On The Evolution of Local Networks

Wireless Local Networks present many unique and dynamic challenges, yet their utilization continues to rise. As a technology that combines relatively low costs and ease of deployment, it supports the expansion of local wireless infrastructures, which encompass the Internet of Things (IoT), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) networks, Clouds of Sensing (CoS), and Software Defined Networks (SDNs). With over 5 billion devices generating data and spurring an exponential rise in mobile data traffic, mobile operators need to examine new ways for improving coverage and network capacity to cope with the growth of WLNs. Macronetworks are driving the evolution of communication systems towards spectrally efficient, energy efficient, and fast local networks. Local networks were mainly driven by standards that support cheap and efficient systems with a relatively small number of users per access point. This will be challenging for future high user density scenarios.

This year's workshop on WLNs will highlight issues pertinent to evolving local networks. Central themes will focus on the development of standards and techniques that reduce the complexity and overhead of the control plane in order to achieve spectral and energy efficiency, new interference management methods for small cell communication, and local networks synergy that empowers the advancement the global connectivity needs of users.

The WLN workshop, which is held in conjunction with the IEEE conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN), created, and continues to create, a platform for researchers and practitioners from academia and the industry  to share and discuss ideas, challenges, and perspectives related to the design and deployment of wireless local networks and how they are emerging as a technology that enables as well as creates the future Internet.