Pedro Merino

This paper compares the behavior of the Multi-connection Tactile Internet Protocol (MTIP) with two other well-known multipath protocols, Multipath TCP (MPTCP) and Multipath QUIC. The evaluation focuses on the effectiveness of the protocols in scenarios involving the remote control of a quadruped robot during emergency rescue operations. The study aims to determine how these protocols perform under various network conditions, including stable connections, link failures, and typical 5G network impairments. MTIP leverages network programmability to dynamically adapt to changing conditions, maintaining low latency without compromising the expected reliability for time-sensitive applications. MTIP dynamic path management provides significantly better results for the target use case compared to the other protocols, especially in adverse environments. This paper contributes to understanding how multipath communication can enhance the execution of time-sensitive applications.

The aim of IEEE Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) standards is to grant deterministic communication in traditional Ethernet networks for Industry 4.0. Insofar as the use cases in the Factory need some mobility, the extension of the TSN capabilities over the fifth-generation (5G) cellular network is the next step. Some challenges in TSN over 5G, such as TSN translators time synchronization functionality, are well defined in the standards, even if they have not yet been addressed in the market. However other challenges, such as the dynamic configuration of the entire network (or part of the it) based on quality requirements of the current TSN traffic pattern, are defined at a very high level and delegated to vendors for implementation. This paper addresses this challenge, using an Automata Learning approach to monitor and reconfigure the end-to-end 5G QoS flow to keep the quality of a TSN session within the required values. Additionally, algorithms are provided to build the automata from network data and predict potential deviations of the requirements to meet the expected quality. Moreover, this work presents a functional TSN over a 5G testbed where the algorithms have been tested, demonstrating that the proposed solution achieves an improvement of around 40% compared to the usual operation of the network.

Tactile Internet is an Internet network that combines ultra-low latency with extremely high availability and reliability. Since traditional protocols, such as UDP and TCP, cannot support this operation, other transport protocols are required to meet the stringent requirements of the Tactile Internet. This paper evaluates the implementation of the Multi-connection Tactile Internet Protocol (MTIP), a multi-connectivity transport protocol for the Tactile Internet. MTIP uses application and network status information to select network paths intelligently and, in so doing, to improve reliability and latency. The paper studies how different configurations of the MTIP algorithm impact its path selection and the effect on lost and late packets. This evaluation is performed in an emulated environment and in a 4G/5G lab to evaluate the protocol in diverse scenarios. The results show a direct trade-off between higher reliability requirements and the number of duplicate packets.

The proliferation of smart mobile devices and data hungry mobile applications are driving the demand for faster mobile networks. Long Term Evolution (LTE), the 4th Generation of mobile network technology standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) [1], aims at satisfying this demand by offering faster connection speeds at both the downlink and the uplink, increased network capacity and better coverage. The rapid penetration of LTE in different countries creates a vast field for innovation in terms of mobile broadband services. At the same time, research for the next generation mobile networks has already begun with the examination and evaluation of candidate technologies and architectures. Given the practical requirement for backward compatibility between successive technologies, it is rational to assume that these technologies, often referred to as Beyond 4th and towards the 5th Generation (B4G and 5G), will naturally evolve from the extension of LTE with new advanced features.

The high heterogeneity of 5G use cases requires the extension of the traditional per-component testing procedures provided by certification organizations, in order to devise and incorporate methodologies that cover the testing requirements from vertical applications and services. In this paper, we introduce an experimentation methodology that is defined in the context of the 5GENESIS project, which aims at enabling both the testing of network components and validation of E2E KPIs. The most important contributions of this methodology are its modularity and flexibility, as well as the open-source software that was developed for its application, which enable lightweight adoption of the methodology in any 5G testbed. We also demonstrate how the methodology can be used, by executing and analyzing different experiments in a 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) deployment at the University of Malaga. The key findings of the paper are an initial 5G performance assessment and KPI analysis and the detection of under-performance issues at the application level. Those findings highlight the need for reliable testing and validation procedures towards a fair benchmarking of generic 5G services and applications.

Very low latency and high reliability are two of the main requirements for new applications exploiting 5G networks. This is the case for the remote operation of robots or vehicles, the autonomous interaction of equipment in a factory, autonomous driving and tactile internet applications. Although the TCP/IP stack has been sufficient as the end-to-end solution for most of the history of the Internet, a number of surveys have appeared recently presenting many different methods for managing the end-to-end communication to meet the requirements of various technologies such as that of 5G networks. In this paper, we present a novel classification of the literature focused on new end-to-end solutions and the creation of services towards the support of low latency (1 ms) and high reliability (10 ^-9 error rate) in current and future 5G networks. We specifically highlight how the proposals can be classified according to enabling technologies and the specific method used to achieve success in terms of the latency and reliability. The literature related to end-to-end solutions for reliable low-latency communications are organized according to three main topics: (i) end-to-end protocols that improve communication in terms of latency and reliability, (ii) functionality or technologies implemented on the network to support the current demands, and (iii) application programming interfaces that enhance the correct utilization of those protocols and additional technologies.