6G-SANDBOX 2nd OPEN CALL WINNERS

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During the Open Call Period (submission deadline 28th of February), we received 33 Proposals in total.

For the OPTION 1 – New infrastructures and functionalities (extensions) we received 21 proposals, 20 were eligible and 3 were accepted (success rate 15%). For OPTION 2 – Innovative experiments, we received 12 proposals, and 9 of them were accepted (success rate 75%).

The proposals we received were from the following countries (graph 1 and 2) and from the following types of organizations (graph 3 and 4):

The accepted proposals for Experiments are from the following countries and types of organization visible in pie charts 1 and 2. Additionally, the OC 2 Winners for Extensions are depicted accordingly in pie charts 3 and 4.

Open Call 2 Innovative Experiments – Winners per Project Proposal

Experimentation: Remote mEdical Support and Communication Utility in Emergency scenarios (RESCUE)

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Abstract:

RESCUE project proposal aims to conduct an experimental field trial leveraging 5G connectivity where an innovative tele-assistance system is deployed and assessed with the focus to improve emergency and disaster response efforts. The tele-assistance system consists in a set of helmets (worn by the operators) that are equipped with a camera sending real-time audio/video streams of the scene of action (e.g., injured person) through the mobile network; and by a web application hosted in a server that allows doctors in an Operations Center to directly access the front view of the operators and communicate with them to assess the patient situation and guide their intervention. Thanks to the 6G-SANDBOX project, the proposed system will leverage on the attributes proposed by the 5GTN network in the Oulu testbed to integrate with the 5G network features provided by it and test its performance under different conditions.

MAGDALENA – MeAsuring 5G anD sAteLlite nEtwork iNtegrAtion

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The convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (TN and NTN) is an important trend within 5G/6G systems, where the integration of  satellite components, either for mobile backhauling or as (part of)  the access network is being standardized by 3GPP. Still, there is a limited understanding of the performance implications of such integration and experimental results are limited.  With MAGDALENA, we aim to address this shortcoming by taking advantage of the 6G-SANDBOX Malaga platform, and in particular its integrated 5G and Starlink deployments.  We plan to perform a dedicated measurement campaign that aims to assess both the performance impact of integrating a satellite backhaul within the 5G network (compared to terrestrial backhauls) and also how the satellite-integrated 5G network compares to a satellite-only Internet connection. We plan to capture both network and application-specific KPIs, by employing different tests, including throughput and latency experiments. To gather application-specific performance, we will also execute tests employing application-specific traffic patterns, ultimately providing a holistic view of the impact of satellite integration on 5G/6G networks. in measurements and empirical analysis of 5G and satellite systems. MAGDALENA results will serve as important benchmarks for interested industries and SMEs, since they offer valid references against which they can validate their technical designs and products, as well as  a foundational resource for networking researchers, since the empirical data generated during the project  can be leveraged to develop data-driven solutions aimed at enhancing the  performance of satellite-integrated 5G/6G networks. The project will also help demonstrate the capabilities of the 6G-SANDBOX  infrastructure and its position in TN-NTN integration analysis. The project will benefit from the extensive previous experience of Karlstad University.

6G-MOBKPI: KPI measurement in 6G networks under mobility scenarios

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Τhe aim of the 6G-MOBKPI experiment is to analyse the different key performance indicators (KPIs) for mobility scenarios of 6G networks. To this end, we propose to use a mobile user equipment (UE) mounted on top of an autonomous mobile robot with accurate localization, navigation and autonomous driving capabilities. The robot will be physically placed inside the 6G-SANDBOX testbed facilities in a location with coverage from different cells. In particular we plan to use the Malaga platform for our experiment leveraging its resources.

Smart Contract-based Digital Twins for the IoT (SCDT)

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The SCDT experiments will assess the feasibility and evaluate the performance of a novel form of decentralized, transparent, auditable, interoperable, and secure digital twins for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as sensors and actuators. The IoT is envisioned to be an ecosystem of interconnected devices merging the cyber with the physical world, to provide a multitude of services. The IoT has been on the spotlight of many research efforts in the past few years, and it has already been used in a variety of use cases, such as smart cities, smart homes, healthcare, etc. However, there are still some IoT challenges that need to be addressed. First, IoT systems are fragmented, since there is a plethora of IoT devices from different manufacturers, using different protocols and standards. Second, securing IoT services requires complex security solutions, usually relying on advanced cryptographic techniques and algorithms, which have not been designed for the IoT, where many devices are limited in processing, memory and energy resources. We argue that digital twins, with the right design, can address both these challenges, enhancing the interoperability, auditability, and security of IoT systems.

