Making the Future Wireless Internet a reality

• Fulfilling our mission requires identifying and addressing the major scientific and technical challenges required for the Future Wireless Internet Protocols and Algorithms. We have already identified what we consider are the major research challenges to be studied in IMDEA Networks. These research challenges are the following:
   
• Content Distribution Networks
• Pervasive Internet Access
• Security and Privacy
• Resilient Scalable Network Control
• Alternative business model
• All of these aspects will be addressed by trying to find new and disruptive solutions, with the objective of leading to new or alternative business models in most cases. Each challenge presents complex problems to be dealt with, and relevant areas to work into. A brief description of the specific issues of each research challenge is:
  • Content Distribution Networks
    • Audiovisual services characteristics
    • Communication based on hand-held devices
    • Suitable Layer-specific and cross-layer system performance to satisfy the required QoS
    • Adaptable services based on semantical web and Web 2.0
    • Link, Network and/or application layer multicast
  • Pervasive Internet Access
    • Terminal and Network Mobility
    • Specific problem areas, such as VANETs
    • Vertical and horizontal handover
    • Always best connected
    • Connectivity transparent to the user
  • Security and Privacy
    • Security in a wireless environment
    • Privacy issues (location, information, …)
    • Security guidelines from IETF
  • Resilient Scalable Network Control
    • Scalable naming and addressing architecture
    • Resilient and Scalable routing, with particular attention to multi-path routing algorithms and protocols
    • Novel network architectures, such as wireless mesh networks
  • Alternative business models
    • Pricing
    • Roaming
    • Different access technologies
    • Community and mesh networks
    • Design for tussle
    • Congestion and fairness
• These research challenges must be addressed in a collaborative way by all the personnel of IMDEA Networks. Significant synergies may be derived from this joint effort:
  • Scalability in Wireless mesh and in Interdomain routing
  • Multipath routing in wireless and interdomain
  • Tradeoff between intra domain and interdomain
  • Naming architectures
  • ID/locator split in interdomain for multihoming and in wireless mesh for autoconfiguration and in contents/application level (p2p, SIP)
  • Cross-layer issues
  • L2/L3 mobility and wireless access
  • Overlay/L3/L2
  • Congestion control issues
  • Impact on the different business models at the different levels
  • Overlays and p2p networks
  • Wireless mesh network