Sharp increase of video traffic is expected to account for the majority of traffic in future 5G networks. This paper introduces the SELFNET 5G project and describes the video streaming use case that will be used to demonstrate the self-optimising capabilities of SELFNET's autonomic network management framework. SELFNET's framework will provide an advanced self-organizing network (SON) underpinned by seamless integration of Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), and network intelligence. The self-optimisation video streaming use case is going beyond traditional quality of service approaches to network management. A set of monitoring and analysis components will facilitate a user-oriented, quality of experience (QoE) and energy-aware approach. Firstly, novel SON-Sensors will monitor both traditional network state metrics and new video and energy related metrics. The combination of these low level metrics provides highly innovative health of network (HoN) composite metrics. HoN composite metrics are processed via autonomous decisions not only maintaining but also proactively optimising users' video QoE while minimising the end-to-end energy consumption of the 5G network. This contribution provided a detailed technical overview of this ambitious use case.

5G networks aims to tackle the complex demands of emerging business paradigms, such as Smart Cities, eHealth, and Industry 4.0. In this paper, a hierarchical, distributed-intelligence 5G architecture is described, offering low latency, security, and open access as features intrinsic to its design. SDN and NFV principles are employed to create a networking solution applicable to a large number of high-specification 5G use case scenarios

CHARISMA aims to tackle low-latency and end-to-end security for converged fixed/wireless 5G networks in order to meet the complex demands of emerging business paradigms, such as Smart Cities, eHealth and Industry 4.0. In this paper, we present the key drivers and requirements towards a hierarchical, distributed-intelligence 5G architecture, supporting low latency, security and open access as features intrinsic to its design. We also investigate the business perspective of the proposed 5G solution and the changes that can be foreseen for the telecom ecosystem

In the early 2020s, the coronavirus pandemic brought the notion of remotely connected care to the general population across the globe. Oftentimes, the timely provisioning of access to and the implementation of affordable care are drivers behind tele-healthcare initiatives. Tele-healthcare has already garnered significant momentum in research and implementations in the years preceding the worldwide challenge of 2020, supported by the emerging capabilities of communication networks. The Tactile Internet (TI) with human-in-the-loop is one of those developments, leading to the democratization of skills and expertise that will significantly impact the long-term developments of the provisioning of care. However, significant challenges remain that require today’s communication networks to adapt to support the ultra-low latency required. The resulting latency challenge necessitates trans-disciplinary research efforts combining psychophysiological as well as technological solutions to achieve one millisecond and below round-trip times. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the benefits enabled by solving this network latency reduction challenge by employing state-of-the-art Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) devices in a testbed, realizing the service differentiation required for the multi-modal human-machine interface. With completely new types of services and use cases resulting from the TI, we describe the potential impacts on remote surgery and remote rehabilitation as examples, with a focus on the future of tele-healthcare in rural settings.

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We describe low end-to-end latencies of 6.69 ms in the 5G CHARISMA network, that has been optimised for both device and system technologies speed, as well as with its virtualised, hierarchical and distributed, edgecentric architecture, that processes data as near as possible to their source and destination. Such an ultra-high speed 5G network can be utilised in intelligent transport system (ITS) applications, and we describe a public transport bus-based use case that takes advantage of the CHARISMA capabilities. Keywords: 5G converged network, low latency, mobile edge computing, virtualised security, transportation. 1. INTRODUCTION One of the key drivers pushing forward the development of 5G technologies is the emergence of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) suitable for road and rail applications, which particularly rely on ultra-low latency, high-speed, ultra-high reliable and secure digital connectivity. 5G key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined [1] targeting 5 ms end-to-end latency times, and 10 ms instantiation times. A key objective of the 5G-PPP CHARISMA [2] project is to create an ultra-low latency 5G technical solution suitable for future ITS applications, and here we report on the latest experimental and architecture embodiment. 2. ULTRA-LOW LATENCY ARCHITECTURE CHARISMA adopts a distributed control, management & orchestration (CMO) architecture, bringing intelligence as close to the edge as possible, to reduce latency times and provide a finer resolution control of the 5G network resources using SDN and NFV capabilities. CHARISMA features a hierarchical architecture, placing intelligence nodes at points where aggregation of access, backhaul and core networks occurs: Converged Aggregation Levels (CALs). Each CAL intelligence node contains an Intelligence Management Unit (IMU) containing computing, storage and networking resources, in which network functions can be deployed by the CMO to maintain efficient and low-latency operation. Virtual network functions (VNFs) can be chosen not to be instantiated at each CAL node of the CHARISMA hierarchy. Fig.1 indicates the Virtualization Plane above the PHY infrastructure layer, where the component elements of the IMU present at each CAL are realised. Each of the IMUs above the CAL2, CAL1, and CAL0 are cloudlets of the overall CHARISMA CMO, such that the CAL3 (central office) does not have to have an IMU cloudlet directly associated with it; rather, CAL3 may be associated with the main cloud infrastructure (e.g. data centre, DC) where the overall "centralised" M&O system