Browsing by Author "Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex"
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Item 5G network slicing using SDN and NFV: A survey of taxonomy, architectures and future challenges(Elsevier, 2019-11) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Ahmad, Arslan; Mijumbi, Rashid; Hines, AndrewThe increasing consumption of multimedia services and the demand of high-quality services from cus- tomers has triggered a fundamental change in how we administer networks in terms of abstraction, sep- aration, and mapping of forwarding, control and management aspects of services. The industry and the academia are embracing 5G as the future network capable to support next generation vertical appli- cations with different service requirements. To realize this vision in 5G network, the physical network has to be sliced into multiple isolated logical networks of varying sizes and structures which are ded- icated to different types of services based on their requirements with different characteristics and re- quirements (e.g., a slice for massive IoT devices, smartphones or autonomous cars, etc.). Softwarization using Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV)in 5G networks are expected to fill the void of programmable control and management of network resources. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review and updated solutions related to 5G network slicing us- ing SDN and NFV. Firstly, we present 5G service quality and business requirements followed by a descrip- tion of 5G network softwarization and slicing paradigms including essential concepts, history and differ- ent use cases. Secondly, we provide a tutorial of 5G network slicing technology enablers including SDN, NFV, MEC, cloud/Fog computing, network hypervisors, virtual machines & containers. Thidly, we compre- hensively survey different industrial initiatives and projects that are pushing forward the adoption of SDN and NFV in accelerating 5G network slicing. A comparison of various 5G architectural approaches in terms of practical implementations, technology adoptions and deployment strategies is presented. Moreover, we provide a discussion on various open source orchestrators and proof of concepts representing industrial contribution. The work also investigates the standardization efforts in 5G networks regarding network slicing and softwarization. Additionally, the article presents the management and orchestration of net- work slices in a single domain followed by a comprehensive survey of management and orchestration approaches in 5G network slicing across multiple domains while supporting multiple tenants. Further- more, we highlight the future challenges and research directions regarding network softwarization and slicing using SDN and NFV in 5G networks.Item Bandwidth prediction schemes for defining bitrate levels in SDN-enabled adaptive streaming(PEARL, 2019) Al-Issa, Ali Edan; Bentaleb, Abdelhak; Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Zinner, Thomas; Ghita, BogdanThe majority of Internet video traffic today is delivered via HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS). Recent studies concluded that pure client-driven HAS adaptation is likely to be sub-optimal, given clients adjust quality based on local feedback. In [1], we introduced a network-assisted streaming architecture (BBGDASH) that provides bounded bitrate guidance for a video client while preserving quality control and adaptation at the client. Although BBGDASH is an efficient approach for video delivery, deploying it in a wireless network environment could result in sub-optimal decisions due to the high fluctuations. To this end, we propose in this paper an intelligent streaming archi tecture (denoted BBGDASH +), which leverages the power of time series forecasting to allow for an accurate and scalable network- based guidance. Further, we conduct an initial investigation of parameter settings for the forecasting algorithms in a wireless testbed. Overall, the experimental results indicate the potential of the proposed approach to improve video delivery in wireless network conditions.Item Behavior and techniques for improving performance of OFDM systems for wireless communications(2015-01) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Ali, Md. AbbasOrthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a special case of multicarrier transmission which transmits a stream of data over a number of lower data rate subcarriers. OFDM splits the total transmission bandwidth into a number of orthogonal and non-overlapping subcarriers and transmit the collection of bits called symbols in parallel using these subcarriers. This paper gives a total insight of various Peak -to Average Power Reduction (PAPR) techniques and principles of OFDM systems used in wireless communications. The research paper places a focus also on OFDM behaviors and techniques like Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) estimation that improves performance of OFDM for wireless communications. Finally, the paper provides a number of wireless communication standards and many of the applications where OFDM systems are used.Item Caching and data routing in Information Centric Networking (ICN): the future internet perspective(International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2014-11-11) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Xiaoheng, TanInformation Centric Networking (ICN) is becoming an important direction of the future internet architecture research. Different ICN