Operational Planning and dimensioning Tool for operator network Infrastructures Moving to Advanced 5G/6G leveraging on AI techniques(OPTIMAIX)

	Data Start Project Data End Project
Jan-2022	Dec-2024
UPC Project Responsible
Oriol Sallent

Subproject OaaS: Support tool for the planning of advanced 5G/6G services

The project is aimed at implementing an Optimization as a Service (OaaS) framework providing optimization functionalities that allow internal and external applications (the operator) to efficiently assign services and network resources. This framework includes smart algorithms for extremely dynamic environments. In this optimization framework, a digital twin of the network will be integrated, which will be developed in the other project of the coordinated project. The problems to be solved with the OaaS optimization framework will start from the description of the services in terms of quality of service, such as the maximum allowed latency, the need for computational resources and the storage. The optimization tool will determine the optimal location of the service components on the network and computing infrastructure, using a model provided by a digital twin of the network.

Subproject NDT: Development of a network digital twin for supporting the planning of advanced 5G/6G services

This project is aimed at designing a digital twin of the 5G/6G services support network. This consists of a test environment of the network and the supported services to help make planning and configuration decisions, in order to evaluate actions prior to their execution in the operational network. This test environment will be integrated into the OaaS platform, whose design and implementation will be carried out in the other project of the coordinated project. For the design it is necessary to materialize a closed control loop, in which the data flows between the infrastructure or real system and its digital twin. Traffic load, response times, and other live-monitored data continuously feed and adjust the digital model, preventing it from drifting from behavior reasonably close to reality. Decisions tested in this simulated environment are, after validation, made in the real system. The digital twin will be based on advanced control system technologies, such as those based on artificial intelligence. The techniques of inference and prediction of network behavior will be key to achieve a sufficiently realistic and scalable model.

The groups targeted by this project are mainly telecommunications network and service operators and also, albeit indirectly, a whole set of actors whose business is based on the development of applications at the edge of the network. This includes service providers, cloud providers, Industry 4.0 and end customers such as companies interested in applications that require high computing and low latency support. The benefits of the project are the improvement of the capacity of operators and service providers to offer sustainable advanced services on 5G/6G systems that will improve the quality of life of society in general. In addition to the industrial and social impact, the execution of this project will also have a very important scientific impact that will be reflected in the presentation and publication of the project's results in conferences and scientific magazines of excellence.