Towards Next-Generation Network Testers for 5G/6G Lab Infrastructures

• Grant number: 25/23629-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: February 01, 2026
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Telecommunications
• Principal Investigator: Christian Rodolfo Esteve Rothenberg
• Grantee: Filipo Gabert Costa
• Supervisor: Antonio de La Oliva Delgado
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação (FEEC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad Carlos Iii De Madrid, Campus De Leganés, Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/16207-8 - Rethinking Network Testers for Next Generation of 5G/6G Networks and Applications., BP.MS

Abstract

As 5G and 6G networks evolve, they introduce increasingly strict requirements for latency, throughput, and reliability. Compared to earlier generations, these networks demand support for features such as ultra-low latency, high device density, and protocol-specific behavior. Traditional software-based tools often fall short due to limitations in scalability and fidelity, making it difficult to reproduce the strict latency and throughput requirements of next-generation networks.The core objective of this proposal is to leverage the performance and programmability of hardware-based platforms (P4 switches, SmartNICs) to design and validate advanced testing tools. The work plan focuses on two key technical fronts: creating high-fidelity RDMA traffic generators for distributed AI workloads and developing a specialized traffic generator for the QUIC protocol. By doing so, this project will enable researchers to reproduce complex network conditions, validate programmable network actuation mechanisms, and contribute to establishing a robust experimental platform for 6G research and development. To this end, this proposal aims to contribute to the evolution of open-source experimental tools developed within the SMARTNESS Engineering Research Center and the integration into the 5G/6G testbed infrastructure at the 5TONIC laboratory.