architectures like PSIRP, NetInf, PURSUIT, CCN, DONA, and NDN have been proposed with the aim of moving from the current host-to-host communication model to a content-centric communication model. Caching and data routing are among the most significant properties of ICN features which improves network efficiency and content distribution performance by satisfying user requests with cached content. New characteristics of ICN caching include the Internet to be transparent to applications, ubiquitous in-network caching (caching contents in routers in a granularity based-level different from the current Internet architecture which cache contents in file-level. This paper describes in-depth, the concepts of caching and data routing in ICN by providing a comprehensive survey of a number of cache decision and data routing policies in ICN. The paper provides also the caching and data routing mechanisms in the Named Data Networking (NDN) which is the promising ICN design for the future Internet architecture. In general, by modelling the in-network caching and data routing which will be based on more efficient cache decision and routing schemes, it will have more practical significance in ICN designs for the future Internet architecture.Item The context of education initiatives, importance and inhibitors of ICTs towards improving teaching and learning in Tanzania: a critical literature review(International Institute for Science, Technology and Education, 2014) Barakabitze, Alcardo AlexThis paper provides a comprehensive review of articles related to initiatives towards integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Tanzanian education. The review summarizes the relevant research on the use of ICT in education, importance and inhibitors or challenges encountered towards improving teaching and learning from primary to higher education in the country. By having a deep understanding of the opportunities available and inhibitors of ICT towards improving learning and teaching, will be of great importance in improving the integration and utilization of ICT in the educational system in Tanzania. This review will be useful for educators, ICT policymakers and other decision makers who are directly involved in introducing ICT into education in Tanzania. In addition, the review also provides the directions for future research studies in addressing the gap between ICT and education in Tanzania.Item Developing a framework for next generation integrated agro food-advisory systems in developing countries(IGI Global., 2016) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Fue, Kadeghe Goodluck; Kitindi, Edvin Jonathan; Sanga, Camilius AloyceFarming communities in developing countries are adopting ICT based systems for agriculture. However, few countries have formalized national ICT for agriculture framework to guide farmers and other actors in solving problems as per their technological and agricultural needs. This paper proposes a framework for agriculture productivity in developing countries. First the description of the components of ICT based systems to support different phases of farming cycle is presented. Then the proposed framework is explained how it can be incorporated in the farming cycle to improve agriculture productivity. The authors anticipate that the proposed framework can bring an increase in agriculture productivity by improving communication pathways for agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS). The proposed framework is grounded on establishment of strong link between farmer-extension agent-researcher (agricultural innovation platform) using participatory approaches.Item Evolution of lte and related technologies towards IMT-advanced(International journal of advanced research in computer science and software engineering, 2015) Ali, Md. Abbas; Barakabitze, Alcardo AlexThe Long Term Evolution (LTE) is an emerging technology, which is standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and evolving to meet the International Mobile Telecommunication Advanced (IMT-Advanced) requirements named as LTE-Advanced. The main goal of LTE is to provide a high data rate, low latency and packet optimized radio access technology supporting flexible bandwidth deployments. The network architecture of LTE has been designed with the goal to support packet-switched traffic with seamless mobility and great quality of service. In this paper, we provide in-depth, the evolution and the major basic features of LTE to LTE-Advanced. Finally, we summarize the LTE-Advanced features in tabular format and show how LTE can fulfil the IMT-Advanced requirements.Item Exploring students’ skills and attitudes on effective use of ICTs: case study of selected Tanzanian public secondary schools(Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2015) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Kitindi, Edvin J.; Sanga, Camilius; Kibirige, George; Makwinya, NoelThis study was conducted purposely following various initiatives and programmes by the Government of Tanzania to incorporate ICT in education since 2007 with the National ICT policy theme “ICT for improved education”. The study provides insights regarding secondary school students’ skills and attitudes in effective use of information and communication technology. The study was a co-relational and cross-sectional survey biased to the quantitative approach involving students, ICT teachers and school administrators. A total of 246 students from six public secondary schools in Tanzania were involved in this study. Primary