PowerStorm – Energy-Aware Streaming Analytics Job Scheduling for 5G/6G Deployments

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Abstract & Results:

Energy profiling and optimization are expected to play a crucial role in realizing the 5G/6G-enabled Internet of Things (IoT), as deploying intelligence closer to the network edges ensures better response times where data are generated. Despite this, research evaluating the energy performance of such deployments on next-generation networks remains scarce. In our experiments, we assessed various schedulers in the Apache Storm framework, including a round-robin scheduler, a resource-aware scheduler, and PowerStorm—a scheduler designed to balance performance and energy consumption for streaming analytics in geo-distributed edge computing scenarios. For this purpose, we purchased several IoT devices equipped with 5G toolkits, configured as user equipment (UE) connected to Berlin’s Testbed network. The installation and configuration of the 5G toolkits were completed during the project period. Additionally, we leveraged computing resources from Berlin’s core network, provided by our partners, to support our deployment. Energy consumption of the compute components was measured using smart plugs, while utilization metrics were extracted from Berlin’s 5G/6G network and the UE devices. Our findings demonstrate that distributed processing engines like Apache Storm can operate effectively over modern mobile networks, delivering high performance while adapting to different deployment configurations. Notably, our experiments revealed that deploying workloads on UE devices with 5G network connectivity consistently outperformed deployments using Ethernet or traditional VM-based setups. This highlights the robust QoS and superior performance capabilities of 5G radio access networks (RAN). Furthermore, our PowerStorm scheduler outperformed the traditional round-robin approach in regards to tuple processing, while maintaining significantly lower energy consumption compared to the Resource-Aware Scheduler. These results underscore the ability of PowerStorm to achieve an optimal balance between performance and energy efficiency across various network environments. Finally, our scheduler’s code, experiment configurations, datasets, and analysis are publicly available on the PowerStorm’s GitHub repository.

Prosperancy

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Abstract:

The essence of our proposal is to establish a robust Performance Transparency Protocol tailored specifically for the realm of 6G and Augmented Reality (AR)/ Metaverse composite services.

Central to our vision is the recognition of the inherent challenges faced by consumers when discerning the root cause of performance issues. Is it the fault of their 6G provider, or does the onus lie
with the service developer? This ambiguity not only frustrates users but also impedes the seamless integration of transformative technologies like AR and metaverse implementations. Our proposal tackles this challenge head-on by developing a comprehensive Performance Transparency Protocol to be used in customer disputes resolution. Real-time warnings and performance transparency become the cornerstones of our approach, enabling users to identify and address issues promptly, while also providing insights for service providers to enhance their offerings. For developers we add data storage and out-of-court mediation as options for fast and reliable consumer dispute resolution.

We want to experiment in the 6G Sandbox to establish the reasonable boundries of such a Performance Transparency Protocol, when used in a realistic environment.

MR@REAM

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Abstract:

Pending

REPLICA – Replicable Cellular Networking Experiments using ns-3

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Wireless networking R&D depends on experimentation to make realistic evaluations of networking solutions, as simulation is inherently a simplification of the real-world. However, despite more realistic, experimentation is limited in aspects where simulation excels, such as repeatability, reproducibility, and scalability.

Real wireless experiments may be difficult to repeat under the same conditions, especially the ones considering mobile endpoints. Even if repeatable, experiments may still be difficult to reproduce. Namely, other researchers may be unable to reproduce an experiment because either the testbed is i) unavailable – offline or busy running other experiments –, ii) or inaccessible at all, when the testbed is modified (i.e. experimental conditions change due to topology and hardware changes) or decommissioned. 6G-SANDBOX testbeds may also be affected by these limitations.

What if we could easily make available the same 6G-SANDBOX RF execution conditions among the research community, thereby enabling any experimental scenario to be easily repeatable and reproducible using the ns-3 simulator?

Motivated by our hands-on experience with testbeds operating in emerging scenarios such as aerial and maritime, and with a track record of more than 10 years and multiple scientific publications on simulation-experimentation synergy, as well as a recognized position in the ns-3 community, INESC TEC has been developing a Trace-based Simulation (TS) approach that enables the recording and reproduction of past physical layer traces, such as received signal strength (RSS), on ns-3 network simulator.

Until now, this approach has been validated on Wi-Fi. 6G-SANDBOX provides, now, the perfect opportunity to run experiments and validate this innovative approach for 5G/6G through REPLICA.

