Thousands of devices are connected to the Internet as part of the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems. The next generation of IoT networks is expected to support this growing number of Intelligent IoT devices and tactile Internet solutions to provide real-time applications. In view of this, IoT networks require innovative network architectures that offer scalability, security, and adaptability. The Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) is a clean slate network architecture that provides a scalable, secure, and flexible framework for interconnecting computers. SDN technology is becoming a de facto solution to overcome network requirements, making RINA adoption difficult. This paper presents an architecture for integrating RINA with SDN technologies to lower the barriers of adopting RINA in IoT environments. The architecture relies on a RINA-based distributed application facility (DAF), a RINA southbound driver (SBI), and the RINA L2VPN. The RINA-based DAF manages RINA nodes along the edge–fog–cloud continuum. The SBI driver SDN enables the hybrid centralized management of SDN switches and RINA nodes. Meanwhile, the RINA L2VPN allows seamless communication between edge nodes and the cloud to facilitate the data exchange between network functions (NFs). Such integration has enabled a progressive deployment of RINA in current IoT networks without affecting their operations and performance.

The integration of Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks (TNs-NTNs), known as Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks (SAGINs), is a foundational element of future sixth Generation (6G) systems promising ubiquitous connectivity. However, the high mobility of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations presents significant challenges, rendering traditional static routing paradigms and network management solutions ineffective. The frequent topological changes inherent in these environments necessitate the development of intelligent and adaptive network management frameworks. This paper introduces a Software Defined Networking (SDN)-based architectural framework designed to address this challenge. The proposed framework aligns with key principles from 3GPP and ETSI Network Function Virtualization (NFV) standards to enable the creation of a unified management plane. This plane facilitates the End-to-End (E2E) orchestration of services, encompassing both traditional mobile core elements and Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) across the SAGIN infrastructure. The proposed solution utilizes a centralized control system, wherein a custom SDN application leverages externally generated topological data to proactively manage data paths. This management is facilitated by an extensible satellite network simulator, the LEO Routing and Simulation Framework (LRSIM), which decouples complex path computation from real-time control. This separation allows the system to react rapidly to network state changes. The architecture, its operational workflows, and the control mechanism are demonstrated through an empirical evaluation on a scalable virtualized testbed capable of emulating realistic, multi-orbit LEO constellations. Performance is assessed based on Round Trip Time (RTT), jitter, throughput, and controller reaction time, where the results validate the framework’s capability to maintain resilient E2E connectivity and high performance.

As the global deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) is being well consolidated, the exploration of Sixth Generation (6G) wireless networks has intensified, focusing on novel Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Value Indicators (KVIs) that extend beyond traditional metrics like throughput and latency. As 5G begins transitioning to vertical-oriented applications, 6G aims go beyond, providing a ubiquitous communication experience by integrating diverse Radio Access Networks (RANs) and fixed-access networks to form a hyper-converged edge. This unified platform will enable seamless network federation, thus realizing the so-called network of networks vision. Emphasizing energy efficiency, the present paper discusses the importance of reducing telecommunications’ environmental impact, aligning with global sustainability goals. Central to this vision is the proposal of a novel user plane network protocol architecture, called 6G Recursive User Plane Architecture (6G-RUPA), designed to be scalable, flexible, and energy-efficient. Briefly, 6G-RUPA offers superior flexibility in network adaptation, federation, scalability, and mobility management, aiming to enhance overall network performance and sustainability. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of 6G’s potential, from its conceptual framework to the high-level design of 6G-RUPA, addressing current challenges and proposing actionable solutions for next-generation mobile networks.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks are becoming increasingly important for global connectivity in Fifth Generation (5G) and next-generation networks, yet traditional Internet Protocol (IP)-based architectures couple per-satellite forwarding state to constellation size and force continuous route recomputation in a topology whose change is the normal operating state. This paper revisits topological forwarding for modern mega-constellations through the lens of the 6G Recursive User Plane Architecture (6G-RUPA) framework, in which routing is a scope-specific policy of a general recursive architecture rather than a fixed network-wide protocol. Each satellite's logical position in the constellation is encoded directly into its network address, replacing destination-oriented forwarding tables with local neighbor knowledge, and a pivot-weighted distance estimator captures the latitude-dependent physical asymmetry of inter-plane Inter-Satellite Links (ISLs) directly from measured edge weights, generalizing the constellation-specific analytic delay refinement of classical datagram routing to arbitrary measured geometry. We evaluate this scheme with LEOPath, an open-source simulator, across four commercial constellation designs and two ISL regimes, against link-state and explicit-path routing families. In the regular Ring/+Grid models evaluated, the proposed scheme reduces per-satellite forwarding state from constellation scale (351–1,584 entries) to local degree (2–5 entries), lowers satellite-local routing-table updates by roughly two orders of magnitude relative to link-state routing, and preserves shortest-path quality within numerical precision; the reduced state also suggests, though we do not measure, lower forwarding-lookup energy. These results support the broader architectural claim that scope-tailored addressing and routing policies allow a single user-plane architecture to span terrestrial and non-terrestrial segments.