Net4Future has the ambition to harmonize the results of the RESTART program and study how emerging societal goals can be transformed into technological solutions for future telecommunication (TLC) networks and services. To address this general goal, the project will consider the following objectives:

  • Vision: to analyze multiple future scenarios and relevant responsibilities and opportunities for the telecommunication networks;
  • Synergies between projects: to provide a complete overview of architectural issues and policies of future networks integrating key results of other project lines towards inclusiveness and sustainability;
  • User perspective: to improve trustiness on network technologies and services, by means of solutions for improving technology control and acceptance for users;
  • Shared tools: to define platforms, components, APIs and tools that are needed to build advanced beyond-5G testbeds and validation instruments for integrated demonstrations;
  • Regulation: to analyze the innovation potential of regulation aspects, by considering: easing of regulation on the wholesale market, solutions for holding together competition and technological investments.

  • Strategic Foresight for Telecommunications, in view of sociocultural, political, economic, environmental, ethical, and demographic dimensions. Definition of a methodology for looking into the future, based on the three horizons approach.
  • Analysis of program activities with impact on sustainability.
  • In-depth analysis of future research and business opportunities, new business models and digital market breakdown, with focus on possible use cases demonstrating new interactions models between traditional and emerging stakeholders.
  • Analysis of barriers and technology perception by end-users, with focus on XR/VR based applications, technology acceptance and privacy-utility control by end-users.
  • Design of a portable and highly configurable testbed for experimenting next generation wireless access networks: reference architectures for the set-up of small testbed on 5G and IoT networks and prototyping of battery-free sensors.
  • Analysis of regulation and legal aspects for networks and services at national and EU level, from the Package Directives Package 2002 and 2009 EC, to the European Convergence Electronic Communication Code 2018 and the Digital Service Act 2022. Analysis of data governance and the impact of asymmetrical regulation and essential facilities for the over-the-top.
 
  • Application examples of the three horizons methodology to some relevant threats/opportunities of telecommunications.
  • Clustering of digital enablers and their related verticals.
  • Definition of use cases enlightening interactions between traditional and emerging stakeholders: smart homes and energy communities.
  • Solutions for low-cost large-scale IoT networks and applications.
  • Integration of software components for the set-up of beyond-5G and LoRa testbeds.
  • Review of program projects and potential synergies/overlapping, with special attention sustainability aspects.
  • Review of Italian, French, UK and European EU regulation
Net4Future investigates the challenges and future trajectories of telecommunication networks in Italy, by applying the three horizons methodology typical of Strategic Foresight. We started from the analysis of current structural problems, such as the starvation of the market and the delays in 5G implementation, and then considered the most relevant trends, under different dimensions: market/economic models, regulatory frameworks, technical advancements and users expectations/perspectives.
1. Publications
Expected: at least 40 publications on 36 months
Accomplished: 12 (2 contributions to a book, 4 journals, 2 position papers, 4 conference papers)
Readiness: 72%

2.Joint Publications
Expected: 8 on 36 months
Achieved: 2
Readiness: 60%

3.Number of talks/communication/engagement events on the project topics
Expected: 15 talks or event chairing/organizing on 36 months
Accomplished: 6 (1 keynote, 3 talk, 1 workshop at mobihoc2023, 1 special session)
Readiness:96%

4.Project Meetings
Expected: > 12 meetings
Accomplished: 8 meetings
Readiness: 100%

5.Standardization contributions
Expected: 6
Accomplished: 1
Readiness: 40%


I. Shared tools: Number of blueprints developed for the setup of local testbeds
Expected: 2
Accomplished: 0
Readiness: 0% (but aligned with gantt)

II. Shared tools: Number of blueprints download
Expected: 20
Accomplished: 0
Readiness: 0% (but aligned with gantt)

III. Number of testbed extensions/demos/datasets integrated by other project programs
Expected: 10
Accomplished: 2
Readiness: 0% (but aligned with gantt)
Expected:
• M1 Preliminary normative review
• M2 Initial project release

Accomplished:
• M1 Preliminary normative review
• M2 Initial project release
Readiness level: 100%

Net4Future is part of Spoke 2 – Integration of Networks and Services

Project PI: Ilenia Tinnirello

Collaboration proposals:

  • Collaboration with other projects on defining the future of federated testbeds and strategies for improving experiment ‘portability’ and benchmarking.
  • Collaboration on inter-project demonstrations working on common experimental facilities: e.g. drone-based applications.
  • Collaboration with other projects on analysis of use cases promoting innovative interaction models between stakeholders (e.g. energy communities)
  • Collaboration with other projects and PEs interested in the application of strategic foresight methodologies (e.g. RESTART PE14 and MICS PE11)
  • Collaboration with other projects on innovative solutions for spectrum access and sensing.
  • Collaboration (internal and external to RESTART) on emerging concepts of neuro-rights

For any proposal of collaboration within the project please contact andrea.baiocchi at uniroma1.it

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