W12: The Role of NTN in 6G (NTN6G)
Co-chair: Yongxu Zhu, London South Bank University, UK
Co-chair: Tasos Dagiuklas, London South Bank University, UK
Co-chair: Gaojie Chen, University of Surrey, UK
Co-chair: George Karagiannidis, University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Co-chair: Zhili Sun, University of Surrey, UK
Co-chair: Kai-Kit Wong, University College London, UK
Abstract: Non-Terrestrial Networks refer to network elements that can provide communication services through a flying vehicle through either earth orbit satellite (GEO, MEO, LEO), airborne vehicles (i.e., HAPs, UAVs and drones) or through underwater vehicles (i.e., Ship, ROV, AUV, HOV). NTN can provide connectivity in unreachable areas for a terrestrial network (i.e., vessels and airplanes), or remote areas (e.g. Maintain connectivity over trains, boats, planes, Public Safety and Emergency, Aeronautical Broadband). 3GPP has already discussed the integration of NTN with mobile networks to improve service continuity and mobility and enable satellites to access a 5G ecosystem to reduce costs. NTN can play an important role towards 6G to facilitate the integration of NTN with terrestrial and mobile networks. This workshop aims to gather academic researchers, industrial partners, and users to identify and to collect cutting-edge research works about the role of NTNs towards 6G evolution.
The workshop aims to cover the following topics:
• Physical Layer for NTNs
• Energy Efficient in NTNs
• Edge Cloud Computing for NTNs
• Network Programmability in NTNs
• 3GPP Evolution towards NTN Interworking and Integration
• NTN Performance Evaluation
• Evolutionary Air Interface Solutions for NTNs
• Constellation Network Managements
• UAV/HAPS Wireless Communications
• Technologies for Inter-Satellite Links (ISLs) Communications
Co-chair’s Bios:
George Karagiannidis
Bio: Professor George K. Karagiannidis was born in Pithagorion, Samos Island, Greece. He received the University Diploma (5 years) and PhD degree, both in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Patras, in 1987 and 1999, respectively. From 2000 to 2004, he was a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens, Greece. In June 2004, he joined the faculty of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece where he is currently Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept. and Head of Wireless Communications & Information Processing (WCIP) Group. He is also Honorary Professor at South West Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China. His research interests are in the broad area of Digital Communications Systems and Signal processing, with emphasis on Wireless Communications, Optical Wireless Communications, Wireless Power Transfer and Applications and Communications & Signal Processing for Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Karagiannidis has been involved as General Chair, Technical Program Chair and member of Technical Program Committees in several IEEE and non-IEEE conferences. In the past, he was Editor in several IEEE journals and from 2012 to 2015 he was the Editor-in Chief of IEEE Communications Letters. Currently, he serves as Associate Editor-in Chief of IEEE Open Journal of Communications Society. Dr. Karagiannidis is IEEE Fellow and one of the highly-cited authors across all areas of Electrical Engineering, recognized from Clarivate Analytics as Web-of-Science Highly-Cited Researcher in the six consecutive years 2015-2020.
Zhili Sun
Bio: Professor Zhili Sun is a Chair Professor with Institute of Communication Systems (Formerly Centre for Communication Systems Research CCSR), University of Surrey, UK. He received his BSc in mathematics from Nanjing University and PhD from the Department of Computing, Lancaster University. His research interests include satellite communications and networks, wireless mobile and sensor networks, mobile operating systems, traffic engineering, IP networks and security. He has authored 3 books and published over 240 papers in international journals and conferences. He is the Session Chair on positioning, navigation and mobile satellite systems.
