With the introduction of distributed renewable energy resources and new loads, such as electric vehicles, the power grid is evolving to become a highly dynamic system that necessitates continuous and fine-grained observability of its operating conditions. In the context of the medium voltage (MV) grid, this has motivated the deployment of phasor measurement units (PMUs), that offer high-precision synchronized grid monitoring, enabling mission-critical applications such as fault detection/location. However, PMU-based applications present stringent delay requirements, raising a significant challenge to the communication infrastructure. In contrast to the high voltage domain, there is no clear vision for the communication and network topologies for the MV grid; a full-fledged optical fiber-based communication infrastructure is a costly approach due to the density of PMUs required. In this study, we focus on the support of low-latency PMU-based applications in the MV domain, identifying and addressing the tradeoff between communication infrastructure deployment costs and the corresponding performance. We study a large set of real MV grid topologies to get an in-depth understanding of the various key latency factors. Building on the gained insights, we propose three algorithms for the careful placement of high capacity links, targeting a balance between deployment costs and achieved latencies. Extensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithms result in low-latency network topologies while reducing deployment costs by up to 80% in comparison to a ubiquitous deployment of costly high capacity links.

Building on virtualization and programmability, 5G networks aim for concurrent support of application domains with different functional and QoS requirements, both across and within vertical domains. Towards these requirements, network slicing mechanisms allow the management and orchestration of the underlying pool of resources, typically within a single administrative domain. However, in several occasions, verticals are expected to have a large geographical footprint, often crossing the administrative borders of multiple network domains, placing a subsequent functional requirement for cross-domain orchestration. In this paper we describe our approach on cross-domain sliciNg operations for the case of Industrial Applications with strict and flexible QoS requirements, with a particular focus on Wind Power plant networks. We describe the design of our SDN-based orchestration TRL-7 prototype and further provide a detailed look on the testbed prepared for measurements in an operational Wind Power plant in Brande, Denmark.

Limited scalability, reliability, and security of todays utility communication infrastructures are main obstacles to the deployment of smart grid applications. The C-DAX project aims at providing and investigating a communication middleware for smart grids to address these problems, applying the information-centric networking and publish/subscribe paradigm. We briefly describe the C-DAX architecture, and extend it with a flexible resilience concept, based on resilient data forwarding and data redundancy. Different levels of resilience support are defined, and their underlying mechanisms are described. Experiments show fast and reliable performance of the resilience mechanism.

The next generation of mobile networks, namely 5G, promises significant qualitative and quantitative advances for multiple vertical domains. However, most studies and investigations assess these advances under the implicit assumption of a single network service provider, with typical national coverage. In this article, we take a close look at the automotive sector and highlight a series of challenges emerging in the context of its inherent (inter)national mobility and the corresponding importance of cross-border and/or multioperator environments. Our target is to pinpoint the key influential factors affecting the transition toward seamless (cooperative) connected and automated mobility services within and across national borders. To this end, we identify and analyze a series of challenges in the areas of, networking, application, security, and regulation. We further present and discuss a series of corresponding solutions investigated in the pragmatic context of our experimental activities.