During the last years, a continuous convergence and fusion of computing and networking systems is stressed in the ICT research community. Context awareness appears to be a major research "glue-point" of such kind of heterogeneous environments' integration. In this survey paper, we aim to assemble all the "puzzle-pieces" of the emerging research area of Context Aware Mobile and Wireless Networking (CAMoWiN) in order to provide the reader a holistic representation of the work having been done in the past emphasizing in recent research efforts. A precise definition of abstract Context Aware (CA) functionalities together with a clear classification of related state-of-the-art proposals are provided in the form of a proposed taxonomy scheme per CA functionality. Each taxonomy scheme can also serve as a sufficiently general framework permitting the easy classification of novel CAMoWiN solutions emerging in the near future. Therefore, our study not only defines all the possible components of a CAMoWiN architecture and clearly points out the similarities and differences of all research efforts in the field but also evaluates future research trends and paves the way for the researchers to work beyond the concepts investigated in this work. Finally, apart from identifying the open challenges, which arise when applying traditional concepts of pervasive computing to mobile and wireless networks, we further map them to the Mobile Cloud Computing paradigm, whose concepts appear to be very promising regarding next generation networking and computing environments' integration.

Throughout human history, agriculture has undergone a series of progressive transformations based on ever-evolving technologies in an effort to increase productivity and profitability. Over the years, farming methods have evolved significantly, progressing from Agriculture 1.0, which relied on primitive tools, to Agriculture 2.0, which incorporated machinery and advanced farming practices, and subsequently to Agriculture 3.0, which emphasized mechanization and employed intelligent machinery and technology to enhance productivity levels. To further automate and increase agricultural productivity while minimizing agricultural inputs and pollutants, a new approach to agricultural management based on the concepts of the fourth industrial revolution is being embraced gradually. This approach is referred to as “Agriculture 4.0” and is mainly implemented through the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, enabling the remote control of sensors and actuators and the efficient collection and transfer of data. In addition, fueled by technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, and four-dimensional communication, a new form of smart agriculture, called “Agriculture 5.0,” is now emerging. Agriculture 5.0 can exploit the growing 5G network infrastructure as a basis. However, only 6G-IoT networks will be able to offer the technological advances that will allow the full expansion of Agriculture 5.0, as can be inferred from the relevant scientific literature and research. In this article, we first introduce the scope of Agriculture 5.0 as well as the key features and technologies that will be leveraged in the much-anticipated 6G-IoT communication systems. We then highlight the importance and influence of these developing technologies in the further advancement of smart agriculture and conclude with a discussion of future challenges and opportunities.

As the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem evolves, innovative applications with stringent demands with respect to latency will emerge. To handle computation-intensive tasks in a timely manner, data offloading to Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) servers has been suggested. On the other hand, prospective IoT networks are expected to include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to enhance coverage and connectivity, while retaining reliable communication links with ground nodes in urban, suburban, and rural terrain. Nevertheless, the evolution of UAV-aided MEC-enabled IoT presupposes the mitigation of security threats through the implementation of efficient and robust countermeasures. As UAVs inherently have certain limitations in terms of energy, computational, and memory resources, designing lightweight security solutions is required. This paper provides an overview of the UAV-aided MEC-enabled IoT and a detailed presentation of use cases and application scenarios, where security is of utmost importance. Subsequently, up-to-date research works on security solutions for the UAV-aided MEC-enabled IoT are comprehensively presented. To this end, the adoption of information-theoretic techniques that ensure adequate Physical-Layer Security (PLS) is discussed along with sophisticated security approaches based on emerging technologies, such as Blockchain and Machine Learning (ML). In addition, research studies on software- and hardware-based methods for the identification and authentication of network nodes are presented. Finally, this paper provides future perspectives in this research domain, stimulating further work.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining popularity and market share, driven by its ability to connect devices and systems that were previously siloed, enabling new applications and services in a cost-efficient manner. Thus, the IoT fuels societal transformation and enables groundbreaking innovations like autonomous transport, robotic assistance, and remote healthcare solutions. However, when considering the Internet of Remote Things (IoRT), which refers to the expansion of IoT in remote and geographically isolated areas where neither terrestrial nor cellular networks are available, internet connectivity becomes a challenging issue. Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) are increasingly gaining popularity as a solution to provide connectivity in remote areas due to the growing integration of satellites and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with cellular networks. In this survey, we provide the technological framework for NTNs and Remote IoT, followed by a classification of the most recent scientific research on NTN-based IoRT systems. Therefore, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in IoRT and identify emerging research areas with high potential. In conclusion, we present and discuss 3GPP’s roadmap for NTN standardization, which aims to establish an energy-efficient IoRT environment in the 6G era.

In this paper, we present a relay selection scheme which combines the spectral efficiency of successive opportunistic relaying with the robustness of single-link relay selection. More specifically, we propose a scheme that minimizes the total energy expenditure per time slot under an inter-relay interference cancellation scheme. The new relay selection policy is analyzed in terms of outage probability and diversity by modeling the evolution of relay buffers as a Markov Chain. We construct the state transition matrix of the Markov Chain and obtain its stationary distribution, which in turn, yields the outage probability. The proposed scheme outperforms relevant state-of-the-art relay selection schemes in terms of throughput, diversity, energy efficiency and average delay, as demonstrated via representative numerical examples.