The 2nd Workshop on Next-generation Open and Programmable Radio Access Networks (NG-OPERA)
Organized in conjunction with
IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications, May 20, 2024
CALL FOR PAPERS COMMITTEE SUBMISSIONS PROGRAM
As cellular networks progress towards 5G-Advanced and 6G, the Radio Access Network (RAN) domain is undergoing a rapid transformation. Initiatives such as the O-RAN Alliance that promote the Open RAN movement are jointly shaping the future of access networks across industry and academia, while open-source RAN software solutions such as the OpenAirInterface and srsRAN projects, as well as open-source RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) implementations such as FlexRIC and OSC-RIC, have made it possible to involve a much larger set of stakeholders than was previously possible. Buoyed by the key tenets of softwarization, disaggregation, and programmability, the RAN is evolving from a monolithic black-box entity to a more disaggregated, open, and programmable ecosystem. This evolution has also brought forth the possibility of rich third-party support for RAN assurance and control, driven by advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) through standard protocols. At the same time, the rapid adoption of AI should be closely coupled with guard-rails that ensure trustworthiness, resilience and explainability of such models in production systems. Therefore, while the RAN is poised to usher in a new era of openness and innovation, much work remains to be done within the domains of architectures, interfaces, algorithms, and standardization.
To that end, this workshop aims to provide a forum for researchers and professionals across academia, government, and industries, to exchange ideas, present new results, and provide future visions concerning next-generation open and programmable RANs. Submissions are solicited for both regular technical papers as well as posters and demos. Topics of interest, for the technical, poster, and demo sessions, include, but are not limited to:
- Systems-level solutions for 6G RANs, e.g., new protocols, interfaces, service models, and control/assurance xApps/applications
- Programmable 6G RAN architectures, e.g., RAN-core convergence, etc.
- Evolution of RAN control and assurance towards 6G
- Mobility management in 6G Programmable RANs
- Next-generation RAN disaggregation
- Novel RAN compute paradigms
- Intelligent RAN slicing– management, orchestration, and control
- Seamless management of multiple RATs
- Non-terrestrial integration, e.g., low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite access, within next-generation RANs
- RAN performance acceleration
- Distributed orchestration for programmable RANs
- Security and Privacy for the RAN
- Trustworthy, Resilient and Explainable AI for 6G RAN
- AI-native RAN
- Natural Language Networks
- Machine learning, e.g., reinforcement learning, transfer learning, and federated learning, for 6G RANs
- AI use cases enabled and optimized by 6G programmable RANs
- Evolution of 6G RANs to natively support distributed ML workloads
- Semantic communications in 6G programmable RANs
- Seamless integration of optical, edge, and other emerging technologies
- Standardization-related insights from SDOs
- Experiences relating to experimental testbed design, prototyping and implementation
