Tutorials

European Wireless tutorials are included in the conference registration and are provided remotely to the attendees in the EW2021 conference room.

Feel free to participate to the following exciting presentations!

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TUT-1- Towards Global Connectivity Using Aerial and Space Networks

Nov 10 – 9:00-12:30

Mustafa A. Kishk, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.

Mohamed-Slim Alouini, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.

TUT-02 – AI-enabled Optimization in Virtualized Wireless Networks: An Open RAN Perspective

Nov 10 – 14:30 – 18:00

Melike Erol-Kantarci, University of Ottawa, Canada

Meryem Simsek, VMware, USA

TUT-3 – Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for Future Wireless Communications

Nov 12 – 9:00-12:30

Alessio Zappone, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Cassino, Italy

Marco Di Renzo, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, Paris, France

Merouane Debbah, Huawei France R&D, Paris, France

[Scroll down for more details]

TUT-01 – Towards Global Connectivity Using Aerial and Space Networks

Mustafa A. Kishk, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.

Mohamed-Slim Alouini, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract: The United Nations (UN) has defined a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) targeted for 2030 that include ending poverty, hunger, and inequalities, establishing high quality of education and medical services, to name a few. Achieving such goals requires advancement in many industries, which includes the internet and communication technology (ICT) sector. In particular, establishing high quality internet service provides opportunities to stimulate economy in poor communities, access to remote learning, access to digital records and remote patient monitoring, and help farmers improve productivity. In this context, and as the standardization of the fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication systems (WCSs) has been completed, and 5G networks are in their early stage of deployment, the research visioning and planning of the sixth generation (6G) of WCSs are being initiated. However, it is well-known that urbanized regions have been the major beneficiaries of the advances in the previous generations of WCSs. Hence, it is important to carry research with the focus on ensuring digital inclusion of rural and remote areas, which currently lack stable access to internet connectivity. In this talk, we focus on (i) possible network architectures to establish backhaul connectivity in rural and remote areas, with emphasis on satellite-based solutions, (ii) current challenges facing internet access in rural areas, (iii) possible solutions to enhance internet access in rural areas, with emphasis on drone-based architectures, and (iv) existing solutions to improve the flight duration of drones and ensure stable coverage in rural areas.

Mustafa Kishk received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, in 2013 and 2015, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA, in 2018. He is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Communication Theory Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. His current research interests include stochastic geometry, energy harvesting wireless networks, UAV-enabled communication systems, and satellite communications.

Mohamed-Slim Alouini was born in Tunis, Tunisia. He received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1998. He served as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota then in the Texas A&M University at Qatar before joining in 2009 the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) where he is now a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Prof. Alouini is a Fellow of the IEEE and of the OSA. He is currently particularly interested in addressing the technical challenges associated with the uneven distribution, access to, and use of information and communication technologies in far-flung, rural, low-density populations, low-income, and/or hard-to-reach areas.

TUT-2 – AI-enabled Optimization in Virtualized Wireless Networks:

An Open RAN Perspective

Melike Erol-Kantarci, University of Ottawa, Canada

Meryem Simsek, VMware, USA

Abstract:

Next-generation wireless networks, i.e. 5G and the upcoming 6G, are expected to accommodate diverse use cases and support a multitude of services. In particular, the heterogeneous traffic coming from mobile, vehicular, smart grid, and tactile domains calls for efficient utilization of network resources to maintain quality of service demands of each application. In addition, resource efficiency, reliability, and robustness are becoming more stringent for 5G and beyond networks. To meet this, future virtualized and open RANs must incorporate a paradigm shift in network and radio resource optimization. Artificial intelligence (AI), or more specifically machine learning (ML) algorithms stand as promising tools to intelligently manage the networks such that network efficiency, reliability and robustness goals are achieved, quality of service demands are satisfied, network and computational resources are used most efficiently, and performance targets are achieved in a self-optimized manner. This tutorial will begin with an introduction on ML fundamentals and its use in RAN optimization. After summarizing the state-of-art in ML algorithms and RAN optimization, it will continue with a full-fledged treatment of virtualized open RANs. Finally, challenges and open issues will be discussed both in terms of AI algorithms and their applicability to various functions of future wireless networks.

Bio: Dr. Melike Erol-Kantarci is Canada Research Chair in AI-enabled Next-Generation Wireless Networks and Associate Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa. She is the founding director of the Networked Systems and Communications Research (NETCORE) laboratory. She is a Faculty Affiliate at the Vector Institute and the Institute for Science, Society and Policy at University of Ottawa. She has over 150 peer-reviewed publications which have been cited over 5700 times and she has an h-index of 39. Recently, she received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award of the IEEE ComSoc Technical Committee on Green Communications and Computing and she was selected among the N2Women Stars in Computer Networking and Communications in 2019. She has received several best paper awards including the IEEE Communication Society Best Tutorial Paper Award in 2017. Dr. Erol-Kantarci is the co-editor of three books on smart grids, smart cities and intelligent transportation. She has delivered 50+ keynotes, plenary talks, tutorials and panels around the globe. She is on the editorial board of the IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, IEEE Communications Letters, IEEE Networking Letters, IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine and IEEE Access. She has acted as the general chair and technical program chair for many international conferences and workshops. She is the vice-chair for IEEE ComSoc emerging technologies initiative on Machine Learning for Communications and a steering committee member for the IEEE Sustainable ICT Initiative. Her main research interests are AI-enabled wireless networks, 5G and 6G wireless communications, Open Radio Access Networks (ORAN), smart grid, electric vehicles, Internet of things and wireless sensor networks. She is an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Senior member and ACM Senior Member.

