Abstract 6G networks are envisioned to provide an extremely high quality‐of‐service (QoS). Then, future 6G network must operate in the Ka‐band, where more bandwidth and radio channels are available, and noise and interferences are lower. But even in this context, 6G base stations must adjust the transmission power to ensure the signal‐to‐noise ratio is good enough to enable the expected QoS. However, 6G networks are not the only infrastructure operating in that band. Actually, many scientific instruments are also working on those frequencies. Considering that 6G networks will be transmitting a relevant power level, they can interfere very easily with these scientific instruments. Therefore, in this paper we propose a new solution to enable the interferenceless coexistence between 6G networks and scientific instruments. This solution includes a three‐dimensional model to analyse future positions of user devices. Using this information and an interference model, we design a decision model to adapt the transmitted power, so the QoS achieves the expected level. Besides, when the transmitted power is high enough to interfere with close scientific instruments, a scheduling algorithm based on swarm intelligence is triggered. This algorithm calculates the optimum distribution of time slots and radio channels, so the scientific instruments can operate, and the 6G networks can still provide the required QoS. An experimental validation is provided to analyse the performance of the proposed solution. Results show a complete coexistence may be achieved with an interference level of −26 dBm and a QoS above 95% of the expected level.

Abstract Ambient Intelligence deployments are very vulnerable to Cyber-Physical attacks. In these attacking strategies, intruders try to manipulate the behavior of the global system by affecting some key elements within the deployment. Typically, attackers inject false information, integrate malicious devices within the deployment, or infect communications among sensor nodes, among other possibilities. To protect Ambient Intelligence deployments against these attacks, complex data analysis algorithms are usually employed in the cloud to remove anomalous information from historical series. However, this approach presents two main problems. First, it requires all Ambient Intelligence systems to be networked and connected to the cloud. But most new applications for Ambient Intelligence are supported by isolated systems. And second, they are computationally heavy and not compatible with new decentralized architectures. Therefore, in this paper we propose a new decentralized security solution, based on a Blockchain ledger, to protect isolated Ambient Intelligence deployments. In this ledger, new sensing data are considered transactions that must be validated by edge managers, which operate a Blockchain network. This validation is based on reputation metrics evaluated by sensor nodes using historical network data and identity parameters. Through information theory, the coherence of all transactions with the behavior of the historical deployment is also analyzed and considered in the validation algorithm. The relevance of edge managers in the Blockchain network is also weighted considering the knowledge they have about the deployment. An experimental validation, supported by simulation tools and scenarios, is also described. Results show that up to 93% of Cyber-Physical attacks are correctly detected and stopped, with a maximum delay of 37 s.

Cybersecurity is one of the most promising areas for future graduated students to develop their work life. However, the weight of cybersecurity is still low in most computer engineering programs, even though computer engineers are the most suitable professionals for cybersecurity activities. We claim the implementation of cybersecurity competitions, where students participate in teams between four and six people, improving the acquisition of cybersecurity competencies through the promotion of the autonomous, collaborative, and personalized learning. In order to validate the hypothesis, an experience was conducted during the second term of 2020/2021 course in Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Experience was conducted in the computer engineering degree, in the context of the subject “Cybersecurity in Systems and Networks”. Two groups were defined: the control group following a traditional learning methodology, and a pilot group where learning was based on a cybersecurity competition, including short questionnaires, laboratory practices and puzzles. The results obtained validate the hypothesis and answer all research questions in a positive way. All learning indicators improve when students work on cybersecurity competencies through an educational competition.

Service creation and customization are expensive tasks: they require specialists for the creation of required software elements, while the knowledge for defining and using those services is owned by domain experts. In many cases, some of the usual basic services could be implemented by domain experts without any programming skills. In this, paper we present the prosumer service pattern (ProSP), which considers the characterization of the prosumer and enables them to manage the knowledge of the services. A ProSP behaves as a knowledge object defined through a problem–solution approach and allows the solving of specific problems in a prosumer framework. The proposal comprises a ProSP data model, a lifecycle for the patterns, a methodological approach that involves prosumers in framework provisioning and a tool to manage ProSPs through their life cycle. This tool is based on a cloud-hosted web solution and it is accessible from different devices (PCs, tablets and smartphones). An experimental validation, where 24 students of telecommunications and bioengineering participated, was carried out. Based on obtained results, the authors discuss the factors that affect the correct elicitation of knowledge about prosumer services, the service quality improvement using the ProSP approach and the evaluation of the ProSP model.

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) are next generation networks that have emerged as a promising technology capable of providing broadband connectivity at low cost, and offers advantages in scenarios where cabling is too expensive or prohibitive. Rural communities are a good example of these kind of scenarios. Deployment of WMNs in rural communities can be done with a low budget, and expansion of the network can be done as the community grows. In this paper we evaluate the performance of a small scale wireless mesh network, comparing two well known routing protocols for WMNs, B.A.T.M.A.N. Advanced and the 802.11s standard, against an OpenFlow controller. Then, by deploying a testbed we verify their bandwidth, datagram loss and jitter. Finally, our results show that both routing protocols have advantages and disadvantages. Besides, the OpenFlow approach shows an acceptable performance compared to the routing protocols; however, some adjustments are needed to optimize the performance of OpenFlow in WMNs. Our contribution in this paper is the characterization of the multimedia service capacity of wireless mesh networks for rural communities.