Kai-Kit Wong
Bio: Professor Kai-Kit Wong (Fellow, IEEE) received the B.Eng., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and electronic engineering from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, in 1996, 1998, and 2001, respectively. After graduation, he took up academic and research positions at The University of Hong Kong, Lucent Technologies, Bell- Labs, Holmdel, the Smart Antennas Research Group, Stanford University, and the University of Hull, U.K. He is the Chair of wireless communications with the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, U.K. His current research interests include around 5G and beyond mobile communications, including topics such as massive multiple-input multiple-output, full-duplex communications, millimeter-wave communications, edge caching and fog networking, physical layer security, wireless power transfer and mobile computing, V2X communications, and, of course, cognitive radios. There are also a few other unconventional research topics that he has set his heart on, including, for example, fluid antenna communications systems, remote ECG detection, and so on. He was a co-recipient of the 2013 IEEE Signal Processing Letters Best Paper Award and the 2000 IEEE VTS Japan Chapter Award from the IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, Japan, in 2000, and a few other international best paper awards. He is a Fellow of IET and is also on the editorial board of several international journals. He has been serving as a Senior Editor for the IEEE COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS, since 2012, and also for the IEEE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS, since 2016. He has been an Area Editor for Wireless Communication Theory and Systems I of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS, since 2018. He served as an Editor for the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS, from 2005 to 2011, and as an Associate Editor for the IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING LETTERS, from 2009 to 2012. He was also a Guest Editor of the IEEE JSAC Special Issue on Virtual MIMO, in 2013. He is a Guest Editor of the IEEE JSAC Special Issue on Physical Layer Security for 5G.
Tasos Dagiuklas
Bio: Prof. Tasos Dagiuklas is a leading researcher and expert in the fields of smart Internet technologies. He is the leader of the Smart Internet Technologies (SuITE) research group at the London South Bank University where he also acts as the Head of Cognitive Systems Research Centre. Tasos received the Engineering Degree from the University of Patras-Greece in 1989, the M.Sc. from the University of Manchester- UK in 1991 and the Ph.D. from the University of Essex-UK in 1995, all in Electrical Engineering. He has been a principal investigator, co-investigator, project and technical manager, coordinator and focal person of more than 30 internationally R&D and Capacity training projects in the areas of Fixed-Mobile Convergence, 4G/5G/6G networking technologies, VoIP and multimedia networking. His research interests lie in the fields of Systems beyond 5G and 6G networking technologies, programmable networks, UAVs, V2X communications and cyber security for smart Internet systems.
Yongxu Zhu
Bio: (IEEE Senior Member) is Senior Lecturer with the Division of Computer Science and informatics, London South Bank University. She is currently supervising a PhD student and a number of MSc and BEng students working on various leading-edge research topics of wireless communications, and computer science. She has authored more than 30 IEEE Trans. jounrnals/conferences and 3 invited book chapters, building a strong expertise relating to this project, that involves pioneering works on sustainable edge network. She has presented various invited talks related to the principles underlying the proposed work, to academic and industrial research groups. She is Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (TWC), IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking (TGCN), IEEE Wireless Communication Letters (WCL) and was Guest Editor of IEEE Internet of Things Journal (JIoT) Special Issue on ‘Intelligent Blockchain for Internet of Things’ in 2020, Guest Editor of IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society Special Issue on ‘Deep Learning for Future Wireless Communications’ in 2021. Her research interests include Artificial Intelligence for Communications, UAV Communications, Wireless Edge Caching Networks and Physical layer security.
Gaojie Chen
Bio: (IEEE Senior Member) is currently an Assistant Professor with the Institute for Communication Systems, 5GIC & 6GIC, University of Surrey, U.K. His current research interests include information theory, wireless communications, satellite communications, cognitive radio, the Internet of Things, secrecy communications, and random geometric networks. He has authored over 150 IEEE Trans. journals/conferences and two patents, one invited book chapter, building strong expertise relating to this project, which involves pioneering works on secure wireless networks. He received the Exemplary Reviewer Awards of the IEEE Wireless Communications Letters in 2018, the IEEE Transactions on Communications in 2019 and the IEEE Communications Letters in 2020 and 2021; and the Exemplary Editor Awards of the IEEE Communications Letters and IEEE Wireless Communications Letters in 2021 and 2022, respectively. He serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Communications Letters, IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications – Machine Learning in Communications and Networks and Electronics Letters (IET).
Deadlines:
Workshop paper submissions due: 14 August 2022
Acceptance notification: 20 August 2022
Final paper submission due: 24 August 2022
To submit a paper to this workshop, please visit: https://vtc2022f-rr-wks.trackchair.com/track/2138