Dynamic infrastructure-as-a-service: A key paradigm for 6G networks and application to maritime communications

Abstract

Although, the advent of the fifth Generation (5G) of communication networks has introduced the technology enablers and system capability to support a large number of devices, and highly-demanding services, as well as ultra-low latency and high reliability, enhancements to the current systems will not suffice for future generation networks. Instead, a disruptive communication paradigm needs to be introduced that will ultimately enable the radical evolution of the current systems to a new ones, capable of self-aggregating extraordinary connectivity and computing capabilities in a seamless manner. To this end, sixth Generation (6G) networks should be able to seamlessly integrate and release, in a dynamic manner, heterogeneous types of resources, such as diverse types of network entities/nodes with nomadic, relaying, and multi-tenancy capabilities, which can enable demand-driven service provisioning, coverage extension, increased network capacity, and reduced energy consumption. This paper presents a novel networking paradigm towards Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), which introduces a disruptive and dynamic network infrastructure management and service orchestration mechanism, including nomadic networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-aware networking approaches for seamless and dynamic management of diverse network resources. In order to emphasize the compelling potential of the proposed paradigm, we detail its application to maritime communication networks, while identifying this use case as a key driver for the proposed dynamic IaaS concept.