data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Using inferential and descriptive analyzes, results show that, secondary school students do not have enough skills on effective use of information and communication technologies. However, students have basic knowledge in different aspects of ICTs particularly Internet and various hardware and software available in Tanzania. The implications to the approach of teaching and learning of ICT subjects in secondary schools, its evaluation and assessment and future initiatives related to ICT educations and infrastructure development have impacts towards creating a well-connected society. It is therefore recommended that secondary schools should provide enough ICT tools for students’ hands-on experiences. The utmost end result of integrating ICT in secondary education system will eventually be the economic engine of Tanzania by preparing her students for the knowledge based economyItem Multipath protections and dynamic link recovery in softwarized 5G networks using segment routing(2020-03) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Sun, Lingfen; Mkwawa, Is-Haka; Ifeachor, EmmanuelFuture softwarized 5G networks have to be robust enough so as to ensure high network reliability and services availability. 5G network architecture should make sure that any failed parts in the network are detected, restored and recovered within a permissible period of time and at the lowest achievable cost. In this paper, we propose a Multipath Protection and Link-Failure free MPTCP/SR-based SDN/NFV architecture that increases survivability, resilience, availability of services in 5G net- works. We present our system model and a multiPath protection and dynamic Link- Failure free algorithm called ”PathReLief” that greatly reduces the failure recovery time and avoids link congestion in MPTCP/SR SDN/NFV 5G networks. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposal, we compare the performance of the proposed algorithm and the conventional topology discovery mechanisms for link/node failures in POX and OpenDaylight con- trollers. Preliminary results show that, our approach outperforms others used in the commonly used controllers (i.e., POX and OpenDaylight), in terms of reduced failure recovery time and localization time.Item A novel QoE-centric SDN-based multipath routing approach for multimedia services over 5G networks(PEARL, 2018-07-27) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Sun, Lingfen; Mkwawa, Is-Haka; Ifeachor, EmmanuelThe explosion of enhanced applications such as live video streaming, video gaming and Virtual Reality calls for efforts to optimize transport protocols to manage the increasing amount of data traffic on future 5G networks. Through bandwidth aggregation over multiple paths, the Multi-Path Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP) can enhance the performance of network applications. MPTCP can split a large multimedia flow into subflows and apply a congestion control mechanism on each subflow. Segment Routing (SR), a promising source routing approach, has emerged to provide advanced packet forwarding over 5G networks. In this paper, we explore the utilization of MPTCP and SR in SDN-based networks to improve network resources utilization and end-user’s QoE for delivering multime- dia services over 5G networks. We propose a novel QoE-aware, SDN-based MPTCP/SR approach for service delivery. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we implemented an intelligent QoE-centric Multipath Routing Algorithm (QoMRA) on an SDN source routing platform using Mininet and POX controller. We carried out experiments on Dynamic Adaptive video Steaming over HTTP (DASH) applications over various network conditions. The preliminary results show that, our QoE- aware SDN-based MPTCP/SR scheme performs better compared to the conventional TCP approach in terms of throughput, link utilization and the end-user’s QoE.Item QoE-Centric control and management of multimedia services in software defined and virtualized networks(University of Plymouth, 2020) Barakabitze, Alcardo AlexMultimedia services consumption has increased tremendously since the deploy ment of 4G/LTE networks. Mobile video services (e.g., YouTube and Mobile TV) on smart devices are expected to continue to grow with the emergence and evolution of future networks such as 5G. The end user's demand for services with better quality from service providers has triggered a trend towards Quality of Experience (QoE) - centric network management through efficient utilization of network resources. However, existing network technologies are either unable to adapt to diverse changing network conditions, or limited in available resources. This has posed challenges to service providers for provisioning of QoE-centric multimedia services. New networking solutions such as Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) can provide better solutions in terms of QoE control and management of multimedia services in emerging and future networks. The features of SDN, such as adaptability, programmability and cost effectiveness make it suitable for bandwidth intensive multimedia applications such as live video streaming, 3D/HD video and video gaming. However, the delivery of multimedia services over SDN/NFV networks to achieve optimized QoE, and the overall QoE-centric network resource management remain an open question especially in the advent development of future softwarized networks. The work in this thesis intends to investigate, design and develop novel ap proaches for QoE-centric control and