SCOPE

IEEE NetSoft, the premier International Conference on Network Softwarization, addresses the advanced research challenges and opportunities raised by the overall transformation trend of network “softwarization”, which has been revolutionizing the networking field and has accelerated its convergence with adjacent industries.

Network Softwarization refers to the transition of traditional network infrastructure and functionalities, provided via hardware appliances developed by equipment and service vendors, to new ones that have been propelled over the last 15 years by the maturity of widespread technologies such as network function virtualization, software-defined networking, and service function chaining. In particular, the ability to program, manage, and operate network and service infrastructures more freely makes it possible to reinvent network and cloud architectures, customize services, accelerate service deployment, and facilitate greater operational efficiencies with guarantees. The need for further advances in these topics is reflected in the overall theme of NetSoft 2024: “Softwarized Networks in the Age of Generative AI”. 

NetSoft 2024 will feature technical paper presentations, keynotes, tutorials, workshops, demos, posters,  and exhibitions from world-leading experts representing service providers, vendors, research institutes, open-source projects, and academia. 

TOPICS OF INTEREST

The conference is soliciting paper submissions with significant research contributions to network softwarization. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

    Network slicing and slice management  
    Service Function Chaining (SFC)
    AI/ML techniques and network softwarization   
    Applications for Generative AI in softwarized networks
    Softwarization in eXtended Reality  (AR/VR/ER and digital twins)   
    Cooperative multi-domain, multi-tenant SDN/NFV environments 
    Future Internet and New IP architectures  
    Sustainability in softwarized network
    High-precision communications and computing     
    Network softwarization for 5G/6G   
    QoS and QoE in softwarized infrastructures
    Network softwarization for deterministic Internet re-engineering   
    Softwarization for Cognitive and autonomic networking   
    Policy-based and Intent-based networking
    Dynamic resource discovery and negotiation schemes 
    Assurance and Measurements in softwarized networks 
    Resilience, reliability, and robustness of softwarized networks  
    Security, Safety, Trust, and Privacy in virtualized environments
    Sustainability, energy efficiency, and carbon emissions in network softwarization   
    Abstractions and virtualization of resources, services, and functions
    Programmable Networking Protocols   
    Programmable SDN and NFV: languages and architectures (P4 and others)  
    Open source and network softwarization
    Hardware acceleration for programmable network functions  
    Development methodologies for network softwarization (DevOps, NetOps, Verification)  
    Deployment and transition strategies
    Experience reports from experimental testbeds and deployments
    New value chains and service models enabled by softwarization
    Socio-economic impact and regulations for softwarization