B5G/6G Support for Next-generation Industrial Internet-of-Things

Industrial internet-of-things (IIoT) use cases (e.g., self-driving cars and Industry 4.0) have stringent requirements (e.g., low-latency and high-reliability) that are out of reach of legacy connectivity solutions (e.g., Wi-Fi and 4G). While the advanced 5G features (e.g., time-sensitive networking (TSN) and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC)) can meet some of these requirements, they fall short in supporting the most demanding use cases. In this context, this workshop aims at exploring the latest features and components of beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G networks to overcome the limits of 5G. First, the workshop will identify the gaps of the existing 5G solutions in supporting the most advanced IIoT use cases. Second, the workshop will disseminate the latest findings and solutions assessing the capabilities of future B5G/6G networks in filling those gaps, including optimised protocols, architectural innovation (e.g., advanced network slicing, next-generation multi-access edge computing (MEC) and Open RAN), novel algorithms, metrics, and tools. Third, the workshop will analyse and discuss pressing challenges and future trends in the development, integration, testing, and deployment of B5G/6G technological components to better serve the specific needs of IIoT use cases.