Mobility scenarios for the Future Internet: The 4WARD approach

The project 4WARD addresses the challenges of future networks by combining innovative networking concepts that go beyond the evolution of the contemporary Internet. The aim is to revolutionize in particular the current way of communica-tion over wireless for mobile applications. In this position paper, we discuss how the role of mobility has been changing over time and how it now generates some of the major requirements for the network of the future. The new challenges ahead of us are centered on mobile access to networked information objects, and cannot be met by simply connecting and serving moving devices in a seamless way. The 4WARD vision of a "network of information" anticipates diverse networking scenarios in the coming decades. This paper introduces the 4WARD research approach for making this vision a reality by meeting the challenges regarding mobility. New system design methods for customized architectures on flexible network platforms will be combined with the capabilities of virtualization of all network resources including wireless access. Furthermore, the envisaged network of information will be made possible by capitalizing on the novel generic path concept for flexible interconnection of objects of any type.