NSF/Intel Partnership on Information-Centric Networking in Wireless Edge Networks (ICN-WEN)

Next-generation wireless networks, utilizing a wide swath of wireless spectrum and an array of novel technologies in the wired and wireless domains, are on the cusp of unleashing a broadband revolution with promised peak bit rates of tens of gigabits per second and latencies of less than a millisecond. Such innovations will make possible a new set of applications such as autonomous vehicles, industrial robotics, tactile Internet applications, virtual and augmented reality, and dense Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. A key requirement of these applications is fast information response time that is invariant as a function of the bandwidth demanded, users/devices supported, and data generated, of which low-latency wireless access time is only one component. Intrinsic security, seamless mobility, scalable content caching, and discovery/distribution services are also essential for such applications.

This solicitation seeks unique data network architectures featuring an information plane using an Information-Centric Networking (ICN) approach and addressing discovery, movement, delivery, management, and protection of information within a network, along with the abstraction of an underlying communication plane creating opportunities for new efficiencies and optimizations across communications technologies that could also address latency and scale requirements.