Communication Networks for Next-Generation Industrial Internet of Things

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) encompasses numerous heterogeneous devices, including sensors, actuators, RFID tags, servers, and mobile devices, which coexist to facilitate industrial applications, such as manufacturing, smart grid, transportation, video-operated remote control, digital twins, etc. As time advances, these applications are undergoing rapid evolution, giving rise to the Next-Generation IIoT (NG-IIoT), which demands low latency, very high reliability, high throughput, security, and energy efficiency. Addressing these requirements necessitates leveraging innovative communication solutions, as well as integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing paradigms. This workshop invites experts from academic and industrial fields to submit papers showcasing the latest breakthroughs, challenges, and results in the NG-IIoT, both from a theoretical and experimental perspective.

This workshop will feature insights from the NRRP project “IN – Industrial Networks”. The project aims at supporting the Italian automation industry by identifying the key enabling technologies for communication networks in industrial environments, with both a medium and long-term vision (application of AI and 5G, research on 6G). This session is also supported by the NRRP project “INCHNET”, sponsoring next-generation industrial wireless communication protocols..

Topics:

• AI-driven optimization for NG-IIoT infrastructure and operations;
• Multiple access and channel coding schemes for beyond-5G URLLC and very short-packet communications;
• Innovative radio resource management (RRM) techniques for NG-IIoT;
• Integration and optimization of radio frequency components for NG-IIoT;
• Data-driven and model-based network planning and data analysis in NG-IIoT;
• Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) for NG-IIoT;
• Ultra-low power solutions and AI-based optimizations for NG-IIoT;
• Innovative network architectures, communication protocols, and AI-native systems for NG-IIoT;
• Semantic and goal-oriented communications for NG-IIoT;
• Security and privacy-enabled solutions for NG-IIoT;
• Enhanced indoor and outdoor positioning for NG-IIoT;
• Open, programmable, and AI-powered Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture for NG-IIoT;
• End-to-end network slicing for NG-IIoT;
• Digital twin-assisted optimization for NG-IIoT;
• Testbeds, empirical evaluations, and on-field analysis of NG-IIoT use cases;
• Deterministic and statical channel models for NG-IIoT;
• Computing infrastructures for NG-IIoT.

Co-Chairs:

Luciano Miuccio
luciano.miuccio@unict.it
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Catania, Italy

Salvatore Riolo
salvatore.riolo@unict.it
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Catania, Italy

Enrico Testi
enrico.testi@unibo.it
Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering “Guglielmo Marconi”, University of Bologna, Italy

Giampaolo Cuozzo
giampaolo.cuozzo@wilab.cnit.it
National Laboratory of Wireless Communications (WiLab), CNIT

Workshop Committee:

Walter Cerroni, University of Bologna, Italy
Andrea Conti, University of Ferrara, Italy
Davide Dardari, University of Bologna, Italy
Luca De Nardis, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Salvatore D’Oro, Northeastern University, Boston, USA
Osvaldo Simeone, King’s College London, UK
Maurizio Palesi, University of Catania, Italy
Daniela Panno, University of Catania, Italy
Gianni Pasolini, University of Bologna, Italy
Adriano Pastore, Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), Spain
Stefano Scanzio, CNR, Italy
Roberto Verdone, University of Bologna, Italy

Additional Information: 

Description of past versions of the workshop
Regarding past versions of the workshop, we successfully organized a special session at the IEEE Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI) 2024 conference, which garnered significant interest from academic and professional communities. During the organization of the special session, we received a total of 10 paper submissions. After a thorough review process, 7 of these papers were accepted. The special session attracted considerable participation, with approximately 25 attendees present at each session. This level of engagement demonstrated the relevance and appeal of the topics discussed, as well as the effectiveness of the special session in fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations among researchers and practitioners in the field.