PhD "Federation of Networks for B5G and 6G" F/M

about the role

Your role is to conduct a PhD thesis on the Federation of Networks for B5G and 6G.

 5G has enabled increased customization of networks, particularly through slicing and the deployment of private networks, thereby addressing the specific needs of businesses. This trend is expected to continue with Beyond-5G and 6G networks, where use cases will be more oriented towards specific applications rather than universal coverage. Local or campus networks provide a suitable solution by offering specialized coverage and performance.

 However, the complexity of traditional 5G networks makes local deployment challenging. The challenges include excessive granularity of network functions, unnecessary features for local networks, and a complex interplay between the radio access network and the core network.

 This PhD thesis aims to study the federation of local networks, allowing for the pooling of certain functions while maintaining the independence of others. The proposal is based on two axes: simplifying local networks by eliminating unnecessary features and creating a layered model to federate these networks at scale.

 The scientific objective is to define and implement a federation layer using decentralized technologies. This layer will relieve local networks of complex functionalities while facilitating their interoperability. It will include management, orchestration, and data collection functions, enabling the development of AI applications and the creation of a community around local networks.

 The implementation pathways include defining the functions of this layer in relation to business models, solutions to facilitate local network switching, and validating their theoretical and practical feasibility, building on previous work and open-source products like Magma and Open Air Interface.

References:

M. Moussaoui, E. Bertin and N. Crespi, "Divide and Conquer: A Business Model Agenda for Beyond-5G and 6G," in IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 61, no. 7, pp. 82-88, July 2023

N. Aryal, E. Bertin and N. Crespi, "Open Radio Access Network challenges for Next Generation Mobile Network," 2023 26th Conference on Innovation in Clouds, Internet and Networks and Workshops (ICIN), Paris, France, 2023, pp. 90-94

F. Ghaffari, E. Bertin, N. Crespi, S. Behrad and J. Hatin, "A Novel Access Control Method Via Smart Contracts for Internet-Based Service Provisioning," in IEEE Access, vol. 9, pp. 81253-81273, 2021

M. Moussaoui, E. Bertin and N. Crespi, "A Blockchain-based Platform for Mobile Telcos for the Provision of Private Networks in the Context of Beyond-5G and 6G," 2024 6th Conference on Blockchain Research & Applications for Innovative Networks and Services (BRAINS), Berlin, Germany, 2024, pp. 1-8