management of multimedia services (with a focus on video streaming services) over software defined and virtualized networks. First, a video quality management scheme based on the traffic intensity under Dynamic Adaptive Video Streaming over HTTP (DASH) using SDN is developed. The proposed scheme can mitigate virtual port queue congestion which may cause buffering or stalling events during video streaming, thus, reducing the video quality. A QoE-driven resource allocation mechanism is designed and developed for improving the end user's QoE for video streaming services. The aim of this approach is to find the best combination of network node functions that can provide an optimized QoE level to end-users through network node cooperation. Furthermore, a novel QoE-centric management scheme is proposed and developed, which utilizes Multipath TCP (MPTCP) and Segment Routing (SR) to enhance QoE for video streaming services over SDN/NFV-based networks. The goal of this strategy is to enable service providers to route network traffic through multiple disjointed bandwidth-satisfying paths and meet specific service QoE guarantees to the end-users. Extensive experiments demonstrated that the proposed schemes in this work improve the video quality significantly compared with the state-of- the-art approaches. The thesis further proposes the path protections and link failure free MPTCP/SR-based architecture that increases Survivability, resilience, availability and robustness of future networks. The proposed path protection and dynamic link recovery scheme achieves a minimum time to recover from a failed link and avoids link congestion in softwarized networks.Item SDN and NFV for QoE-driven multimedia services delivery: the road towards 6G and beyond networks(Elsevier, 2022) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Walshe, RayThe concept for developing the future mobile communication systems has been explored in recent years with a vision towards 5G and 6G systems. Meeting performance targets such as higher data rate transmission, lower end-to-end latency, higher capacity, lower cost, and satisfied Quality of Experience (QoE) for delivered services is the key for the success of 5G and 6G networks. Within these performance targets and associated enabling technologies, QoE and the overall management of multimedia services is the one which has been less well addressed for 5G in the past. This paper provides a comprehensive and ground-breaking discussion regarding QoE management in the context of future softwarized 5G/6G networks. We introduce a generalized QoE provisioning ecosystem for emerging multimedia streaming services in softwarized 5G/6G and beyond networks. We explore potential network softwarization and communication technologies that will enable the end-user’s QoE in 5G/6G. We further provide promising use case scenarios regarding (a) QoE-driven management of multimedia services over multi-access cloud/edge softwarized and virtualized 5G networks, (b) QoE monitoring for large traffic variations in business, residential and public areas in 5G networks, along with a Machine Learning (ML)-based softwarized controller for QoE provisioning over 5G/6G networks. We build on the achievements of 5G networks to provide the roadmap towards the development of 6G and beyond networks in terms of requirements, use case scenarios and service classes. We also present potential technologies that will be dominant through 2025–2030 in shaping the vision of 6G and beyond networks including (a) self- driving 3D network architecture, (b) network management, automation and orchestration, and (c) pervasive artificial intelligence. Moreover, we provide challenges and research directions in 6G and beyond wireless communication systems. The paper provides the first roadmap towards the management, orchestration and monitoring of multimedia 3D services in 6G and beyond networks. The comprehensive goal of this paper is to encourage researchers from the industry and academia to work together towards the realization of softwarized 6G and beyond networks while tackling the critical research challenges regarding the management of emerging 3D multimedia services and applications. The comments made by the authors in this paper are expectations on 6G, and the standardization of 6G where these aspects will be decided in 6G networks and beyond, will be started soon by different standardization bodies and fora.Item An SDN-approach for QoE management of multimedia services using resource allocation(University of Plymouth, 2020) Grigoriou, Elisavet; Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Atzori, Luigi; Sun, Lingfen; Pilloni, VirginiaFuture networks will be accompanied by new het- erogeneous requirements in terms of end-users Quality of Expe- rience (QoE) due to the increasing number of application sce- narios being deployed. Network softwarization technologies such as Software Defined Networks (SDNs) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) promise to provide these capabilities. In this paper, a novel QoE-driven resource allocation mechanism is proposed to dynamically assign tasks to virtual network nodes in order to achieve an optimized end-to-end quality. The aim is to find the best combination of network node functions that can provide an optimized level of QoE to the end users though node cooperation. The service in question is divided in tasks and the neighbor nodes negotiate the assignment of these considering the final quality. In the paper we specifically focus on the video streaming service. We also