts (e.g., ETSI NFV, OPNFV, OpenStack, OpenMANO).

• QoS/QoE aspects related to SDN and NFV based network services.

• Inter/Intra Data Center considerations for hosting SDN and NFV based network services.

• Performance, Fault and Lifecycle management of virtualized network functions and network services.

• Infrastructure resource/capacity management.

• Carrier-grade performance considerations in SDN and NFV based infrastructures.

Track on 5G Fixed Carrier and Converged Networks

• Architectural approaches addressing convergence of fixed and mobile heterogeneous network solution

• Analysis and considerations for common VNFs across fixed and mobile networks

• SDN solutions and control/data plane separation in converged fixed-mobile networks

• Network slicing for converged fixed-mobile networks

• Multi-tenancy and control of heterogeneous infrastructures

• Transporting 5G mobile services over optical access networks

• SDN solutions for mobile networks and fixed IP cross layer transport and routing

• Convergence of access and metro networks for cost effective support of 5G services

• Convergence of multiple and diverse services over a shared, multi-tenant network architecture

• 5G architectures supporting Cloud-RAN and functional split options

• 5G architectures supporting fronthaul/backhaul integration

• End-to- end resource optimization for 5G mobile services: from radio head to data centre

• Backhauk/fronthaul considerations for dynamic capacity and mobility management

• Delivering services over ICN in 5G within a framework enabling network slicing

• Enhancing 5G backhauk/fronthaul with ICN

• Mechanisms and protocol enhancements for Hybrid Access networks

Track on Verticals, Services and Applications

• Specific applications/services for automotive and cooperative vehicles

• Specific applications/services for robotics and factories of the future

• Specific applications/services for eHealth and mHealth

• Specific applications/services for media and entertainment vertical

• Specific applications/services for the energy industry

• Introduction of ETSI MEC technology and applications on vertical market segments

• New introduction of end-user applications at the edge of the communication network

• Standardization under W3C and standards for future web interoperability

• Web standardization for interactivity and human interactions with web platforms

• Specific applications/services for eEducation

• Interoperability for end-to- end mobile services

• Standard architectures for service enablers including integrated networks such as mobile, fixed,satellite and optical

• Open interfaces and open source platforms

• IETF standardization for CPS

• Development of mobile service enablers specifications & Standards

• Standard architectures for delivery of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and/or Object-Based-Broadcasting by next generation communication systems