This article addresses two architectural challenges associated with managing and orchestrating open radio access network (O-RAN) slice subnets within the service management and orchestration (SMO) Framework. The first challenge involves unifying the components and interfaces of the O-RAN Alliance, Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to enhance the capabilities of the SMO Framework regarding the management and orchestration (M&O) of O-RAN slice subnets and their required resources. The objective of this unification is to eliminate ambiguity in the interaction, interworking, and integration of various standards within a unified SMO Framework and to enable it to leverage the latest specifications. The second challenge entails facilitating standard-compliant interoperability among the components of the three modules by proposing two logical functions and their interfaces within the SMO Framework. This interoperability is intended to enable the components and interfaces of the O-RAN architecture to influence the decisions made by the 3GPP and ETSI components and interfaces concerning O-RAN slice subnets. It will also allow the 3GPP and ETSI components and interfaces to improve their capabilities by utilizing the features and services of the O-RAN architecture.

The next-generation wireless technologies, commonly referred to as the 6G, are envisioned to support extreme communications capacity and in particular disruption in the network sensing capabilities. The THz band is one potential enabler for those due to the enormous unused frequency bands and the high spatial resolution enabled by both short wavelengths and bandwidths. Different from earlier surveys, this paper presents a comprehensive treatment and technology survey on THz communications and sensing in terms of the advantages, applications, propagation characterization, channel modeling, measurement campaigns, antennas, transceiver devices, beamforming, networking, the integration of communications and sensing, and experimental testbeds. Starting from the motivation and use cases, we survey the development and historical perspective of THz communications and sensing with the anticipated 6G requirements. We explore the radio propagation, channel modeling, and measurements for THz band. The transceiver requirements, architectures, technological challenges, and approaches together with means to compensate for the high propagation losses by appropriate antenna and beamforming solutions. We survey also several system technologies required by or beneficial for THz systems. The synergistic design of sensing and communications is explored with depth. Practical trials, demonstrations, and experiments are also summarized. The paper gives a holistic view of the current state of the art and highlights the issues and challenges that are open for further research towards 6G.

The fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) promises communication services with high reliability, extremely low latency, high capacity, lower complexity, longer battery-life devices, and high user density in order to support the most well-known use cases of latency-aware Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), unlimited-things-centric Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and bandwidth-devouring enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB). To facilitate the exploitation and implementation of this new radio access technology, the so-called private 5G campus networks are expected to become widely used, utilizing multiple access techniques, frequency bands, and the entire underlying wireless infrastructure of public networks for private businesses, vertical industries, and manufacturing. The primary purpose of this type of communication network is to enable businesses, vertical industries, service sectors, universities, and even individuals to take advantage of 5G tailored to their specific activities or to develop their own local networks. Thus, the different advantages of such a technological revolution can be separately exploited by various stakeholders, and at the same time, the scientific community will be able to easily participate in its research and development aimed at addressing its shortcomings. Taking into account both the business and technical benefits, the grand objective of this study is to provide an overview of the security aspects of the private 5G campus networks. To that end, we first focus on the characterization of private 5G campus networks and discuss some background on a number of industrial applications that these types of networks can support. Then, we identify their different security flaws and potential origins. Finally, we highlight several research challenges that need to be addressed.

In this poster paper, we propose and demonstrate an architectural framework for service Management and Orchestration (M&O) in Sixth-Generation (6G) communication systems. This architecture was designed by the Hexa-X project, which is a European flagship project dedicated to developing a vision and  technological enablers for 6G. To provide a comprehensive and  high-level description, we consider three views: (i) Functional  View; (ii) Structural View; and (iii) Deployment View. We first  discuss 6G service M&O before delving deeper into each view.

Network programmability is crucial for addressing the multiplicity and heterogeneity of Network Services, the diversity of the underlying infrastructure of Sixth Generation (6G) communication systems, and the requirements for maximum efficiency. The programmability of a service platform enables algorithmic network management by leveraging contemporary software virtualization technologies. Moreover, network programmability will abstract the essential network/service and resource configuration, as well as the production and administration of policy lifecycles, as the number of local breakouts (both public and private) is anticipated to grow exponentially. Network programmability is the central point of interest for Hexa-X, the European 6G flagship project, which aims to facilitate the dynamic adaptation to changing network situations and requirements for the most efficient use of available resources. To explore such a critical enabler of futuristic mobile networks, this article addresses the role of network and service programmability and its impact on various aspects of 6G within the context of Hexa-X. In order to accomplish this, the article begins by discussing Hexa-X’s proposed service Management and Orchestration (M&O) framework for 6G. Based on this framework, it identifies and explores in greater detail the programmability of four primary processes in 6G: expressing application and service requirements; service description models and profiling; monitoring and diagnostics; and reasoning. Beyond the scope of the Hexa-X, this article aims to serve as a foundation for future research into network and service programmability in 6G.