6G-EARN (6G-Energy leARNing)

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EC Bessarion introduces a novel microgrid service paradigm that decouples renewable energy generation from consumption. We have developed a network application for collecting and visualizing electricity consumption and production data over Wi-Fi and fixed lines. The 6G-EARN project aims to evaluate the feasibility of using 5G as an alternative communication technology. We plan to develop and test, on the 6G-SANDBOX platform, i) a 5G-based variant of our monitoring solution for areas lacking fixed line coverage, and ii) a Federated Learning (FL) mechanism for accurate forecasting of energy consumption and production, integrating external data sources. Specifically, historical energy data and data collected from locally deployed weather stations will be utilized. The proposed FL approach will ensure that end-user data remains private. 6G-EARN will establish with the help of the 6G-SANDBOX platform a trial network composed of i) hundreds of simulated UEs generating different types of traffic, including real smart meters data, and ii) a real 5G UE running the 6G-EARN FL client (with synthetic data).

Open Call 2 Innovative Extensions – Winners per Project Proposal

NDWAF – StreamAnalyzer

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Within the scope of this project, we will enhance our commercial software product, StreamAnalyzer so that it offers certain 3GPP NWDAF functionalities to the 6G-SANDBOX project. Specifically, leveraging telemetry data from the Athens site (Open5GS, NEF and Amarisoft), we will implement and validate: (I) selected functionalities from 3GPP TS 23.288 NWDAF APIs Events Subscription, Analytics Info, Data Management & ML Model Provision and (II) the NWDAF use cases network conditions and performance, device behavior, and service experience. Furthermore, we will support the CAPIF/NEF integration framework. Our NWDAF validated functionalities shall be maintained and supported throughout the full duration of the 6G-SANDBOX project.

REACT-6G – RAN IntElligent Automation and Control via xApps Towards 6G

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The REACT-6G targets to integrate new infrastructures and functionalities in the 6G-SANDBOX testbeds and provide advanced experimentation capabilities. In this context, REACT-6G covers a complete closed loop for supplementing the functionalities of the current 6G-SANDBOX testbed (RAN equipment and interfaces, near RT-RIC, xApp templates and intelligent RAN control functionalities), as well as validates intelligent and energy-efficient resource allocation algorithms in real 6G network deployments.

To this end, Accelleran (ACC), a full member of 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA), aims to provide the SMO, the dRAX platform including Non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC, as well as the CU. The dRAX will provide an intuitive SDK platform to develop AI/ML-based xApps while providing O-RAN Compliant E2 interface for telemetry and control purposes along all instances of the O-RAN framework.

Moreover, Software Radio Systems (SRS), a full member of 6G-IA aims to provide the RAN software platform for REACT-6G. The SRS RAN software is a full-stack, portable, scalable and flexible solution featuring complete and performant O-RAN DU and CU applications. The software has been validated on a wide range of processing hardware platforms. It has further been pre-integrated with a wide variety of O-RAN split 7.2 Cat A. RU devices and 5G Core Network solutions.

Finally, Four Dot Infinity (FDI), a full member of 6G-IA aims to provide an O-RAN-based and highly programmable set of intelligent services for different communication scenarios and performance metrics in the form of xApps, also mitigating any conflicts raised by contradictory xApp-oriented suggestions.

Noteworthy, the REACT-6G project will leverage the expertise of their members gathered from previous H2020 projects. The delivered functionalities possess considerable exploitation potential for future experimentation by interested stakeholders and will enrich 6G-SANDBOX’s functionalities.

FR2-RIS connectivity reinFORCEment for Malaga platform (RISFORCE)

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Taiwan is known as the central hub for semiconductor manufacturing, IC design and packaging power house. Collaboration with ITRI will add value to 6G-SANDBOX as our tile-based RIS system is an industrial-grade solution which has been designed and manufactured in Taiwan, and the RIS system has been validated with ITRI O-RAN solution and UE counterpart in a well-controlled indoor environment. ITRI will support to perform validation measurement campaign until the end of the 6G-SANDBOX project.
 
ITRI and 6G-SANDBOX have a strong interest in researching and experimenting with innovative applications and technologies. ITRI’s motivation to response the Open Call 2 is to enhance connectivity reinforcement by integrate and deploy mmWave FR2 (n257) RIS system at 6G-SANDBOX MALAGA test bed/platform at Pl. de la Constitucion Corridor in Malaga City Centre, with the new and extended network element of FR2 RIS, 6G-SANDBOX Malaga Platform can facilitate RIS extension tests in 6G-SANDBOX sites to be used in the Trial Network and offer to third parties for testing. To expand 6G-SANDBOX Malaga testbed/platform capabilities, ITRI intends to provide mmWave (n257) RIS network element at Pl. de la Constitucion Corridor in Malaga City Centre.With the deployment of ITRI FR2 RIS, the tested will be strengthened towards a more reliable and efficient wireless network, seemingly a less coverage hole and better signal quality network in the outdoor environment.