This article presents a converged 5G network infrastructure and an overarching architecture to jointly support operational network and end-user services, proposed by the EU 5G PPP project 5G-XHaul. The 5G-XHaul infrastructure adopts a common fronthaul/backhaul network solution, deploying a wealth of wireless technologies and a hybrid active/passive optical transport, supporting flexible fronthaul split options. This infrastructure is evaluated through a novel modeling. Numerical results indicate significant energy savings at the expense of increased end-user service delay.

We present a real-world Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON)-based Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network serving up to 32 users, installed in COSMOTE laboratories in Athens. The deployment relies on the use of fiber optics and GPON telecom equipment which are identical to those found in the currently deployed FTTH infrastructure. We describe real-life network designs that correspond to specific installations considered in Athens urban metropolitan area. We propose a practical upstream Quantum Access Network (QAN) over the installed FTTH network, relied on a centralized quantum receiver (Bob) station located at the operator's Central Office, which exploits the Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) framing technique to receive single-photons from multiple independent quantum transmitters (Alice) located at users premises. This integration scheme is characterized by performing a series of noise measurements at single-photon level to evaluate the potential of the coexistence of classical/quantum links on the same fiber cores. The noise count rates are found to follow the Raman noise profile for specified values of effective Raman cross-sections of downstream and upstream GPON data channels. Subsequently, the experimental results are exploited to evaluate the performance of the widely-used Coherent One Way (COW) Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol. The presented simulation results for the quantum layer suggest the feasibility of our integration scheme for short feeder fiber segments. Finally, the dependance of the Secure Key Rate (SKR) on the network capacity is also discussed.

In future mobile networks, the evolution of optical transport architectures enabling the flexible, scalable interconnection of Baseband Units (BBUs) and Radio Units (RUs) with heterogeneous interfaces is a significant issue. In this paper, we propose a multi-technology hybrid transport architecture that comprises both analog and digital-Radio over Fiber (RoF) mobile network segments relying on a dynamically reconfigurable optical switching node. As a step forward, the integration of the discussed network layout into an existing mobile infrastructure is demonstrated, enabling the support of real-world services through both standard digital and Analog–Intermediate- Frequency over Fiber (A-IFoF)-based converged fiber–wireless paths. Emphasis has been placed on the implementation of a real-time A-IFoF transceiver that is employed through a single embedded fully programmable gateway array (FPGA)-based platform that serves as an Ethernet to Intermediate Frequency (IF) bridge for the transmission of legacy traffic over the analog network segment. The experimental evaluation of the proposed concept was based on the dynamic optical routing of the legacy Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI), 1.5 GBaud analog-intermediate frequency-over-fiber (A-IFoF)/mmWave and 10 Gbps binary optical waveforms, showing acceptable error vector magnitude (EVM) values for the complex radio waveforms and error-free operation for binary optical streams, with Bit Error Rate (BER) values less than 10⁻⁹. Finally, the end-to-end proof-of-concept demonstration of the proposed solution was achieved through the delivery of 4K video streaming and Internet Protocol (IP) calls over a mobile core network.

The growing popularity of smart mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has made them an attractive target for cyber-criminals, resulting in a rapidly growing and evolving mobile threat as attackers experiment with new business models by targeting mobile users. With the emergence of the first large-scale mobile botnets, the core network has also become vulnerable to distributed denial-of-service attacks such as the signaling attack. Furthermore, complementary access methods such as Wi-Fi and femtocells introduce additional vulnerabilities for the mobile users as well as the core network. In this paper, we present the NEMESYS approach to smart mobile network security. The goal of the NEMESYS project is to develop novel security technologies for seamless service provisioning in the smart mobile ecosystem, and to improve mobile network security through a better understanding of the threat landscape. To this purpose, NEMESYS will collect and analyze information about the nature of cyber-attacks targeting smart mobile devices and the core network so that appropriate counter-measures can be taken. We are developing a data collection infrastructure that incorporates virtualized mobile honeypots and honeyclients in order to gather, detect and provide early warning of mobile attacks and understand the modus operandi of cyber-criminals that target mobile devices. By correlating the extracted information with known attack patterns from wireline networks, we plan to reveal and identify the possible shift in the way that cyber-criminals launch attacks against smart mobile devices.

There is a continuous pursuit by mobile operators (MOs) to improve indoor coverage in order not only to improve voice quality but also to enable higher data rates in home/office environments. Indoor coverage improvement, in conjunction with inexpensive (voice) offerings, will enable MOs to compete with and take away voice-call-related revenues from fixed network PTTs and/or VoIP operators. Femtocells constitute a promising solution to address all of the above. In this article we present our experience from our extensive study and trials of early (pre-standard) femtocell solutions that were available in the 2007-2008 timeframe.