show that the agility provided by SDN/NFV is a key factor for enhancing video quality, resource allocation and QoE management in future networks. Preliminary results based on the Mininet network emulator and the OpenDaylight controller have shown that our approach can significantly improve the quality of a transmitted video by selecting the best path with normalized QoS values.Item A survey on naming, name resolution and data routing in Information Centric Networking (ICN)(International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering, 2014-10) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Xiaoheng, Tan; Tan, GuoInformation-Centric Networking (ICN) is set to replace the current internet architecture which is based on end-to-end communication between hosts. The ICN approach to the network of the future has recently been and is being explored by a number of research projects from Asia, Europe and America. This paper provides a review on three Information Centric Networking (ICN) architectures based on objects/contents naming, name resolution and data routing. The review highlights and briefly describes the naming structures, operation of name resolution and data routing processes of DONA, NetInf and PURSUIT. A summary in tabular form and a comparative study of these three architectures is also given in the paper.Item Transforming African education systems in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) using ICTs: challenges and opportunities(Education Research International, 2019-02) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Lazaro, Anangisye William Andey; Ainea, Neterindwa; Mkwizu, Michael Hamza; Maziku, Hellen; Matofali, Alex Xavery; Iddi, Aziza; Sanga, CamilliusThis paper presents the role of ICTs in transforming Africa’s Education Systems (AES) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects/courses. The paper highlights on a positive shift across Africa in using ICT to improve the quality of teaching and learning through activities such as intensive ICT skills training to teachers, increase in ICT equipments and ap- plications in schools, and emergence of living labs (LLs) and innovation spaces/centres (InnoSpace). We first provide some of the challenges of integrating ICTs in education followed by a description of key past and current ICT initiatives supporting the adoption of ICTs in schools using a number of case studies in sub-Saharan Africa. We further present various ICT-based models for education, as a transformational approach towards integrating ICTs in AES. Moreover, we provide various ICT platforms deployed for education service delivery in disadvantaged African society (e.g., rural areas) including LLs and InnoSpace across the continent. Finally, we highlight our main findings and observations in terms of opportunities and future ICT for education research directions in Africa. Our aim is to provide some guidelines and ensure that Africa uniformly meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which is to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning, particularly using ICTs.Item The use of participatory approaches in developing ICT-based systems for disseminating agricultural knowledge and information for farmers in developing countries: the case of Tanzania(The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 2017) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Fue, Kadeghe G.; Sanga, Camilius AloyceThis paper provides an insight on the use of various participatory approaches to develop ICTs to the rural farming communities. The paper shows how collective groups of farmers can be empowered through involvement of different stakeholders in a participatory action research. The paper also discusses how participatory action research will help the farming community in adopting ICT-based solutions for agriculture. This in turn will contribute in solving problems as well as assisting decision making in identifying technological and agricultural needs. In this study, a total of 64 researchers and extension workers and 320 rural farmers were involved. Primary data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and interviews. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics tool. The results indicate that many ICT- based solutions for agriculture are not adopted by farmers and other stakeholders in various agricultural value chains because those ICTs were developed without using participatory approaches. Moreover, the results from study indicate that participatory action research approaches such as Participatory Communication (PV), Participatory Video (PV), Participatory Learning and Action Research (PLAR), Farmer Participatory Research (FPR), Informal-Mobile Learning Research (IMLR) have a significant impact on the effective use of ICTs in rural farming community and the agricultural domain in general. Among of these participatory approaches, the IMLR and PLAR have shown to be more effective because of availability and interactive mobile learning environments that excite interests, commitments and encourages participatory attitudes among famers and researchers. This study provides an evident that ICTs has a dominant position to alleviate rural poverty and strengthen the agriculture productivity through participatory approaches. We recommend that a strong commitment of all actors in agriculture value chain is needed so that they can collaborate to identify the problem, analysis and design possible solutions and finally, implement and later on use those developed ICTs to increase agriculture productivity.