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T4 - Digital Twin-as-a-Service (DTaaS) for IoT and 6G: Design Principles, Performance Metrics and Real-Time Intelligence - VTC2026-Fall Boston

VTC2026-Fall Boston > Program > Tutorials Currently Available > T4 – Digital Twin-as-a-Service (DTaaS) for IoT and 6G: Design Principles, Performance Metrics and Real-Time Intelligence

T4 – Digital Twin-as-a-Service (DTaaS) for IoT and 6G: Design Principles, Performance Metrics and Real-Time Intelligence

Co-presenter: Berk Canberk, Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Co-presenter: Kubra Duran, Edinburgh Napier University, UK

Abstract: DTaaS is emerging as a promising paradigm for building intelligent, scalable, and service- oriented digital twins (DTs) for dynamic IoT and 6G environments. This tutorial presents the design principles of DTaaS with a focus on four core dimensions: data, model, communication, and service. More specifically, it discusses how heterogeneous IoT data can be transformed into meaningful digital representations, how physical systems can be modeled in a context-aware manner, how real-time synchronization can be sustained through communication mechanisms, and how intelligent services can be built for monitoring, prediction, what-if analysis, and decision-making. In the context of 6G, the tutorial further highlights the role of DTaaS in supporting AI-native network intelligence, ultra-low-latency service environments, edge-cloud integrated operation, and adaptive resource management. A particular objective is to introduce a performance-aware perspective to DT design by examining digital twinning metrics such as twinning rate, twinning fidelity, Age of Twin, and service-related indicators. The tutorial aims to provide researchers and practitioners with both conceptual foundations and practical insights into effective DTaaS design, supported by representative platform-based case studies across intelligent transportation applications, smart buildings, aeronautical systems, and telecommunications.

Co-presenter’s Bios:

Berk Canberk:

Prof. Berk Canberk, Edinburgh Napier University, UK (B.Canberk@napier.ac.uk) He is a Full Professor and Head of Subject (Department Chair) for Cybersecurity and System Engineering at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. His research focuses on AI- powered Digital Twins, IoT communication, and Smart Wireless Networks, spanning Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 to 6. As a leading expert in Digital Twin technologies, he specializes in real-time synchronization, AI-driven orchestration, and semantic communication frameworks. He leads the Broadband Communication Research Group (www.bcrg.uk) with 5 PhD students, 1 postdoctoral researcher, 2 research associates, 1 visiting professor, and 1 visiting MSc student. He serves as Area Editor for IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials, Lead Editor of the IEEE ComSoc Best Readings in Digital Twins and as Guest Editor at the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. He has also served as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Elsevier Computer Networks, and IEEE Communications Letters, and has taken on key roles as General Chair, TPC Chair and Organizing Committee Member at several IEEE conferences. He served as General Co-Chair of the IEEE CAMAD 2023, and TwinNetApp Workshops at ICC 2026, GLOBECOM 2025, ICC 2025 and WCNC 2025. He has been TPC Co-Chair at the IoT&SN Symposium in Globecom 2022, CQRM Symposium in ICC 2026.

Kubra Duran:

Dr. Kubra Duran, Edinburgh Napier University, UK (K.Duran@napier.ac.uk) She is a Research Associate within the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment (SCEBE) at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. Her research focuses on Digital Twin Networks and Intelligent Internet of Things. She has five years of experience in the telecommunications sector. She is the recipient of consecutive Best Paper Awards in 2023 and 2024 for her IEEE Transactions publications, granted by SCEBE. She received the Best MSc Thesis Award in 2021 from both IEEE Communications Society Turkey Chapter and IEEE Computer Society Turkey Chapter. During her PhD in Istanbul Technical University, she was awarded the prestigious Google DeepMind Scholarship, which is granted only to highly successful female researchers working in the fields of AI and communications. She serves as a reviewer for IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking and IEEE Network Magazine. She has been actively involved in several IEEE conferences as an Organizing Committee Member and TPC Member. She served as General Co-Chair of TwinNetApp Workshop at IEEE ICC 2026, SITE Workshop at IEEE CAMAD 2024 and IEEE CAMAD 2025, and as a TPC Member at IEEE GLOBECOM 2025, IEEE ICC 2024, IEEE WCNC 2024, IEEE ISCC 2025, and IEEE PIMRC 2025.