This paper proposes the creation of an architectural layer for integration of all the resources and members participating in a given collaborative activity into a unified framework which is referred as the collaborative environment integration layer (CEIL). This layer is considered a necessary step for integrating with open standards all the collaborative resources or components into a tightly coupled collaborative environment which implements activity orientation. The proposal considers two architectural elements. The first element is the collaborative environment description language (CEDL), which is the formal language for describing all the elements and associated parameters relevant for modeling and managing a collaborative environment. The second one is the collaborative environment management interface (CEMI), which is the unified interface which provides uniform management and configuration of the collaborative components of an environment. This layer includes accurate descriptions of the virtual organizations associated to collaborative activity, including participants, roles, rights, hierarchies, etc being able to model the variety of existing virtual organization models

Isabel is a P2P like multipoint group collaboration tool for the Internet, which implements an innovative service concept for synchronous collaborations based on a flexible and programmable floor control. This approach leads to a more natural and effective management of collaboration sessions. The flexible and programmable floor control incorporates the experience gained in many years of service trials with real users in distributed conferences, classrooms or meetings. The main conclusion after all those trials is that services should use more or less the same media components (audio, video or application sharing), but differ in the floor control model used. The flexible floor control is especially well suited for multipoint audience interconnection in distributed classrooms, conferences, meetings, etc. The development of Isabel started in 1993 for the distribution of the RACE Summer Schools on Advanced Broadband Communication (ABC93-6) where the early versions of this service concept were developed and tuned. The effectiveness of the Isabel service concept has been proven and enhanced since then in many other distributed events, such as Global360x, IDC9x, Global IPv6 Summitts, Telecom I+D, etc. The adaptation of Isabel to the broadband Internet (including VPNs, IPv4/IPv6 transition scenarios, mixtures of unicast and multicast) has reached maturity recently

The BRAIN (broadband radio access for IP based networks) project has been proposed to study a system that combines different wireless access network technologies. We present mechanisms to manage end-to-end QoS, including mobile end-systems and IP based wireless access networks (i.e. the BRAIN access network, BAN) in the transmission path. This includes the possible impact of mobility on QoS issues. Supporting QoS in mobile environments is hard to achieve because of potential handovers (horizontal and vertical) and error rate patterns of wireless links in contrast to fixed networks. To solve this issue, QoS signalling and adaptation mechanisms are required. We propose to build upon the BRAIN QoS framework and the BRain ENd Terminal Architecture (BRENTA), which provides the end-system functionality to manage QoS end-to-end from the users and applications point of view. We also show how admission control is embedded in the overall scenario and draft several protocol variants for an end-to-end negotiation of QoS that integrates local resource management and adaptation path strategies derived from users' QoS requirements.

In addition to conceptual work, the IST MIND project aims to verify practically a set of concepts related to the use of broadband, multimedia services by mobile users in an IP network. This paper presents an overview of the trials, and focuses on a few particular topics that are dedicated to the experimentation of adaptive applications within a wireless IP access network, including advanced QoS and mobility protocols. The novelty of the experimentation is underlined, and first results are presented.

The tremendous growth rates of the Internet as well as the area of mobile communications give rise to the chance that the mobile Internet is most promising by combining both the Internet and mobile communications. These prospects are the motivation for the European research project BRAIN (Broadband Radio Access for IP-based Networks), which is developing an open architecture for a broadband wireless mobile access network offering an integrated communication platform across heterogeneous networks and, thus, goes beyond current third generation systems and towards the mobile Internet. The project covers three major technical areas: support of seamless service provision in a mobile environment; the design of an IP-based access network that will support non-cellular technologies such as wireless LANs; and requirements of a broadband air interface suitable for hot spots. BRAIN is going to integrate HIPERLAN/2 with UMTS by means of an IP access network. The work is guided by a user-centric top-down approach ensuring that user functionality is the key driver of the project. This article will focus on that part of the BRAIN work which specifies the main interfaces of the BRAIN architecture and deals with aspects related to the support of Quality of Service and mobility. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Next generation IP networks and applications will have to address the increasingly important challenges of wireless access, mobility management, the provision of quality of service (QoS), and multimedia issues. These problems form the basis of the research within the EU financed BRAIN (Broadband Radio Access for IP based Networks) project. The project is developing a novel architecture that will be able to deal with the extreme QoS violations that are likely to occur during a running session that is exposed to the radio access environment. The core of this architecture supports different types of applications. It inherits and develops from the traditional Internet approach, but incorporates aspects of a modern flexible QoS middleware solution. The given problem is addressed in a comprehensive, modular, and open manner, by providing different APIs to different types of applications. It provides powerful functions to application programmers, but does not assume that lower level functionality must be hidden from the application programmer. It encompasses a variety of objects, APIs, end-system mechanisms and protocols to cope with the dynamic variation in mobility management and QoS. This solution will provide applications with more predictable services and allow applications to react in a pre-determined way to QoS violations.