Meryem Simsek is a chief scientist in advanced technologies at VMware where she is defining, launching, and leading academic research projects, PPPs, and contributions to industry alliances. Prior to this, she was a senior research scientist at Intel Labs and the International Computer Science Institute Berkeley as well as a research group leader at the Technical University Dresden, Germany. She holds a Dipl.-Ing. (M.Sc., 2008) and Dr.-Ing. (PhD, 2013) degree from the University Duisburg-Essen, Germany. She is known for her pioneering work on machine-learning based solutions for wireless systems, self-organizing networks (SON), and the Tactile Internet. Meryem co-authored more than 100 publications has co-edited two books, and has delivered 30+ invited talks and keynotes. She is the recipient of the IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize in 2015 and the Rising Star in Computer Networking and Communications Award by N2Women in 2019. Meryem’s main research interests are in future wireless systems, AI/ML, and self-* networks.

TUT-3 – Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for Future Wireless Communications

Alessio Zappone, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Cassino, Italy

Marco Di Renzo, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, Paris, France

Merouane Debbah, Huawei France R&D, Paris, France

Abstract – As 5G networks take their final form, connectivity demands continue to increase exponentially and new services pose more constraints on the performance that end-users expect. A recent technological breakthrough that holds the potential to meet these demands is that of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces. This tutorial will explain in detail the principles and latest approaches of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for beyond 5G wireless communications.

Dr. Alessio Zappone obtained his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering in 2011 from the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Cassino, Italy. His Ph.D. studies were focused on distributed algorithms for energy-efficient resource allocation in wireless networks. After obtaining his Ph.D. Alessio has been with the Technische Universitat Dresden,  Germany, managing the project CEMRIN on energy-efficient resource allocation in wireless networks, funded by the German Research Foundation. From 2017 to 2019 he has been the recipient of the H2020 Individual Marie Curie fellowship for experienced researchers BESMART, carried out in the LANEAS group of CentraleSupelec, Paris, France. He is now a tenured professor at the university of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy. He was appointed exemplary reviewer for the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS and IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS in 2017. Alessio is an IEEE Senior Member, serves as senior area editor for the IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING LETTERS and as guest editor for the IEEE JOURNAL ON SELECTED AREAS ON COMMUNICATIONS (Special Issues on Energy-Efficient Techniques for 5G Wireless Communication Systems and on Wireless Networks Empowered by RIS).

Dr. Marco Di Renzo received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Information Engineering from the University of L’Aquila, Italy, in 2007. Since 2010, he is Associate Professor with Paris-Saclay University – CNRS, CentraleSupelec, Univ. Paris Sud, France. He is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), and co-founder of the university spin-off company WEST Aquila s.r.l., Italy. Dr. Di Renzo received the THALES Communications fellowship (2003-2006), University of L’Aquila, Italy; the Derogation pour l’Encadrement de These (2010), University of Paris-Sud, France; the 2012 IEEE CAMAD, 2014 IEEE CAMAD, 2014 IEEE ATC, 2015 IEEE ComManTel Best Paper Awards; the 2012 and 2014 IEEE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS Exemplary Reviewer Certificate; the 2013 IEEE-COMSOC Best Young Researcher Award for Europe, Middle East and Africa; the 2015-2018 CNRS Award for Excellence in Research and in Advising Doctoral Students; the 2017 IEEE-SEE Alain Glavieux Award. He serves as Editor in Chief of the IEEE COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS and Editor of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS. He is an IEEE Fellow and a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Communications and IEEE Vehicular Technology Societies. 

Dr. Merouane Debbah obtained his Ph.D. from the Ecole Normale Suprieure Paris-Saclay (France). He worked for Motorola (France) from 1999-2002 and Vienna Research Center for Telecommunications (Austria) until 2003. From 2003 to 2007, he joined the Mobile Communications department of Eurecom (France). Since 2007, he is Full Professor at CentraleSupelec (France). Since 2014, he is Vice-President of the Huawei France R&D center and director of the Mathematical and Algorithmic Sciences Lab. He is Associate Editor in Chief of the journal Random Matrix: Theory and Applications and was associate and senior area editor for IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. He obtained the ERC grant MORE and is IEEE Fellow. He received 19 best paper awards, among which the 2007 IEEE GLOBECOM best paper award, 2014 WCNC best paper award, 2015 ICC best paper award, 2015 IEEE Communications Society Leonard G. Abraham Prize, 2015 IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize, 2016 IEEE Communications Society Best Tutorial paper award, 2018 IEEE Marconi Prize Paper Award. He received the Mario Boella award in 2005, the IEEE Glavieux Prize Award in 2011 and the Qualcomm Innovation Prize Award in 2012.